Recent grads expand global perspectives as teaching assistants in France

Three recent graduates from The College of Wooster will participate in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) for the next academic year. French and Francophone studies majors, Adeline Hennebury ’23 and Henry Pellegrin ’23, and Alexander Drummond ’23, a philosophy major with French and economics minors, were selected for this exceptional opportunity to work as teaching assistants in different regions of France.

They will be among the 1,500 American citizens and permanent residents to teach in public schools across all regions of metropolitan France as well as French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion. The Wooster alumni will be in France for seven months teaching English to French students of all ages. All the American students are part of a larger program of nearly 4,500 young educators from 68 countries who teach 15 languages each year in France.

Drummond, who studied in Nantes, France, in spring 2022, returns to the Nantes region this fall to teach middle school or high school students. Because he enjoyed living abroad and improving his French last year, he decided teaching in France was a great opportunity to further advance his language skills, visit his former host family, friends, and professors, and return to enjoy the French food. “I hope the experience will give me more direction for a career or to go back to school. This is a nice first step out of college while I explore my options,” he said.

After a year in France, teaching assistants in TAPIF, an educational initiative by the French Ministry of Education, often pursue global careers in areas such as education, international business, public health, international policy and development, or arts and culture administration, according to the program’s website. Alumni of the program—over 30,000 alumni across the U.S.—are regularly recruited by top graduate schools preparing the next generation of global professionals. Graduate schools value the program’s cornerstones of language proficiency and intercultural competency.

“Wooster and the French and Francophone studies professors, who are among the best at the college, prepared me for this opportunity by teaching me French and motivating me to go to France,” Drummond said. The professors and two of his sisters-in-law who had previously participated in the program highly recommended that he apply. “During my time at Wooster, I learned how to be independent and lead others, which will be very useful for my upcoming adventure.”

“Adeline, Henry, and Alex showcase The College of Wooster’s commitment to community engagement and global perspectives,” said Marion Duval, associate professor, French and Francophone studies. “TAPIF is an exceptional opportunity for them to share their language and culture with French students.”

Posted in News on June 20, 2023.