Job-Shadowing in Cyprus: When you’re already part of the team ! publié le 11/07/2023

End of 2022- The vocational schools of the region were informed that there were remaining Erasmus+ mobility grants for Cyprus. Vocational school Le Verger submitted an application and we’ve hoped, we’ve waited and finally, an email was received reading the school would benefit from two mobility grants. Dominique Alcala, Deputy Director of Vocational and Technical Training and myself, English teacher/Erasmus+ referee, would go and meet Cypriot colleagues. An educational contract has been established after exchange with all the partners concerned.

June, 18th 2023- Departure for 3 days in Nicosia and 2 days of travel, all without baggage in the hold and fortunately ! What a race : train, plane with stopover, bus and taxi ! But past these moments of stress, the warmth of the country and the kindness of these inhabitants have seduced us. Although the second language taught for two years is French, we spoke in English during our meeting with the Erasmus+ manager and his assistant who were curious about the French school system. We have the pleasure to talk in our mother tongue with four French teachers, who shared their difficulty in teaching young Cypriots who speak fluent English, and do not hear the need to speak French. At that time, we understood that the challenge of teaching modern languages in Europe and the difficulties had no borders.

We visited three technological high schools, from general to technical teachings, with workshops as we know them in France vocational schools. Conversations were always nice and the Cypriot colleagues were eager to make us discover their culture and their solidarity as an island people. That’s how starting on Monday evening, we were invited to join in a retirement party for three colleagues, in a magnificent setting. The cultural dimension was important throughout the stay : from gastronomy to History, politics and also the economic network of cities and the country in a general way.

Each visit, each discussion was rich with information and challenges us about our pedagogical and educational practices, about our more Western and serene way of life. We measured the chance to live in France and the extraordinary opportunity to discover a country that is certainly European, but so far from us, in many ways and yet so close...

Only shadow in the picture in this fabulous experience : the journey ; long and sometimes very physical : we had to run from the tarmac to the boarding gate during our stopover to go to Athens not to miss the connection. Moreover, we would like to thank the airline for this time of cardio !

The positive points are so numerous that an article would not be enough to list them. So I leave you with the photos and over the coming months, you can find more information about the partnership project with Cyprus by going to the website of our high school : https://etab.ac-poitiers.fr/lycee-le-verger/

αντίο (as the Cypriots say, to be pronounced [andi.o])