Teaching in an international

school: the experience of

French teachers in London

By Amandine Briand

Final Dissertation completed as part of the Modern Foreign

Languages with Education BA.
King’s College London, University of London
May 2010.



 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS




First
and
foremost,
I
would
like
to
thank
Isabelle
Feurtet,
the
school
counsellor
of

the
 Lycée
 Français
 Charles
 de
 Gaulle
 for
 the
 valuable
 help
 and
 advice
 she
 gave

me.


Besides,
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 all
 of
 my
 participants
 for
 their
 kindness
 and

willingness
to
take
part
in
my
study.
Their
answers
have
been
very
constructive

and
the
conversations
we
had
were
interesting
and
stimulating.


Moreover,
I
would
like
to
thank
the
Headmaster
of
the
Lycée
Français
Charles
de

Gaulle
 for
 letting
 me
 conduct
 my
 research
 and
 for
 providing
 me
 with
 a
 good

environment
and
facilities
to
complete
this
project.


I
 also
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 King’s
 College
 for
 giving
 me
 the
 opportunity
 to

complete
 this
 dissertation
 and
 my
 personal
 tutor,
 Clive
 Kanes,
 for
 accepting
 to

supervise
my
research.


Finally,
an
honourable
mention
goes
to
my
boyfriend
without
whom
I
would
not

have
 been
 able
 to
 carry
 out
 this
 project
 and
 whose
 support
 has
 been
 essential

throughout
the
whole
process
of
writing
the
dissertation.


1




 ABSTRACT



This qualitative research investigates the experience of French teachers who live in
London and work at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle. It is argued that the
practice of French teachers working in a national school abroad is different from the
practice of French teachers established in France in many ways. Through a research
project involving semi-structured interviews, eight teachers were asked about the
problematic issues that arise in their everyday routine at the aforementioned school.
The questioning of teachers revealed two major dimensions of differences occurring
between schools in France and the Lycée, in terms of the practical teaching
opportunities and educational challenges that such a situation implied. The key
themes addressed in this dissertation are international education, the reasons why
teachers choose to work in international and overseas school, the opportunities that
may arise in their everyday tasks, and the difficulties involved in working in such an
environment.

2




 TABLE OF CONTENTS




Acknowledgements 1

Abstract 2

Table of contents 3

Chapter 1: Introduction 4
- Why teach in international schools? 4
- Research purpose 5
- Rationale for the research 6
- Key themes 8

Chapter 2: Literature Review 9

- International school and international education: the issues involved 9
- The international school profile: students and teachers 11
- International Schools: issues and conflicts 14
- Conclusion 16

Chapter 3: Methodology 17
- Sample size and criteria 17
- Finding participants 18
- Interviews 18
- Analysis of the data 20
- Ethical matters 21
- Conclusion 22

Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion 23

- Interviews 23
- To what extent do the teachers at the Lycée see their work as different
from teaching at a national school? 25
- What teaching opportunities may arise in the personal or professional
life of an expatriate teacher? 27
- What are the educational challenges of such a situation and how do
teachers address them? 30

Chapter 5: Conclusion 38
- Main findings 38
- Limitations 38
- Further research 39
- Final word 40

Bibliography 41

Appendices 43


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 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

The number of international and overseas schools has rapidly grown over the past 50
years. A distinction is to be made as some schools are labelled ‘international schools’
because they belong to a formal association of so-called international schools, such as
the International Schools Association (ISA) or the European Council of International
Schools (ECIS). Other schools are considered to be international, either because they
are national schools established overseas, or national schools in their home country,
which follow an international curriculum and offer the International Baccalaureate
(IB). The school at the centre of this dissertation follows the French curriculum and is
a member of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), which is responsible
for the management of 243 schools established within 130 countries.

Why teach in international schools?

There are many reasons why teachers choose to teach in international schools, the
first being because their partners have to travel for work and the easiest way for them
to keep working is to teach at overseas schools. Indeed, those schools offer a
curriculum that mostly remains the same, and an environment where most of the staff
and students know what it is like to be expatriate. Therefore, the adjustment process,
that is, “the person’s ability to function effectively, personally and vocationally, in the
new environment” (Richardson, 2009:885) is made easier and might take less time.
Beside, being exposed to a different culture than one’s own promotes international
and intercultural understanding through education. Another reason why teachers want
to work in international schools is that being a ‘local hired expatriate’ often offers
advantages, such as an attractive salary and an excellent reputation: “pay as it relates
directly to employment, does seem to matter in the attracting, motivating, and
retaining global assignees” (Richardson, 2006:886). Finally, cultural and
psychological factors play a large role in why teachers choose to practice in
international schools. As argued by Inman (2009), there usually is a high turnover in
international schools. Now, if teachers tend to move out frequently, it is not always

4




because their partner has been displaced but also because these teachers themselves
like changing their environment and enjoy travelling. A reason that could explain this
tendency to choose not to settle anywhere may be that these individuals are expatriate
children themselves. Therefore, they might not be attached to a country or a culture in
particular and they might not suffer from “stress, anxiety and pitfalls” (Richardson,
2006:884) when starting to teach in a new country. Moreover, expatriate teachers
often form part of small communities, which can quickly disintegrate - as members of
those communities tend to travel, too - leaving them with no concrete reason to stay.
Teaching in international schools is, in sum, attractive to some teachers for a variety
of reasons. Teaching overseas can be an enjoyable experience and open up a variety
of career options for individuals who are often not ready to settle.

Research purpose

This study explores the experience of French teachers who live and work in London.
It focuses on the practice of teachers belonging to the Lycée Charles de Gaulle,
situated in South Kensington. As a former teaching assistant at the Lycée, I noticed
the particularity of the situation teachers and children are in. Each year, the school
takes in more than 3,000 children, aged from 4 to 18 and, for the major part, of French
nationality. According to the school’s statistics, for the academic year of 2009-2010,
76% of the children are French, 12% are British and 12% belong to 48 different
nationalities. As for the teachers, they are divided into two distinct groups as defined
by Garton (Hayden, 2006): ‘host-country nationals’ and ‘local hire’ expatriates
(English teachers who grew up in England and French teachers who came to London
more or less recently and have different levels of experience in teaching abroad).
Even though the school we examine in this dissertation does not belong to an official
international schools association, it will be defined as an international school
according to Hill’s definition (Hayden, 1995:338) who argues that an international
school:
‘ may serve a local and varied expatriate community of business people,
diplomats, and armed forces personnel;
 may attract resident students from all over the world;
 are usually either proprietary schools, owned and controlled by one or
two individuals, or are private schools governed by a board of directors
consisting mainly of parents; and

5




  are usually fee-paying or scholarship-funded (such as the United World
Colleges) or both.’

as opposed to national schools that:

‘ serve principally the students of one nationality;

 are usually located within the one country where they may be
government or private fee-paying schools with a parent governing board;
and
 may be located overseas to serve their own expatriates (…), many of
which are staffed by the national government at home and some of which
are private.’

If one refers strictly to Hill’s definition, one might consider the Lycée as a national
school located overseas, which serves its own expatriates and which is staffed by the
national government in France. However, not only is the school staffed by both
English and French teachers but the Lycée manages an entire British Section, which
follows the English curriculum and offers an education from Year 10 to A levels,
removing all doubts that the Lycée should be considered an international school. As
argued by Sanderson:

‘a school founded as [an] expatriate national school (overseas schools),

originally firmly rooted in a national tradition that - while accepting pupils
of many nationalities - continues to organise [its] objective and teaching
on the basis of that national tradition can be identified as an international
school’ (Hayden, 1995:334).

To conclude, teaching in or attending an international school offers a particular

environment of great interest to my study: first of all, because it deals with a French
educational system located at the heart of London, one of the most multi-cultural
cities in the world; and second of all, because teachers there come from completely
different backgrounds and yet have to work together.

Rationale for the research

Beyond the reality of international schools lies the concept of international education,
the definition of which is debated later in the literature review. It is a subject directly
relevant for students like me, whose working lives are likely to take place in a
6




globalised work environment. Moreover, the number of international schools is
growing fast and 40 years after the first attempts to define international education,
some educational issues remain. For this reason, it seems constructive to analyse the
opinions of teachers practising in this particular environment: first of all, because
most of the research concerned with studying the field of international education is
focused on the student’s perspective rather than on the teachers’; secondly, because
these were large-scale studies based on non-interactive questionnaires, which resulted
in being too impersonal; and finally, because through trying to understand the
teachers’ point of view, this study aims to enhance the school’s ability to retain their
staff more effectively, which is a very important issue in a context where the turnover
is impressively high (Inman, 2009). On the one hand, I am interested in identifying
the differences that may exist between the practices of French teachers in France and
French teachers working in a school as diverse as the Lycée in question. On the other
hand, I also have an interest in discovering the potential advantages and drawbacks of
such a situation. Education plays an essential part in our contemporary societies, as
the move towards creating a united Europe has shown for instance; this has had
several repercussions in the field of education, as various organisations were born to
serve the needs of expatriate children travelling around Europe while completing their
studies. In response to this, the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) was
established in 1990 when a French community began to travel around the world.
Other organisations such as the Association of International Educators (NAFSA),
Education International, the International Institute for Educational Planning and the
International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) were created to make up for the
consequential need for a broader outlook in education. Hill (2002:183) defined the
IBO as a ‘non-profit educational foundation established in Geneva in 1967 to provide
a pre-tertiary international curriculum during the last two years of secondary school’.
Although the Lycée does not offer the opportunity to take the IB to its students, this
fairly recent qualification cannot be ignored in this dissertation as it concerns more
students every year and it is often seen as an alternative path for the future, especially
in England and Wales (Bunnell, 2008). This study offers insight that may be helpful
in some modest way in the continuing efforts provided by the teachers and other
members of staff to cope with the variety of challenges arising each year in the
specific context of international education.

