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The role of an assistant

The overall objective of this programme is to enable assistants to learn about the language and society of their host country whilst bringing their native speaker language skills and their valuable knowledge of their own culture to schools.

To this end, this programme contributes to students' mobility, at European and international level, and offers them a training opportunity and an introduction to professional life, thus providing unquestionable added value to their university studies.

The assistant's role is to improve pupils' communication skills (in particular oral skills) and develop their knowledge of a different society and culture. They support the work of the language department in the school they are placed in, under the supervision of the modern languages teachers. They may do this in whole class situations in the teacher's presence, or they may lead activities independently with small groups of pupils.

Main duties

You may carry out the following duties in your school:

• conversation practice with pupils alongside the teacher
• participate in various educational activities held in the school
• contribute to authentic voice recordings to enrich the school's audiovisual resources
• individual pupil support
• participate in the implementation of exchange programmes
• lead a language club
• educational support
• intensive language courses.

Assistants may also get involved in other areas of school life depending on the requirements of their school.

Specific assignment

Recruitment for intensive English language courses

Since the beginning of the 2008-2009 academic year, the French Ministry for National Education has offered intensive English language courses to Lycée pupils (aged 15-18). These are weekly courses of 15 hours. They are free of charge and take place during school holidays.

As an English language assistant you may, if you wish, apply to assist during these courses in order to gain extra experience during the academic year.

In order to manage the recruitment of staff for these courses, who will be paid for the hours worked, the Ministry for National Education has developed an application, called RECRUTLANGUES, which is now available online at: www.education.gouv.fr/cid23460/renforcement-de-l-apprentissage-de-l-anglais-oral.html

You can also apply by submitting a CV in electronic format with details of your profile and skills. Your application will be considered by the Délégué académique aux relations internationales et européennes et à la coopération (DAREIC) and the English inspectorate in the local authority in which you wish to work.