Getting to Know Your International Contacts - Part 3

This week I discussed the teaching profession and how it is viewed in France with my international contact. He stated that in France you have to get a certificate from a college or the government to be a teacher. Once teachers receive their certificate, they do have to continue training. but the amount of training and classes you have to take depends on where you work. Jobs do not pay for additional training, and many teachers are challenged by working with special needs children because they have not been trained in that area.

For the most part, teachers are respected as professionals in France. In some places they are respected more than others. Teachers are viewed as civil servants like police officers. In France, young people take an exam and if they do well they are recruited to be teachers.

My international contact was kind enough to answer some personal questions about the teaching profession and his future in the EC field. He stated that his first professional goal is to always be his best. "I read on my own and learn on my own." In the near future he would like to travel and teach French in another country. He is even thinking about moving to America to teach French. He is still not quite sure what he wants to be doing in the field later on in life.

Surprisingly, teacher requirements in France seem to be similar in America! However, I wish we were respected more here because I agree with the people of France, we are civil servants. We serve our communities and society at large every day.