Work It

Finding a job is complicated for any young person but I don't think I fully appreciated the difficulty that I was about to experience here in Bordeaux. In the beginning, I was perhaps a bit too confident. I figured I would just buy myself some time (and entry into the country) by taking classes for a couple months, and then start doing some full-time work as soon as I was completely fluent in French. Because it had been so easy with Babylangues, I foolishly assumed I would be able to snatch up any job right away because I am smart, experienced, trilingual and, by God, I am special. Everyone has told me so since I was born!

There's only so much talent and experience can get you, though, and it's even less when you're an immigrant with no connections. I took it for granted that I was always part of systems up until now. I never really had to look for a job because I always knew someone who would just hire me. Baltimore City Public Schools? Teach For America got me that job! I am completely on my own here. No one knows me, I don't know anyone. On top of that, no one is in any hurry to sponsor me for a visa when they could snatch up an English-speaking EU member for way less trouble. I had been here for 10 months and all I had to show for it was a stack of letters  that all started with the word "Unfortunately." Maybe I'm not so special after all...

Then came some good news. The HR guy at Jason's lab was able to get me a conjoint de scientifique visa that would allow me to stay in the country as long as Jason is here and I would be allowed to work full-time! I will be much more marketable with a document that says I'm not leaving at the end of the semester and I am allowed to hold a normal job.

After the summer break, I got my new residency card and went back to looking for work. Progress was non-existent (or I didn't have any way to measure it) and without the distractions of babysitting or classes or trips to far off places, I was feeling a bit despondent. Beyond that, I felt guilty that I wasn't contributing financially to our household. I couldn't get a beer at the bar without feeling shitty about it because I had done nothing to earn it. Jason tried to be encouraging: "You keep our house from falling into ruin and disrepair! You take care of everything that involves talking to people in French!" But as someone coming from a decent-paying career, and paying my own bills and having my own income, it's hard not to feel a little bit worthless.

One night, we were at Guillaume's house for a gathering and I was talking to some folks about my issues finding work. Not to complain; I was hoping someone would know someone who knows someone who was looking to hire a language teacher. No luck in making any professional connections but I did get a kick in the ass from a new friend, Catherine. "You need to just go to these places and say 'I am capable, I am motivated and I am ready to work.' Don't worry about being annoying. If you're annoying, then they will know your name. You have nothing to lose."

It was exactly what I needed to hear. I can't say that I have ever tried guerrilla job hunting but I was ready to try anything to get myself out of my self-pity funk. I put on a nice outfit, got some copies of my CV and cover letter and hit the streets. I had some places I had applied to before and got no answer that I wanted to swing by and a new one I had just discovered in an ad online. The Wall Street Institute was not currently hiring but they would keep my CV for a year. Another "no" for the pile. This other place was right down the street, though, so they were next on my list. The ad for the Centre d'Études de Langues (CEL) said they were hiring "language teachers" so it seemed pretty promising. That's what I do! I teach languages!

I almost couldn't find the office because it's in the biggest building in town, but luckily they were doing work on the elevator and the door was open so I could see the sign for the center.

"Place de La Bourse" is not an address!

I grabbed the first person I saw, who happened to be in charge of the English department and new staff for the CEL. What are the chances??? "Oh yes," said Joanne, in her delightful British accent. "We are definitely looking for teachers. It's really wonderful that you came in, actually because we have some spots that need to get filled right away. Let me introduce you to Georgina, the head of the program."

I sat with Georgina for a few minutes while she read my resumé and asked me questions about my availability and then she said, "Your classes will start next week. Is that okay?"

Wait... WHAT??!?

Months of sending applications to everyone and their mother, countless forms and files painstakingly completed, diplomas dug out of storage bins in the US and shipped overseas and I'm just going to walk up in here with a smile on my face and you're going to give me a job?!?

I'm okay with it.

Here's some deets!

• Even though the CEL hired me, I currently only have classes with their partner, the Kedge Business School. Kedge was very recently known as the Bordeaux École de Management but there was a merger/takeover, a bunch of teachers weren't happy with the way things went down, and most of them left. I feel a bit like a scab for running in after all these people jumped ship but hey. I needed a job!
• In the scramble to replace all the people that left, everyone is teaching a lot of things all at once. I have 7 different courses. Luckily, I have a whole team of other English teachers to work with and we all share the responsibilities of planning and preparing the lessons. Teamwork is awesome. Having a department of people that teach what I teach is awesome. Not having to come up with all my own lessons and materials and assessments is awesome. Awesome.
• I can also work at the CEL, which operates more on a company need basis. Let's say you're Danny Wegman and you want 15 of your store managers to learn Spanish. You call the CEL and they provide you with a Spanish teacher for however/whenever you want. Classes are typically smaller with the CEL but they are also at random times because the people you're working with have day jobs. With my Kedge schedule, I'm pretty booked up for the moment but things may change for next semester. We shall see!

So that's all I have for now. More updates will come when I actually start classes later this week. Watch out, Bordeaux. You just got yourself a sassy new English teacher.