Lectureship opportunities in Lyon and Toulouse

Job description for Teaching Assistants ("Lecteurs") in the English Department of Jean Jaurès University, Toulouse

For partner universities with which Jean Jaurès has an exchange agreement

There are eight teaching assistant positions ("lecteurs/lectrices") in the English department of Jean Jaurès university in Toulouse. Some of these positions are filled by candidates nominated by our partner universities in February for the following September. This information sheet is designed to provide details of the position to students interested in applying as part of one of these exchange agreements, but also as a guide to partner institutions. 

Teaching Assistants are paid 1 846 euros per month BEFORE tax (around 1 400 before tax) (from 1st September to 31st August, - a full 12 months), and teach in both first and second semesters of the academic year. Under their contractual obligations as employees they have to be in Toulouse from the 1st September to early to mid-July, although the contract runs until the end of August. 

Lecteurs teach about 12-13 hours of class a week, in terms of their statutory hours, but can take on overtime, which is paid in August, if they feel able to and if hours are available. Lecteurs are also involved in the exam sessions in January, May and June, invigilating, correcting and proctoring oral exams. They teach in oral comprehension and expression classes for specialists of English and for students studying applied languages (business and commerce). Lecteurs can also be asked to teach in conversation workshops to students not studying English as their main subject but specialising in another humanities subjects. Oral classes usually have 18-20 students per group but lecteurs are sometimes asked to take on other classes outside the oral stream, and such classes can hold up to 35 students. It is for this reason that dynamic and resourceful candidates usually fare well in the position. Interest in teaching as a future career is a prerequisite, as is a strong sense of the skills required as a teacher. Lecteurs can be involved in organising one-off extra-curriular activites for the students such as fresher's day, a mock graduation for final-year students or cultural lunches and those who stay for a second year are asked to use their experience in the post to mentor one or two new lecteurs.

An induction week is organised in early September to help the lecteurs acclimatise, discover the French higher education system, and to give them detailed information about all first-semester classes they will be teaching. There are meetings organised in January for the second semester classes. It is highly recommended that potential candidates without significant skills in French take an intensive language course before their arrival. Since lecteurs must make their own administrative arrangements (for accommodation, visas, healthcare etc), and communicate throughout the year with administrative staff in French, this ability in the language is essential.  

Students applying for the position should be carrying out their first year of a Masters' program to meet the application criteria, or should be (in the case of British and Irish university candidates) in the final year of a four-year BA degree. Candidates will need to send their BA degree certificate and results transcript to the Human Resources staff in charge of lecteurs' recruitment by mid-March (or in June for British and Irish candidates finishing their degree in the year of application). 

Lecteurs can sign up to take courses at the university, as long as these courses do not interfere with their teaching commitments. For enrolment in Masters' programmes, those interested should look into applying in March or April, since many courses are selective. The enrollment fees (which are minimal) can be waived entirely if the lecteur stays on in the position for a second year.

New procedure:

Once the partner university has selected a candidate to come to Toulouse, the candidate will needto upload a number of documents onto a new online app called weblecteurs :

 https://bermudes.univ-tlse2.fr/weblecteur

Accessible from " WEBLECTEURS " :1 February  2024 to 8th March 2024 16h (heure de Paris)

By way of precaution, candidates should also send a PDF version of their application to Emma Ducassé (emma.ducasse@univ-tlse2.fr) .

Applicants will eventually need to submit the following documents to HR depending on theirsituation:

- Scan of passport

- Scan of previous visas (if applicable)

- BA/undergraduate degree certificate (translated into French)

- BA/undergraduate results transcripts (translated into French)

- MA/postgraduate results transcripts (if applicable)

- CV/resume in French (and English)

- Covering letter in French (and English)

- Scan of French social security card (carte vitale) if the candidate has already lived in France

- Bank details (RIB) if the candidate already has a French bank account

Contact: EMMA DUCASSE (emma.ducasse@univ-tlse2.fr) or 00 33 6 88 32 88 79

Working as a lecteur/lectrice at the Université de Lyon 2

As a lecteur/lectrice on the University Lyon 2 teaching team, you will teach English to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd- year undergraduate students. Students are grouped into classes according to their level of English (beginner, low-intermediate, intermediate-advanced, advanced/nearly fluent). As a lecteur/lectrice, you will be given a range of classes and levels to work with, each course focusing on different themes, and aiming to reach different language acquisition objectives. Some examples of themes include: social problems in English-speaking countries, storytelling for children, creating a post-apocalyptic society, creating a crisis survival kit, and building a business plan, to name a few.

Lecteurs/lectrices must complete 200 teaching hours over the school year for approximately 1325€/month before income tax (they are paid for 12 months from September – August). They may also complete up to 200 extra hours of overtime (approximately 35€/hour, paid in July). Flexibility and full availability is expected: you will need to keep your agenda open and flexible to take on extra classes throughout the semester, or to cover for colleagues, if necessary. On top of your 200 teaching hours, you will be expected to be available on several Saturdays over the year, to invigilate exams with the rest of the teaching team. Twice a year, you will also be required to mark exams submitted by working students who do not attend weekly classes. 

There are several holiday periods during the school year, including 1 week in the fall/autumn, several weeks over Christmas, 1 week in the winter and 1 week around Easter break. During these periods of time, you will not have classes and the workload will be light (completing corrections, or perhaps helping to revamp material for future semesters). You will need to be present from September 1st to June 30th.

The teaching team is composed of a mix of native English speakers (American, British, Welsh, Irish) and native French speakers, the ambiance is friendly and supportive, and people are always willing to help with questions, especially as you get your bearings in France and in the university setting.