Specialist teaching is not a regulated profession in France. The only regulated profession in the social sector is that of social services assistant. Other professions (specialist teacher, young children’s teacher and specialist technical teacher) are not regulated and may be exercised without holding a qualification delivered by the French State. It is up to the employer to assess qualifications, experience and the candidate. Holders of foreign teaching qualifications may therefore approach prospective employers direct.
Recruitment for exercising the profession in the public sector may be by open competition.

For further information on this profession

In France, the teaching professions are not regulated in the sense of directive 2005/36/EC:
- The right to exercise the profession of teacher is not subject to possession of a specific certificate or any other particular form of qualification.
- There are a number of ways of entering the teaching profession, open competition being the means of access under common law; the other means are European secondment, recruitment under common law contract, and recruitment as an associate teacher.

Recruitment by open competition
This path, now open to all Community nationals, is subject to obtention of a Master’s degree or equivalent qualification sanctioning a course of postsecondary studies lasting for at least 5 years, without any specific qualification being required. With direct regard to Community nationals’ access to posts under the aegis of the Ministry for National Education, mechanisms have been incorporated into recruiting methods to enable already qualified Community nationals selected through open competition to benefit from mobility in France during the course of their careers.
- During their placement year (corresponding to their initial appointment), qualified Community nationals who have been selected can therefore enjoy exemption from professional training, in compliance with decree no.2000-129 of 16 February 2000 for secondary-school teachers and decree no.98-304 of 17 February 1998 for primary-school teachers.
- Decree no.2010-570 of 28 May 2010 also provides for the opening of in-house competitions providing access to teaching bodies on the part of Community nationals with professional experience in another Member State’s public education system, under the same conditions as French nationals.

Other means of access to teaching posts in France enabling mobility on the part of European teachers
With regard to teachers in the State system, in compliance with decree no.2010-311 of 22 March 2010, European secondment enables any Community national teaching in the public education system of another Member State of the European Union or European Economic Area (EEA) to request secondment to the French public education system. Such secondment is for a maximum duration of 5 years, and may lead to the interested party being incorporated into the teaching body concerned.
There also exists another form of recruitment as an associate teacherat local state schools, in application of decree no.2007-322 of 8 March 2007. Such teachers are recruited under a contract with a maximum duration of 3 years, renewable for a total of 6 years. In this scenario, teachers concerned must be able to show proof of at least 5 years’ professional experience in the subject taught.