tapif

Welcome to Episode #30 of Profiles in Franceformation. I’m your host, Allison Grant Lounes, and this week, I’m interviewing high school English teacher Kayla Carpenzano. Kayla originally came to France with the TAPIF English assistant program, and has returned several times, with different visas, to pursue her dream of living and teaching English in France, before securing a permanent position with a private International Baccalaureate school in the Loire valley. Welcome, Kayla.

Throughout our conversation, you’ll also hear…

• How Kayla was able to integrate herself into her new French community through joining a local choir
• The challenging moment when her friends from the TAPIF program moved away from France and she needed to rebuild her network 
• Kayla’s experience applying for teaching jobs in France and how she ultimately came to find a job in Loches
• How Kayla was able to change her visa status to adapt with the various education or career changes in her life
• What Kayla really enjoys about her current teaching position and her advice to anyone wishing to apply for a job in France
• The various opportunities to meet new friends and see new places that have come from joining a choir
• What types of administrative challenges Kayla has had to face while in France
• What motivated Kayla to pursue applying for French nationality, in what ways she feels she has really become French, and in what ways she still feels American
• Kayla’s favorite things about living in France
• A few funny anecdotes of language faux pas that occurred by simply pronouncing one word a little differently, and why both Kayla and Allison have waited until they return to the US to get haircuts
• What foods or items Kayla will bring back to France from the US, and vice versa, you’ll also hear about her favorite items at a French bakery or a French restaurant
• Kayla shares her advice to anyone wishing to move to France

If you are considering moving to France like Kayla, Foolproof French Visas can help you navigate the path toward finding the right visa for you. It can be purchased here: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books or in paperback on Amazon. 

If you would like to pursue your own Franceformation, you can also request a free 30-minute clarity call with Allison to review your visa options and decide how to move toward creating your ideal life in France: https://www.yourfranceformation.com/free-call      

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In Episode 2 of Profiles in Franceformation with Morgane Walesh, we talked about how she came to France initially as a student to study French, and then, after the birth of her daughter, switched her visa status. She now works as a "local recruit" English teacher with TAPIF, the Teaching Assistant Program in France.

In this episode, I outline and elaborate on the administrative statuses we discussed:

• How Morgane was able to come to France with a student visa to study French language, and why this path has become more difficult since 2012
• The requirements for getting a student visa to study French in France
• How to maximize your chances of a successful student visa application
• The CampusFrance process
• Why Morgane was able to easily switch her visa status from "student" to "vie privée et familiale - parent d'un enfant français mineur"
• The criteria for getting the VPF visa as the parent of a minor French child, without being married or PACSed to the child's other partner
• How Morgane's VPF status enabled her to get a part-time job teaching English locally, in Paris, and why TAPIF sometimes needs to recruit local teachers who already have the right to work in France
• The basics of the TAPIF program, its advantages and disadvantages for teachers
• Why you shouldn't expect to stay in France after doing TAPIF if you come with a work visa for that job specifically
• How to apply as a TAPIF local recruit if you already live in France with the right to work.

As always, Foolproof French Visas identifies the different types of student visas  and programs eligible for student visas, and discusses several temporary teaching positions available to non-EU citizens, along with their visa types. It can be purchased at https://www.yourfranceformation.com/books/ or in paperback on Amazon.