She embarked upon her academic career with the study of Classical Latin and Greek, focusing on their literary and grammatical aspects.
After clearing the French “Agrégation” civil service examination, Caillat taught at various secondary schools, until she found a post at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique.
She was then free to devote all her time to Indian studies, starting with a mémoire on nominal derivation in Middle Indo-Aryan which led her to read Jain texts under the supervision of Walther Schubring in Hamburg.
Schubring led Caillat firmly on the path of Jain studies and encouraged her to participate in the Critical Pali Dictionary.
Her contribution to the field of Jain studies and Middle Indo-Aryan linguistics is manifold.