Jobs Using French (or other languages)
Many people write to me and say that they love French and would like to find a job - any job - where they can use it, but they are not sure what kind of job that might be. When I was in high school, I was in a similar position: I was studying French and Spanish and I knew that I wanted to do some kind of work that involved language but wasn't sure what my options were.
Here, then, is an introduction to some of the jobs that languages can be used for, as well as links to further information and resources. Obviously this list is not exhaustive; it is just to give you an idea of what kinds of jobs your language skills qualify you for and to help you find a starting place for your own research.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Additional Resources
Employment Links
French Job Letters
French résumés
* Teacher
* Translator/Interpreter
* Editor/Proofreader
* Travel/Hospitality
* World Service Officer
* International Organizations
* Other International Jobs
Jobs Using French
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.
Additional Resources
Employment Links
French Job Letters
French résumés
Careers
Aviation Careers
Travel/Hospitality
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, of course, are the men and women who fly the plane. They often have to communicate with the passengers, so for international flights, World 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.
Jobs Using French
World Service
The World service is the branch of a federal government that offers diplomatic services to other countries. World service employees staff the country's embassies and consulates around the world, and thus need employees who speak World languages.
Additional Resources
Employment Links
French Job Letters
French résumés
The requirements for a World 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 World 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.
Here are links to some World service information sites. If you know of any for non-francophone countries that I missed, I'd love to know so that I can add them to this page.
Jobs Using French
International Organizations
Additional Resources
Employment Links
French Job Letters
French résumés
International Organizations
Governmental
Nonprofit
Non-govermental (NGOs)
Organizations that use French
International organizations are another source of jobs where 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 that fall into three main categories:
1. Governmental, e.g., the United Nations
2. Nonprofit Charitable, like the International Red Cross
3. Non-governmental, such as HateWatch
As you can see even from these few examples, the sheer number and variety of international organizations offer you thousands of career choices. To get started, think about what kinds of organizations you might like to work with, based on your skills and interests.
There are far too many organizations for me to even attempt making a list, so follow the links in the box to the right to find lists of organizations that will help you in your job search.
* Accounting and Finance
* Consulting and Brokerage
* Education/Training
* Environmental Engineering Services
* Import for Gift Industry
* Legal Services
* Manufacture and Supply
* Real Estate
* Sales & Skills Training
* Travel and Transportation
* Guides and Publications for International Business