About
A 23-year-old Aussie girl who landed in France on June 15 on a 12-month working holiday visa.
Find a room, find a job, find l’amour, drink wine and be merry – should be a piece of cake, non?
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Moulin Rouge
Jolie à Paris 
Hey, I came across your blog while I was looking up the TEFL scheme. I have been considering it for a fair few months now but had my heart set on doing it in S.Korea for money reasons (they literally pay for everything there), but Paris would always be something of a treat. Anyways, your blog is really interesting and a valuable tool in helping me make my decision, so keep up the good work and I’ll certainly be getting in touch if I have any queries regarding doing a tefl course in Paris.
hi there,
i found your blog through i-to-i.com, i’m in the process of researching TEFL courses. your blog is great! i have one question for you tho, what course did you take, and how did you manage to line up clients? i’m sure you’re super busy, but if you get the chance to respond, i’d really appreciate it,
thanks!
sharon
Hi Sharon,
I took the 120-hour course with i-to-i (the most extensive one possible) – because I didn’t have any experience, and wanted to work in a country where experience often seems to be preferred, I thought it would give me the best chance for finding a job.
As for clients – I’m now working for a school, which means they organise the clients and my calendar. If you want to find private clients, most people seem to advertise on Craigslist or in Fusac. Be warned though – I advertised on Craigslist and Kijiji.com, and have only had two replies, so you might need a high level of French to have more luck. The pay is better if you have private clients – the usual rate is €20 an hour in cash.
I hope this helped, and I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog!
Hey, Just thought that I’d let you know that I think you’re blog is great! I’m currently going through the same thing and have just moved into an appartment in Paris from Australia to try and put my TEFL course to good use! Your blog is very refreshingly honest and I feel the same about wading through the maddness (the different keyboards affect me the most I think!) or travelling around France and blowing my savings. It’s great to read about someone else’s experiences and know that us Aussies always give it a go! I’m sure that it’ll all be worth it!
I can’t believe that I’m an english teacher and I wrote you’re in the first sentence! I blame the keyboard.
I was tempted to correct it before approving, but after seeing the next message I couldn’t resist posting it as it was :p
And to everyone out there who hasn’t used a French keyboard – they don’t use Qwerty here! They’re Azerty keyboards, and incredibly annoying.
Hi, I came across your blog through i-to-i as I am wanting to go to Europe myself and teach English.
I am in Australia currently and was just wondering, how did you go about the Visa process? Do you have a degree? Were you able to organise a job before you left? Are you enjoying it? Sorry for all the questions. Your blog is quite interesting and I am looking forward to reading more.
Hi there,
So, question by question – to organise a Working Holiday visa for France I had to get a police name check, gather some documents together (bank statements, IDs, etc – you can find the information on line) and book an appointment with the French consulate in Sydney to submit it all in person. My visa came through two days after my Sydney appointment, though I had to wait nearly a month for the police check. Which country are you going to, because there might be a different process (I also worked in the UK on a Working Holiday visa and that was much easier – I did it all by mail through my travel agent).
I have a Bachelor’s degree and I wasn’t able to find work before I left, but I applied for jobs before I left and had interviews organised when I arrived. I started working at BTL two weeks after I arrived. Yes, I really enjoy the teaching, but sometimes the hours and pay can be a bit annoying, and there isn’t a lot of stability. You do get to meet a lot of interesting people though (other teachers as well as students).
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog – if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to comment or send me an email 🙂