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So, what do they come for, if it's not for teaching English?
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johnmck -



Quote:

Can you imagine being able to take fridays off every week in the US? it happens in France I'm told
but it still boggles my mind

Not true for France, it depends upon the company but the best on offer is only every other Friday
off (this is in addition to 5 weeks holiday ). (of course you could try to negotiate all the other
Fridays off using up your 5 weeks holiday)

The legal rule is a maximum of 35 hours a week + five week holidays for staff paid per hour. For
those paid a monthly salary (regardless of hours worked) the limit is a maximum of 218 working
days a year.

Why not come and teach English in France?



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david1978 -



Quote:

Not true for France, it depends upon the company but the best on offer is only every other Friday
off.

The same deal is generally true in America as well. Most companies will give you every other
Friday off.










Senzhi -

Vous avez des dumplings en France?

Je pense aussi que les salaires des profs n'est pas fameux en France, comme en Belgique.

I don't think teachers in France have that much of a brilliant salary either. Am I wrong?










gato -

Probably much harder to get an English-teaching job making a living wage in France, though.
N'est-ce pas?










simonlaing -

I have relatives who live in rural France. I didn't mean to be so broad based , but when ever I
visit it seems like a hassle to get things done because certain stores will be open or closed on a
monday or Friday.
Other strange things coming from living in Chinese medium sized city when you can get almost
anything until 9pm at night and most things if you know where to look.
Restaurants are closed from 5 pm to 7 pm. Banks and the post office have weird hours . The post
office is like 10-12 pm then 3-6pm . I am told banks are open even less in Spain.

Most jobs have 8 weeks of vacation which means certain towns in July and August become ghost towns
as everyone goes on vacation. Johnmck perhaps you can say if this is true for Paris.

The countryside picturesque mountains and the cheeses are incredible. But it can be frustrating
going to a restaurant at 6 pm and being told you have to wait until 7 to get a table.
I met an English teacher in Italy she said the pay was decent but the men had communication
issues. I think France usually wants a teaching qualification to work there and or working permit.

I guess different places have different ideas of normal.
Have fun,
Simon










Hero Doug -

I think most everything has been said already. Two things to add.

Point One

One thing I've noticed is a lot of people defending the teachers are teachers themselves, and a
lot of people putting them down haven't said what their doing in China, or aren't teachers.

I wonder if this is because the people who haven't taught don't fully understand the trade or the
people who have come to teach.

Keep in mind people typically like to talk about negative issues (the news illustrates my point).
I've never been out with my friends and had a conversation about the someone's good work ethics.
Maybe "showing up to work one time" and "preparing for class" is interesting to some, but most
likely not interesting to the average joe. When all you hear about is negative behaviour it's easy
to generalize.

Point Two

Kind of been said before, but I want to throw my support behind it as well.

You only live once, so if living in the same area, going to the same job,, going back to the same
house, and doing the same activities with the same people for your whole life is your thing, then
fine, do that. Some of us want to do something other then sell 25 years of our lives for a house
and car.

With that said, I've looked at teaching ESL long-term and I simply don't see it as a viable option
for myself.

So I'm using this time to study a new major, continue my Chinese studies, and continue to work
(I'm even looking into opening a business).

I couldn't imagine trying to do all that back in Canada. Just working and making enough to survive
while studying would consume your life; nevermind studying a new language or opening a business.

There are benifits to teaching English in China, but money isn't one of them.










johnmck -

When I first came to France I often got caught out with shop opening times. Typically they are
open 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-19:00 and closed on Sundays, Mondays and national holidays. They open
late because they close late. They close for 2 hours at lunchtime because in France mealtimes are
sacred (in the UK one eats to live, but in France one lives to eat). They are closed on Mondays
because in France everyone has the right to two days consecutive holiday per week (only the very
large stores have enough employees to manage this law and open on Mondays).

In France people eat three meals a day at set times. If a restaurant was open at any other time it
would be empty.

If you live in France and you are used to the opening times then it is not a problem.
Unfortunately life in France is changing as more stores are opening on Sundays and national
holidays.

The French tend to take August off for holiday. This means many towns are deserted in August,
which is not a problem if you are French because you are not there . Paris does become as close as
it ever will to a ghost town in August, this is why I go on holiday in July then I can enjoy Paris
in August, no traffic jams, no parking problem, no queues, ...












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