Applications for 2023-2024 are now closed. Selections will be announced mid-April 2023.
Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to get the latest program updates and see what our Assistants are up to this year! @tapifUSA
This page contains general information about the program, job duties, location, contract length, stipend, health insurance, and housing. For information about eligibility, how to apply, program timeline, and frequently asked questions, please follow the links in the menu to the right.
Make sure to consult the 2022-2023 American Assistant Handbook for even more program information and guidance!
The Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) is the American cohort of the Programme des Assistants de langue en France, a program of France Éducation international. The recruiting and promotion of this program is managed by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States. The program's goal is to strengthen foreign-language instruction in French schools by establishing a native speaker presence, while also providing young professionals from around the world with initial international teaching experience and first-hand knowledge of French language and culture.
Every year, we hire over 1,500 American English language teaching assistants.
Assistants teach 12 hours per week in up to 3 schools. Classes are conducted in English. Teaching assistants conduct all or part of a class, typically leading conversations in English. Duties include serving as a resource person in conversation groups, providing small group tutorials, and giving talks related to American studies. Assignments vary depending on the school’s needs and the assistant’s abilities.
Contracts are available at the elementary or secondary school level.
• Elementary School – Children aged 8-11 years old. Assistant leads oral activities with small groups, or works alongside the teacher with the entire class present.
• Secondary School – Students aged 11-18 years old. Assistant serves as a resource person in conversation groups, provides small group tutorials, facilitates English-language clubs, or works alongside the teacher with the entire class present.
Some assistants choose to pursue a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certification to prepare for their roles in the classroom. While not required, these certification courses could be very useful for assistants without significant prior experience teaching English, or for assistants who plan to pursue English teaching as a career.
Several organizations offer discounted certification courses for future, current, and former TAPIF Assistants:
CIEE TEFL
International TEFL Academy
The Embassy does not endorse these courses and does not promote specific organizations or offerings. The above information is meant to inform interested TAPIF candidates and alumni of the discounted courses available to TAPIF affiliates.
TAPIF offers positions in all regions of metropolitan France and in the overseas departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Réunion. Applicants may indicate up to three regions of preference on their application. Accepted applicants receive placement in a specific French Académie (school district) at the time of acceptance notification in April.
More information about each Académie and corresponding region can be found on page 3 of our Application Instructions document.
All teaching contracts last 7 months, from October 1st through April 30th.
Short-term contracts, summer contracts, and alternative start dates are NOT available.
Americans may participate a maximum of 2 times in the TAPIF program. If you are applying for an assistantship for a second consecutive year, you will need to apply to renew your contract through France Éducation international. Renewal is contingent upon a positive review from the host institution, whether or not the assistant wishes to remain at his or her host institution or be transferred to another school or académie, amongst other factors.
If you are applying for a second assistantship in non-consecutive years (ex. You were an assistant in 2017-2018and now you are applying again for 2022-2023) you must apply through the general TAPIF application at tapif.org. In this situation, we review applications with the same criteria as first-time assistants, however we systematically place former assistants who are accepted on the waiting list. If you submitted an application within the past four years, we can use your previous application for 2022-2023. Please read more about how to use a past application HERE.
€1,010.67 per month GROSS, approximately €810 per month NET (slight variations possible due to region-dependent local deductions). NOTE: This is an incresease in salary from last year. Please visit the Ministry of Education's website for future salary updates.
Due to the higher cost of living in the overseas departments, assistants in French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion receive an additional salary allowance of approximately 30% to 35%.
The stipend provides enough money to live the lifestyle of a typical French student in most regions of France (but NOT Paris due to the very high cost of living in the capital region).
No additional support is provided for travel to France or for dependents. Personal funds are needed for the initial period of the contract.
Assistants receive health insurance through the French national healthcare system known as the Sécurité sociale. The "Sécu" covers 70% of medical costs, 35-65% of prescriptions, and 80% of hospitalization fees in France. The plan does NOT cover the costs of travel outside of France, returning to the U.S. for medical treatment, or repatriation of remains.
Assistants are strongly encouraged to purchase travel health insurance or an international student/youth card that will cover medical expenses for emergencies that happen outside of France. This additional coverage also helps assistants pay for out-of-pocket medical costs during the initial period of the grant (first 2-3 months), during which time they must complete the Sécu enrollment paperwork (co-pays and immediate reimbursements for medical services do not take effect until the enrollment paperwork is complete). Assistant coverage technically begins on October 1st, but assistants must pay out-of-pocket until they receive their permanent social security number, at which time they can be retroactively reimbursed. Additional individual coverage is not required, but is still highly recommended.
Assistants are responsible for making their own living arrangements. Some host schools are able to help assistants secure housing or make arrangements for the first few weeks in France, but this is NOT guaranteed. Assistants should plan on needing to find their own housing. France Éducation international, the Embassy, and the school districts in France do offer a number of resources and suggestions during the summer on how and where search for housing.
2022-2023_american_assistant_handbook_updated.pdf
