Volunteer work in Paris This year, a representative of the Centre du Volontariat de Paris came to the Madeleine Center to present the various volunteer opportunities that are available in Paris. This center, which has offices in different neighborhoods in Paris, helps individuals choose the activity that best fits the person's tastes and capabilities.
Following a first presentation, to which all of our students came, four Middlebury students were interviewed. Two of our students volunteered as English tutors. Here is what they said about their experiences:
"I would recommend this opportunity to anyone looking to exercise independence in tutoring. The students I met were curious and enthusiastic about learning. There were at most three who needed help with their English homework each week, which gave me the chance to get to know each of them. For me, this was a way of practicing my spoken French with younger people, and helped familiarize me with informal language and the French education system. I found it particularly interesting to address students' fascination-horror vis-à-vis American culture (especially after they'd seen "Bowling for Columbine"), given my position as a non-American studying in the U.S."
"In this case I was to help 6th and 7th graders with their homework: 'soutien scolaire.' Mostly it involved keeping the kids in their seats and doing their work. This work was the most fulfilling to me because it gave me the opportunity to see another side of Paris and to get to know these kids as well as to help them learn to study and hopefully have an impact on their lives. Working with the other volunteers was also a good experience to learn from them. Laure François, the head of the program, was also great to work with."
Teaching assistantships in a high school within the French system
Many of our students, both graduates and undergraduates, get involved in teaching assistantships (in English) in Paris écoles maternelle, primaires, collèges et lycées. The students in general enjoy their experience of "English Assistants" in elementary, and secondary schools. Some of them even become friends with their professors and therefore establish personal contacts outside the school.
Evaluations from a former students
"My stage bénévole in the BAC +1 / +2 class of Mme. Hartmann was an enjoyable experience. Each week, I facilitated a discussion section in English, often with the help of another Middlebury student. Our discussions were intended to revolve around a news article in English chosen by us, the instructors, but frequently our discussions dealt with a variety of other topics (life in the United States, life in the home countries of the students, music, movies, etc.). Several times we arranged activities outside of class, which further encouraged the students to be open with us."
"My volunteer experience with Mrs. Hartman and her students is well-worth the 2 hours a week of my time here in France. It is a group of students who are preparing for tests to enter the universities and "grandes écoles" and they spend some time each week learning English grammar. When I arrive, the students often offer me coffee and biscuits and we talk during this break in between classes. Each student presents a report on an article in English and I also bring an article in English for them to read. I help them with their English pronociation. However, I always seem to learn new French vocabulary myself each time I come when we translate between the languages in order to clarify ideas in the articles we read. It is an enriching experience for everybody because they can understand an American's perspective on current events while I have the opportunity to understand their French perspective on the same topic."
Unpaid Internship at "Ecole Alsacienne"
"I worked at l'École alsacienne 2 hours a week with one of the librarians. I helped a group of students (12-16 year-olds) write articles in English in the School's Students' magazine, called "Graffti". I would strongly recommend working with l'Ecole alsacienne with Mr. Borelli and the staff at the library. Helping the students is a very enriching experience, especially because being among the French students and advisor will increase your capacity to hear the French language, including slang that you will not hear in a university classroom setting. It is also really interesting to have an insider's view into the school life and working life of French students and adults."
Infusio
InFusio is a training and consulting firm specialized in Intercultural Management. We work with international teams and mobile managers to help them improve their international performance by leveraging the intercultural factor. Interns with an international profile assist us with market research, benchmarks, competitive analysis, writing, improving our training material, and have active involvement in the marketing and sales strategy. Interns will learn the daily operations of a French small business, with access to all company information. They will also participate in any meeting with a client or prospect, as well as participate in client training.
Templeton Biddle worked with ImFusio and her enthusiastic comments explain how satisfied she was with her internship.
“My internship with Imfusio was the most pleasant surprise of my stay here. It happened to correspond exactly with my main career interests, which involve marketing and applied psychology. But Imfusio’s specialization in « leveraging the intercultural factor » would enrich just about anyone’s experience living abroad. I would recommend this internship to any and every Middlebury Paris student."
