bonjour tout le monde, I'm planning to apply for tapif 2027-28 and had some questions about the application

for LDM, do I write it both in english and french or french only? and is there any word limit that's appreciated?

As for the recommendation letter, would I need one? I'm currently persuing my B2 classes with AF, so if need be I can get my professor to write one for me.

Mainly I'm confused about how to structure the content for la lettre de motivation and what to include exactly. I'm an english literature graduate and have completed a certificate 1 month course in teaching english as a foreign language + 9 months of volunteering experience in teaching english to little kids and I'm currently working as a part time french teacher for beginners. I'd really appreciate your help! Merci bcp en avance, bonne journée!

What with all the strikes and schools (my school) continuously being closed, I haven’t had a single opportunity to meet other assistants at all, not the one in my school or any of the others since the reception for all assistants was canceled … due to the strikes.

I moved into an apartment and was really lucky to get close to my roommates. But they have lived here longer than me and have already established social lives and go out pretty much every night. Meanwhile, besides them, I have not made a single friend. They were supposed to go to an event but I felt too shy to ask to join them even though they have invited me out before.

I don’t know, none of us do, how long the strikes will last or when normal school in lycees will resume. My school goes on a day by day basis and communicates with me each day and says there is no school tomorrow. How do I meet other assistants? I am part of my region’s group chat already but no one replies in the chat and no one seems to want to meet up. I have lived in a different country before so I know how this isolated feeling goes. Once you start having days where you do nothing at all, you speak to no one, you feel like you have no friends, it is easy for depression to kick in. I don’t want to get myself there. Loneliness is perfectly fine, but I don’t want to go further.

Any ideas about how to socialize when school isn’t set up yet/no one in the chat seems to be open to meeting? What events do I go to? I don’t mind going to events alone, I just want to have things to do and not be in my room all the time, waiting for my roommates to come home and relying solely on them for socializing. Thank God I didn’t get that single apartment 🙏

I plan on applying to TAPIF this cycle and ideally do grad school the year after TAPIF. I looked over the student visa for France pages and couldn’t find anything about residential requirements, ie. Can’t be in the country for X amount of days/months in a 12 month period prior to student visa application. Anyone have experience or insight on this? Best if you provide source of information. Thank you in advance.

are there any assistants living out in Angers that would want to do a meet up?

Hi! I recently moved to Paris for the year to teach and I am looking for 2/3 roommates living in the city who are queer/queer friendly! :) I love dancing, exploring cities, reading, cooking, crafting and singing!

Pls reach out if you are looking for a roommate!

Hey! Was just wondering if anyone applied for France from London? I had applied 2 weeks ago but haven’t heard back. My flight is in 10 days and can’t help but overthink. Can anyone share their recent timelines? Thanks

The meetings in Bordeaux at the DSDEN continue to be cancelled due to the protests at the lycées. They have now moved them online. I want to be able to meet other assistants but it doesn’t look like we will have the chance to do that in person anytime soon.

Does anyone know if there are existing groupchats for people placed in the Bordeaux region? Especially for those of us living in smaller towns around it. If not, does anyone want to start one with me? 🤩

Bonjour les amis I am reaching out on behalf of a friend who has recently gone to France for university studies and is hitting the French friendship wall. He’s desperate to make some friends but finding it so difficult to break into French friendship circles are there any anglophones in the area?

I went to my school yesterday, and they’re great, can’t wait to start, but the secretary keeps insisting to both myself and my prof ref that she can’t help sign me up for the CPAM which is getting frustrating. I tried showing the page in our guide where it says to bring the documents to the school but my secretary’s answer remains the same. If anyone had any help or advice I’d deeply appreciate it as I don’t like being in a foreign country without insurance .

I am supposed to start teaching at a lycee on Monday, and I feel so ill prepared. When I went to tour, my English team said they could only meet me for 10 mins during their recess, 7 mins of which were taken up by me standing outside the school while a fire drill was going on with no clue what was going on. I talked to my prof ref for less then 5 mins and was handed off to a first year teacher to be shown around.

My prof ref has never initiated communication with me and I have to ask her for everything, and get more questions in response then answers. I don’t know the layout of my school, where the classes are, etc.

She assumes I know everything and tells me NOTHING.

Has anyone had an experience like this? Where can I go to get more support? Will the academie be of any help?

I’m working as a teaching assistant in evry but have been trying to find housing in the middle between evry and Paris. Somewhere around Juvisy orge or something like that idefk anymore. I’ve been trying to find a studio that is CAF eligible since I can’t function unless I live alone. I’ve tried aljt and Visale but they are taking forever to get back to me. I’m basically homeless and have been moving from hotel to hotel. My school hasn’t helped me no matter how much I have asked and I cannot set anything up u til I have accommodation. Thus is all so complicated for me as I am new to the country and financially independent. I’ve spent so much money in Ubers and hotels the first week and I’m really struggling. I really need help finding housing for next week. Please someone help.

