I SHOULD BE PAID FOR THIS

---

Since this is my second year as a language assistant in the Académie de Lille, I took it upon myself to post on the various groups and forums on Facebook and other sites and offer a helping hand to all incoming assistants in the Lille area for anything they might need.

And boy, did I get a response! I haven’t even started officially working in my schools, but my days have been very busy with helping assistants with everything from finding housing to ordering food to understanding legal documents to finding their way around. I have given advice on restaurants, how to teach, what to avoid and what to look for when finding housing, how to interact with French people in various situations, cell phone carriers, Internet packages, and where to shop. I’ve gone on metro and bus and tram rides and school visits and shopping trips and apartment visits and medical and real estate meetings and tours of the city. I’ve fought with landlords and phone companies and teachers and real estate companies.

This experience has had several positive outcomes. First, it reaffirms both my desire to be and my strong capabilities in a personal assistant-type role. I love being handed a long list of things to be sorted, organized, prioritized, and accomplished, especially when it is to make someone else’s life easier. I absolutely believe that I have the right personality for this job as well - I have a ton of patience and I work better when I am under pressure and have a heavy workload.

Another great outcome of playing assistant to the new assistants has been getting to meet them. I love meeting new people, and there are certainly people from all over the place - geographically and life experience- and attitude- and personality-wise. It has been a great time getting to know some of them and helping their best to shine through in taking some of the stress off their shoulders.

Also, since I have helped many people so much, I have also been repaid for this in many ways. Aside from the obvious gain of friendship and new people with whom I can talk and spend time, I have also been repaid in help with moving, metro tickets, food, and (only fitting) large bottles of Leffe.

---