Jobs at French schools in the US

Visa rules change often. This is a general guide only, so check with the school, its J-1 sponsor and the official sources below.

• Who qualifies: a bachelor’s-level degree in education or in the subject you’ll teach, 2+ years of full-time teaching experience, good English, and a full-time offer from an accredited K-12 school.
• Length: 3 years. The school can request extensions of 1 or 2 years.
• After it ends: to start a new J-1 teacher program, you first have to live outside the US for 2 years.
• Switching to another visa: the “2-year home residency” rule can block a later H-1B or green card. It applies when your exchange is government-funded, or when your country lists education on the State Department’s skills list. French, Canadian, Belgian and Swiss teachers are not on the list. Teachers from Senegal, Haiti, Cameroon or Lebanon are. Your DS-2019 form says whether it applies to you. If it doesn’t, a school can sponsor you for an H-1B, which goes through a yearly lottery.
• Cost: about $400 in government fees (SEVIS fee $220 + visa fee $185), plus a sponsor fee. That fee ranges from $0 to a few thousand dollars a year, and sometimes the school pays it.
• Time: usually 2–4 months from job offer to visa.

Sources: State Department: J-1 Teacher program · 22 CFR 62.24 · ICE: SEVIS fee · Visa appointment wait times · Two-year home residency rule · 2024 Skills List (Federal Register)

Last checked October 2026. Questions about the J-1? Contact me, happy to help.