International exchange programs
Studying abroad is an essential part of the ENS student experience. The choice of destination is closely tied to the student’s research project and the degree he or she will earn from ENS. Therefore, the connection of a study abroad program with a clearly identified project (study, research, or additional training) is paramount.
Literature students at the ENS have the choice of either dedicating their exchange to classes and research, with options ranging from 2 months to 1 year, or teaching French as a foreign language while pursuing their research at a partner university.
Students in the sciences participate in an internship in a laboratory abroad during the second semester of their M1 year. Most of these internships are managed by the teaching departments and can be carried out under the ERASMUS+ program.
Whether students go abroad during their studies at the ENS or as a gap year, the ENS offers its students a broad range of international possibilities.
Logistical information about the opportunities available can be found on the ENS intranet.
Bilateral Exchanges
Around forty bilateral exchange programs open their doors to ENS students every year, providing them with an excellent education and home abroad: Harvard and Princeton, Oxford and Cambridge, Berlin, Pisa and Bologna, Mexico City, Tokyo and Seoul, among many other universities. Both teaching and research positions are offered as part of exchange opportunities available to ENS students.
Teaching Positions
Each year, about fifty ENS students spend a semester or a year teaching in a foreign university. They teach a wide range of subjects, from French literature to civilization, and, most commonly, language. Many ENS students have no experience in teaching classes before they embark on their adventure teaching abroad. Teachers receive a scholarship and training from the universities where they are placed, and the ENS offers a workshops on teaching French as a foreign language (FLE).
Language assistants are enrolled in the host university and benefit from a grant. For a better preparation, they are also offered didactics courses and workshops for French as a foreign language.
Research Positions
M1 and M2 students are able to spend between two months and one year in research positions at a foreign university: nearly all students in the humanities and social sciences, as well as many in the sciences, are able to participate in this opportunity.
Europe: Erasmus+ Opportunities
ENS students have the ability to study abroad for either one or two semesters in approximately thirty European universities, taking classes that can be validated for ECTS credits.
Italian and ELAN programs also offer ENS students additional study abroad possibilities.
Italian Programs
The ENS has exchange programs in place with eleven prestigious Italian institutions:
· Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
· Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa,
· Collegio Superiore, Bologna,
· Universita del Salento, Lecce
· Scuola Galileiana, Padoua
· Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Roma-Sapienza.
· Università degli Studi, Sienna
· Scuola di Studi Superiore, Torino
· Instituto Universitario di Studi Superiori, Pavia
· Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia
· Scuola Superiore, Catania
Exchanges with these institutions are characterized by:
- Flexibility of application procedures
- Similarity to ENS in methods of recruitment and commitment to education through hands-on research
- Solid foundations in courses or in research
- Offers of research advisors and opportunities to focus on research
- High-quality integrations of exchange students
European Liberal Arts Network (ELAN) Program
The ELAN network is coordinated by the University of Bristol. Founded with the intention of fostering innovative and interdisciplinary exchanges within the human and social sciences, it is composed of 11 European institutions.
The students of these institutions are able to take courses at one or multiple of these 11 universities, either as part of a ‘liberal arts’ program or their chosen disciplinary path.
For more information: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/study/undergraduate/liberal-arts/elan-network/
Internships and Volunteering
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The ENS has an agreement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which allows ENS students to participate in internships in the following fields:
- Government administration
- Diplomatic and consular posts
- French cultural establishments abroad, such as French institutes, French cultural centers, and Alliances Français
International Volunteering
ENS students are also able to spend time abroad as international volunteers. As ENS students, they have special privileges to choose from a variety of destinations for long periods of time and without age-limit restrictions on their visas.
For more information: https://mon-vie-via.businessfrance.fr/
Mis à jour le 2/4/2024