Teaching English in France. What region? Spain?

Question

I'm thinking about going to France through an assistantship program with the French embassy. When you send in the application, you state which region you'd prefer to go to. Where should I go if I want to do some good running, rock climbing, or other outdoor activities? Which place has the best girls?

I asked a variation of this question before and was recommended Strasbourg and Toulouse and to stay away from the Massif Central and Paris. Is Bordeaux a nice? Is Brittany, Normandie too close to the UK for me to be useful as a teacher? Corsica or the DOM sound interesting but it seems like they could get boring. I'd like to hear your recommendations and stories of your experiences.

Also, when my term is up could I just hop the border to Spain and teach English there or find work as a farmhand?

How likely is it that I'll leave with a smart and pretty wife? Joking. That would be cool though. I'd like to come back with really good French and Spanish skills. Merci d'avance.

Answer 1

A big plus to Alsace is that there aren't a lot of English speakers here. We're novel and no one really knows it anyway so you're forced to speak French.

The Vosges are closeby so you could go skiing, climbing, etc. on the weekends. This is a big bike riding area too.

We only just got the TGV last weekend so London is only 4 1/2 hours away by train now. There are also two Stanstead-Baden flights. Ryan Air calls it "Karlsruhe" (yeah right...) which is  a small airport, just over the border. Baden is closer to Strasbourg than Karlsruhe! They also have a Dublin-Baden flight that connects elsewhere in the U.K. Alsace isn't as awkward to get to as it used to be!

The weather is not a big draw. Usually the British prefer the areas in France which are 1. closer & 2. hotter. Alsace is neither but the weather is better than it was in London, where I used to live.

It's fun being so close to so many countries. We pop over to Germany to go shopping or swimming for the day. The Swiss Alps can be done on a long weekend.

Strasbourg is lively and easy to get away from. You probably are looking at getting a car but there is a service you can join and rent periodically, reducing or eliminating the need to actually own a vehicle yourself.

Driving conditions aren't the best. Lots of tourists and trucks on the highways. Watch out for those diplomatic license plates! (they don't know the rules of the road to start with).  The French are infamous for not following the rules. Parking is a nightmare in Strasbourg. Practice parallel parking before coming here. Right now, they're extending the tram and between that and the train station, it looks like one big building site here right now but that should be over by fall.

The international community is huge, and a big porportion of a relatively small population. We have an opera, symphony, theatre, plenty of great places to eat, discos, etc.

Answer 2

In Centre Region

Answer 3

Hi, I was an assistant in Normandy last year and loved it!

For your interests, I would definitely concur with Strasbourg - it's gorgeous and Alsace is spectacularly well-organised for hikers, great well-marked trails everywhere. The Cote d'Azur and Dordogne also have good trails.

Aquitaine and Provence are NOT good for walking, though, apparently people there don't balader.Normandy and Brittany are pretty flat and the trails are fewer and less well-marked. I didn't go to the Massif Central or Corsica so can't help there.

As for girls, I am one so not too sure what yr looking for:) but it  seems that southern girls tend to be wider, darker, and less pretty than northern girls.

TEFLing in Spain will be feasible if you get a 120-hour teaching certificate. There's a lot of Brits working there so competition is stiff. If you aren't an EU country citizen you will almost certainly have to work illegally.

Anything else...check out this website

www.assistantsinfrance.com

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Hi, I live in Nantes (under Brittany). I study english At the university of nantes and there are often "lecteurs" who teach us oral practice.

Normandie is not a very interesting place, the weather terrible and it s almost only fields. You have a few dynamic cities like Deauville or Trouville. Deauville more particulary is famous for the casino, the horses races. In normandie you have plenty of stud farms.

I really like Nantes. It s only 50km from the ocean, if you get out of the city you have a cool countryside, where I live (I love quiet places). Ok you won t be able to climb... But you have plenty of horse riding clubs where you could do the farmhand! lol