169 Kenyan Language Assistants Will Teach English in French Schools From October to April

169 Kenyan language assistants will teach English in French primary and secondary schools this school year, from October 2026 to April 2027. The group is made up of 90 new assistants and 79 returning ones, all placed through France's language assistant programme, which is managed by France Education international. Each assistant works 12 hours a week on a paid contract. For Metaintro readers, the useful part is not the headline number but the programme's own rules, which set out the pay, the hours, who can apply from Kenya and how the selection year runs. Here is what those pages say.

Who Are the 169 Kenyan Assistants, and What Will They Do?

The cohort for the 2026 to 2027 school year numbers 169 language assistants, of whom 90 are taking part for the first time and 79 are returning for another year. They will teach English in French primary and secondary schools while building their own French and gaining international work experience.

The role itself is defined by the agency that manages the programme. Language assistants in France are assigned to primary or secondary schools, where they generally support the school's foreign language teachers. They can work with the whole class while the teacher is present, or with small groups of pupils.

The official job description lists the kinds of work an assistant may take on:

• practising spoken English with pupils alongside the teacher
• helping to put educational projects into practice
• running a language club
• making authentic audio recordings for the school's language resources
• helping to set up an exchange project

In class, the assistant's job is to get pupils talking. The programme page asks assistants to encourage pupils to express themselves orally, to bring a playful side to learning and to raise social and cultural topics that interest children and teenagers.

The assistant's role is to improve the communication skills of the pupils, particularly in oral expression, and to deepen their knowledge of a different culture and civilisation, according to the France Education international programme page.

How Much Does a Language Assistant in France Earn?

The salary is a published figure. On its current page, France Education international sets the monthly salary at 1010.67 euros gross, before compulsory deductions such as social security. The same page puts the take-home figure at approximately 800 to 813 euros net.

The hours are fixed too. Assistants work 12 hours a week, and they get the same holidays as their French pupils and colleagues. They hold the status of non-tenured government employees, and the contract has a set start date and end date.

For English assistants, the contract runs from October 1st to April 30th, a period the agency describes as 7 months. The French Embassy page for Kenyan applicants describes the same offer as a chance to teach English in France for 7 months.

Where in France Will the Assistants Work?

Placement is by school district, not by city. Every French school belongs to an educational district known as an académie, and candidates can be assigned to any school in the educational district, in urban or rural areas. The agency gives its own example, noting that a posting in the district of Toulouse does not mean working in the city of Toulouse.

The Kenyan posts are spread widely. Under the French Embassy in Kenya's call for applicants, they sit in public schools in every region of mainland France and in France's overseas departments. In the agency's words, that means schools in urban or rural areas.

Who Can Apply From Kenya?

Each partner country sets its own criteria on top of a general list, and the Kenyan list is published by the embassy. For the 2026 to 2027 intake, applicants from Kenya had to meet five conditions set out on the embassy page:

• hold Kenyan nationality
• be aged between 20 and 35
• be enrolled in higher education, which the embassy lists as a university, a TVET institution or an Alliance Française
• have studied mainly in Kenya
• hold a French certificate at B1 level or above

The general rules from France Education international add detail. Candidates must be native speakers of the language they want to teach, must have done most of their secondary and higher education in the country where they apply, and must have completed at least 2 years of higher education in the same course by the time they submit their file. For the next intake, the age test is measured at December 31, 2027.

The B1 level on the European framework is the minimum listed by both the embassy call for applicants and the agency's general criteria. The current cohort was selected through the Embassy of France and the Alliance Française network in Kenya, with B1 French among the criteria.

How Does the Selection Year Run?

The timeline for this year's group shows how long the process takes. For the 2026 to 2027 posts, the embassy set out these key dates:

• applications from November 15, 2025 to January 15, 2026
• pre-selection on the written file in January 2026
• interviews from January to February 2026
• interview results in May 2026
• school assignments made public in June 2026

The embassy page states that 170 posts are offered to Kenyan students each year, a figure repeated on a Kenyan opportunities listing from November 2025. The cohort now leaving is 169 assistants.

Before leaving for France, this year's group went through pre-departure training from September 21 to 24 at Alliance Française centres in Nairobi and Mombasa, in collaboration with the Lycée Français Denis Diderot in Nairobi. The sessions focused on cultural awareness and teaching skills for French classrooms. Four of the assistants with the highest French results were awarded tickets from the airline Air France.

How Do Kenyan Candidates Find Out More and Apply?

The official route runs through the embassy. France Education international tells candidates to check the recruiting agent for their place of residence for the recruitment rules and campaign dates for the 2027 to 2028 year. For Kenya, the listed contact is the attaché for French-language cooperation at the French Embassy in Nairobi, and the embassy's own page carries the call for applications.

