Assistant Professor in French

School/Department: School of Languages, Literatures and Culture Studies

Job Category and Level: Academic; Assistant Professor (Lecturer Merged)

Post status: Specific Purpose Contract

This appointment is for the specific purpose of coordinating and delivering the "Postgraduate Diploma in French for Teachers" programme. The post exists solely to coordinate and deliver this programme, which will conclude upon completion of the associated activities. This contract is not offered on an indefinite duration basis, and employment will terminate when the specific purpose for which the post was made, has been completed.

The Purpose of the Role

In 2025, the French Department of Trinity College Dublin won a successful tender to deliver a government-funded Post-graduate Diploma in French for suitably qualified Secondary School teachers. The Diploma, which is of two year's duration, is a response to the well-founded perception that there is an urgent need for more and better equipped post-primary French teachers and that French has been amongst those languages insufficiently represented at secondary level. The first year of the Diploma was successfully launched in Michaelmas Term 2025, with teaching contributions from across the Department of French.

The Department is now seeking to appoint a suitably qualified applicant to a full-time position of Assistant Professor, on a specific purpose contract. The appointee will work closely with the Head of Discipline, contributing members of staff and a dedicated Executive Officer to coordinate and deliver the Diploma over its initial three-year cycle. The postholder will prepare and deliver seminars and lectures for the core teaching of content modules and language classes for both the first- and the second-year cohort of students (except where contributions are made by other colleagues).

The modules offered in the first year of the Diploma are the following: French Language, France Today, France on Screen. In the second year the following modules are taken: French Language, The Francophone World, Literature and Society (Early Modern through to contemporary authors). The classes are taught online with at least two half-day in-person teaching sessions per semester held in Trinity on a Saturday. During the teaching semester, contact teaching hours will amount to approximately eight hours per week (four hours for each year of the Diploma).

Duties will also include the setting and marking of assignments and examinations, the development (where relevant) of innovative teaching materials, the coordination of modules, and the taking of responsibility for general administrative tasks connected to the teaching of the course. The vetting of applications will also be required.

The successful applicant will have a PhD in hand at time of application in any area of French studies and experience of teaching French at third level.

The candidate will report to the Head of Discipline and will work closely with colleagues in the French Department to deliver, coordinate and develop the curriculum.

Context

The School of Languages, Literatures and Cultural Studies is home to seven departments, including French. The School is the premier School of Modern Language Studies in Ireland.

The French Department has the oldest Chair of French in the world (it was established in 1776) and counts amongst its alumni the Nobel Prize Winner Samuel Beckett. The position offers the successful candidate the opportunity to be part of a research-intensive department which is highly committed to developing best practice in the teaching of French Studies and to promoting our national and international reputation in the discipline.

Informal enquiries about this post should be directed to the Head of Discipline, Professor Sarah Alyn Stacey, FTCD, at [email protected]

Person Requirements

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications, skills, and attributes for successful performance in the role:

Qualifications

• An excellent academic record.
• A PhD in any field of French studies.
• Native or near native ability in the French language.

Application Instructions

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