French placement years

Hey, I'm currently on my year abroad working as a English language assistant in France. I would highly recommend it. Even if teaching isn't something you want to do, it's still an interesting experience. You only have to work 12 hours a week so you have plenty of time to explore and travel. I'm working in Lille. Lille is in the north of France about 2 hours from Dunkerque and around 2 hours away from Belgium too. It's a great city to be in. It has loads of shops, great museums and a lot of culture. The city itself is full of history too. I also find that the people here are so friendly. You will find that most people working in the city and dealing with the public have an understanding of English even if it is basic. The public transport is relatively good, especially the metro and I think it's pretty cheap. It is also a university city so you can find a lot of student events and some language cafes too. Hope that helps!

From someone who spent their year abroad studying in Paris:
1) The people are a lot nicer than the stereotypes would have you believe, as long as you make an effort with your French! 😁
2) It's very expensive. 😭
I personally want to go into academia, so studying was the route I took - but I know some others who really enjoyed being teaching assistants - I think teaching is a pretty viable career for a languages grad. I'd caution against spending a year in a really rural or sparsely populated place though, I know some people on my course that found it pretty isolating. Good luck!