Last season the embassy also announced public information events. Its call for applicants invited people to an online information webinar on Monday, November 17, for people who wanted to ask questions about the programme. It also invited candidates to the Alliance Française de Nairobi on December 4, 2025 to mark the International Day of Language Assistants and 120 years of the programme, with a presentation of the application conditions, key dates, the stay itself and career prospects.

The embassy also pointed candidates to a WhatsApp group for programme news. For the next round, France Education international lists the embassy page as the website of the Kenyan recruiting agent, which is where it tells candidates to look for the 2027 to 2028 dates.

How Big Is Kenya's Part in the Programme?

Kenya joined in 2019 and has sent about 650 assistants since then. On the embassy's figures, Kenya ranks first in Africa, sixth worldwide and fourth among the countries whose assistants teach English.

The wider programme is large. France Education international lists more than 4300 foreign language assistant positions in France and works with 70 partner countries and institutions. Assistants teach many languages besides English, including German, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic.

English is taught by assistants from many countries. The agency's renewal rules list Kenya among the English-language partners in the official programme, alongside countries such as Australia, Canada, Ghana, India, Ireland, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The programme goes beyond classroom teaching, with participants expected to promote Kenyan culture in France while gaining professional experience and international exposure, according to the Capital FM Kenya report.

What Did Officials in Nairobi Say About the Programme?

At a reception at the French Embassy in Nairobi, the French Ambassador to Kenya, Wadid Benaabou, described the programme as people-to-people diplomacy. His message to the group was that “You’re going to be ambassadors of Kenya to France, and when you come back you’re going to be ambassadors of France to Kenya.” He also pointed to growing interest among Kenyan students in studying in France.

Kenya's Secretary for Diaspora, Investment, Skills and Expertise, Isaiya Kabira, linked the programme to work abroad, naming Germany and Japan as examples. In his words, “Proficiency in additional languages is becoming increasingly important for Kenyans pursuing jobs abroad.” He encouraged the assistants to build professional networks during their year. The French Embassy said the programme often gives participants their first professional teaching experience and can open the way to further study in France, according to Capital FM.

The Principal Secretary for Higher Education and Research, Beatrice Inyangala, framed the year as a two-way exchange. Her charge to the group was “Learn from France, but also let France learn from you.” She asked them to share Kenya's culture, languages, music and food and to return with new ideas and perspectives.

Can an Assistant Stay for a Second Year?

Yes, and 79 members of this cohort are returning participants. France Education international runs a separate renewal process, and Kenya is on its list of English-language partners eligible for renewal for assistants in the official programme.

The renewal rules carry one practical condition. Assistants from outside the European Union who are selected again must return to their home country to apply for a new visa, and no visa extension is granted by French prefectures under the programme. The agency also warns that applying is a serious commitment, because a resignation triggers heavy paperwork and can delay a replacement.

What Help Do Assistants Get Before They Start?

The agency publishes a Language Assistant's Guide for people whose selection is confirmed, covering tasks such as registering for social security and opening a bank account. It also offers a free online module, prepare yourself to be a language assistant in France, which presents the French school system and the assistant's tasks and includes advice from former assistants on classroom activities.

The course is available throughout the year. Anyone weighing the move can also compare it with other routes into the classroom, such as the steps in How to Become an English Teacher, or look at how language skills are paid in other work in the guide to the highest-paying languages for translators.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that the post is set out clearly on paper, which makes it easier to plan around. The hours are 12 a week, the pay is a published figure and the duties are written down. The contract also ends on April 30th, so it covers a set period rather than an open-ended job.

The agency also says the programme lets assistants familiarise themselves with French language and culture while sharing their own. France Education international describes the programme as on-the-job training that adds value to a career.

Here is what we would do:

• Check your French level. Last year's minimum was a B1 certificate.
• Count your years of study. You need at least 2 years of higher education in one course when you apply.
• Plan for the calendar. Applications for the next intake are expected to open in January 2027, and the embassy scheduled this cohort's interview results for May 2026.
• Be open on location. Placement can be in any school in the district, urban or rural.
• Take the free course. The online module on the agency's before-you-leave page is open all year and shows what the classroom work involves.

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People Also Asked

Q: How much do language assistants in France get paid?

A: France Education international sets the salary at 1010.67 euros a month gross, which it puts at approximately 800 to 813 euros net, for 12 hours of work a week.

Q: When do applications open for Kenyans?

A: Applications for the 2027 to 2028 intake are expected to open in January 2027. Last year the window ran from November 15, 2025 to January 15, 2026, and France Education international points Kenyan candidates to the embassy page for the new dates.

Q: Do you need to speak French to be a language assistant in France?

A: Yes. The embassy's last call asked Kenyan applicants for a French certificate at B1 level or above. The general rules also require candidates to be native speakers of the language they teach.

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