*Note: I began my job search in early March, but I think anytime after January is an acceptable time to begin the search. Most universities won't notify you of hiring decisions until spring or summer. Some will want an interview, while others hire directly from the CVs.
1. Write your CV in French. Look online for examples. Surprisingly, French CVs must include a photo and information generally omitted from an American CV (marital status, age, number of children)
2. Write your cover letter (lettre de motivation.) Again, look online for examples, because the French way is not quite like the American way.
3. Have a Frenchie (or several) proofread your CV and lettre de motivation. The more the better!
4. Create an email to present these two documents. Incorporate the typically ceremonious French lingo "Veuillez agréer, Monsieur, Madame, l'expression de mes salutations distinguées" or one of its countless variations.
5. Decide where to send your CV. This website is a great resource of universities by region:
You may have a region in mind, or you may be like me, with absolutely no preference as long as you're on French soil. The more flexible and open you are, the more likely you'll find a post. I also made a point to personalize my cover letter for each university, which shows I put the effort forth to research their school rather than blindly send out my CV. This little detail is worth the extra time and effort.
6. On the university websites, seek out the UFR de langues, or département d'anglais. Send your email to the head of the department, if you can find him/her. As Eileen mentions in her blog, most universities are very good about forwarding if you don't send the email to the proper destination.
7. Now is the waiting game. Expect rejections but don't lose hope. Make a goal to send out several a day, and keep track of who you've contacted, who you've heard from and their responses.
This is a very long process. The creation of my CV and lettre de motivation from rough draft to final proofreading took several weeks of perfecting and rewriting. The actual act of finding a university, personalizing the lettre de motivation, finding the correct contact within the university's website, and sending the email is quite time consuming. For the 40 or so CVs I sent out, I received 5 invitations to interviews and 2 offers. In the end, persistence pays!
