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I am applying for Maître de Conférences (MCF) positions in France (sections 25 and 26 - math and applied math). I've gotten the qualification, and I would like to understand the committee-level expectations regarding the “présentation analytique,” beyond the formal national requirements.

From the official Galaxie rules, I understand that:

The “présentation analytique” is required, but its translation into French is optional if written in a foreign language. There is no explicit requirement to include a separate teaching dossier.

Based on this, I am considering the following strategy.

  1. CV: in English (5 pages), including the publications and list of references. Is English ok here?
  2. Analytical presentation of research (research part): A six page long research statement in English, covering past work, main contributions, and future directions. Do I need longer? I can do longer, but I'm not sure, given the large number of applications the labs may receive).
  3. Teaching: a 1-page teaching portfolio translated into French (courses taught, brief summary of experience). Here, do I need to add a statement of my teaching philosophy or add students' evaluations?

So overall, the core scientific content remains in English, with only targeted French components.

My questions are specifically about committee practice, not formal admissibility:

For those who have served on MCF hiring committees: Is submitting the analytical presentation primarily in English (without full French translation) viewed negatively in practice? Does the absence of a detailed teaching section (beyond a 1-page summary) put the candidate at a disadvantage?

More generally: Is there an implicit expectation that strong candidates provide a fully French analytical presentation, even though it is not formally required?

I am particularly interested in answers from people who have served on French hiring committees (section 25/26 or similar) and can comment on how such a dossier is actually perceived during evaluation.

Thank you.

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Write the whole thing in French. You are applying for a job where you will have to teach 192h per year in French. Committees arewary of hiring someone only to find out that they cannot do half of their duties because they don't speak the language. The department would need to scramble to find someone to replace the hired person for the courses they are assigned etc.

An application written in English will be viewed negatively and will hurt your chances. Unless you have an amazing track record, your name will probably not make it to the shortlist of interviewed people. And if it does, you will have to do your absolute best to convince the committee that you speak French adequately.

I was on hiring committee a couple of years ago. We got more than 80 applications. Only three were written in English and were rather eccentric (people who didn't even have a PhD in math, usually) and weren't shortlisted.

(This answer used to contain a link to an old version of the regulation regarding applications - the new version does indeed state that translating the "Présentation analytique" is optional.)

Six pages is fine for the research statement, you don't need much more than that. A typical opening gets dozens if not >100 applicants. Adequate summarization skills are appreciated.

The absence of a teaching section will be noted, sure. This is an application for a job where half the duties are teaching. Committee members will wonder if you just don't care about teaching and will slack off if hired. One page is probably enough though.

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    Is it like this everywhere? I mean, do you need to be able to speak the local language in order to be an [associate/full/assistant] professor in a University? Commented yesterday
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    No, there are big variations between countries. I'm talking about France, and specifically math departments, who often have huge teaching loads and need people who can hit the ground running. If someone cannot teach their 192h then other people need to do it instead, we can't waste job funding like that. Commented yesterday
  • @LuxGiammi Resonating N.I.'s comment, let me point out that something that I'm observing my EU-wide job search. In many jobs in Germany and Austria as well some Nordic countries (have also seen this for a job in Czech Republic), they'll expect you to learn the local language within first 2-3 years. But these jobs are university-specific most of the time, unlike a nationwide competition like MCF in France. Strangely enough, there are a few jobs in Italy and Portugal where the applicant wan't supposed to have the knowledge of the local language. Commented yesterday
  • To learn the local language in 2-3 years is ok IMO if they provide language courses (when I visit other countries I like a bit more the ones where I can speak even a tiny bit of the local language). Despite the fact that I am very far from applying for professorship (I am a PhD student), this has shed some light on a possible issue that I may have to solve in the future. Thanks for your answers. Commented 19 hours ago
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For a Maître de Conférences position in Math and Applied Math, an amazingly useful website is Opération Postes: it is unofficial, but is supported by the learned societies and is widely used by hiring committees and candidates. In particular, the Conseils page is very useful to help you understand what is expected in the CV and analytical presentation. Note that you should also attach the examiners' report from your PhD defense.

I have been in many MCF hiring committees in Applied Math. Having a CV in English is fine. The research statement could be in English, but the norm is that you would write your research statement in French, and the interview will almost always be held in French. This helps the hiring committee check that you are able to teach in French, even if French is not your native language.

You will occasionally find job descriptions (fiche de poste) which mention that teaching in English would be acceptable: in such cases, you might want to check with the head of the hiring committee whether an application in English is acceptable.

Note that all administrative documents, including the PhD examiners' report, must be translated into French: otherwise, HR may reject your application and not even forward it to the hiring committee. For example, when I applied, I included a translation of my PhD diploma; an LLM translation is fine.

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  • I agree, but I would like to point out that Opérations Postes’s example of “typical” application file that I saw (in section 25) is about 20 years old, which I think was long before the “analytic presentation” was written into law. Commented 12 hours ago

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