last slt in paris

May 23, 2017 3:10 PM

Speech and language therapist moving to France, what's the regulatory pathway?

An extremely wonderful friend is moving to Paris. She's a trained and experienced speech and language therapist -- most latterly with school-age children -- and finding out ways to do this in France have been opaque as hell. Her question as follows:

I have a UK MSc in Speech and Language Therapy, and experience working as a therapist in the UK. I am soon moving to Paris. Which regulatory bodies do I need to join to work as an SLT in France, and what are their requirements?

This one's proving a real head-scratcher. Thanks in advance for any insight at all.

posted by monster truck weekend to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Best answer: The FNO look like they're equivalent to the Royal College in the UK rather than the regulator but might be able to provide guidance? The Royal College also have a section on working outside the UK by the look of it, but it's only available to members.
posted by theseldomseenkid at 3:19 PM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's going to be opaque for two huge reasons: there's only one regulatory body, which is the French government, and as such it's all in French, meaning, for French-speaking language therapists (FYI speech and language therapists are called orthophonistes). The French certificate to practice orthophonie is founded on a competitive exam and medical studies in designated French schools/universities for the specialty.

I'm assuming she wants to work as a speech therapist for English speakers in France? As such, yes, she'll have much better luck asking UK bodies.
posted by fraula at 1:02 AM on May 24, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: She may contact the professional union. There is some information here about how to get an official authorisation from the regional Prefecture, which should not be a problem for a UE-trained therapist. From what I understand, the procedure starts here. The student branch of the union has a guide on how to set up an orthophonie pratice.
posted by elgilito at 2:21 AM on May 26, 2017 [1 favorite]