From English teacher to TikTok star in France: 'The way to help students learn is to believe in them'

“When I first moved here at 15, I had a lot of questions: What am I going to do? How will I speak French? It was a massive culture shock.”

That was 2008. Fast forward to 2025 and it seems the British teenager who was uprooted from England when his family moved to Toulouse had nothing to worry about.

Now an online sensation, the man known only as ‘Monsieur Prof’ is France's most popular English teacher with a base of two million followers over three social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram and TikTok).

His success came almost overnight on TikTok in 2021 when he started publishing videos of himself teaching English in a middle school in Toulouse. 

“I gained 200,000 over one weekend. It went crazy,” he said.

He is now so popular that being stopped for selfies is a common event.

The Toulouse way

Career highlights include partnering with then prime minister Gabriel Attal to raise awareness of the impact of bullying in schools, and going into RC Toulon rugby club to teach British players Jack Willis and Blair Kinghorn how to pronounce ‘demain’ the Toulouse way, with a final -g.

He released his first book, Let’s Speak English! in 2024, hailing it as the sort of book he wished he had been given when arrived in Occitanie and started learning French.

He talked to The Connexion about social media fame, the perks of having to adapt to another country, why he thinks teaching is the most beautiful job in the world – and his Toulousain accent.

“I often ask myself: How different would my life have been, had I not moved to France? I pinch myself sometimes. I’ve been here for 15 years now. I am more French than English. If there is a war tomorrow, I will fight for France,” he said.

There is little information about your life prior to your family moving to France. Tell us about it…

I was born in London and moved to the countryside when I was about six or seven. I spent a good seven years in the countryside. I went to Vinehall School in East Sussex and Eastbourne College, where I only did a year because we moved to France.

What prompted the move?

My dad saw the financial crisis coming and decided to sell a few assets, being a property developer. This is what I love about my parents. They never back down, they always take challenges. They wanted a fresh start.
It was definitely what was right for our family. 

My parents also wanted school to be less demanding. In [some schools in] England you work on Saturdays, and all students work full days on Wednesdays. I was not a boarder but I would have dinner at school and get home at around 19:00. If you count the Saturdays, there is really little time left for family. Moving to France really enabled that.


Why did they choose France?

My parents hesitated between France and Spain. They were attracted to the sun, a big topic in England, but also the language. But the Spanish schools were not as good as they were in France. They looked in Montpellier, Bordeaux, but were quite impressed by Toulouse.

I was initially meant to go to the International School of Toulouse but they decided against it because of how little I would progress in French.

Did they speak French already?

No. They would listen to Michel Thomas [polyglot linguist who developed the ‘Michel Thomas’ language teaching method]. They do have a decent level now but they are not fluent.

I went to Notre-Dame Le Clos Fleuri in L’Isle-Jourdain. One teacher there advised my parents that I should move to a boarding school in Lectoure, saying that being submerged in an environment where you constantly speak French would help me a lot.


What is your take on the French school system? 

I was initially taken aback at how old-fashioned the French schooling system was. I am not saying that is a bad thing. I saw things that would never have been accepted in England. I remember teachers being, sometimes, in physical contact with students. I remember students getting hit on the fingers by teachers. It was sort of accepted. I could not believe it.

What I love about the French is their emotional, passionate side. French children tend to show their emotions. It was a big shock to see children cry over a bad mark. You would never ever see any emotion in England. You would show it afterwards, behind closed doors.

Read also:  French schools to bring in new physical exercise tests for pupils

I would prefer children to show their anger, their sadness or how they really feel in the moment rather than afterwards.

What is the best way to learn a language?

It is all about confidence. As a learner, would you rather have a teacher that shouts at you every day, undermining your confidence and insulting you, or would you prefer to have someone compliment you, giving you advice in the gentlest possible way?

I have had some great teachers and some horrendous ones. My philosophy teacher – oh boy!
I remember that one day he handed back my test and he quoted from it, telling everyone: “This is something you should not be doing.” I would never do that. 

I also remember a maths teacher who would give back tests starting from the worst to the best mark. Really?

