TAPIF Documents and Links

English Language Assistants in France

If you'd like to go back to the Guide for English Language Assistants, click here. Below is a listing of all the documents and links included in the guide, as well as several more resources. (Some of these documents and links may be out of date.)

Documents

Online Program Application 2010-2011
Application Instructions 2010-2011
Program Information 2010-2011

Program Application 2008-2009 - Uploaded to the French Culture site on November 28, 2007. (PDF format)
Instructions 2008-2009 - Deadline for this year is February 8, 2008.
Assistant Information 2008-2009 - Updated info about the program.
Program Application 2007-2008 - Uploaded to the French Culture site on October 9, 2006. (Word format)
Instructions 2007-2008 - Detailed instructions on how to fill out the application. (Word format)
Program Application 2006-2007 - The application I filled out (minus personal info). (Word format)
Assistant Information 2006-2007 - This document rarely changes from year to year.

Lettre de Présentation - Received at the beginning of May.
First E-Mail - Received by the end of May.
Second E-Mail - Received by the end of June.
Third E-Mail - Received by the end of July.
Fourth E-Mail - Received by the end of August.
Carnet de Route 2008-2009 - You will most likely receive this with your arrêté, but you can read it online now.
Guide de l'Assistant de Langue 2007-2008 - You will receive this at orientation in your académie, but you can read it online now.

Letter from Recteur - Letter from the Recteur of Grenoble
Information about Orientation - Letter about orientation I received with my arrêté
Arrêté de Nomination - The most important document! Do not lose this!
ANAEM Form - This needs to be mailed before or upon your arrival in France so that your medical checkup can be scheduled
Information about Grenoble 1, 2, 3, 4 - Specific info about académie of Grenoble (Now available online through the académie's site for premier degré and second degré)

Long Stay Visa Application - For citizens of any country applying for un visa de long séjour (more than 90 days)
English Translation of Visa Application - This is an English translation of the questions
Sample Visa Application - The visa application I filled out (minus personal info) - includes the answers that you should write!
Office of Immigration form - include with your visa application, it will be stamped and returned by the consulate

Letter to Lycée - The letter I wrote to my lycée as soon as I received my arrêté

Sample of American Birth Certificate Translated into French - For the State of Michigan
American Embassy's List of Certified Translators - If you need a certified translation of your birth certificate
French Birth Certificate Sample - From the University of Nottingham
French Birth Certificate Template - For you to fill out; be advised that US consulates most likely won't certify this translation though

Attestation de Stage - You might get this to prove that you did go to orientation
Procès-Verbal d'Installation - Work contract that you will sign
Certificat d'Exercice - More proof that you work at your school(s)

Medical Visit Appointment - You should receive this at your school, telling you when your medical visit is
Medical Visit Attestation - Proof that you had your medical visit

Autorisation Provisoire de Travail - You may receive this with your residency permit; it just says you have the right to work in France at your school(s) for so many months

Demande de Titre de Séjour - Proof that you have started the process of applying for your residency card (from a mairie)
Récépissé - You will receive this until your actual residency card arrives (from a préfecture)
Carte de Séjour (and back) - It's pretty and pink!

Relevé d'Identité Bancaire - RIB; you must give this to your school so that you will be paid
Bulletin de Paye November - Your first paystub will include October and November together
Bulletin de Paye December - Second paystub

Fiche de Renouvellement 2005-6 - Assistantship renewal form (.doc format)
Fiche de Renouvellement 2009-10 - CIEP's renewal form (.pdf format)
Renewal Information - How to renew your assistantship contract for the next year
Fiche de Renouvellement 2007-8 - The renewal form I received at my school before the end of January, 2007

Compte Rendu Rectorat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & CIEP 1, 2 - Evaluation forms that I received in March
Compte Rendu for CIEP - Now filled out online and printed
Arrêt de Travail - If you get really sick and cannot work, you may need this form from your doctor

Courrier des assistants from CIEP - octobre 2008
Courrier des assistants from CIEP - janvier 2009
Courrier des assistants from CIEP - mars 2009
Courrier des assistants from CIEP - septembre 2009

Driving in France - information for driving in France and getting a French driver's license
Marriage in France - Information about getting married (or PACSed) in France
Making Your Stay Official - Paperwork you must do to stay in France legally
Unemployment - You make be eligible for unemployment after your assistantship (though rare for Americans)

