To be a tenured teacher and take a competitive examination to practice, there are conditions of diplomas and professional experience. These conditions depend on the level of education (primary/secondary) and the class you want to teach.

In primary education

To teach in a public primary school (first level), you can take the CRPE competition Recruitment competition for private school teachers, which allows them to work as a permanent teacher.

In secondary education

• To teach general education subjects (in middle school and private general high school): you must pass the CAFEP-CAPES (Certificate of Aptitude for Teaching in Secondary Education) competition. The subjects of general education are academic and not vocational (example: French, mathematics, history, science, languages).
• To teach the disciplines of technological education (at the private technological high school), you have to pass the CAFEP - CAPET (Certificate of Aptitude for Teaching in Technical Education) competition. The subjects of technological education are also non-academic, but much more technical. For example, these are courses in applied arts and design or computer science options.

To take these exams, you must be in one of the following three situations:

• Either have obtained a master's degree or be in the process of validating a master's 2

• Either have at least 5 years of professional experience completed within the framework of a private law contract

• Either have completed more than 3 years of teaching (or documentation) services in a private educational establishment under contract OR in a public service as a public agent in the last 6 years and have a BAC +3. This path is aimed in particular at contractual workers in public or private establishments.

The establishments under contract mainly include Catholic denominational establishments (95%), but there are also establishments of other denominations or non-denominational establishments, such as bilingual establishments, international establishments, schools with new pedagogy, etc.).

• If you wish to work in private Catholic education, you will need to obtain a collegial pre-agreement (step 3 below).
• If not, you will need to obtain agreement directly from the head of the non-Catholic private school under contract.

If you are applying for Catholic education, you must first obtain the "collegial pre-agreement" of the private education services under contract of the academy where you wish to teach before taking the competition (preferably one year before registering for the competition).

This collegial pre-agreement is a commitment on the part of these services to find you an internship in a private Catholic establishment under contract, once you have passed the competition.

How to obtain the collegial pre-agreement?

1. Contact the nearest Reception and Recruitment Assistance Service (SAAR or Service d’accueil et d’aide au recrutement). The SAAR is a service that provides any candidate with information on the Catholic Education project and on the conditions and procedures for training and recruitment.
   After calling them, you will be invited to an information meeting where you will meet the head of the human resources department. The department will ensure the coherence of your project and guide you through the procedure. You must come with a cover letter, a CV and copies of diplomas during this first interview.
2. Register via the Jedeviensenseignant.fr platform and apply for the collegiate pre-agreement using procedure 1: “I am taking the external competition”. After several steps in which you will have to provide your civil status, diplomas and professional experience, you will be able to validate your application.
3. Have an interview with two or three head teachers, who will assess your motivation and whether your project corresponds to the one of the academy.

And after?

✅ If you obtain the collegial pre-agreement , you are assured of being welcomed for your internship in a Catholic educational establishment and in Higher Institutes of Training in Catholic Education (ISFEC) after being admitted to the competition.

❌ If you do not obtain the pre-approval following a postponement of decision, you can still take the competition, but you will have to retake the interview later. If you do not obtain the pre-approval at the end of the second interview, you can appeal the decision.

❌ If you do not obtain pre-approval in the appeal procedure, you will not be able to do an internship, even if you are admitted to the competition.

The exemption from the nationality condition for the rector is necessary to be appointed as a trainee once the competition has been passed.

1. Complete the request for exemption from the nationality condition (the form can be found on the website of each academy).
2. Send the form and all requested documents (identity documents, residence permit, certificate of proficiency in the French language, diplomas, certificate of comparability , cover letter) to the email address provided in the form.

The first degree competition

Registrations generally take place from early October to early November.

1. Go to the website devenirenseignant.gouv.fr and create an account on the Cyclades website
2. Register for the Private CRPE
3. Choose an academy (which generally covers several departments) and complete the wish list

The second degree competition

Registration for first and second level competitions generally takes place from the beginning of October to the beginning of December.

1. Go to the website devenirenseignant.gouv.fr and create an account on the Cyclades website
2. Register for the CAFEP secondary school competition (CAPES, CAPET) with the desired subject
3. Choose the academy where you wish to take the exam based on your personal or administrative address as indicated when creating the account.

You should use the programmes, subjects and jury reports available on government websites.

You can also use paid preparations:

• You can take distance learning through the CNED (National Center for Distance Learning) which offers courses designed and led by experts.
• If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can follow a two-year face-to-face training course as part of a MEEF master's degree (Teaching, Education and Training Professions). This master's degree includes professional internships, including paid internships in the second year of the master's degree. This master's degree is recommended for success in the competitive examination, but is not mandatory if you have another master's degree or obtained a VAE.

Each competition consists of several eligibility and admission tests.

You can read the details of these tests on these links:

• CRPE
• CAFEP-CAPES, CAFEP-CAPET

In a Catholic school

If you have obtained the pre-collegiate agreement to teach in a private school under Catholic contract:

1. You complete a year of work-study training. This training therefore alternates between periods of professional practice in a Catholic educational establishment and periods in ISFEC (Higher Institute of Catholic Education Training).
2. At the end of your internship, the CAAC will review the evaluations of the internship year and, if necessary, will interview you again.

In a non-Catholic establishment

If you have obtained approval from another type of establishment (denominational or secular), you will complete an internship in the school in which you obtained approval.

At the end of your internship,

✅ If your internship is validated , you will obtain the collegial agreement which will guarantee you a job in a private establishment under contract. Congratulations! You are now a permanent employee, that is to say a public law contract worker working in a private establishment under contract with the State.

In this case, you will be asked to follow your academy's "movement" procedure . This often consists of a wish list to send to the Diocesan Directorate of Catholic Education (DDEC), to the desired establishments and to the rectorate.

❌ If your internship is not validated by the CAAC, you can do another year of internship. This year may be subject to adjustments to focus on the areas for priority improvement.

❌ If you do not obtain collegial agreement following a refusal to grant , you can appeal the decision. If you do not obtain this agreement in the appeal procedure, you will not be able to be granted tenure.

If you did not pass the competition, you still have several options:

• Retry the competition next year. There is no limit to the number of times the candidate can try.
• Become a contractual worker or substitute in a public or private establishment . In this case, you can continue the process leading to obtaining collegial agreement within the framework of the procedure provided for candidates for substitute positions.
• Work in the early childhood sector.