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Bachelor of Languages worth it for me? | ||
Tags: Usefulness | College/University | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Advice Center |  | |
| eyðimörk Triglot Senior Member France goo.gl/aT4FY7 Joined 3888 days ago 490 posts - 1158 votes  Speaks: Swedish*, English, French Studies: Breton, Italian | Message 25 of 38 31 January 2015 at 10:44am | IP Logged | ||
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If you're interested in renting out accommodation, check out the current state of "buy to rent" law. I haven't looked into it since 2009, but back then the tax cuts compared to simply buying property were very interesting indeed, assuming you fulfil certain requirements.
On the other hand, unless you have a decent amount of savings it's difficult to start buying property in France because French banks don't lend to people who do not reside in France. Not even French nationals who do not reside in France. International lending institutes active in France will lend to non-residents, but they lend less (and, as we learned when buying a house, many don't lend for property worth less than around €150,000) and I don't know what their situation is like now (in early 2011 all hell broke loose, several institutes just up and made a rule to approve no loans to any American nationals under any circumstances, and foreigners in general were considered risky bets). Any way, this is getting extremely off topic. :) If you'd like to discuss anything relating to moving to France at some point, feel free to PM me. It's refreshing with specialised questions and a good attitude... I usually get e-mails from strangers who want me to their basic research for them (100 general questions like "What's the climate like?", "What's the average cost of living?" and "What do houses cost?"), strangers who think wanting to move to France is an excuse to ask really rude questions ("How much do you make per month?", "How much do you pay in taxes?", "How much is your monthly wine budget?"), and strangers who want me to be their friend and basically do everything but pack their bags for them (find houses, interpret with banks and real estate agents, make all of their phone calls, get everything in order, tell them where to be and when) just because they were born in Sweden. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| PeterMollenburg Senior Member AustraliaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5265 days ago 821 posts - 1273 votes Speaks: English* Studies: FrenchB1 | Message 26 of 38 02 February 2015 at 5:30am | IP Logged | ||
Thanks eyðimörk, That's really kind of you. I will take you up on the offer at some point soon and get in touch, feel free to pm me too if you want, but i certainly don't expect you to, just letting you know no problemo in that respect. French real estate is certainly something i've begun looking into (browsing) but I'm certainly not ready to buy for some years potentially yet. If I ask any dumb questions just tell me to piss off. French tax is a scary thought so I need to read up on that at some point (i'm not great at understanding tax at the best of times, but who is unless you're an accountant or enjoy that kind of think). As for the buy to rent tax breaks I must look into that... definitely curious. thanks again eyðimörk, regards, PM 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4798 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 27 of 38 02 February 2015 at 3:22pm | IP Logged | ||
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I think you are mixing several points together in the inicial post (as is common when
someone considers a huge life change) and I wasn't able to draw from it the number 1 main reason for a change. I think the priority is definitely the deciding factor and that it is not reasonable to have too many factors as the main priority. 1.You want to change career from nursing. That would surely be understandable. 2.You want to get away from Australia. Sure, sometimes you need a change. 3.You want to live in France. So do tens of millions of others. 4.You are looking for a good degree that would widen your options and enrich your life. First of all, a bachelor in languages. I know many people who study an equivalent at Czech universities. And truth be told, it is more about literature and humanities than the language, so it is probably similar to the exemples already mentioned. Many of the students are not that good at the language, considering the amount of invested time. The degree isn't pushing them that much either in this area, you are around B2 to get accepted, you are to be around C1 after bachelor and C2 after master. That means three years full time between B2 and C1, two more between C1 and C2. Is that efficient? And I don't even mention the funny moments like hearing a guy who studies French at uni saying "sure, I should read all the needed books in French but I don't have time for that, I read most in translation". Secondly, a bachelor in languages is per se not a career giver, unlike engeneering, medicine and so on. I've been very interested in translating qualifications (I hope to try such an exam during the autumn) and a common advice from organisations of professional translators is: "have a paper on the language (preferably translation) AND know something else as well. Being specialized, which in your case would likely be medical language, that is a way to beat the competitors, especially those with bachelor in the language. So, perhaps a bachelor in translation or an independent certification, perhaps with a different degree, that might be a better choice. Thirdly, as was already said, knowing French in France is a must, not an advantage that will land you a job. France is flooded with immigrants and French is native or secondary native language to many of them. You might have better chances with your Dutch, Spanish or another european language and their countries. As to the relocation. I think this is a huge clash with the need to change career. There are many translators, especially for combinations like En-Fr. Nurses are in high demand in whole Europe, even though I know nothing about Australian education nostrifications in the EU. And medical professionals of various kinds are extremely demanded in France. However, mostly in areas the French are fleeing from (There is, for exemple, high demand for foreign doctors to take care of the immigrant suburbs of larger cities in southern France). So, it may be an unfortunate turn of events to move to France with a degree in French, have troubles finding a different job, doing a nurse again, getting a job in an area that is France only geographically. I'm not saying living among other immigrants is wrong per se, but most people do not imagine their life in France as a life mostly among Romanians, Arabs and Africans. If the relocation is your priority, than do you want to just get away from Australia or do you dream of France? You said you were already considering the Switzerland. Perhaps you might like to look at other countries as well. Find more options and decide. Many countries are more immigrant friendly than France, for example thanks to not having that many former colonies and the millions of immigrants from there. However, the Switzerland isn't known to be totally immigrant-friendly in some long- term aspects, such as getting a citizenship. So, it depends on your plans. Perhaps it may be interesting to get more information about other French speaking countries. Belgium is different from France in many aspects and you native English and some knowledge of Dutch may be a huge advantage. Or how about Quebec? Edited by Cavesa on 02 February 2015 at 3:23pm 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| AML Senior Member United States Joined 6614 days ago 323 posts - 426 votes 2 sounds Speaks: English* Studies: Modern Hebrew, German, Spanish | Message 28 of 38 02 February 2015 at 11:50pm | IP Logged | ||
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I would only do the university course for two reasons:
1. You need the degree for a specific job, or 2. You are not self-motivated enough to learn the languages through self-study. Since the degree is by correspondence, then I can't imagine #2 is a problem for you. It may be a better use of your time and money to learn 1-2 languages (French + one other) and then get certified once you reach your goal stage. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Speakeasy Senior Member Canada Joined 3841 days ago 507 posts - 1098 votes Studies: German | Message 29 of 38 03 February 2015 at 12:00am | IP Logged | ||
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First, I would like to say just how impressed by the sheer quality and thoughtfulness of the responses to Peter's request.