7




Key themes

The key themes that will be addressed in this dissertation are the reasons why teachers
choose to work in international and overseas schools, the opportunities that may arise
in their everyday teaching work and the challenges involved in working in such an
environment. Addressing all of these themes is important to our understanding of the
opportunities and challenges that expatriate teachers face in their day-to-day work at
the Lycée. This study will certainly allude to other issues, yet their investigation
would not be possible because of space and time restrictions.

This study is divided into five chapters. The next chapter is a review of the literature,
aimed at understanding the particular context in which the concept of international
education arises. It then explains the methods I used to collect data before entering the
more concrete part of data analysis and discussion. The last chapter focuses on
conclusive comments and on the limitations of this research, raising the needs for
further investigation in this field of study.

8




 Chapter 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

The term international education is a term widely employed among educators, yet its
definition is still being debated. For instance, while the NAFSA sees international
education as a means of transcending national borders through the exchange of
students to and from the United States, the International Institute for Educational
Planning (IIEP) on the other hand, considers international education as a
comprehensive approach to education, which aims at preparing its students to be
‘active and engaged participants in an interconnected world’. The literature on
international education can be divided into three categories: first, focusing on the
relationships between international education and international schools; secondly, on
the definition and analysis of the profile of people working and studying in such an
environment; and finally, on the analysis of the issues that teachers and staff may
encounter in the context of international education. The following chapter presents a
review of the literature in an attempt to explain the context and background of the
study.

International education and international schools: the issues involved

First of all, much of the literature on international education focuses on the definition
of both the concepts of international schools and international education, and on the
analysis of their relationships. Now the question is: what is an international school
and to what extent is it different from a ‘normal school’? Hayden and Thompson
(1995) made the first effort to formally define the concept of international education.
They challenged the common assumption that ‘international education’ and
‘international school’ were two interrelated concepts, mainly by referring to existing
research, which makes their findings overly descriptive. The authors do not give their
own definition of the two concepts, but instead, they refer to various interpretations
from the general to the more specific. Thus, according to Hayden and Thompson
(1995), if international education and international schools share the same concept of

9




the internationalization of the educational process, there is a difference between
education as a process and schools as institutions. This highlights that:
‘the body of international schools is a conglomeration of individual
institutions which may or may not share an underlying educational
philosophy’ (p.332).

Hayden and Thompson also challenged the idea that international education and
international schools are related to each other. In 1997 and 1998, they led two large-
scale studies aimed at understanding the professional and personal challenges
involved in international schools, both from the students and from the teachers’
perspectives. As far as teachers were concerned, Hayden and Thompson argue that
their role is of great importance in international schools as they are in direct contact
with children. However, the high turnover that exists in such schools may create
institutional instability and result in a lack of reference for children. These studies
show us how teachers and students of international schools view their working lives,
but because both investigations are large-scale and based on questionnaires, the data
collected may be too impersonal and not representative enough. Although Hayden
and Thompson’s studies provide us with clear definitions of international education
and international schools, they fail in reflecting the experience of individuals working
or studying within these schools.
Despite Hayden and Thompson having addressed many of the issues that might be
mentioned by the participants of my study, most recent research projects raise
different concerns. First of all, Dolby and Rahman (2008) stated that ‘over the past 10
years, the pressure to “be international” and to “internationalize” has dramatically
intensified in all aspects of education’ (p.676). Therefore, being international is now
of greater importance for schools wanting to gain recognition in an increasingly
globalised world; and, whereas the term ‘international education’ was relatively
marginalised when Hayden and Thompson first attempted to define it, it is now an
integral part of the educational process of many developed societies. To cope with the
need to be international, more and more schools have decided to offer the IB as an
alternative qualification. In England for instance, the year 2007:

10




 ‘saw the fortieth anniversary of the first involvement by a British School –
Atlantic College [and] it saw the reaching of the psychologically
significant ‘100-mark’ barrier, as the 24 schools authorised that year
brought the total in the UK to 117’ (Bunnell, 2008:152).

Moreover, in 2006, the IB points system has been synchronised with the UCAS tariff
for university admissions, which ensures future growth of the IB. However, the IB is
also seen as a danger as it ‘has the potential to be a devise and competitive curriculum
in England and Wales’ (Bunnel, 2008:152), not only because it offers an alternative to
the classic national curriculum but also because it tends to attract an elite of children
with a very high academic level and as stated by Bunnel:

‘the education of the global elite, or national elite, contradicts strikingly

with the inclusive notion of global citizenship’ (2008:158).

The teachers I will interview might raise this issue, as the Lycée is renowned for its
high academic level of achievement and for the financial wealth of its students, whose
families often work for embassies, media companies and banks. It will be intriguing
to see if the teachers consider these factors as impacting on their teaching routine.
Even though the pioneers of the IB certainly did not intend this new qualification to
become a way of forming part of the elite since ‘the challenge to which [the IB
programme] responded was the interdependence of human kind, North and South,
Rich and Poor, Industrialised and Rural, in the aftermath of the Second World War’
(Hill, 2002:204), the implementation of the IB is undeniably taking place ‘among the
wealthier ‘public schools’ in England and Wales’ (Bunnel, 2008:158).

The international school profile: students and teachers

Given that defining the concept of international education is important for this study,
so is the drawing up of the students and teachers’ profile. According to Willis and
Enloe (1990), it is therefore important to outline that pupils attending international
schools tend to come from a relatively high socio-economic background and that
international schools have essentially been created to serve the needs of

11




 ‘displaced employees of multinational organisations, diplomats and aid
workers for schools which could provide forms of education not available
locally’ (Hayden, 1998:551).

Inman (2009) agrees with the two aforementioned theories, but he argues that the
population of these schools is now changing, as students from the host country and
foreign students also form part of today’s international school environment; this is the
case for instance at the Lycée where children coming from 50 different nationalities
are gathered. Although children in international schools often share the same
background, issues may arise in their school lives, essentially because they are:

‘neither a product of the culture of the country in which they are studying
nor of the country of their legal nationality, because for most of their
lives, they have lived in a variety of alien settings’ (The European Council
of International Schools in Hayden, 1995:331).

However, Fraser and Brickman (1968) reveal that the concept of a school separated
from its own national system and receiving children of its home country is not a
recent phenomenon. In fact, in 1873 Birsdey Grent Northrop already argued that:

‘the practice of educating youth abroad has been steadily growing for a
long period. But the present year has witnessed an unprecedented exodus
of our youth to Europe’.

As far as teachers are concerned, the literature focuses on their role in international
schools and on the factors that make their work distinctive from the work of teachers
practicing in national schools. Thus, several researchers like Garton (Hayden, 2000)
asked the following question: ‘is there something different about teachers who need to
be recruited for international education and for international schools?’ To this
question, Broman (Hayden, 2000) answers that:

12




 ‘the international school Head’s best possibility to influence learning is
through the teacher he/she hires. Thus no stone should be left unturned in
the search for the best possible candidates’.

It seems that the role of teachers in international schools is very important and the
literature outlines that the choice of such teachers is crucial to the good functioning of
the school. Hence, Garton (ditto) identifies three different categories of teachers
working in international schools: ‘the host-country nationals’, the ‘local hire
expatriates’ and the ‘overseas hire expatriates’. I expect that teachers I will interview
will belong to the first two categories. A particular issue rising from this situation and
mentioned by Garton is that:

‘sadly but understandably, the very existence of these categories has also
been a cause of serious and unproductive tension in a number of schools’
(ditto:87).

The author then concludes that:

‘the ‘best’ teachers in international schools will be those who, in addition

to meeting all the screening requirement, also have the personality to deal
with a wide range of practical and human challenges, and to work
collegially with the rest of the staff’ (ditto:93).

According to Inman (2009), there is an increasing need of ‘quality foreign educators’

(p.82) proportional to the expansion of international schools, usually appreciated for
their prestigious education. If it is essential to know how to recruit teachers for
international schools, it is also important to know how to encourage them to stay.
Therefore, Richardson’s research (2006) outlines the relationships between self-
esteem and pay satisfaction, and the adjustment of teachers practising in a country
different from their home country. Richardson argues that the literature fails to
address the specific issue of the adjustment of expatriate teachers to their new
environment. However, he was not the first to take an interest in the process of
expatriate adjustment to their life overseas. Hence, Wang (2002) looked at the

13




adjustment of expatriate teachers from a social network perspective and attempted to
‘clarify the relationships among the expatriate personal network, psychological well-
being and performance with a testable conceptual model’ (abstract). It is implied that
expatriate teachers are more likely to experience anxiety, stress and strain than
teachers working in their home country and therefore, it is thought that confidence,
well-being and salary satisfaction can ‘assist expatriates in the overall adjustment
process’ (Richardson, 2006). Another issue that has been highlighted in the past
literature focuses on how the:

‘national context within which teachers work deeply influences their

professional ideology, their perceptions of their professional
responsibility, and the way in which they carry out their day to day work’
(Broadfoot, 1988:265).

Although Broadfoot’s research was published over 20 years ago, it is nonetheless

helpful for this study, as it compares 360 French and 360 English teachers and
highlights the importance of national differences. However, all of the aforementioned
studies are large-scale, which allow the researchers to compare the opinions of a
sufficiently representative number of teachers, but which does not reflect their
experience as individuals. Interviewing these teachers face to face will provide the
opportunity to work with more accurate and detailed feedback than that obtainable
through questionnaires.

