In reply to The Ice Doctor:
The IML award allows you to take groups on treks in summer and snowshoeing/winter walking on terrain where climbing/mountaineering equipment is not required and will not be used. You will need to obtain the UK summer ML award before you can start on your IML award which, after gaining sufficient experience and log book ticks, requires you to undertake summer training in the UK complete with a speed/navigation test, a summer assessment in the Alps/Pyrenees or similar, winter training in the Alps/Pyrenees etc and a winter assessment also in the Alps/Pyrenees etc. The IML award is increasingly being demanded by trekking companies when working overseas but in practical terms most people obtain it because they work in Europe and especially in France where you will be arrested if you are caught working without it. If you are living in France you can obtain the ILM award via the UK (PyB or Glenmore Lodge
http://pyb.co.uk/courses-mountaineering-qualifications.php) and then apply for a Carte Professional, which is the key bit of paper in France. The alternative is to enroll in the French system which depending of your language skills and fitness levels will be challenging as the French have an excess of applicants and rather like they do with their ski instructors, have a stiff speed/nav test which has been likened to a cross between orienteering and mountain racing. Dependent on your experience/finances/available time, it will normally take 3-5 years to gain the required experience and undertake all of the training and assessment but at the end of it, if you go through the UK system, you will come out with one of the few qualifications that the French recognise as equivalent to their own and they regard theirs as equivalent to a degree. Good luck if you decide to go ahead.