Language Feature – French Courses

French is spoken by over 200 million people and is an official language in at least one country on every continent. Knowing French will help not only in France but also in Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, and other countries in Europe. It is a key language to know for business and for travel.

With one of the world’s biggest economies France is also renowned for its innovative high tech and biotechnology companies. For Irish job seekers this means that knowing French can be a significant advantage in obtaining well-paid, interesting, and dynamic employment. All areas of sales and call-centre help desks and tech support are looking for people with French skills, and in particular, web developers and software specialists with French are in high demand. In a tough economy, knowing French can also increase chances in highly competitive areas of marketing and communications. French is an official language of many international organisations and is crucial for careers in international affairs.

The French have long history of outstanding creative and cultural works; French novels, cuisine, films, painting, and music are among the most original works of art produced. But even if you not tempted to read Balzac over a plate of foie gras, making an effort to learn the language at the very least will help to make trips to Marseilles, Montreal, or Morocco more rewarding and fun.

There is an abundance of French courses all across Ireland, so much so that it might be wise to ask yourself some questions before plunging into a course. First consider what level of French you want to achieve. If you’re learning French for a holiday, you might only need conversational French, or if you are learning it for business reasons, a tailored course for business specifically is probably the most appropriate, or perhaps you want to be fluent. Next consider in what way you learn best: by yourself, in a group, or with a teacher face-to-face. Other points to consider include; how much time you want to devote to studying, and how much are you prepared to pay.

The Cork Institute of French offers a wide range of French courses at all levels for Leaving Certificate students, adults, business specific classes, and relocating to French-speaking areas. French courses for adults focus on general and conversational French and cover some essential grammatical concepts. Ten week courses (€140) start in a few weeks, and fifteen week classes (€210) start a few weeks later.

The Sandford Language Institute in Dublin offers a wide variety of French classes, from beginner to advanced levels. These classes focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and grammar. All classes are 14 weeks in duration, and are offered in both Milltown Park and Merrion Square.

Conversational classes allow students to learn necessary parts of a conversation, rather than the traditional method of learning via language and grammatical structures. Conversational classes focus on building vocabulary related to the particular topic. Topics can be as varied as selling computer parts in Haiti to sampling wine in Bordeaux. Usually students start with books to refer to and then as confidence grows, the book can be placed to the side.

If you would like to learn at your own pace Kilroy’s College offers online courses in conversational French and preparation courses for the Leaving Certificate examination in French.

Regardless of why and how, learning French can be an incredible opportunity both professionally and in personal life. To search for French courses simply view the following link – https://www.findacourse.ie/courses/french/