International Schools: issues and conflicts

As we have seen so far, the literature on international education focuses both on the
definition of the concepts and on the characterisation of those working or studying
within an international educational system. But the literature also attempted to
classify the general issues that may arise in the international schools context;
therefore, Inman (2009) sought to highlight these issues from the school counsellors’
perspective. If school counsellors are very important in international schools,
teachers, students and their families often misunderstand their role. Inman (2009)
undertook his research, involving 58 international school counsellors, with
questionnaires aimed at understanding the issues that may arise with this target
14




demographic. As the complexity of the school system increases in international
schools (Rifenbary, 1997), so do the needs for a quick adjustment of students,
families, teachers and staff to their new environment. This adjustment is supposed to
be made easier by the work of the school counsellors, as they provide guidance and
cope with the ‘preventive, remedial, and developmental needs of students’ (Inman,
2009:97). According to the literature, students of international schools encounter
difficulties on a wide range of levels. Inman (2009) points out a series of mental
health issues that have been found in international schools, such as the difficulty for
students to cope with cultural transitions or the lack of reference due to absentee
parents. According to the majority of the 58 counsellors who answered Inman’s
questionnaire, children in international schools often experience eating disorders, self-
mutilating behaviours, loneliness, and anxiety, sometimes to the point of depression.
In 1991, Jonietz already argued that children in international schools experienced
various disadvantages, such as:

‘a lack of cultural identity, the trauma of constantly leaving behind people

and places and a common distrust of emotional intimacy and long-term
relationships’ (Hayden, 1995).

Moreover, in a large school like the Lycée, where 50 different nationalities are
gathered, cultural issues may arise as stated by Erickson who wrote that:

‘differences between majority and minority cultures in interaction,

linguistic, and cognitive style can lead to conflicts between school and
child that interfere with effective education’ (Jacob, 1993:8).

While the literature effectively addresses the question of students’ well being in
international schools, it does not address, however, the question of how teachers
should face these issues. It is understood that when children experience problems at
school, behavioural issues in the classroom also affect their teachers, but no
suggestions are made for the teachers to resolve these issues. This dissertation is
therefore an attempt to find out the challenges that may arise in teachers’ everyday
practice.

15




Conclusion

In conclusion, it seems that the examined literature gives precise definitions of the
various concepts involved in international education, but it fails to identify the various
problematic challenges specific to the everyday practice of expatriate teachers. This
dissertation then focuses on the experience of French teachers living and working in
London and addresses the following aspects of their work:
- To what extent do the teachers at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle see their
work as different from teaching in a national school as defined by Hill?
- What practical teaching opportunities may arise in the personal or professional life
of expatriate teachers?
- What are the educational challenges and difficulties of such a situation and how do
teachers address and resolve them?

Having studied a wide range of literature related to my research topic, the next
chapter shall move on to the description of the method used for data collection.

16




 Chapter 3
METHODOLOGY




The main objective of this study is to establish whether the practice of teachers
working in international schools is different from that in national schools, and to
understand what the possible opportunities and challenges of such a situation are.
Eight teachers from the Lycée Charles de Gaulle were interviewed in order to answer
the questions mentioned above in the literature review. This chapter is, therefore,
dedicated to outline the method used for data collection.

Sample size and criteria

This dissertation is a small-scale qualitative study aimed at understanding the

differences between the practice of expatriate teachers and the work of teachers
practicing in their home country. According to Cohen et al (2000:93), ‘a question that
often plagues novice researchers is just how large their samples for the research
should be’.
Therefore,
a total of eight teachers were selected for this dissertation, so
that the data obtained would not be too large, but would still be balanced and
substantial. Only teachers of French nationality were questioned throughout this study
for the following reasons: firstly, my main goal was to understand in detail their
teaching experience in London; and secondly, although it would have been interesting
to compare points of view between both French and non-French teachers working at
the Lycée, the arising cultural differences would go beyond the scope of this study.
Moreover, even though I did not intentionally choose the interviewees due to their
age, they all happened to be in their mid-or late thirties. This, however, was
predictable, as expatriate teachers tend to work abroad while they are young, before
settling down. And, as we have seen in the literature review, the issues currently
arising in the field of international education are fairly recent, which certainly makes
the feedback of a younger sample group more accurate and more indicative of the
present day issues.

17




Finding participants

Prior to the interviews, I needed to ensure that I could have sufficient access to the
school. I chose to interview teachers from the Lycée, not only because I used to work
at the school myself, but also because of its excellent reputation, which made it the
best place to find native French teachers in London. Since I worked at the Lycée as a
teaching assistant for a year and a half, I knew the three school counsellors very well
and so, could easily communicate with them and the Headmaster by e-mail. I
contacted one of the school counsellors in November, in order to complete the
administrative formalities quickly. She also supported me in approaching the teachers,
and after having received the Headmaster’s authorisation, she willingly passed on my
e-mail explaining the study’s objectives to all the teachers she knew would take part.
And already the day after, I was positively surprised by the teachers’ enthusiasm to
participate in my research, but less surprised to learn that most of those who
responded taught History and Geography combined. This is because a great level of
open-mindedness can be expected from expatriate teachers who take an interest in
understanding the world’s evolution and complexities explored in these subjects. For
reasons of convenience, the interviews were held at the teachers’ workplace, where
they were all very enthusiastic and willing to help.

Interviews

Even though interviews are:

‘costly in time and effort, [they] provide opportunity for in-depth probing,
and elaboration and clarification of terms, if necessary’ (Wiersma,
2005:186-187).

This is why I chose to conduct interviews for my research, and also because it seems
to be a good strategy to:

‘ensure that the data are useful and evoke real, “true” trustworthy and
accurate representations of ‘experience’, events seen, values espoused and
beliefs held’ (Somekh, 2005:42).

18




Therefore, research involving semi-structured interviews was used to ask teachers
about potential problematic issues arising in their everyday working lives. These
interviews focused on their experience through obtaining their opinions on those
aspects that make their work differ from that in national schools. They were asked
about both the opportunities and obstacles posed by that their individual situation
involves. A row of one-to-one formal interviews was conducted face-to-face with the
teachers throughout the month of March (see table 1 below). Participants were
randomly selected on the basis of their experience at the school. The interview
technique used was semi-structured, which involved memorising a small list of topics
which I wanted to enquire about, such as their reasons for deciding to practice in a
French school abroad, the potential advantages and drawbacks they encountered in
their everyday work, their pupils’ special character traits, and possible issues they
could face before starting work in international schools. However, the wording of the
questions was not rigidly prescribed, as the aim of the process was to make
interviewees at ease and follow directions they thought relevant to the discussion.
Even though I used a fixed ser of sample questions (see appendix C) as a framework
to lead my interviewees in the right direction for this research, other questions arose
when the participants raised a point that would not have otherwise been mentioned in
the interview. Using standardised questions was helpful as it gave me quantifiable
data, which made it easy to compare answers between participants. Giving the
participants the possibility to answer these spontaneous questions seemed more
sensitive, as this increased their freedom to express themselves. This process may
seem unfair as some participants could have been asked something that others were
not; however, it needs to be kept in mind that spontaneous questions were mostly
asked to clarify certain points rather than to add a new idea, in order to produce the
most quantifiable and reliable data possible. Interviews were recorded with a digital-
recorder, and lasted between 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the teachers’ willingness
to talk, and on the constraints imposed by school timetabling and other arrangements.
The interviews were undertaken in French, since questioning the teachers in their
native language created a natural setting, which facilitated mutual understanding. The
language I chose in conducting the interviews was consistently formal, but was met
by quite informal responses from the teachers’ side, as is the common practice in
France. My status and age made it easier for them to treat me informally, which I

19




appreciated as it relaxed the atmosphere. Despite my intention to maintain as much
diversity as possible in terms of the teachers’ experience, gender and status, it was
difficult, as most of those interested in taking part in this study were women, and
History and Geography teachers.

Interviewee and Gender Place Date

occupation
Interviewee n°1
Lycée Français
History and Female 02/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
Geography teacher
Interviewee n°2
Lycée Français
History and Female 02/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
Geography teacher
Interviewee n°3
Lycée Français
History and Female 03/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
Geography teacher
Interviewee n°4
Lycée Français
Philosophy Female 04/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
teacher
Interviewee n°5
Lycée Français
History and Male 18/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
Geography teacher
Interviewee n°6
Lycée Français
Mathematics Female 24/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
teacher
Interviewee n°7
Lycée Français
Art teacher Female 24/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
Interviewee n°8
Lycée Français
Mathematics Male 25/03/2010
Charles de Gaulle
teacher
TABLE 1: Interview Schedule.

Analysis of the data

When it came to analysing the data, I transcribed all of the interviews, as it was easier
to examine written information. Even though the process of transcribing the
interviews, which lasted between 20 and 40 minutes each, represented a great deal of
effort, as I had sorted all of the interviews in advance, I was able to select what

20




appeared to be the most relevant information. Before listening to and transcribing the
interviews, I found it useful to highlight the main themes that came up from the
literature review, as it helped me compare and contrast the teachers’ statements with
what had previously been said. While transcribing, I kept a record of key themes in
my research diary, in order to obtain clear divisions of analysis. In addition, and even
though it might appear a triviality, I found the use of highlighters extremely practical,
as it helped me analyse the participants’ answers through colour differentiation. Since
this enabled me to allocate each theme to one of my three research questions, I was
then able to categorise them, which allowed me to start thinking more clearly about
the answers to my research questions. I was also very careful to take note of the
individual differences of the teachers, as they were all distinct people, and despite
them having given similar answers on certain points, it was important to keep in mind
the need for cultural relativism (Hofstede, 2001), and therefore, not to classify
teachers according to their answers, simply to avoid stereotypes and subjective
judgements.

Ethical matters

This study was initially going to focus on the experience of expatriate children, but
because the process of ethical clearance was complicated and too long for the time
allocated for this dissertation, I decided to change my subject and focus solely on the
teachers’ experience. This new subject did not require interviewing young children,
nor did it require questioning vulnerable adults. It was also emphasised that this study
would not collect data of any kind directly relating to or from students. The only data
sought was obtained by interviewing teachers, who were asked to sign a consent form.
Each person was assigned a random identity number, which links the data back to
their name. Confidentiality and anonymity were respected without exception, as none
of the participants has wished to be identified. I was aware of the sensitivity of some
questions, which addressed topics such as the participants’ reasons for living and
working in London. This is why I always explained to the participants that this report
was unlikely to be published, and that the data would only be shared between my
personal supervisor and myself. However, the teachers were sufficiently interested in
taking part in this study, that they were happy to share their experiences, and did not

21




oppose further usage of the collected data. Finally, the interviews could start only
after they had read the information sheet and signed the consent form.

