If you want to become a French teacher, the first thing you need to do is decide which age group you would like to teach. The basic breakdown is as follows:
- Early childhood
- Kindergarten - 6th grade
- 7th - 12th grade
- College and university
- Adult and continuing education
The requirements for adults tend to be the simplest. You usually don't need a degree and for some adult education centers you don't even need a credential. I spent more than a year teaching French and Spanish at an adult education center in California. While the school did not require a credential, it paid higher wages to teachers with credentials and higher still to those with credentials plus a college degree (in any subject). Just to give you an idea (although again, please be aware that different countries, states, provinces, cities, and even schools will offer different wages), my California adult education credential cost something like $200 (including the basic skills test and application fees). Valid for two years, and combined with my BA + 30 hours of graduate studies, the credential increased my pay from $18/hour to about $24.
Another option is to become an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and work in a French-speaking country. While you probably won't have much opportunity to speak French at work, you will at least be living somewhere where you can speak French every day.
French Translator - Interpreter
Translation and interpretation, while related (and often confused), are two very different skills. This overview should give you an idea of what they are like, but please see introduction to translation and interpretation and my translation links for more detailed information.
Both translation and interpretation lend themselves particularly well to freelance work (telecommuting) and both are involved with the transfer of meaning from one language to another, but there is a difference in how they do this.
A translator is a person who works with written language. Typical kinds of work include translating books, instructions, software manuals, and other documents. Although the internet has opened up worldwide communication and makes it easier than ever for translators to work at home, you might find more clients if you live in the country of your second language. For example, if you're a native English/fluent French speaker, you might find more work if you live in a French-speaking country rather than an anglophone country.
An interpreter is a person who orally transfers from one language to another. Interpreters work mainly in international organizations (e.g., the United Nations, NATO) and the government, but are also found in the travel and tourism sector. This transfer may be simultaneous (the interpreter listens to the speaker through headphones and interprets into a microphone) or consecutive (the interpreter takes notes and delivers his/her interpretation after the speaker). To survive as an interpreter, you must be willing and able to travel at a moment's notice and put up with often cramped conditions (e.g., too small interpretation booths with more than one interpreter).
Translation and interpretation are highly competitive fields. If you want to be a translator and/or interpreter, you need more than just fluency in two or more languages. Here are some things to give you an edge, listed from essential to highly recommended:
A related job/skill is localization, which has to do with the translation and "globalization" of websites, software, and other computer-related programs.
Both translation and interpretation lend themselves particularly well to freelance work (telecommuting) and both are involved with the transfer of meaning from one language to another, but there is a difference in how they do this.
A translator is a person who works with written language. Typical kinds of work include translating books, instructions, software manuals, and other documents. Although the internet has opened up worldwide communication and makes it easier than ever for translators to work at home, you might find more clients if you live in the country of your second language. For example, if you're a native English/fluent French speaker, you might find more work if you live in a French-speaking country rather than an anglophone country.
An interpreter is a person who orally transfers from one language to another. Interpreters work mainly in international organizations (e.g., the United Nations, NATO) and the government, but are also found in the travel and tourism sector. This transfer may be simultaneous (the interpreter listens to the speaker through headphones and interprets into a microphone) or consecutive (the interpreter takes notes and delivers his/her interpretation after the speaker). To survive as an interpreter, you must be willing and able to travel at a moment's notice and put up with often cramped conditions (e.g., too small interpretation booths with more than one interpreter).
Translation and interpretation are highly competitive fields. If you want to be a translator and/or interpreter, you need more than just fluency in two or more languages. Here are some things to give you an edge, listed from essential to highly recommended:
- Certification by the American Translators Association or other translation/interpretation organization(s)
- Translation/interpretation degree
- Specialization in one or more fields*
- Membership in at least one translation organization
A related job/skill is localization, which has to do with the translation and "globalization" of websites, software, and other computer-related programs.
Multilingual Editor - Proofreader
The publishing industry is a possibility for anyone who has an excellent grasp of two or more languages, particularly grammar and spelling. Just as articles, books, and papers must be edited/proofread when they are published, their translations should be also. Potential employers include magazines, publishing houses, translation companies, etc.
In addition, I imagine that if your French language skills are particularly good, you could even get a job in a maison d'édition in France, editing or proofreading the originals.