Unpaid Internship at "Ecole Alsacienne"
"I worked at l'École alsacienne 2 hours a week with one of the librarians. I helped a group of students (12-16 year-olds) write articles in English in the School's Students' magazine, called "Graffti". I would strongly recommend working with l'Ecole alsacienne with Mr. Borelli and the staff at the library. Helping the students is a very enriching experience, especially because being among the French students and advisor will increase your capacity to hear the French language, including slang that you will not hear in a university classroom setting. It is also really interesting to have an insider's view into the school life and working life of French students and adults." Fairchild Publications (journalism)
Fairchild Publications (journalism)
The internships at Fairchild are part-time and unpaid. The tasks our interns are asked to do vary. During fashion season, for instance, they work primarily with the office managers helping to organize tickets for the shows. During other parts of the year, interns are assigned some small writing and research projects. Working in our office gives a student a good overview of the fashion and beauty sectors, plus how it is to work in an environment that helps produce a daily trade newspaper and numerous trade and consumer magazines. Most students who work here say it is their favorite internship.
Fairchild internship coordinator’s comment:
"My colleagues and I rely heavily on our interns’ help. Since we have such a small office, we depend on them to chip in with all different sorts of tasks, from gathering information to fact checking to writing. When explaining the projects, we try to put them in a larger perspective, so interns can learn as much as possible. Internships at Fairchild provide an invaluable overview of the fashion/beauty/journalism industries."
Some comments from Middlebury students who took advantage of the Fairchild internship in Paris:
“As an intern, much of my job is doing research for a wide variety of articles (ranging from fashion to art to music to travel to politics) for both publications. Speaking with various people in the office and the industry has improved my French vocabulary and has boosted my confidence in speaking the French language exponentially. In addition, I have conducted interviews, packed away boxes of couture, tagged along with editors to fashion shows and photo shoots, and had small articles published, by-line and all, in WWD. I have received wonderful guidance from the editors and writers at Fairchild and know even after the internship ends, they will be happy to answer any questions I have about the world of fashion journalism. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone who is interested in either profession.”
Paid Internships at "Epitech"
A number of undergraduate and graduate students also acted as remunerated teaching assistants in English classes in private engineering schools (EPITECH).
English tutors lead group conversations in english for 1st, 2nd and 3rd year students of the "Epitech" school. The topic of conversation is decided by the tutor as is the structure of the class, for example: class discussion, visit to a museum, a meal at a restaurant, screening of a film in english etc. The goal of the discussion groups is to give the "Epitech" students the opportunity to speak in english to fluent english speakers in a more relaxed context than a classroom. Each session is 2 hours long, with a maximum of 12 students in each group
Salary: 304,90 euros per month for 6 hours of work a week
The class timetable is planned around your availability.
The comments of Juniors and Graduates were all positive and they all expressed gratitude to Middlebury for providing the possibility to : 1) to make money while having flexible hours, 2) to meet young French students with whom it is possible to speak in French outside of class, and 3) gain teaching experience.
Here is what they said about their experience:
"Though the propspect of coming up with three different classes a week and speaking to 2nd language male university students may seem daunting at first glance, hours are very flexible and creating reading, literature and fun classes has been a great way to force myself to see different parts of Paris. The students come from all parts of France, so it's also been a great way to learn about French culture outside of Paris."
"The internship at Epitech offers a diverse and changing work atmosphere. Depending upon your personal motivation and time investment, your tasks can range from holding English conversation classes in the SUSIE program to helping the English department arrange English-oriented parties, conduct inscription interviews, or even proctor the TOEIC exams. At any rate, the work is well paid and not overly difficult and never boring. After all, it is up to the interns to create their classes according to their interests, and you never have the same group dynamic in a class.".
Graduate students worked at Epitech under the supervision of Melanie Morgan, a Middlebury alum. They all appreciated working with her. The Graduates’ work varies from that of the Juniors’ in that they actually have an English class that they teach with a group of approximately 10-15 students. All students’ comments were very positive:
'I learned a ton by teaching at Epitech. A lot of the students were really nice and wanted to learn, and those who were less motivated participated well once I started being more firm with them. Melanie is wonderful—super-organized and always there to listen, and the hours are very doable. I would recommend teaching at Epitech to those who want to make good money outside of their classes, (which we all do), and especially to those who want to learn how to be better teachers."
"This work opportunity is not only useful for the student during their Master’s, but sometimes it gives students the opportunity to stay in Paris the following year, as was the case for Melanie Morgan. Next year, two of our Graduates will stay in Paris to work at Epitech."
"As a graduate student this year, I had a very busy schedule. But the Epitech teaching internship was perfect for me. I was able to choose my own hours, teach for the first time, and gain experience in a classroom environment. I think it is an excellent opportunity for Middlebury students to earn money while they pursue their studies. It is a great job where you can earn a significant salary for the hours that you put in."