Jump to content

Did you educate your children in France? What jobs are they doing now?


Mackyfrance
 Share

Recommended Posts

Someone else posted this question on another forum and got depressingly few replies. I'm very concerned that if my children finish their education here they won't find work. People always talk about being bilingual but to be honest, being bilingual in French and English is not exactly rare. I think they'd be better off speaking fluent Spanish or Mandarin. Also, I've never yet come across an English person working in a bilingual position here. So..... prove me wrong!  What jobs are your children doing?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've not got children so perhaps shouldn't be chipping in here - except... I too have wondered about the eventual success of British kids in France in the job market. Yes, it's good for them to grow up bi-lingual (though I think bi-cultural is probably the more valuable / beneficial outcome) but I also have wondered how many France-educated kids end up with English as their second language, most particularly from a written English point of view. And does that inhibit their job chances if they choose to (or have to) look to the UK for employment?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I currently have an 18 year old French girl staying with me who says it is very difficult to get jobs in France.  Even to wait tables, employers ask for a 3 year diploma, so she says.  Anyway, I got on the phone today and she is delighted because I have sorted out a flat for her and, spoken to a pub/restaurant manager who tells me he is very interested in seeing her and has arranged an interview.

She really cannot believe how easy it is in UK compared to France.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both our sons grew up here and eventually went to university. I've already mentioned on another thread that they both have good qualifications in their fields and that one, after searching for a job for months in France, is now working in Switzerland, and the other is working in a video store, temporarily, before leaving for Vienna with his Austrian partner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we lived in France,  all the english families which I knew of in Grenoble (some circa +) who had raised their children through the french education system sent their children to UK universities or they were working in restaurants, chef, waiter(ress). Few jobs for the youth and even less for foreigners even though their children had been raised in France.  In rural france it is ever harder!

Hopefully it may change but when I am not so sure.

Deby

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a very interesting question Macky and I'm glad you've replicated it here.

If people could say the ages their children were when they started school in French, I think that'd be helpful.

We toyed with the idea of moving here when my son was aged 11/12 but for me, at that time, it already felt 'too late' for him.

So, I have no personal experiences to add to the thread, but I'm really hoping for a better response than the question got on TF.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Where are you hearing these stories Twinkle?  Of the people I know who've educated their children here not one of the children has found work in France and all have voluntarily opted to return to the UK. This included children who've been here since the ages of 6 or 7. The other thread I mentioned has had two responses from parents who's children have been through the education system here. Same story. One even had to resort to using a French agency that specialises in finding jobs in the UK for French nationals. There has only been one person who's daughter has found a job here as a social worker. Now, either parents aren't answering the question for some reason or we're all kidding ourselves that moving our children to France is actually giving them any sort of future benefit. If they all end up having to move back to the UK to find work then I'm not sure what the point is. Do the perceived advantages really make it worth it?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Tresco"]It's a very interesting question Macky and I'm glad you've replicated it here.

If people could say the ages their children were when they started school in French, I think that'd be helpful.

We toyed with the idea of moving here when my son was aged 11/12 but for me, at that time, it already felt 'too late' for him.

So, I have no personal experiences to add to the thread, but I'm really hoping for a better response than the question got on TF.
[/quote]

 

Mine started here at 6 and 8 and are now in 5eme and CM2.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe the lack of response is because (at least in part) the moving of families with young children to France as a lifestyle choice rather than a work-driven move (to work for a multinational company for eg) is a relatively recent thing. In which case perhaps not that many children have gone through the French education system and come out at the other end.

Sure, lots of British people have been moving to France over the years, but perhaps earlier arrivals were early retired / retired so children were already out of the nest and fledged in the UK. There's also the possibility that people who've been here long enough for, say, an 11-year old on arrival to go completely through the French system are no longer frequenting these forums because they no longer need them.

I can offer the experience of a British friend who has two children who by now are about 17-ish and 15. The elder is training as a chef - college + placement at a very good restaurant; the younger is intending to train as a midwife.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mackyfrance"]Where are you hearing these stories Twinkle?  Of the people I know who've educated their children here not one of the children has found work in France and all have voluntarily opted to return to the UK. [/quote]

That's what I tried to say in my response.

