My face is in a constant state of this these days...
It's pretty sad actually.
Since my last TAPIF update, a lot has happened. There was a pretty long checklist of things I needed to do between the time I got my acceptance email and the time I board that plane for France. That list is still hefty, but I've managed to check off quite a bit of those boxes.
This stuff is pretty lengthy, but I know it won't be documented unless I do it now. This is just my experience with the process so far...and from what I understand, everyone's experience is different depending on factors such as where you've been placed, and whether you are working with primary or secondary school students. It wouldn't surprise me if there are countless other factors that could make your process different...and by 'your'...I mean you: the potential TAPIF applicant, or the person who is waiting to find out if you got accepted, or the person who is newly accepted. Either way, you will probably be spending an unhealthy amount of time scouring the internet for all things TAPIF...envisioning yourself sipping coffee at a quaint french café (with a Françoise Hardy song as your soundtrack)...or even picking out names for the french cat you think you'll get. As silly as these ideas may seem, you will probably have them. They will become a small obsession for a while, so it's best to just accept it.
TAPIF is just a giant test on your patience.
Here is a list of what I've received so far: These dates will vary from year to year.
1) April 1, 2014---acceptance email.
This email just told me I had been chosen as an assistant and that I had been placed in the Académie d'Amiens at the primary level. It asked me to confirm my acceptance of the position by April 20th. There is a wait list, so any positions not confirmed by the deadline are passed to the next person in line. I of course confirmed my position immediately.
2) April 2, 2014---post confirmation email.
They say they will be in touch in a few weeks with instructions about the next steps to take. In the meantime, I needed to make sure my passport is valid & locate an original copy of my birth certificate.
I ordered an official copy of my birth certificate from vitalchek.com. They say any official copy will work, but I think it needs to be a fairly recent copy in order to get your apostille. I could be wrong. So, unless you have a recently issued official birth certificate, you may have to order a new one regardless. This costs about 15 dollars + cost of shipping.
3) May 8, 2014---Info Email #1.
An email with a little bit more information about Carolyn Collins (the contact person at the French Embassy in Washington D.C.)and the assistant program (which is a collaboration between several different organizations; the French Embassy & the French Ministry of Education, CIEP, and the regional Académie you've been placed in).
The email also talks about the visa process, although there is nothing to do but wait at this point. They include a link to the Assistant Handbook and the "Carnet de Route." Read up.
4) May 22, 2014---Info Email #2.
They express again the importance of your passport validity. It needs to be valid for at least 6 months after your contract is over. They also say you need to have at least 2 to 4 blank "visa" pages in your passport. This is where your French visa will be, and any entry/exit stamps for travel. At this point in time, your Académie should be preparing your work contract (arrêté de nomination). It should be mailed to you directly anytime between late June and early August. Don't panic or contact them until August 5th if you haven't received your work contract.
5) June 4, 2014---Contacts.
An email with a list of emails for all of the other assistants that have been assigned to your region. We are all in the Académie d'Amiens, but that doesn't necessarily mean we will be placed in Amiens proper. There are other cities and towns in the region that are possible to be assigned to.
6) June 18, 2014---Info Email #3.
A little reminder to schedule your visa appointment. You have to go to the french consulate in your region. My regional consulate is in Houston. I have my appointment set for August 1st. I scheduled that a while back. You have to have your work contract in hand by the date of the appointment or else you have to reschedule. At this point, they ask you to be in the process of getting an apostille. An apostille is a document needed to go with your birth certificate. You have to have the state you were born in issue it. More mailing things off. That costs about 15 dollars + shipping. It took about a week to get mine back. Here's what it looks like:
7) June 26, 2014---email from my academy:
This email was from a contact within my académie. I was a bit confused about the contents at first because they said they were waiting to get my confirmation of the assignment. I had already done that back in April, so I was starting to think there had been a miscommunication. Luckily, Felicity (another OU alum who currently lives in France. She was an assistant a couple years back.) explained that it is just a copy of what I should be receiving in the mail very soon. She said that it could possibly contain my work contract...but maybe not. Progress. Hopefully this will include my contract.
However, I do know for sure that I will be in the city of Amiens itself! yay. My contract should have the school info on it. I also have housing that has been reserved for me. I am waiting to hear back from the contact. Depending on the housing they offer, I may or may not decide to take it. Depends on what the housing is like, if there is a kitchen, etc.
There was also info regarding the mandatory orientation we will all have to go to once we get to France.
I got my plane ticket to go to my visa appointment. I probably could have waited a bit, but I didn't want to have to spend a fortune on it by waiting much longer. I got it with Southwest though. That makes me feel a bit better as I won't have to pay a change fee if for some reason I have to push it back. I will just have to pay the difference in fares.
I also took a bit of a chance and got my ticket to France. They say you should wait until after you receive your contract in the mail. I really don't like feeling like I missed a good deal though. Hopefully it all works out. I got a great deal with Icelandair!! It's a one way ticket from NYC to Paris. The great thing about Icelandair is that you get 2 free checked bags, and you can extend your stopover in Reykjavik for up to 7 days at NO CHARGE! Madness. I found a hostel called Kex to stay at. It's a small fee to pay for an otherwise free bonus trip to ICELAND. I can't really wrap my head around that just yet. :) Super excited.
So, my itinerary is:
September 10---Tulsa to NYC
September 15---NYC to Reykjavik, Iceland
September 19---Reykjavik, Iceland to Paris, France
(and then on to Amiens of course)
Hopefully this doesn't all blow up in my face. I figure that if everything goes well, I will be done and have my visa well before then...by mid-August??! More updates to come...hopefully good updates. I just need to get my contract and the rest should be pretty smooth. Fingers and toes are crossed.
That is everything up to this point. I just enjoyed a nice 4th of July weekend with my family. My brother Chase ended up coming to town last minute. It's always nice seeing him. We played with sparklers and probably enjoyed it more than most 6 year olds out there.
If you need to find me, I'll be camping out at the mailbox.