I think one of the reasons I have found success is because I believe the way to help students learn is to believe in them, to share jokes obviously, and to get along.


What makes teaching “the most beautiful job”?

You can only do so much as a teacher, you can only prepare so much, because you have no idea what is going to happen. This is what I love about it. Every day is an adventure.

One day, a pupil might ask an amazing question that leads to something else, which may divert the entire course of the lesson. 

Or you might have an idea in your head that you plan to last for over an hour, when in reality it’s finished in 15 minutes and you are left thinking: “Oh my God, there are still 45 minutes left. What the hell am I going to do?”

I remember hating school when I was young. I love it as a teacher but I did not like school because you would have to speak to everyone, to get along with everyone, talk to the teacher and in front of the class. I can understand that fear. 

Your book Let’s Speak English! concentrates on the verbal – the sound of words and the accent. Can you describe your method?


I learned French by watching my favourite English movie, but in French, every single day. I did this because I knew the movie by heart.

So, then you watch other familiar movies. Watch a movie you do not know for a test. I reckon you will understand about 10% of it. In a month’s time, it will be 20% etc. Little by little, you will get better.

Read more: Films and series to watch in February to improve your French

My book would have been amazing for me, as an Englishman learning French, when I moved here because of all the tenses. It explains them with audio, detailed analysis, exercises on every page.
I did not have that when I grew up. I would rely on Michel Thomas’ podcasts. There was no book explaining stuff. That’s understandable, I suppose, because why would someone make a book for an Englishman learning French in France? You would probably find it in England, but not in France.

I think I would have learned French in six months to a year with such a book, instead of one to two years.


I noticed a heavy Toulousain accent when listening to your videos. You say ‘bien-g’ and ‘pain-g’. Do you say ‘poche’ instead of ‘sac’ when grocery shopping?

Oooooohhh that’s a good question. I would say ‘sac’ actually. And I say ‘chocolatine’, of course.


You sound more French than English to me…

That is because of the Gers. Listen, some of the friends I have grown up with are farmers now and have incredibly strong accents. At first, I did not understand it.

Read also: Which French accents are the hardest to understand?

In England, the lessons taught are sort of ‘Parisian French’. I used to say ‘demain’ at the beginning, without the -g. After a few weeks, I sort of let that go because this is how you speak here. Just saying that word ‘demain’, I have to think about it for a moment because I would naturally now say ‘demain-g’.


You are increasingly interviewed in the French media. One was for Télématin with British-native Louise Ekland, where you both spoke in French. She barely has a British accent any more. Would you say she exemplifies the final frontier that separates foreigners from complete integration?

I do not know much about her younger life and when she came to France, but what she has done is massively impressive. I cannot speak highly enough about Louise Ekland.

About the accent, it is all about when you arrive in a country. If I had arrived at around eight or nine years old, it would have been better. As a 15-year-old, it would be more difficult. I don’t think there is much I can do to improve it.

TikTok ban?

Monsieur Prof is closely following the ongoing developments of the TikTok ban by the United States Supreme Court, as one of the application’s content creators.

President Trump upheld the decision of the Supreme Court to ban the Chinese-owned platform if it is not sold to a non-Chinese buyer, last January, but gave the company a 90-day reprieve. 

The decision is meant to affect United States’ creators and users, but many creators in Europe are concerned the decision could stand a landmark and be extended to other continents.

Monsieur Prof is highly appreciative of the application. He won the TikTok Awards 2023, calling it the “best night of his life”, on his Instagram account. 

It all started after his pupils advised him to open an account.

"I remember them saying “you should post your videos online. We learn a lot of things in class.” At first, I laughed and thanked them for the compliment. But overtime, I took it much more seriously. I thought it would be a great way to show what the life of a teacher was about and to learn something within a minute-long video,” he said. 

“I thought TikTok was an application where you dance, something for teens. I was definitely proven wrong. TikTok has changed my life, definitely for the good,” he said.

You can find Monsieur Prof on TikTok @monsieur_prof; Instagram @monsieur_proff and on YouTube @MonsieurProff