Programme d'enseignement 2002 - English that primary students should be taught (and that should be reviewed at collège level)
Programme d'enseignement 2007 - Revised program for teaching English in primary schools
Progression of subjects in primary - Another program to follow for the order of topics in English
Passerelle CM2 to 6ème - What should be taught in CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2 so that students can pass into 6ème
Bac Exam Série L LV1 - These bac exams are the written English parts from 2007
Bac Exam Série L et S LV2
Bac Exam Série S-ES LV1
Bac Exam Série STG LV1
Bac Exam Série STG LV2
Oral Bac Exam STG - The "unknown documents" used on the 2007 oral bac exam (34 pages, 148 MB)

PACS Information for Tribunal d'Annecy
PACS Info 2
PACS Info 3
PACS Info 4
Paperwork required (at Tribunal d'Annecy)
Attestation de résidence commune
Attestation d'absence de lien de parenté
Demande d'attestation de non engagement
PACS Contract - just copy and paste from the site and type in your info; you will need two copies
Certificat de non-PACS/non-engagement - you must send for this in Paris
Récépisse of PACS - you will receive two of these, one for each partner

Faux Amis - Don't be confused by French words that seem the same in English, but really aren't
Written vs. Spoken French - Learn the spoken form of French
Assistant d'Anglais 1950-1951 - Essay written by an American assistant in Angoulême in 1950
Affordable Europe - Travel, travel travel! NY Times article, includes 16 cities

All I really need to know (about the French) I learned in Grande Section - Expatica article about that may help explain the behavior of your students in France
Hillary Equals France - Bill Maher article about stealing what's best from France, like the healthcare system
Goodbye to la belle France? - Guardian article about the fear that Sarkozy will change France to become more like the US

General Links

Culture Services of French Embassy in the U.S. - Where to find information and the current application form for Americans
French embassy in the United States
British Council: Language Assistants - Information on how to apply for UK citizens
French embassy in the United Kingdom
French embassy in Ireland
French embassy in Canada
French embassy in South Africa
French embassy in Australia
French embassy in New Zealand
French embassy in India
French embassy in Jamaica
French embassy in Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago

Teaching assistantship program in Spain - Intermediate knowledge of Spanish required; open to American and Canadian citizens
Teaching assistantship program in Austria - Intermediate knowledge of German required; open to American citizens

Teaching Assistantship Program
Centre International d'Etudes Pédagogiques - Official site of CIEP, which runs the language assistant program
Survival Guide - Teaching Assistant in France Survival Guide wiki (anyone can contribute!)
Assistants Directory - List of assistants by académie and year; great way to find former assistants in your school or town!
CDDP 33 : English Language Assistants in Primary School - Académie of Bordeaux site created by former assistant; useful info for those not teaching primary as well

Consulates
Atlanta Consulate - Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee
Boston Consulate - Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Chicago Consulate - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Houston Consulate - Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas
Los Angeles Consulate - Arizona, (Southern) California, Colorado, New Mexico, and (Southern) Nevada
Miami Consulate - Florida
New York Consulate - Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York
San Francisco Consulate - Alaska, (Northern) California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, (Northern) Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Washington Consulate - Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia

Montreal Consulate - Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nunavut
Toronto Consulate - Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Vancouver Consulate - Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory

Australia

New Zealand

Jamaica

Trinidad & Tobago / Barbados

India

South Africa

La France
Geoportail - Incredibly detailed aerial photos of France and the DOM-TOMs
itransports.com - Look up your city or town to see what type of public transportation is available
Airports in France - Map of airports with codes
Airports in Paris (CDG & Orly)
Lyon - Saint Exupéry airport
L'Internaute: Ville - Statistics about cities in France
FUSAC - France USA Contacts; English-language magazine for Paris
Paris-Anglo - eat. drink. work. play. understand.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Official site
Service-Public - Le portail de l'administration française
Egide - French agency for International Mobility
Ministère de l'Education - Official French education site
EduSCOL - Pedagogy site from Ministère de l'Education
Calendrier scolaire - School calendar for each zone
Primary Orientation Dates
Secondary Orientation Dates
Sécurité Sociale
MGEN - Mutuelle Générale de l'Education Nationale (you will most likely receive your health insurance through MGEN)
CPAM - Though some academies use CPAM instead of MGEN for health insurance
CNOUS - La service de la vie étudiante
CIDJ - Centre d'information et de documentation jeunesse
L'Etudiant - Find universities in your region
IUFM - Instituts Universitaires de Formation des Maîtres
OFII - Office of Immigration where you will need to register after arrival in France
ANAEM - Agence Nationale de l'Accueil des Etrangers et des Migrations (ex-OMI) - the office you'll go to for your medical visit
ASSEDIC - Unemployment office (non EU-citizens are rarely eligible for this though)
ANPE - National job search database
Campus France - For all foreigners studying at French universities

