Is French a good language to take up as a career?

French Is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents(most of which are members of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 84 countries that share the official use or teaching of French), French is also one of six official languages used in the United Nations. It is also a Romance language of the Indo-European family finds its roots in the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Having evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul, its closest relatives are languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium. It has also been influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Today, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole.  French is spoken as a first language (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France; Canada (provinces of Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick as well as other Francophone regions); Belgium (Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region); western Switzerland (Romandy—all or part of the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Valais); Monaco; parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont); north-western Italy (autonomous region of Aosta Valley); and various communities elsewhere.  French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as a working language along with English and German; in certain institutions, French is the sole working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union). French is also the 18th most natively spoken language in the world, the 6th most spoken language by a total number of speakers and the second or third most studied language worldwide (with about 120 million current learners).

There are many benefits to studying a new language. In the age of globalization, outsourcing, the boom in tourism, and the export sector, the knowledge of a foreign tongue enriches your personal life, enhances the careers involving languages, and increases your power to act as a global citizen. With over 270 million population, La Francophonie is a group of 84 countries that share the proper use or teaching of French. It is the only tongue other than English to be spoken on all five continents. Of all the benefits of learning French, the career choices after learning French are the most influential factor that attracts students from far and wide. The ability to speak French fluently can open up new opportunities in various sectors globally. It will, directly or indirectly, provide you with crucial job-related knowledge and skills that can give you a competitive edge with a better salary. French makes you more desirable for many well-paid language jobs. The knowledge to speak French is a career asset for finding a job in a wide range of industries. 

Some of them are travel & tourism, hospitality industry, MNC, BPO, KPO, Embassies, fashion, retailing, automotive, luxury goods, aeronautics, international business, education institutions, and export firms. The French also enhances job options in various international organizations like the United Nations, UNESCO, the EU, the International Olympic Committee, NATO, the Hague, and the International Red Cross. French Jobs in MNC, BPO, KPO, IT, and Call Centres. France has the world’s 5th largest economy, and its multinationals are spread all over the globe such as French international brands such as Orange, BNP Paribas, Louis Vuitton, L’Oréal, Renault, Alcatel, Axa, Airbus, Christian Dior, Alstom, Chanel, Carrefour, Peugeot, Michelin, to name a few. 

The ability to speak French will not only opens the doors of these French companies in France and other French-speaking countries but also in other non-speaking French regions worldwide. It puts you ahead of others in finding a wide array of language jobs in MNC, BPO, and KPO that use French as their working and interactive language. Several IT companies such as HCL, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Wipro, Infosys, etc., send their employees for overseas on-site jobs in French-speaking Europe, Canada, and North & Central Africa. Once you clear the TCF or TEF test, you’ll also get extra points to live permanently in Quebec or Canada. And the skill to speak the language increases your growth manifold if you have French mentioned in your CV. 

French Jobs in Foreign Embassies

Every embassy hires some local staff of the host country to assist a variety of work. You can work like customer support, receptionist, dealing with passports and visas, an IT technical staff, translator, interpreter, an administrative job, press office job, research analyst, messengers, logistics, and more. With over 25 French-speaking nations worldwide, French is one of the most widely spoken native languages in the world. It empowers you to apply for jobs in foreign embassies.

Career Opportunities as a Translator & Interpreter

With the ever-increasing digitalized world, French experts can earn handsome money by work from home in different domains such as translator, proofreader, interpreter, editor, content writer,  etc. Approximately 50% of French learners prefer to work as a freelancer. The career prospects as an interpreter and translator are highly lucrative. You can do this as freelancers for embassies, businesses, and educational institutions. To become a successful interpreter or translator in India, you will need near-native proficiency in French, and certification of DALF C1 or C2 level. With experience, you can also consider the role of specialist translation in different areas like legal, medical, technical, financial, and literary.

Useful in Travel, Tourism, Leisure & Hospitality Industry 

The French language skill can be useful to assist the foreign traveller, communicate with French speaking-employees, and work in French-speaking countries. The fluency provides more jobs in the tourism industry for French speakers in India.

A Career as a Teacher, Lecturer, and Corporate trainer

International companies look for French corporate trainers who can train the candidates for various courses or on-site opportunities or deal with French clients. As a result, skilled French teachers and College & University lecturers find their services in higher demand. If you have a passion for teaching, there is always a French language teaching job opening for you, including online French course teaching.

Importance of French in Import & Export Business

Since French is spoken in 31 African countries known as Francophone Africa, French is essential to communicate and connect with many African countries, especially North and Western Africa. You will be able to establish and maintain personal and professional contacts. In an export-import business, you can explore a myriad of employment options after learning French in India. Diverse cultures in contact with one another can create unprecedented opportunities for exchange, cooperation, and mutual benefit. In the export sector, there are lots of job opportunities for French language specialists all world over.

For all of the career options aforementioned and a whole lot that hasn’t been mentioned. Acquiring French can be one of the most rewarding and exciting things you will ever do. Becoming fluent in French will offer you an unrivalled feeling of accomplishment, and it is a skill that can be of significant importance to you for the remainder of your life. Thanks to the ever-growing job market for French learners, you don’t have to struggle to secure a highly paid language job in an increasingly competitive job market like India. It is something that brings you lots of benefits as it opens you up to the world and the vast opportunities present there.

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