How to get a Job in France:

I recently went to Paris on the big TEFL job hunt and thought I might share my advice on HOW TO GET A JOB. they say its "almost impossible" for Americans to get a work visa or a good job in France, and I'd like to prove that theory wrong. You just have to go about it the right way.

• Come prepared. Get your TEFL International TESOL Certificate. Bring birth certificates, CVs in both French and English, and handwritten cover letters in both languages. Make sure to also bring several passport photos and transcripts from any schools you have attended.

• Find schools and group them by area. I'd get a list of schools from the British council, as the yellow pages was basically useless. I marked on my map all the schools in each district (arrondisement) and each day visited as many schools as possible in the same district (this limits time spent on metros and limits walking).

• Get a cell phone. For only 115 Euros or so, you can have a rechargeable phone with you at all times so that potential employers can contact you no matter where you are. As soon as I got the number I put it on all my CVs and cover letters.

• Start visiting schools! Some schools outright rejected me ("Not unless you marry a french man!" they'd scoff). Other schools just accepted my CV without comment, only to later call and ask if I had a work visa and THEN reject me. A lot of schools waited over a week to call me, but by then I'd already found a job. But I suggest you be prepared for at least a week's lag time between when you drop by and when they call.

• On the third day of my search, I got an interview. A few days later, I showed up and got the job. I went to one other interview after that, just for curiosity's sake (to see if I'd get a better offer), but overall I'd say it was not NEARLY as bad as I was warned it would be.

Of course, I had to go back to the U.S. for three months to get my work visa, but there's no other way to do it, besides working illegally (something I wasn't willing to do). Anyways, hope my advice is helpful to you!