Tips and Tricks Archives

19 Primary School Lesson Ideas for TAPIF

What’s great about the TAPIF program is that you don’t need ample teaching credentials to teach English in France. And what’s not so great about the TAPIF is exactly that. I graduated from my university with a double major in journalism and French. I had no experience teaching English as a foreign language before I moved to France with the TAPIF program. In hopes of being in southern France quelque part, I requested the académie of Aix-Marseille or Montpellier with no preference for age. I received my affectation for three primary schools in Marseille, and then I renewed for...

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15 French Culture References in Emily in Paris Season 3

Since Season 1, Emily in Paris has taken some turns and has faced some choices. Gabriel or Alfie, Chicago or Paris, Sylvie or Madeline. Along with the plot developing, the show has refined its approach to presenting the French culture. Although I had mixed feelings on Season 2, Season 3 surprised me with its more accurate nods to French culture, more dynamic plot and more French language. While Season 1 crossed off the major clichés of French culture, its third season dives deeper into la richesse de son patrimoine, or France’s rich heritage. While still plenty Americainized, I thoroughly...

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TAPIF Recap: Thoughts on Teaching English in France for Two Years

After graduating with journalism and French degrees, I set out to find myself during a gap year in France. As part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), I taught English lessons in French public schools for a year and then renewed for a second year. During my first year, I divvied up my 12-hour contract among three primary schools on the outskirts of Marseille on Tuesdays and Thursdays and taught six different grade levels in a total of 17 classrooms. For my second year, I was placed at one elementary school near Marseille’s center and taught in...

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How I Got a Job in France (Not Teaching English)

When I moved to France in September 2020, I planned to stay for my 7-month teaching assistant contract. By then, my gap year would have inspired me in my next steps, and I would return to the United States to start my “real” adult life. Well, that’s not exactly how it played out. During my first TAPIF teaching contract, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving and reapplied for a second year. I worked as an au pair during the summer between the two school years. Now as my second (and final year) of teaching is winding down, I’m...

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What I Miss Most about the U.S.A. When Abroad

When I moved from Missouri to Marseille, France, I thought it would be for just a school year. But then my teaching stint turned into au pairing for the summer and then back into another teaching stint. So all in all, my original plan to stay from October to April drastically changed. And now I’ve been in France for a year and a half. For years, living in France has been my dream, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss life in the U.S.A. France is becoming more and more like home, but sometimes being far from my home...

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2021 Gift Ideas for Wanderlust Lovers

I feel like a child. I truly get so giddy when the holiday season rolls around and I get to make my list. No, it’s no longer Barbies and dress up that I’m looking forward to finding under the tree. Instead, it’s a picnic backpack for charcuterie nights at the park and travel-themed art prints. The holiday season is the perfect time to not only treat yo’ loved ones (and yourself) but also to stock up on practical purchases, too. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite buys, wish list items and gift ideas for wanderlust lovers. This post...

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Idyllic Provence Road Trip in Vaucluse, France

Southern France has stolen my heart. Lavender fields, rolling hills, cobblestone streets and all in the sweet sunshine? C’mon! A little over a year ago I moved to Marseille to teach English and au pair, and since then, I’ve had the privilege of exploring southern France at my leisure. Personally, you can’t go wrong with any destination in France, but some tug at the heart strings more than others. I’ve compiled some of my favorite Provence road trip destinations so that you can profiter and simply savor the best of southern France in the Vaucluse department at your own...

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How I Saved $7,000 to Travel Europe

Since I started taking French in high school, I dreamed of being in France and traveling all over Europe. In high school, I took a class trip to Europe, and during college, I spent a summer in Toulouse and studied abroad in several countries during winter break. All that to say, I have an insatiable wanderlust, especially for France, and my dreams to return came true when I accepted a position to teach English in France. With the teaching assistant salary being so meager at around 800 euros per month, I knew I’d want to save up big time...

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6 Expat Life Lessons After One Year in France

I cried my entire way through airport security. Last September, I left the States to teach English in France for a year, but from Day 1, it has been a wild adventure. When I arrived to check in for my flight one year ago, Brian from United told me he wouldn’t give me my boarding passes because Americans simply weren’t allowed into France due to Covid. False. I showed him my visa, work contract, emails with the embassy — just about everything but my first grade report card. My mom and I argued with him for about 20 or...

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