Interview and Concours: teacher appointment procedures in England and Wales and France, and what they mean

ABSTRACT

The paper compares and contrasts two methods or styles of selecting and appointing teachers. In England and Wales, teachers are invariably appointed by interview to particular posts in particular schools; in France, teachers are appointed to life‐long Civil Service positions as a result of a competitive examination or concours. Each of these procedures reflects different assumptions about the education system in general and about the work of teachers in particular. These differences flow from the very different histories of the nation‐states concerned. Recent changes, especially in the French system, are described and discussed. The author points to the tension between pressure from the European Union to integrate and harmonise national qualifications, and the deeply rooted character of distinct national cultures of schooling, teaching and learning and assessment.