Conclusion

Once again, it is important to remember that this dissertation is a small-scale study

with low-level research being carried out. Had it been a bigger study, it would have
needed to combine several methods to get a broader range of results, that is, to use the
so-called process of ‘triangulation’ (Somekh, 2005). Flick therefore states that:

‘triangulation can mean combining several qualitative methods, but it can

also mean combining qualitative and quantitative methods’(2002:265).

He also argues that qualitative data can be transformed into quantitative data, as
statements of interviews can be quantified. Be that as it may, whether one uses
qualitative or quantitative data, the utmost care must be taken in order to ensure the
reliability and validity of the data. Therefore, even though I would have used a wider
sample and various methods in a larger study, I have been very meticulous about the
collection and analysis of the data in this study, by taking notes at every step and by
paying attention to detail all the time.

This chapter has revealed the importance of validity and reliability of the data, which
can be enhanced by constant attention to detail and utmost care when collecting and
analysing data. Having understood that, we shall now move on to the next chapter, in
which the data set gathered will be analysed carefully and compared with the
literature as presented in chapter 2.

22




 Chapter 4
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION




The aim of this dissertation is to focus on the experience of French teachers living and
working in London by addressing the following questions:
- To what extent do the teachers at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle see their work as
different from teaching at a national school?
- What teaching opportunities may arise in the personal or professional life of an
expatriate teacher?
- What are the educational challenges of such a situation and how do teachers address
and solve them?
In order to achieve this, eight teachers were interviewed to gather a corpus of
information. This chapter is dedicated to the analysis of the data that emerged from
this material, which will be compared and contrasted with what has been found in the
literature as presented in Chapter 2. This chapter will begin by outlining the nature of
the interviews, before analysing the teachers’ answers in greater detail, divided up
into the three set questions.

Interviews

Once the semi-structured interviews were ready, an e-mail was sent to the teachers of
the Lycée, who responded surprisingly quickly. They were very enthusiastic and
happy to help, which made the whole process easier for me, as I was more
comfortable talking with people eager to participate. The interviews generally lasted
between 20 and 40 minutes, which, I admit, was costly in time and effort, especially
when it came to the transcriptions, but it was worth the effort as the answers were
very constructive and fascinating. A set of 15 questions (see appendix C) were asked
to all participants but other questions emerged when I needed to clarify a point, or
when the experience of one teacher required more detail. Through use of the
interviewees’ answers, and in order to make these clearer, I was able to draw up the
following table, designed to help us better understand each of their experiences.

23




 24




Having restated how the interviews were gathered, we shall now move on to the
analysis of the data. The answers of the interviews are grouped into three categories,
thus answering the three questions mentioned above. For each of these categories,
sub-divisions help us better structure the answers from the interviews, and therefore,
better understand the teachers’ experience in London.

To what extent do the teachers at the Lycée see their work as different from
teaching at a national school?

First of all, from the answers of the interviews, it is clear that there are differences
between the practice of French teachers in France and abroad; however, the extent of
these differences seems to depend on the experience of each teacher. This dissertation
first analyses the differences in terms of the population of children attending the
Lycée; it then moves on to the analysis of the differences between the curriculum
followed in France and the one followed at the Lycée.

The children
The third, fourth and eighth teacher interviewed had only ever worked in French
schools abroad under the management of the AEFE, and their experience has been
similar to that in London. Other teachers, such as the second and sixth participant had
worked in France, but only in very prestigious schools, which they considered to be
very similar to the Lycée. Finally, the first, fifth and seventh teacher interviewed had
worked in France and considered their job in London as very different from their
previous experience; and they all agreed that the main cause for these differences
were the children taught. In fact, whether they had experienced working in France or
not, whether they had only worked in prestigious schools or also in ‘areas targeted for
special help in education’ (French ZEP), all teachers agreed on the fact that children
at the Lycée were very respectful, eager to learn and therefore, easy to teach (see table
2 above). These findings corroborate Willis & Enloe (1990) and Inman’s ideas (2009)
that children attending international schools usually come from high socio-economic
backgrounds, and are often very efficient students. Indeed, the children’s socio-
economic background seemed to be an important issue for the participants, as this
could be both an advantage and a hindrance. Firstly, this factor appeared to be an

25




advantage because children from these backgrounds are often well educated and
respectful; but as commented by the second interviewed teacher:

‘The fact that pupils come from a high socio-economic background

creates pressure between them; and some pupils don’t want to come to
class with a Gap sweater because it is out of fashion, for instance’ (l.11-
14).

Therefore, their privileged background can be an inconvenience, as they might act in

a haughty manner, and expect to be treated like customers. These findings strongly
resonate with Bunnel’s ideas (2008) that international schools tend to attract an elite
of children with a high academic level, which ‘contradicts (…) the notion of global
citizenship’ (p.158).

The curriculum
Another aspect of the teachers’ work that is different at the Lycée is the curriculum.
All the schools under the management of the AEFE follow the French curriculum
exactly. However, teachers can be asked to adapt their teaching to children living
abroad and sometimes not as familiar with the French culture as they would be if they
lived in France. Therefore, the first teacher interviewed compares France and England
to teach her class about French political institutions, while the third participant stated
that she uses BBC videos to illustrate certain chapters:

‘I can use the original video without asking myself if they will understand
it because even the ones with a lower level of English try to understand’
(l.17-21).

The sixth participant to my study, who teaches Mathematics, added the following:

‘we can talk about the advantages of the French metric system over the
English one’ (sixth interview, l.10-11).

26




These findings show that teachers can adjust the curriculum to fit the needs of
children growing up within the English culture, which reinforces the ideas of Garton
(Hayden, 2000) who argues that teachers in international schools play a crucial part in
the running of the school. Moreover, the second Mathematics teacher interviewed
added that:

‘it can be interesting to show the kids other approaches to maths and it can
help the ones who are closer to the English speaking world’ (eight
interview, l.85-87).

Therefore, even though children are trained to enter the French academic system,
teachers adjust the curriculum in order to show them different approaches to
education, which strongly resonates the idea of the IIEP, who considers international
education as a comprehensive approach to education aimed at preparing its students to
be ‘active and engaged participants in an interconnected world’.

What teaching opportunities may arise in the personal or professional life of an

expatriate teacher?

The interviews revealed that the main advantage of working in a French school
abroad is the opportunity to work in very good conditions, thanks to the following
characteristics of international schools:

The children
First of all, as we can see in the table above, the eight teachers interviewed agreed that
the primary advantage of their situation was the fact that children were easy to teach,
allowing them to explore the curriculum more in depth. Pupils were described as
‘curious, polite, hard working, respectful and open-minded’. In addition, they are
aware of the necessity to study further in order to pursue a highly respected career,
which is why they are eager to learn, and therefore, easier to handle in the classroom.
This statement highlights the parallels in a study conducted by Takeuchi (2010), who
argues that expatriates are more likely to like school and to achieve good results once
they are well adjusted to a foreign country. However, three of my interviewees made
the following statements:

27




 ‘I thought they were absolutely brilliant and it turned out they aren’t’ (first
interview, l.7-8);

‘They cooperate easily, they travelled a lot, which explains their curiosity
and their important initial knowledge, but we also have pupils with
difficulties, even though they may not be the same difficulties one would
encounter in France’ (eighth interview, l.89-93);

‘One of my pupils told me about a rose garden he visited in Kenya, he is

not really a good pupil, he doesn’t get great marks but he still has this
experience, which is a strength’ (third interview, l.8-12).

These findings show that a child eager to learn is not consequently a good pupil.
Therefore, various teachers mentioned the lack of culture of some children, but they
also insisted on the fact that despite their difficulties, children were ready to receive
more in depth information thanks to their personal experience, which, according to
them, is an undeniable strength.

The colleagues
Another aspect that allows teachers to work in very good conditions is the possibility
to work in a team. Most of the teachers at the Lycée are young and willing to
participate in new projects, which creates a good dynamic and allows both teachers
and children to work in more motivating conditions. For instance, the four History
teachers and the two Mathematics teachers interviewed were all friends and
respectively enjoyed working together as a team. Moreover, when asked about the
existence of a high turnover at the Lycée, the fifth teacher interviewed commented:

‘It is a pity when people leave, but it is also a problem when they don’t,
(…) because those who have been here for a long time tend to feel too
comfortable and are more resistant to change’ (l.15-20).

This teacher therefore considers that not only is a high turnover necessary, but it also
allows the school to maintain its dynamic character. These findings contradict the

28




ideas of Hayden and Thompson (1995), who stated that international schools were
often affected by a high turnover, creating institutional instability and tensions
between teachers. At the same time, they corroborate Garton’s ideas (Hayden, 2000),
who argues that:

‘teachers in international school [should know how] to ‘deal with a wide

range of practical and human challenges, and [how] to work collegially
with the rest of the staff’ (p.93).

The facilities and the financial means of the school

The 2009 Ofsted report states that:

‘pupils [at the Lycée Charles de Gaulle] reach the highest standards of any
French school in France or abroad’ (see appendices A and B).

Many teachers attribute this success to the fact that the school has very impressive
technical and financial means. The fifth participant to this study therefore thought that
the effort made by the Lycée in terms of material was bigger than that of any school
in France, highlighting the fact that teachers have access to a computer connected to
the Internet and a video projector in each room, for instance. Moreover, although
restricted, the school makes good use of the space available, for example, by
facilitating table tennis and ball games on the grounds. Pupils’ learning experience is
also enriched well by a wide range of activities, such as visits to places of interest in
the locality and clubs run by staff and parents. Pupils at the Lycée enjoy many
opportunities to extend their interests, as the school is alert to events in the locality
and promotes them, as well as providing many activities on-site (Ofsted report).
These findings strongly reinforce Inman’s idea (2009) that headmasters of
international schools need to provide the teachers with incentives, such as improved
materials and technical means to keep them at the school.

