Escadrille Louisiane (EL) is a partnership between the State of Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism (DCRT) and the Office of Cultural Development (OCD), Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL), La Fondation Louisiane (LFL), the Republic of France, the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), and Centenary College of Louisiana to train individuals with non-education bachelor’s degrees to become French immersion teachers in Louisiana schools.
The Escadrille Louisiane program is a two-year alternative teaching certification program. Throughout the program, participants will take coursework at Centenary College of Louisiana, including on-campus summer coursework prior to and following the year in France. At the conclusion of the program, participants earn a Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree and are certified K-12 French language teachers in Louisiana who are required to teach in Louisiana schools for at least three years (including the Residency year).
- Year One: Following in-person summer course work at Centenary College of Louisiana, work as an English language teaching assistant in Rennes, France with TAPIF while taking courses virtually with Centenary College of Louisiana.
- Year Two: Following in-person summer course work at Centenary College of Louisiana, work as a French immersion teacher in a Louisiana public or public charter school while completing courses virtually and a year-long teaching residency with Centenary College of Louisiana.
In exchange for the three-year teaching commitment, the Escadrille Louisiane program pays for the Praxis exams, one round-trip plane ticket to France, a teaching stipend of approximately $1,000/month (paid by TAPIF while in France), and a portion of the M.A.T. tuition at Centenary College of Louisiana. Upon graduation from the program, teachers may be eligible for a $14,000 stipend paid over three years.
History
Named after Escadrille Lafayette—a group of 200 Americans who trained as pilots to fly for the French during World War I—the goal of Escadrille Louisiane is to fill Louisiana schools with qualified and certified-fluent French speakers who have Louisiana's heritage languages and culture at heart.
Escadrille Louisiane was originally developed exclusively for Louisianans, but has now expanded to accept applications nationwide, from those with a non-education bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution who aspire to teach French immersion in Louisiana schools.
Application Processes
Participation in the Escadrille Louisiane program requires acceptance by both TAPIF and the M.A.T. program at Centenary College of Louisiana. Applicants are encouraged to apply to all three programs simultaneously.
TAPIF Application Process
Submit a TAPIF application by January 15th and indicate an interest in the Escadrille Louisiane program.
Escadrille Louisiane Application Process
Submit the Escadrille Louisiane application with the requested documentation to CODOFIL, ATTN: Jennifer Rodriguez, 217 W. Main Street, Lafayette, LA 70501. Applicants will be contacted to schedule an interview which typically takes place in early March in Baton Rouge or Lafayette.
Centenary College of Louisiana M.A.T. Application Process
Submit an application (or for wave 2 applicants from TAPIF* an email indicating one’s intention to apply) by March 15. (Completed wave 2 Applications are due by April 15; applicants should not wait until the TAPIF process is completed.) To be eligible for M.A.T. program, applicants should have a non-education bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited traditional college or university with a 2.5 grade point average. The full list of requested materials and process are outlined in the program application.
* Wave 2 applicants are those who learned about the Escadrille Program via the TAPIF program.
Questions?
Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) 337.262.5983