The first thing is to understand what are all the different types of visa. Please refer to our article, What is a visa and do I need a visa to teach English abroad?
The Process For Obtaining a Visa to Teach English in France:
France represents a sizable job market, but the vast majority of non-EU citizens, will need to either teach English on a Student Visa, teach through the TAPIF Program, or Canadian citizens have the possibility to apply for a Working Holiday Visa.
The most common visa option of those three options for U.S. citizens is a student visa.
A student visa for France must be obtained in the USA or your home country i.e. it cannot be processed if you are already in France however, student visas can be renewed once you are in France.
Student visas also cannot be processed more than 3 months ahead of your intended arrival but usually take up to 4 weeks to process. Therefore, it is very important to plan out and understand the timeline.
- Register and pay for French language courses through a university or French language school recognized by the French consulate or embassy. Here is a list of approved courses on GoOverseas.
- You will most likely need to pay in full for the duration of your studies before you can get your student visa.
- You will receive a registration certificate or proof of registration and payment from your school. Once you receive this, you can begin the process with Campus France.
- Teachers need to take a minimum of 20 hours of French language courses to qualify for a student visa.
- Begin your application through Campus France. Please note that the Campus France application and visa application are two different but required steps in order to get a student visa. You must first complete the Campus France application process. This process is usually complete within 3 weeks.
- Create your account and submit online application
- Pay the $190 USD fee online
- Email the required paperwork to Campus France USA
- Complete the visa application at the French consulate in your jurisdiction by making an appointment. Appointments can be made online on the consulate’s website. Make sure to always check the website of your consulate to find out which documents you will need to present at your visa appointment! All consulates are different and have various requirements!
- Arrive at your appointment on time, dressed professionally with all of the correct documents and visa fee.
- Once the visa has been approved, your passport will be stamped with a visa.
- If you fall into the category that needs to fill out the OFII form, make sure you register with the local immigration office in France to validate your student visa within a few days of your arrival.
Talk with your ITA Advisor about teaching English in France and get all of your questions answered about student visa programs, TAPIF, and much more.
To learn more about visas and teaching English abroad in Colombia check out these resources:
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