Bilingualism
Another great opportunity for teachers working at the Lycée is the chance to work
with English native speakers, which allow them to learn a new language and to learn

29




about different approaches to education. Having the opportunity to work with English
teachers was, in fact, one of the reasons why some teachers decided to come to
London (see table 2 above). When asked about the advantages of working in London,
the eighth participant responded:

‘teaching the subject I love in a foreign language is a big richness; since

I’m here, I feel good, I teach Maths to French and to English kids and I
have a good understanding of the British culture’ (l.67-69).

His case is particular as the main motivation for him to come to London was to learn
English. Therefore, he strove to find ways to improve his level and when he was
feeling confident enough, he started teaching Mathematics both for the French and
English sections of the school. These findings strongly reinforce Takeuchi’s research
(2010), according to which:

‘the language ability [of expatriates is] significantly related to interaction,

and to work and general adjustment’ (p.4).

Teachers also support the fact that the Lycée offers a bilingual curriculum for those
interested, and the Ofsted inspection report stated that:

ʻA strength of the curriculum is the bilingual programme (…) and a cross

curricular approach to History, Geography and English, which
consolidates learning well’.

However, as we will discuss in the next part, divisions exist between teachers
according to their English level, and the same divisions occur between children.

What are the educational challenges of such a situation and how do teachers
address them?

Although most of the teachers interviewed decided to come to London, they admitted
that their job at the Lycée implied some educational challenges and difficulties that
we will discuss in the following part.
30




High pressure
Dolby and Rahman (2008) argue that:

‘The pressure to “be international” and to “internationalize” has

dramatically intensified in all aspects of education over the past 10 years’
(p.676).

As mentioned earlier in the literature review, many schools have decided to offer the
IB to cope with the growing need to be international. However, The Lycée Charles de
Gaulle does not offer the IB and yet, it is seen as the best French school of its kind.
Because of its excellent reputation, gained by very high results at final year exams’
results (see appendices A and B), teachers are put under a lot of pressure - essentially
from parents but also from the administration and the Headmaster himself. My second
interviewee therefore explained:

‘We receive feedback from parents who find us extremely harsh in our
way of marking or with our expectations. So now, I’m very careful about
starting with the positive aspects of a child’s work before talking about
the negative ones, because in the British educational system, positive
comments are made first instead of negative ones.’ (l.23-30).

By mentioning how she had changed her way of marking to fit the English
educational system, the second participant showed that the cultural differences
between teachers and parents can sometimes result in confrontations. These findings
corroborate the ideas of Broadfoot (1988), who argues that:

‘the national context within which teachers work deeply influences their
professional ideology, their perceptions of their professional
responsibility, and the way in which they carry out their day-to-day work’
(p.265).

31




As far as the administration and the Headmaster are concerned, they seem to put
pressure on the teachers by reminding them that the main objective of the school is to
obtain excellent results in their final exams. Teachers emphasised the fact that:

‘in London, the head positions are diplomatic positions’ (fifth interview,
l.6-7),

and that:

‘Headmasters have a power too important compared to France’ (seventh

interview, l.9-10).

Having mentioned the fact that the Headmaster of the Lycée has much more power
than a Headmaster would have in France, teachers stated that, paradoxically, there is
not much control because the inspectors are all based in France, and rarely come to
London to write reports about teachers. Therefore, the seventh interviewee said:

‘I feel further from Paris, here in London, than when I was in Guadeloupe,
because then, I had many more internships, training sessions, educational
meetings and inspections than here in London’ (l.13-16).

The language barrier

Although living in a foreign country can be considered as a great opportunity to learn
a new language, it can also be an inconvenience, as some teachers feel less
comfortable with English than others, and therefore, tend to live apart from the
English native speakers. Interviewed teachers agreed on the fact that recreating a
French community was easy, and that learning English and integrating into the British
culture required a substantial personal effort. It is interesting to see that teachers who
decided to come to London, or those who did not decide to come themselves, but
instead to stay, are more likely to assimilate into the British culture, whereas teachers
who came to follow their spouse are more likely to remain within the French
community. Therefore, the sixth interviewee, who considered her level of English as
poor, did not come to London because she wanted to. She said:

32




 ‘I did not choose to come, I had to follow my husband’ (…) ‘I’m not sure
I would stay if I had the choice’ (l.4-5 and l.15).

On the contrary, the seventh teacher interviewed, who is married to an English man
and speaks a perfect English, said that she:

‘always hear[s] things about English people in this “French bubble”, but it
is grotesque, (…) and it’s a pity that people are not more open-minded
towards the British culture, because they are missing something’ (l.27-
32).

The eighth participant agreed with her by adding:

‘When I arrived, I thought to myself: “the Lycée is a joke! I will never

learn English here” and then I made an effort to learn English, (…) [but]
it’s very easy to stay in this French circle and not so easy to fit into an
English group, because of the cultural differences’ (l.21-32).

These findings confirm the ideas of Takeuchi (2010), who outlined that:

‘When expatriates are well adjusted to a foreign country, they are more
likely to be perceived by the host country nationals are more similar to
them’ (p.18).

Thus, assimilation to another culture is a complex process, which takes time and
a lot of effort, to overcome the language and cultural barriers.

Personal and professional adjustment

Aside from the adjustment to the country’s culture on a personal level, another
challenge that teachers at the Lycée face on an everyday basis is that on a professional
level. Indeed, they need to learn how to adjust the curriculum, in order to fit the needs
of children living in one of the biggest multicultural cities in the world. For instance,
the third interviewee stated:

33




 ‘we train ourselves because no one gives us English History classes’ (third
interview, l.32-34).

Therefore, because children are not always as aware of the French culture as they
would be if they were in France, teachers need to learn more about English history, in
order to give them concrete examples. However, regardless of whether they teach
History, Geography, Mathematics or Art, all of the teachers said that learning more
about the British culture, in order to be able to face the possible issues that children
might encounter, was one of the most exciting and motivating challenges of their job.
Moreover, they stated that adjustment to the kids was easy, and that tensions between
teachers did not exist. These findings contradict the following theories: firstly,
Richardson’s (2006), who claims that expatriate teachers are more likely to
experience anxiety, stress and strain than teachers working in their home country, and
secondly, Garton’s (Hayden, 2000), according to whom the fact that teachers in
international schools are divided between categories, such as ‘host-country nationals’,
‘local hire expatriates’ and ‘overseas hire expatriates’, is a source of serious and
unproductive tensions. From the answers of the interviews, however, it is clear that
the teachers interviewed are all local hire expatriates, and that divisions are based on
other aspects, such as the subjects they teach, their level of English, their involvement
in the teachers’ trade union, their age, and the reasons why they came to London.
Furthermore, teachers said that, although they were satisfied with their salary, they
did not consider it a main motivation to teach abroad, and only two of them
mentioned it as one of the primary advantages of their situation (see table 2 above).
The fifth participant emphasised:

‘teaching is a job that one does because one loves it, (…) not because of
the money one earns’ (l.57-60).

These findings contradict Richardson’s (2006) ideas, that a way to assist expatriate
teachers through their adjustment process is to give them a satisfying salary. Finally,
although teachers agreed on the fact that living in a multi-faceted city such as London
was an enormous advantage, and gave them teaching opportunities, such as the
possibility to visit historical places and galleries, they also admitted that there were

34




some drawbacks due to the fact that they were far away from home. Indeed, the
second interviewee claimed that it was sometimes difficult to find relevant material:

‘if we need a book or if we need to watch a documentary, we have the

Internet, some bookshops, the French Institute’s library but there is hardly
any recent material, which can be problematic, especially when teaching
Geography’ (l.38-41).

Likewise, two teachers considered that being away from France was the main
challenge they faced, because of cultural differences, and because returning to France
could be confusing and disorientating. Overall, however, the personal and
professional adjustment process came quite naturally for all of the participants, as
none of them felt anxious before coming to London, although they insisted on the fact
that one needs to be really passionate to become a teacher. Moreover, two of the
interviewed teachers stated:

‘I used to work in Cameroon, and I think you can go anywhere after that’
(third interviewee, l.40-41);

‘London is so close to France that it’s really easy to adjust’ (fifth

interviewee, l.48-50).

therefore implying that their well-being was essentially dependent on the city where
they work. Indeed, they thought that the process of adjustment was certainly easier in
a European metropolis like London, than it would have been in South America or
Africa for instance. As we have seen in the second chapter, the literature did not
address accurately the question of how teachers faced the issues of adjustment, but the
teachers’ interviews showed that the adjustment process was easier when both the
work and geographic environment were close enough to their own cultural
environment.

35




Students’ difficulties
Finally, the most important challenge that teachers at the Lycée face in their everyday
work are the individual student’s difficulties, whether personal or educational. Indeed,
children at the Lycée may face various difficulties, such as issues with English or with
their knowledge of French culture. The first interviewee said:

‘they are missing vocabulary; at the age of 16, they still ask for very basic
words’ (1.22-23).

Therefore, because most children are bilingual, they tend to have difficulties with
writing French, but also with regards to the French culture, and, as mentioned earlier
in the literature review, although children in international schools tend to come from
similarly high socio-economic backgrounds, they can be confronted with cultural
issues, as they are:

‘neither a product of the culture of the country in which they are studying
nor of the country of their legal nationality’ (Hayden, 1995).

Moreover, divisions between children can result from these language and cultural
differences, and when teachers were asked about existing divisions between their
pupils, they all mentioned that they took place, either according to the sex of the
children, or their level of English. Another dilemma that teachers may be in is the lack
of motivation and the lack of support that some children may suffer from. Therefore,
my fourth interviewee claims:

‘I find them sad and regimented, and [that] it is a shame because some of
them let their life pass them by’ (l.6-7).

