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Louisiana looks to New Brunswick for French-speaking teachers

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Louisiana looks to New Brunswick for French speaking teachers
WATCH ABOVE: With the return to French immersion in grade one later this year, many New Brunswick schools will soon be scrambling to find French language teachers, but those teachers are also in demand south of the border. Global's Paul Cormier explains – Feb 22, 2017

French teachers in New Brunswick searching for full-time jobs may be in luck as the state of Louisiana is looking to recruit from north of the border.

READ MORE: New Brunswick French immersion returning to Grade 1

Up to 35 teachers will be hired to teach French as a second language to elementary school students, and work visas for up to three years will be offered to successful candidates by the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL).

“They can stay one year or two years but they can only  stay a maximum of three years,” said Peggy Feehan with Louisiana’s Department of Culture. “This is not permanent residency, this is not immigrating to the U.S., this is really an exchange of teachers.”

Moncton-area teacher Kathy Chapman said she would like to apply for the job, but with two teenage boys who play hockey, it “doesn’t fit [her] lifestyle.”
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“I wish it did, I don’t think they play hockey in Louisiana,” she said laughing.

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“I wish I was a few years younger and just starting out in my career,”

Typically the position will attract younger teachers looking to gain some experience in the classroom, Feehan said, as well as supply teachers looking for full-time work or teachers seeking the opportunity to work abroad.

READ MORE: All English N.B. students should learn French as second language: retired teacher

Feehan, a Kedwick, N.B. native, will be touring Moncton, Fredericton and Edmundston in mid-March to look for possible candidates.

She added most French teachers in the state come from France or Belgium and speak very little English, so bringing in New Brunswick teachers would be a benefit for parents as well.

“It’s hard on the parents of those students that they can’t communicate at all with the teacher, so that’s one thing that makes it much easier for New Brunswickers to communicate with the parents and with the principal,” Feehan said.

The base salary is $43,000 USD with a potential signing bonus of $6,000.

Anyone interested in working in Louisiana can send their resume to or contact Peggy Feehan at pfeehan@crt.la.gov.

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