Teaching English in France

History of the scheme

In 1988 Julie Legrée was asked by the Young Chamber of Commerce in north Vendée to teach English in primary schools in the Montaigu area. In 1990 the then French Minister of Education, Lionel Jospin published the first government guidelines concerning the introduction of teaching foreign languages in primary schools. An idea was put forward by a local government councillor, Monsieur Pierre Geay, to recruit native speakers to fulfil this mission.

Julie Legrée was given the position of Project co-ordinator. The reciprocal advantage of the scheme then, as now, was that the host families and schools benefit from the presence and cultural input of a native British speaker. On top of this, the young British student benefits from a unique opportunity to integrate totally within French life and gain a valuable professional gapyear experience at the same time.

From these early beginnings the scheme went from strength to strength. In 1994 it was fully integrated within the French local government when it became part of the Syndicat Maine et Boulogne, the present Syndicat Mixte Montaigu-Rocheservière. Henceforth, the English Department which organises the Gapyear for Francophiles has become an essential part of the services supplied to the 16 communes covered by the Syndicat Mixte Montaigu-Rocheservière.

Through hard work, determination and local support, the scheme has attracted over 200 local host families to take part. To date over 80 British students have successfully completed the course. The 15th anniversary was celebrated in style in 2005 when many ex-students and host families came back to remember such valuable life experiences.

Ex-students continue to come back year after year. Through the hard work put into this scheme, life-long Franco British relationships have become deeply rooted between this rural area of north Vendée and ex-students wherever they may be, in the UK or abroad.