She explained that their ‘sadness’ was due to the poor parent-child relationship, and
also due to the fact that they wanted to succeed in all areas. The sixth participant
agreed with this idea, and argued that one of the main difficulties that she had to face,
was to work with children whose parents travelled a lot, which could result in a
disrupted education of their child, and lead to mental health disorders. Their

36




statements confirmed Inman’s (2009) argument about the difficulty for students in
international schools to cope with cultural transitions, and the lack of reference due to
absentee parents. Last, but not least, sometimes teachers may encounter children who
are overly confident, arrogant, and ignorant of their cultural surroundings. Thus, the
fifth participant alluded to a particular situation when:

‘[he] was talking about the crisis in Japan and the increasing number of
homeless people as a consequence, when a girl told [him]: “so why aren’t
they shareholders?” ’(l.36-40).

He explained that it was not a provoking statement, but that it was rather innocent and
probably down to the fact that her parents were shareholders.

In sum, there are many differences between the practice of French teachers in France
and abroad with regards to the children, the curriculum and the general functioning of
the school. Even though the participants to my study saw their work at the Lycée as
both advantageous and challenging, they were all satisfied with their position, and
they made it very clear that the only good reason to become a teacher is passion.

37




 Chapter 5
CONCLUSION




Main findings

To conclude, this study has illustrated different experiences in expatriate teachers’

lives, and the participants all considered their practice at the Lycée as different from
previous experiences. Even though living and working in a foreign country implies
educational challenges and difficulties, such as the high pressure and the need to
adjust, both personally and professionally, to a very particular environment, it also
offers advantages: these include the chance to learn a new language, the opportunity
to discover a new approach to education, and the ability to work in very good
conditions, with children who are eager to learn and easy to teach.

Limitations

Even though the interviews provided me with extremely constructive and interesting
answers, there are clear limitations to the methodology employed while conducting
this study, and I am aware that there are ways to make the data more reliable and
balanced. First of all, this dissertation is only based on interviews, and if I had had
more time, I would have combined several qualitative methods such as interviews and
focus groups. Thus, I would have liked to observe a group of teachers throughout the
course of a whole academic year, in order to see how monitoring their experience
would have provided different results from the actual findings. And also, because
interviews only reflect immediate responses to various questions, it is important to
bear in mind that in a different time or context, the responses might have been
different. Second of all, it would also have been interesting to gather quantitative data
through the use of questionnaires, as I would have been able to gather a more
representative corpus. Indeed, because I did not have enough time to select the
teachers individually, I interviewed any volunteer participant who responded, and it
turned out that four out of eight were History and Geography teachers, two were
Mathematics teachers, one was teaching Philosophy and the last one was an Art
teacher. Moreover, only two of the teachers were males, and if I had more time to
38




select the participants, I would have tried to gather a balanced corpus with the same
amount of females and males, and with participants teaching different subjects.
Clearly, this study was conducted on a very homogeneous population and therefore, it
is difficult to draw general results that could apply to other groups from these
findings. Moreover, because this research is a small-scale study, the focus was only
on one school, which means that the results of my research cannot be applied to any
international school. In a larger-scale research project, it would be important to
compare the views of teachers from different schools. However, even acknowledging
the limitations aforementioned, some of the findings were marked enough to suggest
that there are real differences between the practices of French teachers abroad and in
France, which may be a starting point for further investigation in this area.

Further research

Clearly, additional research is called for, in order to understand whether the

differences evoked in this study are specific to the Lycée Charles de Gaulle, or
whether all international schools share the same characteristics. It would subsequently
be valuable to conduct similar studies in different geographical settings, and with a
more representative sample. Another basis for further research would be to compare
the views of expatriate teachers with the views of ‘host-country nationals’ (Garton in
Hayden, 2000) working in the same schools, that is, within a foreign educational
system. Therefore, if the present study contributes in a modest way to the
understanding of the experience of French teachers in London, an appropriate starting
point for further research would be to give serious consideration to the perspective of
French teachers in other French schools around the world. The analysis of the data
shows that, although my research questions made me find interesting and constructive
answers, there are ways the research questions asked could have been more probing.
The following research questions could then be of interest as a starting point for
further investigation in this area:
- How do French teachers working in national schools abroad cope with the cultural
differences of the country where they work?
- Are French schools under the management of the Agency for French Education
Abroad responsible for creating an education system for the ‘global elite’ (Bunnel,
2008), or are they promoting the ‘interdependence of human kind’ (Hill, 2002).
39




- How do French teachers working in national schools abroad cope with their pupils’
difficulties?

Final word

Before working on the experience of French teachers in London, I initially wanted to

focus my research on the experience of children belonging to ethnic minority groups
but because the ethical risks were too high, I decided to focus on the teachers’
perspective. Now that the dissertation is complete, I would like to say that I
thoroughly enjoyed interviewing teachers at the Lycée, and that both their enthusiasm
and dedication taught me a lot about what it takes to become a teacher.

40




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42




 APPENDICES




Appendix A
Lycée Charles de Gaulle: GCSE Results - Summer 2009

Pupils of the British Section take 9 or 10 GCSEs. Compulsory subjects are French,
Mathematics, English and English literature.

2nd YEAR GCSE

A* +
66.0% (2008 = 67.7%)
A

B 20.2% (2008 = 18.8%)

C 10.7% (2008 = 10.5%)

A* -
96.9% (2007 = 97%)
C

5 pupils achieved 10 A* and A grades, including 2 pupils with 9A*

11 pupils achieved 9 A* and A grades, including one with 9 straight A*
The rate of pupils achieving a minimum of 5 passes at grades A* - C was 100%, both
including and excluding French sat in 2008.
This was one of our better performances in the last 6 years, even though the
percentages are marginally lower than last year. This was a very promising set of
results.
While there were a number of excellent individual performances, there were a few
pupils with a disproportionate number of C, and in a few cases D, grades. As in
previous years, we have a cohort with a very promising top, yet there are a number of
students here who found the work challenging.

National rate A* & A 21.6%

British Section rate A & A* 66.0%
National Rate A* - C 67.1%
British Section Rate A* - C 96.9%

43




 Appendix B
Lycée Charles de Gaulle: A level results – 2008/2009

A2 Results

2008 2009 A2
46.4 57.7 A
69.0 77.6 A+B
89.8 90.4 A+B+C
98.8 100 A-E

An outstanding set of results – this is the first time ever that we have had a 100% pass
rate. The 40 candidates sat a total of 156 examinations and all were passed. This was
also the best ever percentage of A grades. Included in these excellent results were a
number of remarkable individual performances (see table below). This cohort
maintained the excellent standard set last year in their AS results.

AS Results

2008 2009 AS
48.9 47.7 A
68.5 69.0 A+B
83.7 83.9 A+B+C
97.3 95.4 A-E

Slightly down on last year’s results over all, but last year were exceptional (see their
A level results). Nevertheless these results represent some of the best in the last 6
years and there were some outstanding individual performances. It is particularly
pleasing to note that 2 candidates achieved 5 A grades.

Number of A grades achieved by individual candidates

Number of A grades
Ax3 Ax4 Ax5
by candidate
TAL candidates
11 6 2 achieving this
number
PAL candidates
8 4 achieving this
number

Results found on:

http://www.lyceefrancais.org.uk/etablissement-/resultats-aux-examens-/gcse-et-a-
levels-2008?tmpl=component&print=1&page= (accessed on 05/04/10)
44




 Appendix C
Interviews questions

Introduction
- Where are you from?
- How long have you been in London?
- What subject do you teach?
- How long have you been teaching at the Lycée? Why did you choose to teach here?
- The teaching staffs of International Schools are usually grouped into 3 distinctive
categories, which are: host-country nationals; ‘local-hire’ expatriates and ‘overseas
hire’ expatriate: where would you situate yourself among these categories?
- Were you teaching before? If yes, where and what are the differences with your
work here? Can you give me examples?

Working in an International School

- What do you think are the advantages of working in an international school? Can
you give me examples?
- What are the drawbacks? Again, can you give me examples?
- How would you describe the children you teach every day?
- When you ask children to select partners for a project, what do you notice in terms
of divisions? I mean, is there a tendency to select partners on gender lines, ethnic lines
or on any other line for example? Can you illustrate your answer with examples?
- Do you follow the French curriculum strictly?
Do you use the same teaching methods as the ones you would use if you were in
France?
Is the material the same?
What about the content of the curriculum? Is it the same?
For each of these aspects, can you give me an example?

- Do you sometimes arrange the curriculum to fit the needs of children living in
London, that is one of the most important multicultural cities in the world? If yes, in
what ways? Can you give me an example?

45




Conclusion
- Have you been trained before entering an international school such as the Lycée?
- If you have been provided with some sort of training, can you explain how it worked
by giving me examples?
- If you haven’t been trained at all, did you feel confident when you started teaching
at the Lycée? What did you think would be the differences from a job in France?
- What did your experience teach you in terms of practising in an international
school? Can you illustrate your thoughts with examples?
- Is there anything in particular that you would like to add?

Thank you very much for taking part in this research!