* The sites for many cities in France follow this pattern: www.ville-nameofcity.fr (Except Paris, which is www.paris.fr) The 27 régions (which are divided into 101 départements) follow this pattern as well: www.region-nameofregion.fr

Académie de Grenoble / Ville d'Annecy Links
Région Rhône-Alpes
CRIJ Rhône-Alpes
Hostel in Echirolles - Where a lot of assistants stayed the night before orientation
Préfecture de Haute-Savoie
Annecy.fr - Official Site
Visite d'Annecy
Lodging in Annecy
Hostel in Annecy - If you have no accomodation before arriving
Annecy Info
Lac d'Annecy - Official tourism site
Annecy Airport
Sibra - Bus system within Annecy
Crolard-Voyages - Buses that go outside of Annecy
Frossard - Another bus that goes outside of Annecy (to Geneva, for example)
Satobus - Buses to and from Lyon airport
Courier Mall - Where to find H&M, FNAC, Monoprix; also free wifi !
Decavision - Main movie theater in Annecy
La Turbine - Smaller movie theater in Cran-Gevrier (much cheaper too)
Bureau Information Jeunesse - Start search for cheap housing here
Bonlieu Centre - Another movie theater, as well as where to find tourism office, BIJ, and main library
La Bibliothèque - Library system throughout Annecy and the suburbs

Teaching ESL
Mallette Pédagogique - Guide for primary assistants, including downloadable activities, from the CIEP
Franc-parler - Lots of activities to do in class, but designed for teaching French, so you'll have to change the activities to English
PrimLangues - Official site of resources and lesson plans for primary teachers and assistants
Emilangues - Official site of resources for "European Section" classes
British Council Learn English - Portal which links to all the British Council's websites for teachers and learners of English
Académie de Nancy-Metz - Resources on hundreds of topics for collège students
Bourgogne: Anglais en Primaire - Lots of cultural activities for primary assistants
CNDP - Teaching resources for primary and secondary (including some documents for studying American films, such as Dead Poet's Society, Roger and Me, etc.)
ESL HQ - You can make your own worksheets and flashcards here
Dave's ESL Cafe - You can find lots of ideas for plans and activities here
MES-English - Lots of flashcards and worksheets to print
ESL-Kids - Free flashcards, worksheets, games and songs
ESL Gold - Free English teaching and learning resources
Karen's ESL Partyland - Includes resources on teaching with film, the internet and music
John's ESL Community - Includes some free printable worksheets
Activites for ESL Students - Quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles (designed for students, but it may give you some ideas for lessons)
Interesting Things for ESL Students - Also designed for students
ESL at About.com - Lots of resources, but the site is horrible to navigate
ESL Cyber Listening Lab - May be useful if you have access to a computer lab at your school
Everything ESL - Content based ESL lesson plans for beginning through intermediate students
One Stop English - A lot of lesson plans here are free
Enchanted Learning - Tons of printable worksheets for kids, though most are not free
Lanternfish (formerly Boggles World) - Tons of free worksheets, role plays and lesson plans; for children and adults
Breaking News English - Simplified current news reports with several comprehension activities
Longman English - Resources for teachers of ESL; free downloads and activities from some of their ESL books
Total English - Grammar, vocabulary and communication downloads to accompany the textbooks
Upfront Magazine - Scholastic magazine designed for American teenagers, but articles can be adapted to ESL learners too
Merriam Webster's Learner's Dictionary - Includes pronunciation files for each word
Banqoutils - Over one hundred documents and sound files to download, for primary and secondary
English Online - Lots of documents and texts for lycée students (emphasis on business)
Bac Oral - Helpful tips (and documents) for students preparing the oral bac
Qualitytime-ESL - Free listening comprehension mp3s and transcripts, as well as cloze exercises
The Web Language Lab - Listening comprehension and vocabulary for British and American English
Voice of America News - News reports and mp3s to download for listening comprehension
English Conversations - Provides mp3s and transcripts of conversations on various subjects
Real English - Free videos of people speaking unrehearsed, spontaneous English
Worksheet Library - Download tons of worksheets designed for K-6

Grammar-based sites:
Auto English
Using English
Anglais Facile
My English Lessons
English Grammar Reference and Exercises
The Grammar Aquarium
ESL Resources, Handouts & Exercises
Englishpage.com
Grammar Check
Learn English Online

