Preparations

What to Expect as a Primary English Assistant : 8 Questions and Answers

August 29, 2017

After my first TAPIF placement in Chambéry, I noticed that much of the TAPIF blogging community focuses on assistants in secondary schools. This is completely normal, as there are far more people placed at the secondary level! There are many commonalities between the expectations and experiences of primary and secondary assistants; there are also many … More What to Expect as a Primary English Assistant : 8 Questions and Answers

Académie d’Aix-Marseille: Anne in Marseille

January 8, 2017

I wrote this guest post for Alexandra’s excellent series on different TAPIF assistants’ experience in the various regions of France. With 2017-18 applications coming up, I hope that this guide can be of use in deciding which regions you want to mark as preferred!!

The Great Marseille Apartment Hunt of 2016

December 22, 2016

The wily explorer arrived to the Marseillais jungle with an accommodation booked for one week, and one goal: to finally capture a rare wild apartment. Having hunted before in this country (albeit a different region), she felt thoroughly prepared. She conjured memories of her last wild apartment hunt in the mountainous region of Chambéry; a … More The Great Marseille Apartment Hunt of 2016

writing and writing and writing

March 26, 2016

I feel like I’ve been writing all day… I spent all morning writing cover letters, updating CVs, composing emails. I spent a few hours this afternoon writing responses to my online bookclub, engaging and discussing with other readers. Then, I edited all that job stuff some more. What’s worse is they’re all in French (except the … More writing and writing and writing

My Suitcase Can Only Weigh HOW MANY Pounds?! And other packing concerns.

August 24, 2015

I’ve gotten a few questions recently about packing for TAPIF. Figuring out what to bring for seven months, in a strange country, for a professional job, which takes place over mostly winter-y months, all while keeping in mind airline limits is not a simple task. My number one recommendation is: make sure you can carry … More My Suitcase Can Only Weigh HOW MANY Pounds?! And other packing concerns.

Primary Assistant FAQ

July 22, 2015

In my time obsessively stalking all TAPIF blogs past, current and future, I’ve noticed the prevalence of secondary assistants across the interweb. It makes sense: there are way more of them! There are commonalities between the expectations and experiences of primary and secondary assistants, but seeing as most of the info out there seems to be geared towards the secondary level, I want to share some ideas that will be specifically helpful to current and future primary assistants, as they can be very different jobs. … More Primary Assistant FAQ