When I arrived back to Minnesota, many of my friends and family were in shock that I wasn't staying in France. Though I immensely enjoyed my experience living in France, I have decided not to do a second time with TAPIF (teaching assistant program in France) for several reasons. The debate wasn't an easy one but I'll explain my logic for those that are interested and considering be an assistant a second time around. 

1. This is a contract job: Because of visa requirements, I am only legally able to stay in France (and the European union) for a designated amount of time after my work contract is up. Though I do know of some assistants having found jobs in France illegally, I don't want to risk being kicked out of France or the EU and getting fined. 
2. Money: Let's be honest. The TAPIF salary isn't much, especially if your'e traveling from far way. Airfare is not covered so finding transatlantic flights back home (especially one way) were are a bit too pricey for my liking. It should also be noted that it is recommended to have a large sum of money saved up (10,000), which is hard to get during the summer months. 
3. I want to try something new: I've been fortunate enough to live in France twice now. As much as I love the country, I feel as if I am limiting myself and becoming too comfortable over there. I want to be able to try new things and not limit myself to solely France (or maybe even Europe).We'll see how long my patience last on this one though. 
4. I would compared my first year to my second: I've asked many second-time assistants for their opinions about returning back for the second time and they all agreed that their first time was better than the second. Why compare and try to recreate memories when you can create new ones in different places?
5. At the end of the day, I don't want to become a teacher: This was a great learning experience but, I want to allow others to have the chance to teach in a foreign country. This is a competitive program and I think that someone who is interested in teaching would benefit more from it than my travel-loving self. 

Did you do TAPIF a second time? Why or why not?