If you're interested in buying/reading ESL books, I recommend the following:
Highway to ESL.
Keep Talking
Lessons from Nothing
Pronunciation Games
Games for Language Learning
How to Teach Vocabulary
Teaching ESL/EFL with the Internet
Teaching American English Pronunciation
Teaching Pronunciation: A Reference for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language

Housing / Furniture
Housing Terms in French - plus maps of Grenoble neighborhoods
FIAP - Foyer internationale d'accueil de Paris
ANIL - Agence Nationale de l'Information sur le Logement
Union des Foyers - Possible option if your school has no lodging and you can't find an apartment
CAF - Caisse d'allocations familiales, housing benefits for low-income people
My Apartment in Paris - Short term, furnished rental apartments in Paris
Les Estudines - Résidence pour les étudiants
Laureades.com
Yahoo France Real Estate
Annoncesjaunes.fr
Paruvendu
Top Annonces
Petites Annonces
Jannonce
Annoncenet
Les Petites Annonces Gratuites
Se Loger
Particulier à Particulier
FNAIM
MGEL
Immostreet
Micimmo
Ma piaule
Craigslist France
Colocation - For finding roommates
Kel-Koloc - More roommates
Freecycle - Free furniture and household things from others in your area (14 cities in France so far)
La Poste Réexpédition - If you move and need to have your mail forwarded to your new address
Changement d'adresse - You can also change your address for several organizations at once

Banks
Crédit du Nord
Crédit Agricole
Crédit Mutuel
Caisse d'Epargne
La Banque Postale
Société Generale
BNP Paribas
Crédit Lyonnais
La Poste

Phone / Internet / Utilities
ADSL Facile - Compare the internet service providers
France Telecom
TeleRabais
Tele2
One.Tel
Orange (formerly Wanadoo)
Free
Neuf
Alice
Club Internet
Darty
Bouygues Telecom
SFR
Skype
EDF
Gaz de France
Ariase - Will generate a letter in French to cancel your subscription for phone/internet/cable

Travelling
STA Travel - Student discounts (great for plane tickets)
Student Universe - Another student discount site
Travel Cuts - Another student discount site (ISIC card required)
Best Travel Store
ISIC - International Student Identity Card (plus health insurance)
Culture Insurance Services International - For students who need insurance abroad
CareMed International Travel Insurance - For those who are no longer students
France Travel Guide
France Guide - Tourist Office site
Guide de Tourisme en France
Tourisme en France
France Travel Guide
Paris-city.fr - Paris guide
FUAJ - Hostels throughout France
Hostelz.com
Hostels.com
Hostelworld.com
Hostelbookers - No booking fees
Rates to Go - Last minute hotel deals
Eurocheapo
Formule1 Hotels
Couch Surfing - Crash on someone's couch while travelling around
Hospitality Club - Free accomodation worldwide
What's On When - Find out about events before you travel
Budget Travel Online - Site for the magazine
World Airport Guide - Find something to do while waiting at airports
Backpacker's Ultimate Guide to Europe
BootsnAll Independent Travel

Transportation
SNCF - French railroad system
Carte 12-25 - Discount card for train travel in France
Rail Europe - Travel by train
Eurostar - Chunnel train (London, Belgium and France)
Eurolines - Travel by bus internationally
Busabout - Hop-on hop-off network throughout Europe
RATP - Transports en Île-de-France
Flylc.com - European low-cost flights search engine
Airtraffic.eu - Overview of all air traffic in Europe
Which Budget - cheap flights from budget airlines
Attitude Travel - low-cost airlines that fly to and from France
Flight.co.uk - cheap flights from London
AirNinja - all the routes flown by Discount Airlines worldwide

Ryanair - based in Ireland
Easyjet - based in the UK
Aerlingus - based in Ireland
German Wings - based in Germany
BMI Airlines - based in the UK
Vueling - based in Spain
TUIfly.com - based in Germany
Transavia - based in the Netherlands
FlyNordic - based in Sweden
Sterling Ticket - based in Denmark
Helvetic - based in Switzerland
Volare - based in Italy
Fly Niki - based in Germany
Flybe.com - based in the UK
Jet2.com - based in the UK

Voyager Moins Cher - cheaper than American flight search engines
EBookers - also cheaper than American sites
Kayak.fr - multiple airline search in French
SNCF Vol - search for flights on SNCF's site
LowFares.com - search several travel sites at once
Sidestep - searches multiple airlines
Vayama - search multiple airlines for international travel
Trax - search 200+ direct travel web sites
Airfare.com - search for flights and hotels
Cheaptickets - cheap flights
CheapOair - another cheap flight site
Sky Auction - bid on your own price
Last Minute - last minute flights
Skyscanner - search low cost airlines in Europe & Australasia

