Why TAPIF?

Why TAPIF?

Why would you want to do TAPIF? You get paid barely a thousand dollars per month, you have little say in where you'll be placed, and you have to deal with the agonizingly slow beast that is the French bureaucracy. 

Well, while it isn't for everyone, TAPIF offers a unique opportunity to live and support yourself in France for 7 months. It is important to go in with the right expectations. Yes, the pay is quite low at less than $1,000 per month after taxes, but the workload is equivalently low. With just 12 teaching hours per week, you'll probably have 4 days off a week to enjoy and explore France, and that's not to mention the generous vacation time. As a teaching assistant you get the same school breaks as the students. That means 8 weeks of paid time off, almost 2 months off out of 7! Your first break will likely come just 2 or 3 weeks after you start. 

You may also find the money you have stretching out a lot further in France than it does in the US. By working in France you have the right to access social welfare systems such as France's universal health insurance, housing subsidies referred to as CAF, and even a 50% reimbursement of your monthly commuting costs. If you, like most TAPIF participants are fairly young, you'll also benefit from a multitude of youth discounts.

In addition to all of these benefits, I think that now is a pretty ideal time to go to France. France's tax d'habitation has practically been eliminated, plane tickets have never been cheaper, and certain procedures such OFII validation, CAF applications, and bank account openings can even be done online.

Why Not TAPIF?

On the other hand, TAPIF has its downsides. I think the worst part is how little control you have in the process. A lot of your experience will be based upon your placement. At the worst end, you could end up living all alone in the middle of cow mooing nowhere with no housing, poor public transportation, and little support or instructions on how to teach. Alternatively, you could be blessed with free housing, great rail connections, and a supportive group of other assistants and teachers. Who knows?

I feel lucky to have been placed in a moderate sized town with a direct TGV to Paris and great public transportation, but even here I felt like I was just tossed into the deep end when it came to housing and teaching.

You also don't get to choose your working hours. If you hope to use all of your free time to take classes at a nearby university, it may be possible, but you'll have to hope that the available courses match with your school provided schedule.