The Bordeaux Exchange Program

Thanks to an exchange agreement with the Université Michel de Montaigne-Bordeaux III, our department welcomes a Bordeaux graduate each year and is able to send one of our graduate students to Bordeaux as a lectrice (or lecteur) d'anglais. The position of lectrice is similar to that of an assistante d'anglais, except that students at Bordeaux work in a university setting rather than in a school. In these positions they are working with more advanced students normally majoring in English studies.

Role at Bordeaux: Teach English + Live in French 

• Students are generally asked to supervise English language courses from first to third-year level in the language laboratory. They also conduct conversation classes.
• Help run the English club together with the Bordeaux students: the club's activities are similar in many ways to those of Memorial's Cercle Français, and include organizing social events and other activities.

Program Administration and Finance 

• The French university year does not begin until October, but students are well advised to relocate to Bordeaux in September in order to find a place to live and to be able to attend organizational meetings in the English Department.
• The position is better paid than that of an assistant and should enable most students to live fairly comfortably for the academic year; normally, the salary is paid over 12 months, and no income tax is deducted (though you should expect to pay Canadian income tax if you have a taxable income).

Application and Admissions: 

Students who wish to apply for a position as a lectrice or lecteur at Bordeaux should normally be registered in the M.A program in French, and should consult the departmental office about application procedures. They should be prepared to submit their current curriculum vitae and the names of three referees who can speak to their academic and personal qualities.