This comment is a little on the late side, seeing the date of this post, but a friend just recently introduced me to your book, and when I looked up your name in the internet, I got directed to your post.

I am a native American, married to a Frenchman, nationalized French citizen, with two very small chidren. I could write a whole novel about the French university system and my struggles to succeed (coming from a 3.8 GPA in the US to being literally kicked out of an English department in France because my "method did not fall into the same line of thought at the university's", but not to fear, I changed universities and all ended well), but I won't get into that.

My husband is 'agrégé' in English, among the lucky few for sure, and he is pushing me to do the same. I would love to teach in the French university system but often ask myself, is all of this struggle worth it? And, do I want to take part of an elitist system which more or less goes directly against the American work ethic that I grew up with? It pains me to think that I would have my PhD by now in the US and hopefully employed as a professor but that I can't really go anywhere else in my career in France (go on to the Master 2 and doctorate) until I pass that stupid test!

After nearly 4 years of painful failures, I finally passed the CAPES last year. You say that the CAPES is much easier, but to an Anglophone, it's just as difficult. In fact, there were places in the agrégation where I did better than on the CAPES. They are both as subjective as the other, only the agrégation reduces the percentage who pass and adds a few more difficult exercises, which I find easier (Phonetics) than some of the material required by the CAPES (Pedagogy on the orals). My husband reiterates every day that my career would be so much better if I could just get the agrégation under my belt, but after 4 years of struggle for the CAPES, I honestly don't feel the energy this year but am going to give it a try anyway. I used to be totally against the French system, not understand why it was so hard to become a teacher when I had already had 5 years of experience in the field, but last year I finally realized that I needed to admit I was completey stupid and that I didn't know anything (which is true when it comes to Linguistics!), to even attempt to learn what is necessary for the test and hopefully one of these days I'll succeed.

I've just ordered your book and can't wait to open it! Here's to a fresh start!