French, a language of opportunities
Learning French today: a language of opportunities
French is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world with over 321 million speakers and a further 255 million use it daily. It is the official language in 26 countries like Canada, Belgium or Senegal and of several international organisations such as NATO, the United Nations or the OECD.
Studying a foreign language has many advantages, and particularly French, as it is a constructive step towards new career opportunities and professional development.
Yet, the latest Language Trends report (British Council, 2022) suggests that students tend to drop out of MFL classes, especially from one exam (GCSEs) to the other (A-Levels). Therefore, it rests on the teacher’s shoulders to motivate their students for them to keep studying languages!
That is why the Institut français du Royaume-Uni has designed tools and gathered arguments that teachers can use to convince students to keep practicing MFL.
Resources & support
The ‘plaidoyer’ or ‘Advocacy Toolkit’ can be downloaded in two versions:
- One A5 4 page leaflet, easy to print and give out inside schools and during open days.
- One comprehensive document of 11 pages, detailing each argument and listing sources to be further explored if needed.
These documents will prove useful when explaining to students how French can enlarge their career horizons, whichever branch they decide to study and work in. French is a language appealing to recruiters, whether they are looking for business partners, creatives or research associates.
Leading by example: professionals reveal how learning French has changed their lives
Shumona Sinha
Award-winning writer.
Archie Sturrock
MPs adviser on cultural affairs and Communcations Officer, and poet.
Jason Solomons
Journalist, film critic, interviewer, talks and podcasts host.
More interviews and testimonies can be found here.
External resources
A series of useful resources to teach French as a professional language can be found on Numérifos, TV5Monde or RFISavoirs.
Teachers willing to engage in teaching French as a professional language may also find interesting the Diplômes de français professionnel offered by the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industrie, Le Français des affaires.
L’Institut français du Royaume-Uni supports UK educators teaching French at university level who are willing to support the teaching of French as a professional language. To know more about our CPD offers for teachers, please visit our Teacher’s Trail section.