46




 Translation to
First Interview
English
1 (…)

Y a-t-il des différences entre votre métier tel que vous

l’exercez aujourd’hui à Londres et tel que vous l’exerciez en
5 France ?
La différence principale est liée aux classes sociales, pas au niveau ‘The main difference
des élèves. Je pensais que les élèves ici étaient absolument here is due to the
impeccables et pas du tout en fait. Ce sont des élèves avec leurs social background of
difficultés mais le niveau socioculturel des familles est beaucoup pupils, not to their
10 plus élevé que là où j’ai travaillé, il y a moins de mixité sociale et level. I thought they
on a des élèves qui sont effectivement un petit peu plus éduqués et were absolutely
pour qui l’école fait sens. brilliant and it turned
out they aren’t.’
(…)
15 Comment décririez-vous les enfants que vous côtoyer chaque
jour ?
Très gentils et travailleurs. (…) Ils participent mais ils n’ont pas
un niveau exceptionnel et ils ont des difficultés liées à l’anglais. Il
y a des élèves très brillants mais ce n’est pas la majorité. Moi je
20 pensais qu’ils avaient un bagage culturel et non en fait, ils
manquent pas mal de vocabulaire, peut être parce qu’ils baignent
dans l’anglais. J’ai des élèves de seconde qui me demandent tout ‘Some Year 11 pupils
le temps la signification de mots de base, des mots très simples. ask me for very basic
words all the time.’
(…)

47




 Translation to
Second Interview
English
1 (…)

- Comment décririez-vous les enfants que vous côtoyez chaque

jour ?
5 Ce sont des élèves qui viennent d’un milieu plutôt élevé, même si
il y a quand même quelques familles qui sont plus en difficulté. ‘The fact that pupils
Par exemple, j’ai cette expérience cette année en cinquième ; tout come from a high
le monde dans la classe vient d’un milieu élevé sauf qu’il y en a socio-economic
qui viennent d’un milieu très élevé et d’autre qui viennent de background creates
10 classes moyennes, qui n’ont pas de problèmes d’argent mais qui pressure between
ne sont pas très riches. Le fait qu’ils viennent tous d’un milieu them; and some pupils
élevé crée une sorte de pression entre eux, et certains élèves ne don’t want to come to
veulent plus aller au Lycée avec un pull Gap parce que Gap c’est class with a Gap
nul par exemple. Entre eux, ils recréent une sorte de hiérarchie sweater because it is
15 même si tous viennent d’un milieu favorisé. out of fashion, for
instance.’
(…)
- Qu’est-ce que votre expérience vous a appris en ce qui ‘We receive feedback
concerne l’enseignement dans une école française située à from parents who find
20 l’étranger ? Avez-vous des exemples ? us extremely harsh in
(…) Il y a une chose qui est très importante, ce sont mes our way of marking or
appréciations et la manière dont je m’adresse aux élèves. Ici, on awith our expectations.
beaucoup de retours de parents qui nous trouvent extrêmement So now, I’m very
durs dans les appréciations qu’on peut faire, sur la manière dont careful about starting
25 on peut noter les élèves ou sur nos exigences. Donc maintenant, je with the positive
fais beaucoup plus attention à ça, toujours commencer par le aspects of a child’s
positif avant de parler du négatif parce que dans le système work before talking
britannique, on ne dit jamais que ça ne va pas, on montre tout ce about the negative
qui va bien. Si je n’étais pas venue ici, je n’aurais sans doute ones, because in the
30 jamais adopté cette démarche là. British educational
system, positive
(…) comments are made
- Y a-t-il des inconvénients ? Encore une fois, si oui, pouvez- first instead of
vous me donner des exemples ? negative ones.’
35 (…) L’autre petit inconvénient peut être survient à l’heure de
préparer nos cours. Ici la matière dont on dispose est moins
importante puisque si on a besoin d’un livre ou si on a besoin de ‘if we need a book or
regarder un documentaire, il y a Internet, quelques librairies, la if we need to watch a
bibliothèque de l’institut mais il n’y a pas grand chose de récent documentary, we have
40 notamment en géographie donc c’est parfois une difficulté. Moi il the Internet, some
m’arrive assez souvent de commander des livres sur amazone pour bookshops, the French
pouvoir faire mes cours et me mettre à jour. Institute’s library but
there is hardly any
recent material, which
can be problematic,
especially when
teaching Geography.’
48




 Translation to
Third Interview
English
1 (…)

- Comment décririez-vous les élèves que vous côtoyez chaque

jour?
5 Ouverts, respectueux, volontaires et parfois démentiellement
intéressants, intelligents, surprenants, voilà. Ils ont beaucoup
d'expérience et je trouve que notre enseignement parfois les brime ‘One of my pupils told
un peu, on les laisse peu parler. J'ai l'exemple d'un élève qui m'a me about a rose
parlé d'une plantation de roses qu'il a visité au Kenya, il y a passé garden he visited in
10 2 semaines et il a constaté des choses, voilà, même pas un bon Kenya, he is not really
élève, il n’a pas de bonnes notes, il a du mal, il est en terminale a good pupil, he
mais il a cette richesse et cette expérience là. doesn’t get great
marks but he still has
(…) this experience, which
15 - Auriez-vous un exemple justement de comment vous ajuster is a strength.’
vos cours?
Je peux prendre l'exemple de ce matin parce que j'ai utilisé une ‘I can use an original
vidéo de la BBC. Je l'ai passée en anglais sans me poser la BBC video without
question du niveau d'anglais de mes élèves. Même ceux qui ont un asking myself if they
20 niveau faible essayent de comprendre, ce n’est pas très compliqué, will understand it
et puis il y a des images. J'aime bien parce que ça nous fait traiter because even the ones
la langue vraiment comme un outil, alors qu'en France c'est un peu with a lower level of
sacralisé de parler anglais. Là, on ne se pose pas la question, il y a English will try to
le documentaire de la BBC, et puis on y va. Après, on ira visiter understand.’
25 soit le musée de Londres, soit le musée des docks pour les faire
travailler sur les traces de l'occupation romaine à Londres.

(…)
- C'est sûr qu'en histoire géographie, ça doit être assez
30 intéressant ?
Voilà, pour nous c'est vrai que ce n'est pas facile, ça demande des
compétences mais bon on se forme par nous même parce qu'on ‘We train ourselves
nous propose pas de cours d'histoire en Angleterre, à la fac because no one gives
anglaise, donc on se débrouille par nous même et on essaye de se us English History
35 former, c'est un peu dommage, on se débrouille. classes’

(…)
- Est-ce que l’on se pose des questions avant d’arriver dans un
Lycée français à l’étranger ?
40 Comme avant j'étais au Cameroun, je pense qu’après vous pouvez ‘I used to work in
faire n'importe quoi à part peut être l'Irak ou l'Afghanistan. Cameroon, and I think
you can go anywhere
after that’

49




 Translation to
Fourth Interview
English
1 (…)

- Comment décririez-vous les enfants que vous voyez chaque

jour?
5 Je les trouve très gentils, c'est un premier point très important mais ‘I find them sad and
je les trouve tristes et formatés, et je trouve ça dommage car du regimented, and it is a
coup, beaucoup passent à coté d'eux mêmes, il y a beaucoup shame because some
d'esprits créatifs ici qui sont complètement restreints parce que le of them let their life
côté carriériste prend le dessus. pass them by’
1
(…)

50




 Translation to
Fifth Interview
English
1 (…)

- Au niveau de l’administration, les professeurs sont-ils

soutenus dans leurs projets ?
5 (…)
Je crois qu'à Londres il y a un point spécial, c'est que les postes de ‘I think that in
direction sont des postes diplomatiques. Le lycée de Londres est London, the head
quand même très regardé, c’est le plus gros d'Europe, on a plus de positions are
3000 élèves, donc je pense qu'au niveau de l'administration, il y a diplomatic positions.’
10 des obligations de résultat qui sont différentes.

(…)
- Y a-t-il un turnover important?
Nous en histoire cette année, on a deux changements sur une
15 équipe de 14 personnes, ce qui est relativement faible. C’est ‘It is a pity when
ennuyeux quand les gens bougent beaucoup mais c’est aussi people leave, but it is
embêtant quand ils ne bougent pas. On a des équipes constituées also a problem when
de personnes assez âgées qui ne bougent plus parce qu’elles sont they don’t, (…)
confortables et ce sont des personnes qui sont plus réfractaires aux because those who
20 projets et aux changements. C’est parfois embêtant d’avoir des have been here for a
gens qui sont installés. Quand c’est une équipe jeune, qui change, long time tend to feel
c’est plus facile de motiver les gens. Ce sont aussi des gens moins too comfortable and
exigeants, qui s’adaptent facilement et qui sont flexibles. L’idéal, are more resistant to
c’est un renouvellement continu mais relativement faible pour change.’
25 garder les équipes en place.

(…)
- Comment décririez-vous les enfants que vous côtoyez chaque
jour ?
30 Alors, ce sont des élèves polis et respectueux - ça ce sont deux ‘When we were
points importants - curieux, et je dirais aussi ouverts. Je pense que talking about the crisis
le fait d'être dans un établissement où il y a autant de nationalités, in Japan and the
ça leur donne une ouverture et en même temps ils sont parfois très increasing number of
naïfs et ignorants de la vraie vie ; je pense que les enfants qui homeless people as a
35 vivent à South Kensington ne comprennent pas. Par exemple, consequence, a girl
quand on parlait de la crise au Japon et des sans domicile fixe qui told me: “so why
se multiplient, il y'a une élève qui me disait : « mais si ils perdent aren’t they
leur travail, pourquoi ils ne sont pas rentiers ? » Et ce n'était pas de shareholders?” And it
la provocation, c'était naturel, parce que ses parents sont rentiers wasn’t provoking, it
40 j’imagine. Donc ils sont quand même coupés d'une certaine réalité was innocent, because
sociale. her parents are
shareholders I
(…) suppose.’
- Avez-vous eu des doutes avant de commencer à enseigner au
45 Lycée quant aux difficultés que vous auriez pu rencontrer ?
Non, non, jamais. Je vais en Turquie, je ne connais pas Istanbul et
je ne m'inquiète pas plus que ça non plus ; après il y a un
51




 tempérament je pense, mais je n'ai pas eu de soucis. Londres est ‘London is so close to
tellement proche de la France et il y a tellement de français, qu’il France and so many
50 est très facile de s’adapter. French people live
there that it’s really
(…) easy to adjust.’
- Qu’est-ce que votre expérience vous a appris en ce qui
concerne l’enseignement dans une école française située à
55 l’étranger ? Avez-vous des exemples ?
J'ai appris que c'est un métier qui demande beaucoup de passion
mais qui peut lasser. C'est un métier que l'on fait parce qu'on aime ‘Teaching is a job that
ça sinon, il faut s'arrêter, parce que ça devient insupportable pour one does because one
soi et pour les élèves. Ce n'est pas un métier où l’on gagne de loves it, (…) not
60 l'argent, et ça c'est dommage. because of the money
one earns.’

52




 Translation to
Sixth Interview
English
1 (…)

Pourquoi avez-vous choisi d’enseigner ici ?

