the point system, à la française

To become a teacher (or any other sort of fonctionnaire) in France, you have to pass a competitive exam. They only pass the number of teachers needed in a given year. Once you pass, you're guaranteed a job, but you have little choice of where you'll go. Everything from then on is based on your number of points. You start out with very few, so you have to go where the éducation nationale sends you. This explains why I work with many people from other, sunnier parts of France. Teachers earn points in different ways: being inspected (evaluated by a subject-area inspector) gets you points, but so does getting married or pacsed (a future blog topic). Having children also earns you points. You need these points in order to change jobs. Less desirable areas require less points than sunnier climes, for example. Or rural vs. urban settings. Teachers with enough points can apply for a mutation, but some of the people I've met tell me that by the time they have enough points, they've been here for so many years, made friends and a life for themselves, that they no longer want to transfer back to their home town. Others, however, are saving their points to move to a different region. To follow loved ones or for a change of scenery, for example.