I don't have any personal experience working with a magazine or book publisher, but I did spend some some working as a proofreader for a pharmaceuticals company. The labels and package inserts for each product were written in English and then sent off-site to be translated into four languages. My job was to proofread everything for spelling mistakes, typos, etc., as well as to do a spot-check of the translations to ensure that they were accurate.
Another option is to edit/proofread websites, which you could probably do freelance if you started a company.
In addition, I imagine that if your French language skills are particularly good, you could even get a job in a maison d'édition in France, editing or proofreading the originals.
I don't have any personal experience working with a magazine or book publisher, but I did spend some some working as a proofreader for a pharmaceuticals company. The labels and package inserts for each product were written in English and then sent off-site to be translated into four languages. My job was to proofread everything for spelling mistakes, typos, etc., as well as to do a spot-check of the translations to ensure that they were accurate.
Another option is to edit/proofread websites, which you could probably do freelance if you started a company.
Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality
If you speak more than one language and you love to travel, working in the travel industry might be just the thing for you.
Flight attendants, sometimes called stewards/stewardesses, are the folks that take care of you while you're on a plane. Speaking several languages is a definite asset, particularly when making international flights.
Pilots are the men and women who fly the plane. They have to communicate with ground control, flight attendants, and possibly even passengers, so for international flights, foreign language ability is a plus.
Tour guides work in museums, monuments, and other touristed places as well as in companies that offer package tours like scenic bus and boat rides, hiking trips, etc.
In addition, there is the closely related hospitality industry, which includes working in places like restaurants, hotels, camps, and ski resorts overseas.
Flight attendants, sometimes called stewards/stewardesses, are the folks that take care of you while you're on a plane. Speaking several languages is a definite asset, particularly when making international flights.
Pilots are the men and women who fly the plane. They have to communicate with ground control, flight attendants, and possibly even passengers, so for international flights, foreign language ability is a plus.
Tour guides work in museums, monuments, and other touristed places as well as in companies that offer package tours like scenic bus and boat rides, hiking trips, etc.
In addition, there is the closely related hospitality industry, which includes working in places like restaurants, hotels, camps, and ski resorts overseas.
Foreign Service Officer
The foreign service (or equivalent) is the branch of a federal government that offers diplomatic services to other countries. Foreign service employees staff the country's embassies and consulates around the world, and thus need employees who speak the local language.
The requirements for a foreign service officer vary from country to country, so it is important to start your research by seeking out information from your own country's goverment pages, not those of the country you'd like to live in.
I know that for the United States, prospective foreign service officers have approximately a 1 in 400 chance of passing both the written and oral exams, and even then they only get put on the waiting list. Placement can take a year or more, so this job is definitely not for someone who is in a hurry to start working.
The requirements for a foreign service officer vary from country to country, so it is important to start your research by seeking out information from your own country's goverment pages, not those of the country you'd like to live in.
I know that for the United States, prospective foreign service officers have approximately a 1 in 400 chance of passing both the written and oral exams, and even then they only get put on the waiting list. Placement can take a year or more, so this job is definitely not for someone who is in a hurry to start working.
International Organizations
International organizations are another great source of jobs for which language skills are helpful. This is especially true for French speakers, because French is one of the most common working languages in international organizations.
There are thousands of international organizations, but they all fall into three main categories:
There are thousands of international organizations, but they all fall into three main categories:
- Governmental, e.g., the United Nations
- Non-governmental (NGOs), such as HateWatch
- Nonprofit charitable, like the International Red Cross
International Jobs
This last category includes any career in the world. How is that possible, you ask? Virtually any job, skill, or trade you have can be done in a francophone country. Are you a computer programmer? Try working for a French company. An accountant? How about in Québec?
If you are determined to use your language skills at work but don't have the ability or interest required to be a teacher, translator, etc., you can always try getting a non-language specific job in France or another francophone country. While your job might not require your language skills for the actual work you do, you would still speak French to your colleagues, neighbors, store owners, etc.
If you are determined to use your language skills at work but don't have the ability or interest required to be a teacher, translator, etc., you can always try getting a non-language specific job in France or another francophone country. While your job might not require your language skills for the actual work you do, you would still speak French to your colleagues, neighbors, store owners, etc.
