A Five Continent Language
Apart from English, French is the only mother tongue to be spoken on all five continents. With over 200 million speakers, it is also the second most prevalent language on the internet. French speaking communities can be found in 32 countries including Canada, Belgium, Seychelles, Switzerland and Monaco. Therefore, learning French opens many global opportunities. Not only does it allow you to travel extensively with confidence, it widens your study and work options across a variety of cultures. You can exploit more job market gaps and top educational institutions in places that could be more convenient and relevant to your needs.
Teach on the Alps
France has some of the finest ski resorts in the world, which are visited by over 200,000 Briton’s alone each year – ski instructors are always in demand! Top resorts include Val d’lsere, Tignes and Les Arcs. Ski instructor training programmes in France are more thorough and often superior to their foreign equivalents so, they are in great demand. Learning the native language improves your chances of getting on these oversubscribed courses and later, applying for a job. Being about to converse with more people increases your suitability for positions to move permanently or, get experience and save money on a seasonal contract.
World-class Culinary Training
If you want a professional career in the culinary trade, you definitely want to do a stint in a French kitchen. France is famed for its classical gastronomy and principally for pastry, dessert and chocolate making. The country boasts over 700 Michelin Star restaurants and names like Michel Roux, Jr. and Raymond Blanc. If you are an aspiring chef, you will want to work in one of these renowned establishments or train at a top school like Le Marmiton. Adding French to your CV proves your multi-talented abilities and seriousness, allow you to adapt to French life, understand cooking techniques and impress your potential teachers.
Democracy and Politics
Whether you wish to embark on a diplomatic career, or study politics related subjects, learning French will enable you to comprehend the history of democracy and work in international organisations. Throughout the centuries, France has been a bastion of democratic experiment and political ideas. Getting to grips with French will allow you to understand the key concepts and texts of influential philosophers such as Montesquieu, Rousseau and Tocqueville. Today, French is an official language of the UN, UNESCO, EU, NATO, OECD, WHO, UNICEF and FIFA. Many of these organisations require their employees to be bilingual, so learning French ensures you will be in the running.
Pioneers of Film
France can claim to be the birthplace of cinema due to the release of ‘The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station’ in 1895. Throughout the 20th Century, French film-makers have pioneered new trends and released countless classics, including ‘La Règle du jeu’, and modern masterpieces like ‘Amélie’. A great move for film and media studies students, learning French will enable you to understand the developments of the film industry, and watch the greats as they were intended. As a result, you will have a deeper symbolic and script motif comprehension. Plus, travelling to the Cannes Film Festival gets a whole lot easier.
