Hello! I am Izzie, a fourth-year student studying French. I have not long returned from my year abroad as an English language assistant in the Aisne region of France! Hopefully, this blog will give you an understanding of how British Council works and what is expected of you as a language assistant (although be aware this varies depending on the school and the region), as well as my personal experiences with it. I am also going to talk about some advice I have and what it was like living where I lived!
British Council:
As I’m sure you already know, the British Council is the group that is used to become a language assistant. I’m pretty sure there are other ways to do it, but they are most likely quite faffy (due to French admin being a bit of a pain). The process was quite easy to do, but there was quite a lot spaced out over time. If you are someone who is disorganised like me, then I suggest setting deadline dates for yourself for some of the things (especially visa stuff) to avoid the mad rush that I had at the end. Also, something which is so, so useful to do is join the British Council group chat for your region, as I’d have had no idea what I was doing half the time without it! You can find them on Facebook (that’s how I found mine).
British Council were very helpful through the application process. When it got to the French side, for me it was okay, but definitely use that group chat before trying to get a response from them, as it can take a while. They also have a training day where you can ask your questions early on in the year.
Experience as a language assistant:
My experience as a language assistant was overall positive. I think the most difficult part was having to speak French with the children (I know, disaster, having to speak French in France). It really does depend on the school whether you have to speak French or English when teaching them. Language assistants are told we should use predominantly English; however, my teachers asked me to speak in French with the children, as they had no clue what I was on about when I was speaking in English. Honestly, at the beginning, speaking French while teaching was EXHAUSTING; it was like doing back-to-back speaking exams. But after maybe two weeks, it was much, much easier. Also, remember if the children don’t get what you’re saying, the teacher should always be in the room with you to help out. When I first started, I would have a light outline of what I was going to say in bullet points to help me, but later I just got used to it.
I taught primary and maternelle, so ages 3-11, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved working with the children, and you get an ego boost as you become a bit of a celebrity to them! I think one thing that I found tricky was integrating myself with the staff, as the children were very accepting but, at one school, the staff were a bit cold. They did warm up after a bit, though, as my French improved.
Living in France:
I lived in a town just north of Paris called Soissons. It was very pretty, with not much to do apart from a few bars and cafés. My advice for you is to make a space outside of your house feel like home, which can be tricky. Sometimes, I felt as if I couldn’t leave the house because I was too scared to speak French- it happens! But I found that on those days I’d feel bad about the fact that I hadn’t overcome that fear and gone somewhere. Having a place where I felt comfortable was amazing because I could leave the house and speak a little French without being too anxious. Mine was called Café 53, and it was so lovely (I really miss the banana bread)!
I was so lucky because I lived with a lovely group of girls, but if you’re living alone or if you’re maybe not as close with your housemates, I would really recommend trying to join a club or group, and this will improve your language skills as well! It’s very scary having conversations in another language for some people (me), but I have found that the vast majority of people were really patient and nice (I used to get complimented on my French after making every grammatical error possible).
My main piece of advice is to make the most of when you are there because it can be a great experience. I think it is what you make it, to an extent; obviously, things may happen that are out of your control, but I think trying to make the best of things is important.
Overall experience:
My experience overall was positive! I miss it now that I am home; I especially miss the friends I made and the children I taught. It wasn’t perfect and, at the beginning, I felt like giving up at times, but it got better! Don’t compare your experiences to anyone else’s, because it is YOUR experience. Try your best and be yourself (corny, I know), and the rest will come. I hope this was helpful to you, and I wish you the best of luck!