Go Voyages - good for car rentals
Expedia.fr
Avis.fr
National/Citer
OTU Voyages
Kelkoo Voyages
Nouvelles Frontières
Karavel
Promo Vacances
Forum Voyages
Voyages Wasteels
Economy Travel

Recommended Hostels
Amsterdam - The Flying Pig
Prague - Hostel Elf
Dublin - Oliver St. John Gogarty and Abbey Court
London - Ashlee House
Belfast - Paddy's Backpackers
Barcelona - Gothic Point Hostel
Salzburg - Youth and Family Guesthouse Hostel
Vienna/Munich - Wombat's City Hostel
Berlin - EastSeven Berlin Hostel and Helter Skelter
Budapest - Aventura Hostel
Madrid - Hostal Pizarro
Nice - Villa Saint Exupery (also check out other Famous Hostels)

Learning French / in French
French Word a Day
French Pod Class
French in Action Videos
BBC Languages: French
French Dictionary
Alternative French Dictionary (Slang and swear words)
Babelfish Translation
Famous French Links
WordReference
Bonjour de France
Le Point du FLE
Français langue étrangère et langue seconde
Centre national d'enseignment à distance
Paroles.net
L'Académie Française
Radio France Internationale
TV5 - Langue française
Champs Elysées
Bien-Dire
Fluent French
Voici - Celebrity magazine, great for learning slang
Closer - Another celebrity magazine
Anglicisms wiki - English words borrowed into French
TF1
France 2
France 3
France 4
France 5
Arte
TF6
M6
Canal+
Voilà.fr
Pages Jaunes
Météo France
Radio France
Europe1.fr
Le Figaro
Libération
Le Monde

Books about France / for learning real French
A Year in the Merde and In the Merde for Love (formerly known as Merde Actually) by Stephen Clarke
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris by Sarah Turnball
A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence and Encore Provence by Peter Mayle
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French by by Jean-Benoit Nadeau & Julie Barlow
French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure by Mireille Guiliano
Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France by Kristin Espinasse
French or Foe?: Getting the Most Out of Visiting, Living and Working in France by Polly Platt
Savoir-Flair: 211 Tips for Enjoying France and the French by Polly Platt
Living, Studying, and Working in France: Everything You Need to Know to Fulfill Your Dreams of Living Abroad by Lorin David Kalisky & Saskia Reilly
Cultural Misunderstandings : The French-American Experience by Raymonde Carroll & Carol Volk
Le Français Familier et Argotique: Spoken French Foreigners Should Understand by Pierre-Maurice Richard
Insider's French: Beyond the Dictionary by Eleanor Levieux & Michel Levieux
6,000+ Essential French Words by Living Language
Tune Up Your French by Natalie Schorr
Street French 1, Street French 2 and Street French 3 by David Burke
Merde! and Merde! Encore by Genevieve
Hide this Book by Eve-Alice Roustang-Stoller

Expatriate Sites
Americans in France
Lost in France
Living France
Escape Artists
Live Abroad
Expat Exchange
Expat Contact
Expat France

Shopping / Cinema / Food
Decitre - Large bookstore chain (mostly located in the Rhone-Alps region)
FNAC - Book and electronic store; similar to Border's
Monoprix - Large store found in the major cities
Carrefour - Popular hypermarché
Géant - Second largest hypermarché
Auchan - Another hypermarché
Gifi - Another warehouse type store
Aldi - These grocery stores are in the US too
Leclerc - Yet another huge store
BHV - Not as widespread as the others
LaRedoute - Catalog for clothes and house items
3 Suisses - Similar to Sears or JC Penney's
Armée du Salut - Salvation Army in France
Price Minister - Half.com equivalent in France
Locafilm - Netflix equivalent in France
Allociné - Info about films, DVDs, TV series
UGC - Movie theatre chain throughout France
Guamont - Another movie theatre chain
Splendid Palate - European style products and gifts
My American Market - American food and goodies
Aux Délices des Amériques - Products from US, Canada and Mexico
Food From Home - American & British food shipped to France
Expat Essentials - British food
Simply Australian - Australian products, but shipped from USA
KiwiFruits - New Zealand food, books, etc.
Zappos - Popular shoestore online

Miscellaneous
Mappy.com - Map locations in France
Maporama.com
Multimap.com
Plug Adapters - Don't forget European style plugs
XE Currency Conversion - Get used to thinking in euros