This pathway is a 5-year commitment that includes living for a year in Rennes, France, obtaining a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in Elementary Education 1-5 from Centenary College of Louisiana, becoming certified to teach French in Louisiana, and being contractually obligated to teach French immersion in Louisiana for at least 3 years. Participants of the program should have a college degree and aspire to teach French immersion at a public or public charter elementary school in Louisiana.
Program Description
Year 1 | TAPIF and MAT Courses
- Spend 3 weeks at Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport for a pre-trip orientation and 2 graduate courses as a part of MAT degree requirements.
- Live in Rennes, France, working as an English Assistant as a part of the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) in 1-2 French schools while taking courses at the INSPE and online with Centenary College. Round-trip tickets to Paris are provided. Participants arrive in France in mid-September 2026 and return home by the end of May 2027. Participants will earn approximately €1,010 gross/€800 net per month from the French Ministry of National Education for their TAPIF duties.
- Upon returning to Louisiana, participants will go to Centenary College for 3 weeks in June/July 2027 to take 2 graduate courses. On-campus housing and a meal stipend is provided, as well as tuition for the first 6 classes at Centenary College.
Year 2 | Residency Teaching
- Participants will conduct residency teaching in French immersion in Louisiana while completing their MAT coursework.
- The EL program will offer a $2,000 grant to EL participants during their year of residency teaching in French immersion in Louisiana.
Years 3-5 | Teach French Immersion in Louisiana
- Upon obtaining the MAT degree, all participants are contractually obligated to teach in French immersion for at least 3 years at an appropriate grade level at a public or public charter elementary school in Louisiana.
- Upon successful completion of Centenary College of Louisiana’s MAT program, the individual will be considered an Escadrille Louisiane graduate/teacher. They will be eligible for a $14,000 stipend (MFP funds), paid over a period of 3 years, as long as they teach French immersion full time at a public or public charter elementary school in Louisiana. In addition, the EL program will offer a $5,000 grant to EL participants during their first year of teaching as an EL graduate and certified teacher. The grants and stipend are paid as follows:
- In the first year of teaching, participants will receive $11,000
- In the second year of teaching, participants will receive $4,000
- In the third year of teaching, participants will receive $4,000
Requirements
Candidates must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S.
- Be a resident of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas or Mississippi
- Be between 20 and 35 years of age
- Possess a genuine desire to teach in French immersion in Louisiana
- Be at least at the B1 level of French according to the DELF standards or the Intermediate Mid/High level of French according to the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) standards at the time of application
- Obtain a bachelor’s degree by May 2025
- Have at least a 2.5 GPA (4.0 scale)
- Be academically eligible to return to their previous institution(s)
- Be accepted into TAPIF (with placement in the city of Rennes) for the 2025-2026 academic year
- Qualify for Centenary College of Louisiana’s MAT Elementary Education 1-5 program
Required Application Materials
When submitting an application to participate in Escadrille Louisiane, a complete submission contains each of the following items:
- Application form
- Curriculum vitae
- A letter of motivation typed in French
- A letter of recommendation from one of your professors
- ACTFL Advisory Oral Proficiency Interview results
- If you have completed an ACTFL Advisory OPI, an ACTFL Official OPI or a DELF exam within the last 6 months, we will accept your results as part of your scholarship application. If you have not completed any of the above-mentioned tests, you can schedule an ACTFL Advisory OPI, based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, by contacting Jennifer Rodriguez at jrodriguez@crt.la.gov.
- Official university transcripts
- We need your official transcript from each university from which you graduated. The Registrar’s Office must send your transcript directly to Jennifer Rodriguez at jrodriguez@crt.la.gov for it to be considered an official transcript.
- In addition to submitting a CODOFIL application for Escadrille Louisiane, you also must:
- Submit an application to TAPIF
- Apply for the Centenary College of Louisiana’s MAT Elementary Education 1-5 Program
Application Deadlines
Pending
Deadline to apply for TAPIF 2026-2027
March 13, 2026
Deadline to apply for the EL program
Deadline to apply for Centenary College of Louisiana’s Graduate School (MAT Elementary Education 1-5 program)
April 2026
Interview with EL selection committee