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Is an A1 Language Diploma Worth Getting | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Languages & Work |  | |
| AriD2385 Groupie United States Joined 4852 days ago 44 posts - 60 votes  Speaks: English* Studies: French | Message 25 of 34 23 August 2011 at 12:13am | IP Logged | ||||||||
It is. The great majority of employers here really have little need for their employees to speak another language--unless, of course, they are located in a densely populated Hispanic area. But even so, it's been my experience working for a Latino organization that knowing just a beginner's level Spanish isn't particularly helpful to the organization. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| prz_ Tetraglot Senior Member Poland last.fm/user/prz_rul Joined 4861 days ago 890 posts - 1190 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Bulgarian, Croatian Studies: Slovenian, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, Armenian, Kurdish | Message 26 of 34 23 August 2011 at 12:32am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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So now you can see how different the approach of Europe is (and especially of the country working its way up)
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| Elexi Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5567 days ago 938 posts - 1840 votes Speaks: English* Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 27 of 34 23 August 2011 at 1:29am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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The CEFR designations are an EU specific system - so it is pretty meaningless in the US job market.
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| prz_ Tetraglot Senior Member Poland last.fm/user/prz_rul Joined 4861 days ago 890 posts - 1190 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Bulgarian, Croatian Studies: Slovenian, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, Armenian, Kurdish | Message 28 of 34 23 August 2011 at 1:33am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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But, haven't you got anything similar in the USA?
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| misslanguages Diglot Senior Member France fluent-language.blog Joined 4848 days ago 190 posts - 217 votes Speaks: French*, English Studies: German | Message 29 of 34 23 August 2011 at 1:59am | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Don't bother getting an A1 certificate. It's probably worthless. Get something like a C1 certificate. That's definitely gonna look good on your resume.
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| hrhenry Octoglot Senior Member United States languagehopper.blogs Joined 5132 days ago 1871 posts - 3642 votes Speaks: English*, SpanishC2, ItalianC2, Norwegian, Catalan, Galician, Turkish, Portuguese Studies: Polish, Indonesian, Ojibwe | Message 30 of 34 23 August 2011 at 2:26am | IP Logged | ||||||||
Unless you're in a language-related industry. Then it's actually taken pretty seriously.
We do, it's called the ILR, but again, the CEFR within any language industry is beginning to be taken as the reference.
Agreed. Unless you're applying for a language-specific job, most employers look at languages as a hobby, not critical to the job. R. == 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||||||||
| prz_ Tetraglot Senior Member Poland last.fm/user/prz_rul Joined 4861 days ago 890 posts - 1190 votes Speaks: Polish*, English, Bulgarian, Croatian Studies: Slovenian, Macedonian, Persian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian, Armenian, Kurdish | Message 31 of 34 23 August 2011 at 9:10pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Hmm, From what I've observed in Poland, foreign languages are very important for employers. Sometimes I have even a feeling that their expectations about languages are too high. Once I've seen a work experience offer for philologists learning Slovak. And what I've seen there? Well. The sense of it was that the best for them would be someone who already can correct the mistakes of natives.
Pitiful. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||||||||
| SueK Groupie United States Joined 4753 days ago 77 posts - 133 votes Studies: Mandarin | Message 32 of 34 15 March 2012 at 6:48pm | IP Logged | ||||||||
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Absolutely do it and put it on your resume.
For a role that involves language, maybe less so and weigh the other coments here. If the role does not involve language, it's can give you an edge. You set a goal to learn something to x level and not only followed through, but went out to test yourself to understand where you're at. It shows initiative, and the ability to set and follow through on goals. The fact that this type of employer won't understand what A1 or B1 is doesn't matter in the least, as it's not about fluency, or even language. Even a college degree can be more about proving you can stick to something than about the learning. I know a purchasing manager with a degree in philosophy and a VP of HRM whose degree is in phys ed. I sure hope my Dr has a medical degree, but even if you don't pursue your major, the degree has meaning. I did recently have a great display of the phenomenom. My nephew completed an appalacian trail hike last summer. Once he finished the hike, he needed to get back to work. He hopes to be a physical therapist someday and wanted work in a role that might be someway related. He was interviewed for, and acheived, a job readying operating rooms for surgery that allows him to actually view operations (yuck) and the internal structures he'll need to study. In interviewing, what was the main topin of discussion? The hike. He faced down a bear with her cubs, survived a tornado in the great outdoors and got complete strangers to house him to ride a hurricane. Don't you think it says brave, self sufficent and committed? A good interviewer will pick up on things like that. It won't help you beat out a more qualified candidate, but it can give you an edge in a level field. Pass the test, put it on your resume and be prepared to tell an interviewer about your language learning path with some specific targets. Great stuff. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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