Niether of our sons has managed to find work in France. (except temporary jobs of course)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine started at 14, 12 and 4. My little four year old is now a strapping 22yr old who has applied to become a french citizen. Growing up they only had french television and the only english they ever spoke was to me. The result is that their french is better than their english. Does that bother me? No. They are strong, independent, multicultural, multilingual and the tough times we went through in france helped to make them that way

Everyone is different and everyones circumstances are different but I made a point of never looking back, never allowing the 'what ifs' to surface and interfere with playing with the hand we'd been dealt.

But as many posters have mentioned, noone knows our children better than us, so if you think its going to work doe you, then go for it!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We moved here 13 years ago when the kids were 10 and 5 - now at 23 and 18, I have one training to be a Vet (he's in his second year at Ecole Veterinaire) and one about to do her Bac and planning on studying Pharmacy.

Neither have plans to go back to the UK - in fact they're more French than English. BUT they are both following career paths where employment should be relatively easy for them.

They were both very concious that their education has to lead to a long term career where they will be in demand. We live in a very rural part where most kids go into the tourist industry in one way or another.

It IS hard here to get employment but, I have to say, much of that is down to the employment laws.............which maybe changing (fingers crossed!!!)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mackyfrance"] If they all end up having to move back to the UK to find work then I'm not sure what the point is. [/quote]

Macky - they can go back bi-lingual or even tr-lingual as most children study Spanish here as well.  Also does it matter if they go back?  Two of my teenagers are planning to go back.  One is studying to be a chef and already has tentative job offers in the UK where a French cookery qualification is a passport to a job.  The other is studying to be a nanny and expects to easily find a London (or possibly a Paris) position because of her language skills.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Cathy"]

I don't think that there are huge numbers of people on this Forum with children.  Most seem to have grandchildren.  Am I right?

 

[/quote]

I've got three children - 8, 6 and 17 months. So it's a bit difficult to say what they'll do long term, but so far so good. Though I can't really contribute much to the OQ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi

We arrived here 5 years ago with children aged 13, 10 and 8.   My eldest is now 18 and taking his French Bac S, Option International.  So his written english is at A Level standard.  He will return to University in the UK, but only as the career path he has chosen has a specific course there and not here.  Afterwards, well hopefully as a sports correspondent he will travel the world.   Many of his friends are french or international children who have lived in at least two countries, and I think that is where you find the difference children who have lived in more than one country will seek out work throughout the world, whereas many of his UK friends at University will then either return to their hometown to work or at least stay in the UK.  I guess what I am saying is we have spread their wings for them and opened up borders.

Lollie

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My son is 6 so cant comment on the job front yet but I do know that where we lived in the UK was a very bad area for getting a job. There had been many large factories shut down in recent years, more and more foreigners were coming over and doing the less interesting jobs and the firms that were taking people on were only doing it thru agencies so they could hire and fire more easily. Job prospects were worse there and would have been just as much of a worry in later years if my son wanted to stay locally.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Again, my children are very young (and born here), so it is difficult to comment from experience - but possibly all those returning to the UK are doing so because their parents have given them the 'can do' factor in life instead of sitting around in France and saying 'well, it's difficult to find a job in France when you are young' - because, youth unemployment is super high in France, that's a fact.  Also, most of us living in France have moved over here, away from the bad parts of our own country but have we moved to somewhere that is any better in terms of 'high income' - I think most of us came over here for 'quality of life' remember, so if our kids work as waitresses etc, (which is a profession here) are they really that badly off!!!!

I have some good friends who moved over here in 1989 when their children were 11 and 9, their sons have both married local girls, one works as a highly qualified (and well paid) chef and the other earns a good living as a waiter/barman, so is it 'horses for courses'?

Also, how many of these children are truly bi-lingual and how many can read and write fluently in BOTH languages? 

Lots more to think about than just which education system is better!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Truly Bi lingual,  both in reading and writing?   The 500 or so each year that take the OIB.  Option internaionale Bac.  This exam is taught in several state schools throughout France, its tough but I would highly recommend it if you wish your children to be able to read and write to A Level standard in both languages.

 

Lollie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...