Second, as to Québec, I would say, "yes", one should, indeed, consider this destination! I've been here for almost 30 years and have organized my life in a manner such that I very rarely speak English. However, doing so was not as easy as it initially seemed. Immigrants (including Canadian citizens from other Canadian provinces and territories) should be aware that their professional qualifications are subject to review. To be quite frank, the system operates something like a closed union shop. So, before deciding to immigrate, either make sure that the local organizations will recognize your qualifications or that you can develop a quick path to recognition. Even medical professionals whose qualifications are "above question" might find themselves required to requalify, if only partly so. Additionally, the province's language laws stipulate that, in order to practice one's profession, one must possess French at a level that is "appropriée à l'exercice de sa profession" which, from my experience, would be somewhere around B2+. This includes not just a general knowledge of French, but also the ability to manipulate the specific jargon of one's profession. New arrivals are typically given one year to acquire this level of linguistic skill, after which they must meet with an examiner from L'Office de la langue française. During this initial period, one's professional association is not permitted to admit the immigrant as a regular member and cannot do so until the candidate submits a written attestation of linguistic competence from L'Office. Rather obviously, failure of the exam can have serious consequences. So, an immigrant who arrives "comme un cheveu sur la soupe" with expectations of being hired as professional runs the risk of some disappointment. My advice to professionals who are considering immigrating to Québec would be that they should communicate with at least (a) Immigration-Québec, (b) L’Office québecois de la langue Française, and (c) their appropriate professional organisation. Please note that I am not decrying the situation! I survived and even prospered ... you can too! Edited by Speakeasy on 03 February 2015 at 2:18am 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4798 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 30 of 38 03 February 2015 at 7:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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Speakeasy, where did you come from to Québec?
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Speakeasy Senior Member Canada Joined 3841 days ago 507 posts - 1098 votes Studies: German | Message 31 of 38 03 February 2015 at 9:52pm | IP Logged | ||
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Cavesa,
While your question is a little personal, I don't mind replying, particularly since my experience might be instructive for those wishing to integrate, as adults, into a linguistic community that provides an opportunity to do so as well as an opportunity to avoid doing so. Because my father spent a significant part of his adult life in the armed forces, I grew up on numerous army bases spread across Canada: it sounds like fun, but it’s actually somewhat of a cloistered existence. Eventually, he ended up in British Columbia and I, after high school, spent ten years in the armed forces myself, which gave me an opportunity to revisit more-or-less the same places where I had grown up ... some people learn very slowly. I returned to civilian life in Vancouver, but gravitated to Northern B.C. and, from there, to the Québec hinterland: this was my choice, as I had been offered at position in Montréal, but decided that my personal quest of living in French would be more realisable in a unilingual French environment as opposed to a bilingual one. My previous studies in French were limited to one grammar lesson per week (45 minutes) for two years, when I was in high school. I made the decision to accept a position in the Québec hinterland because I had foreseen the following sequence, had I moved to Montréal: ME, FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB (in English): Okay, we’ll just get through this and then, next week, we’ll start on my French, okay? THEM (amongst themselves): He’s setting himself up for failure, but he’s an adult and that’s what he wants. ME, THREE MONTHS LATER (in English): Okay, we’ll just get through this and then, next week, we’ll start on my French, okay? THEM (amongst themselves): You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. ME, TWO YEARS LATER (in English): Say, when are we going to practice French together? THEM (in English): Okay, we’ll just get through this and then, next week, we’ll start on “your” French, okay? My plan was to remain two to three years, but that was about thirty years ago. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 4798 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 32 of 38 04 February 2015 at 12:04pm | IP Logged | ||
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I am sorry, Speakeasy. I knew it is a bit personal and hesitated when asking, so I just
hoped you would answer (or not) in a manner that wouldn't be unpleasant to you. I expected something like "from the EU", "from south america" or a similar approximate region information. Thanks for sharing your experience (I was quite surprised, I don't know anyone from such a background) and I really apologize. 2 persons have voted this message useful |
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