Careers Opportunities

From a career point of view, including a foreign language such as French in your degree is a very sensible move.

Language graduates are in short supply and are increasingly valued in a world where advances in technology and travel have made it a smaller place. Communication with people from other countries is becoming more important and more frequent.

As a result, graduates in French find jobs in a wide range of fields. Some work in areas which make specific use of French, such as interpreting and translation. Others, meanwhile, work for Government departments, including Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tourism, or the Treasury. This sort of work can involve helping to build relationships and further New Zealand's interests overseas, and can mean plenty of opportunities for travel.

With a background in French, there is also ample scope for you to enter the world of business, for example in the tourism industry, or working for any organisation with an international marketing strategy and links with French-speaking countries. Meanwhile, a number of recent Otago graduates now work as teachers, journalists and librarians, both in New Zealand and around the world.

And don't forget, French graduates can also take advantage of French government bursaries and teaching assistantships for further study and work experience in France and New Caledonia.

No matter what career path you choose - even if it's something seemingly unrelated to French altogether - the strong analytical and communicative abilities, open mind and international perspective that you'll have gained by studying French at Otago will always be of value.