Hello + Questions.

[Aussie]

Hi everyone,

Just thought id take the time to say Hello as this is my first post on the forum.

:), Anyway.

Im "Aussie" a student from Australia and am interested in learning a new language, Tho I am having a bit of trouble deciding.

I have plans of travelling (backpacking) not just after i finish my studies but basically im looking to travel as much as i can throughout my life.

Some may find it strange that im not looking to live the average lifestyle that most people "pursue" but it seems im just the type of person that craves a more minimalistic lifestyle revolving around new experiences and world travel.

Even tho i plan to travel "Everywhere" id like to learn a language that would be of the most use to me. Sure any second language could be usefull but some are more usefull than others. :) - especially if I end up visiting the country of my second language more frequently than some other countries.

At the moment im having a hard time choosing between French and Spanish as im very keen to visit the Caribbean where both languages are frequently used (Along with english and a few others) and it would only be a positive to be able to speak one of these other languages.

Tho as iv never travelled (as of yet) i dont have a great deal of knowledge on either France, Spain or the Caribbean.

To be honest i have alot of questions but they all seem very vague and i think what im really looking for is some info from people that have first hand exsperience on living/life in france and possibly (if im lucky) any info on the French West Indies aswell.

 

Ill try keep these as basic as possible, and appreciate all responses.

I am currently going through the process in my spare time on (slowly) getting certified as a PADI divemaster here in Australia so if i chose to put alot of time and effort into learning a second language id hope that id be able to visit some really nice dive spots in that country. :) and possibly even work over there as a dive instructor if possible. (If theres a chance to do it, and how big the industry is in france.)

France seems like a materialistic country. (I hope thats not offensive to anyone) - but as mentioned above im looking to live a minimalistic life. Now i know im really just planning on backpacking through most of the places i travel and taking my time with it, But if given the opportunity to work in the country as a dive instructor of the language iv taken the time to learn i think id love to do it. Depending on how compatible i am with the lifestyle, I know that cities tend to have a bigger emphasis on materialism its the same for here in Australia, but id be looking at possibly staying in a more relaxed area.

Whats it like for a foreigner to work in France? Is it plausible or is they're alot of red tape that would make it very hard? Hopefully its coming across that i would like to learn french and i do have an interest in france but depending on what answers i get it might be more plausible for me to learn a language like Spanish instead as im currently going through the process of comparing both countries based on what it will be like for myself when i start travelling.

 

aswell that question will go hand and hand with the question before it but it may be easy for a foreigner to work in France but they're might not be any possibility of working as a dive instructor.

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Thanks for reading everyone, Sorry about the length and the vague questions i found it a bit hard to word what i was trying to ask.

 

Thanks, :)

Aussie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Dog]

You are a completely normal Aussie have no worries.

First learn English.

Is Australasia so unexciting that all Aussies leave?

I'd just buy a Lonely Planet guide book for each country and pick up the lingo as you wander.

I would say of the countries I have visited the most interesting speak neither French nor Spanish.

[cooperlola]

Good luck with whatever you do.  I wish I'd travelled more when I was young but sadly met my o/h just after leaving school so that was the end of that...[:D]

Point 1 - it's my belief that Spanish is spoken by more people than is French.  Don't know if that would sway you but, at least numerically, Spanish may be more useful.

Point 2 - I find it very interesting that you reckon France is materialistic.  It's the complete opposite of my experience.  After the UK where everybody wants a brand new car every year and has to buy loads of new clothes at the start of every season, I reckon I can "get away with" being out of date and a bit scruffy in this country more easily than was the case back in Britain - I feel one is judged less by one's appearance and status here than I was back in Britain (although I lived in a very similar area i.e. in the deep countryside but reasonably close to a large town).  But of course everybody's experiences are different.

[Âme]

Aussie - I have no personal experience of diving, but I have a friend who teaches diving to fund her travels. She usually organises a job to go to in advance, often with accommodation included to begin with, spending  a season in each place. She has worked in Australia, the Canary Islands, the Carribean (I'm not sure exactly where) and Greece.

She doesn't speak any other languages but has a smattering of a few, from her travels.  It's not usually the locals that she teaches to dive but the tourists... and the common language tends to be English.

Spanish is more widely spoken than French (by more people & probably in more countries, but I'm not certain of that and of course it depends on where you want to go [:)]). I would say that learning a second language stands you in good stead for picking up a third, fourth and fifth so it wouldn't be time wasted to learn some Spainish, French, or Mandarin.

Well, I hope that was of some help and I wish you luck with your plans. Perhaps somebody else can talk about dive spots in France or you might find a diving forum more useful on the specifics of a career in diving instruction.

Bonne chance.