Here is  a compilation of tips, stories and insights about my own TAPIF experience. Enjoy!

Check out my TAPIF Timeline for a complete overview of when I submitted what and to whom!

Preparing:

• So you think you can TAPIF? – Tips for your TAPIF application
• The summer before TAPIF – ideas for making the long summer wait fly by!
• Visa Application
• My suitcase can only weigh how many pounds?! – Packing Tips
• To TAPIF or not to TAPIF – on renewing my contract
• An Announcement – on why I ultimately declined my renewal
• The vicious TAPIF cycle – my second year of assistant-ing
• Every. Vote. Matters. – Voting from abroad
• Overview of the Académie d’Aix-Marseille (compared to Grenoble)

Living:

• Life in Limbo – navigating the housing search
• The Great Apartment Hunt – more tips for finding an apartment
• Started at the bottom, now we’re here – climbing my first mountain (kinda)
• The Chicken
• Celebrating Thanksgiving abroad
• Five things to do without travelling
• Is France the most Romantic Country in the World?
• Snowy romps through town
• I ❤ Chambéry
• Riding the bus in Chambéry
• The time I helped my friend get engaged on top of a mountain
• Même pas peur – after the Charlie Hebdo attacks
• J’écoute: songs for remembering
• Thanks/No Thanks – arriving and getting installed in a new country
• Questions for France
• 20 steps to perfect crêpes
• Things I do in France that I don’t do at home
• So, do you like living here? – Finding my niche in France

Working:

• What to Expect as a Primary English Assistant – an updated introduction of my earlier FAQ post encompassing tips and resources from my second year.
• Primary Assistant FAQ – an introduction to teaching English in the premier degré, featuring my favorite tips and resources for lesson planning
• Is TAPIF a real job?
• Le Stage – Orientation
• Je vous présente – an introduction to my school, duties, and teaching schedule
• Comparative observations on the French school system
• The conundrum of French Laïcité
• Today I Was 9 Minutes Late to Class: on feeling like you’re actually making an impact
• 100th day of school
• Two very different lessons
• English is Hard!
• Lessons: Flashcard Games to use in the classroom
• Lessons: Art Projects for Primary Students
• Lessons: Clue board game I created for my students!
• Lessons: Starting a Pen Pal Exchange

Travelling:

Because when else in your life will you have 8 weeks of paid vacation in Europe??

• October Vacation: Annecy & Lyon
• Weekend in Turin, Italy
• Weekend in Lyon again for the Fête des Lumières
• December Vacation: Venice, Italy
• February Vacation: Marseille
• April Vacation: Porto, Lisbon, and Madrid
• Post TAPIF trip to London
• October 2016: spontaneous trip to Genova and Cinque Terre
• Hiking aux Goudes de Marseille
• Top Ten Cities in France, so far