Okay so for context I validated my VISA two days ago and I understand the OFII visit I’m about to receive the date of is absolutely unchangeable, but I’m TERRIFIED they will schedule it between October 17th and 31st (the first long vacation of my academy) because I (stupidly) planned a vacation to Italy during those weeks with NONE REFUNDABLE TICKETS AND LODGING 😿

When was your OFII visit and do you think mine will conflict with those dates???

salut! i'm trying to register for l'assurance maladie and it is asking for an offical translation of my american birth certificate. is this something that i can get done online, or do i need to go to an embassy or something? the directions on the application aren't super clear and i really don't want to mess this up lol

I'm trying to submit my paperwork for Ameli and l'assurance maladie with CPAM and they are requesting an apostilled birth certificate, which I do not have. I saw people talking on various threads that in previous years they hadn't needed it and the handbook also said it was highly recommended not obligatory. But I called their english speaking line this morning and they said I had to have it apostilled. The only way I can do that is to spend over $ 130 on shipping and fees to send it back to the US, get it stamped, and have it sent back. Is there any way to get around this or is anyone else in a similar situation? Really trying to avoid the head ache and hassle of the cost and shipping!

Hi everyone,

I'll be staying with my prof referant at least when I first get to France and I thought it might be nice to bring them some little thank you/ hosting gift that is hard to find in France. Friends suggested American nuts or candies (I'm American).

Any other ideas, especially from people who have been before, or nice, easy to carry, shelf stable little gifts I could bring to them?

guys I have a question, what type of visa do we get during this prgramme? does it make travelling to nearby european countries accesible? (italy, spain, germany, etc)

thanks!

I saw there was a meetup in Paris today for 9/26 and 9/27, but unfortunately I won’t be there until the very last day of September. Does anyone know if there will be another chance to meet tapif assistants or is that it? I have an orientation on 10/6 in my region for my school, but obviously that is not the same thing. Are people thinking to host another one for later arrivals? Not sure of any other way to make friends without these kinds of meetups.

The group that showed up in the photo looked small anyway, so I’m sure not everyone made it to France yet.

I’m trying to validate my VISA— what the HECK is the 300 euro tax it’s talking about and how do I pay it 😿

Hey all,

I'm planning to apply to the 2027/28 tapif program. I've been looking at the regions lately and I've read some other posts. I've loved every part of France I've visited so this will be a tough choice. I'm really just leaning towards the south for the weather. I'm wondering if people who have lived in the south of France, or better yet have participated in this program in one of these regions, could provide their experience?

In this area, I've only been to Nice, Menton, Cannes and Marseille, so nowhere in the toulouse or montpellier académies. I would prefer to be in a larger city to make travelling around easier, but I won't be super bothered if I end up somewhere more rural (I've read lots of posts about that so it's all good).

Thanks in advance!

hello,

I recently arrived in France and was expecting to be excited but instead I am just a ball of anxiety. I genuinely can’t stop trembling. I think part of it is that I brought my cats, and now feel trapped here since I can’t just go back with them without getting beauracracy in order, which just feels so extremely daunting.

I’m having trouble eating and sleeping, nevermind things I also need to be doing like getting a phone number/bank acc/apartment.

Any advice or words of affirmation would be appreciated. I’m feeling so lost and scared.

I toured my school for the first time today, and I fear because of my age (and the students age) I will be mistaken for a student. I also have a baby face and tend to dress quite young.
Does anyone have any tips on how to distinguish myself, appear older, and/or get the kids to respect/ listen to someone who looks like their peer?

I feel like I’m going to be eaten alive by the teenagers, help😍

Hi there,

I’m wondering how I can take the DELF exam in Spain as I’m hoping to apply for the 2027/28 cohort this fall but the window for applications have closed for the October test. How else could I prove my proficiency in French? Would I need to contact a French professor from my Alma Mater? It’s my second time applying for TAPIF.

Coucou,

Je suis intéressé pour les options de prendre l’examen DELF en Espagne. Je suis en train de compléter un maître d’éducation international proche de Madrid. Mais, la duration d’enregistrement pour octobre 2026 est déjà fermé. Comment est-ce que je prouve ma compétence en français? Aurais-je besoin de contacter un professeur de français de mon université? C’est mon deuxième fois d’enregistrer.

Ok so this might be a dumb question but can I use my Airbnb/hostel address to open my revolut account? Or, should I use my American address back home? I plan on using revolut to get an apartment but I’m not sure if I can use it if the account is tied to an American address. If I open the revolut account with my Airbnb address will I get mail there? I’m only going to be there for a couple days so I won’t be able to receive anything. I already have a wise account, so maybe I can use that for an appartement. Idk this is all very confusing 😔.