Je n’ai pas choisi de venir, je l’ai fait parce que j’ai du suivre mon ‘I did not choose to
5 mari. come, I had to follow
my husband’
(…)
- Pouvez-vous me donner des exemples d’adaptation du
programme ? ‘We can talk about the
10 On va par exemple parler du système métrique et on va parler des advantages of the
avantages par rapport au système anglais. French metric system
over the English one
(…) for instance’
- Qu’est-ce qui vous motive à rester dans un lycée français?
15 Je ne sais pas trop si j'avais le choix si je resterai… En même ‘If I had the choice, I
temps, je pense que c'est très tentant parce qu'en France, on ne don’t know if I would
peut pas trop choisir l'établissement où l'on va et quand on a fait stay’
des lycées ou des collèges assez difficiles, ça peut très bien se
passer, si l'équipe est bonne, on peut faire de bonnes choses mais
20 on ne peut pas le savoir à l'avance, et quand c'est vraiment difficile
et qu'il n'y a pas d'équipe, ça peut être vraiment très dur, ce n'est
pas évident de dire « allez je choisi de rentrer » si on en a la
possibilité. Je crois que la motivation de rester, c'est de travailler ‘I think that what
dans de bonnes conditions, des conditions où l’on a l'impression makes us stay is the
25 de pouvoir faire son travail. possibility to work in
very good conditions’
(…)
- Seriez-vous prête à retourner en France?
Oui moi je pourrais, je pense que c'est une bonne expérience mais
30 il faut atterrir à un moment. Moi je ne choisi pas en fait.

53




 Translation to
Seventh Interview
English
1 (…)

- Y a-t-il des inconvénients à travailler dans un lycée français à

l’étranger? Encore une fois, si oui, pouvez-vous me donner des
5 exemples ?
Moi par exemple en France, j'avais des comptes à rendre à mon
inspecteur alors qu’ici, on est un petit département et je suis la
seule titulaire donc même si j'ai demandé plusieurs fois des ‘I think that the
inspections, je ne les ai pas eu. Je trouve que les proviseurs ont un Headmasters have a
10 pouvoir trop important par rapport à la France: le proviseur est power too important
certes le chef de l'établissement mais il doit logiquement rendre compared to France’
compte à l'inspecteur, ici il y a une espèce de mélange des rôles,
qui fait qu’ils savent qu'on est un peu coupés. Je me sens ‘I feel further from
finalement à Londres plus loin de Paris qu'en Guadeloupe, j'avais Paris, here in London,
15 beaucoup plus de stages, de formations, de réunions pédagogiques, than when I was in
de participation aux examens qu'ici à Londres et je trouve ça Guadeloupe, because
profondément gênant parce qu’on n’a pas une reconnaissance de then, I had much more
notre administration et puis il y a des abus de pouvoir. internships, training
sessions, educational
20 (…) meetings and
- Qu’est-ce que votre expérience vous a appris en ce qui inspections than here
concerne l’enseignement dans une école française située à in London’
l’étranger? Avez-vous des exemples ?
Moi je suis à l'étranger mais je suis mariée à un anglais, ma belle
25 famille est anglaise, je partage beaucoup plus de choses avec ce
pays que bien des français qui travaillent dans cet établissement et
c'est une énorme différence. J’entends sans cesse parler des ‘I always hear things
anglais dans cette bulle française mais c'est caricatural. Maintenant about English people
j'en souris mais parfois c'est agaçant, et c'est dommage qu'il n'y ait in this French bubble
30 pas une ouverture d'esprit plus grande sur l'Angleterre, sur but it is grotesque
Londres et sur la culture britannique en général, parce qu'ils (…), and it’s a pity
passent à côté de quelque chose. Moi je suis allée en Guadeloupe, that people are not
j'ai demandé à y aller, j'avais envie de découvrir des choses sur la more open-minded
culture locale parce que pour moi, la culture passe avant l'argent, towards the British
35 passe avant tout le reste; on va quelque part parce que c'est une culture, because they
culture, une langue qui nous intéresse mais on y va pas pour autre are missing
chose ou de fausses raisons. something’

54




 Translation to
Eighth Interview
English
1 (…)
- Y a-t-il des avantages à travailler dans une école française à
l’étranger ? Si oui, pouvez-vous me donner des exemples ?
Déjà d'enseigner ma matière dans une langue étrangère, c'est une
5 des raisons pour laquelle j’ai décidé de rester ; si j'étais resté en ‘To teach the subject I
France je pense que ça aurait été difficile d'apprendre une langue love in a foreign
étrangère et surtout d'en voir un but précis alors qu'ici je passe du language is one of the
français à l’anglais d'une heure de cours à l'autre. reason why I decided
Et puis d'apprendre d'autres approches pour résoudre un problème to stay’
10 qui ne sont pas connues du système français, mais tout aussi
valables et certainement plus intégrables pour les élèves.
Un autre avantage c'est aussi de travailler en collège et aussi en
lycée et en section britannique éventuellement, en France c'est très
rare de pouvoir enseigner de la 6ème à la Terminale.
15
(…)
- Y a t-il des différences entre les professeurs en termes
d’intégration au pays?
Quand je suis arrivé en Angleterre, je me suis vite rendu compte
20 que je ne parlais que français, même en côtoyant des anglais, je me When I arrived, I
suis dit : « le lycée français c'est une farce! Je ne vais jamais thought to myself:
apprendre l'anglais ici », et donc j'ai fait l'effort d’apprendre “the Lycée is a joke! I
l’anglais. J'ai eu la chance de rencontrer un français qui était là will never learn
depuis quelques années et cette personne m'a fait rencontrer des English here”, and
25 anglais. J'ai pu intégrer des éléments de la culture anglaise, chose then I made an effort
que je n'aurais pas pu faire si j'étais resté dans le milieu franco- to learn English, (…)
français, dans cette enclave du lycée français et du quartier. Ca a [but] it’s very easy to
été un souhait de ma part de me dissocier de cette communauté stay in this French
française qui finalement n'avait pas grand chose à m'apporter alors circle and not so easy
30 que j'avais beaucoup plus à apprendre des anglais. Il est très facile to fit into an English
de rester dans le cercle franco-français et à la fois il n'est pas facile group, because of the
d'intégrer un groupe anglais parce qu'il y a des différences cultural différences.
culturelles.

35 (…)
- Y a-t-il des inconvénients ? Encore une fois, si oui, pouvez-
vous me donner des exemples ?
Le seul pourrait être l'éloignement avec la France. Et peut être la
pression parce que nos élèves sont ambitieux, les parents poussent
40 les élèves et ils peuvent être très exigeants, très demandeurs, ça
peut être une contrainte quelque fois.

(…)
- Avez-vous eu des doutes avant de commencer à enseigner au
45 Lycée quant aux difficultés que vous auriez pu rencontrer ?
Pas au niveau des élèves en tout cas. Initialement, je n'ai pas eu de
doutes mais quand j'ai commencé à travailler, je me suis rendu
55




 compte qu'il y avait une certaine ambiance de travail au niveau des
collègues ; c'est vrai que c'était une maison où l’on carburait pas
50 mal et je me suis rendu compte très vite que les parents étaient
derrière leurs enfants et qu'ils surveillaient aussi le travail du
professeur. Donc je me suis rendu compte assez vite que les
parents pouvaient avoir une influence sur la façon dont vous
travailliez. Je pense que les premières années quand on est
55 enseignant ici ne sont pas faciles, parce qu'on manque
d'expérience et on se retrouve avec un public qui a lui même suivi
des études poussées, qui est très exigeant et qui suit de très près
ses enfants. Donc on est vraiment sous le microscope de la famille
et aussi de notre administration puisque l'on s’attend à avoir des
60 résultats excellents de façon systématique. Je n’étais pas prêt à ça
et donc c’était la surprise. En ce sens, il y avait donc un décalage
entre ce que j'avais vécu en France et ici.

(…)
65 - Qu’est-ce que votre expérience vous a appris en ce qui ‘Teaching the subject
concerne l’enseignement dans une école française située à I love in a foreign
l’étranger ? Avez-vous des exemples ? language is a big
Enseigner la matière que j’aime dans une langue étrangère est une richness; since I’m
grande richesse, depuis que je suis là, je suis bien, j'enseigne les here, I feel good, I
70 maths à des français, à des anglais, j'ai une bonne compréhension teach Maths to French
de la culture britannique, je n'ai pas de problème pour converser. and to English kids
Ca a été une expérience extrêmement enrichissante, on fait and I have a good
beaucoup de rencontres de personnes qui ont beaucoup voyagé. Je understanding of the
ne pense pas que j'aurai eu la même expérience si j'étais resté en British culture’
75 France. Et puis aussi le fait de pouvoir enseigner aussi bien au
lycée qu'au collège, si je devais rentrer en France je n'aurais pas le
choix. ‘it can be interesting
to show the kids other
(…) approaches to maths
80 - Est-ce que vous arrangez parfois le programme afin de and it can help the
l’adapter à la situation de vos élèves, qui vivent à Londres, où ones who are closer to
la diversité culturelle est extrêmement importante ? Si oui, de the English speaking
quelle manière ? Avez-vous des exemples ? world’
Si le professeur en a les capacités oui. Moi je parle régulièrement
85 de l'équivalent en anglais avec mes classes, et ça peut être ‘They cooperate
intéressant de leur montrer d'autres approches, ça peut aussi aider easily, they travelled a
ceux qui sont plus anglophones et puis certaines approches lot, which explains
britanniques sont plus faciles que certaines approches françaises. their curiosity and ther
De plus, ce sont des élèves qui coopèrent facilement et qui ont important initial
90 beaucoup voyagé, ce qui explique leur curiosité et leurs knowledge, but we
connaissances initiales mais il n’empêche qu’on a aussi des élèves also have pupils with
qui ont des difficultés, même si elles ne sont pas de la même difficulties, even
nature qu’en France. though they may not
be the same
(…) difficulties one would
encounter in France’
56