"I teach French at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC. I started teaching there while I was in the process of writing my MA thesis for the Uvic French Department. I've been teaching for 5 years now and I love it! I try to inspire my students to continue learning French and other languages by incorporating knowledge I gleaned from the excellent teachers at the UVic French Department. I always try to include historical, cultural, literary and linguistic material when teaching grammar, for example, and enjoy seeing the sparks of these fragments ignite into new-found interest in students who come to class thinking it will all just be very boring. On the one hand, the French instruction I received as a child helps me understand the process students go through in second or third language learning, on the other, my BA in French and German, and my MA in French taught me to research, think critically, discover backgounds and develop independent thought within the context of language and literature : skills I use in teaching my students not to just learn a language, but to love a language." Karen Aldrich, BA (2004) MA (2009).

"After completing my B.A. at Uvic I had decided to take the opportunity presented by the embassy of France to teach as an English Assistant. I learned of this opportunity from one of the professors in the department and also from the posters displayed in the hallway in the department. This opportunity not only allowed me practice and improve my oral French, it also allowed me to try out teaching. While in working as an English Assistant in France, I also had the opportunity participate in a music festival and do some translation work from French to English and English to French. I enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to renew my contract to teach for an additional year where I worked with a different age group of students in different schools. In all, I was able to make the most of my experience and thanks to my experiences at Uvic I was empowered to succeed in my adventures abroad. After two years of working hard on my fluency and testing out a possible career in education I decided to attend UBC for the Bachelor of Education. Working closely with other French secondary student teachers I was able to assure myself that this was a profession that allowed me to share my French skills with my students. Unlike many other subject areas for teaching French is a highly sought after position that is in demand in B.C.. I would suggest to future French teachers who wish to have the most opportunities that they take their time before deciding and living in a Francophone environment and enhance their fluency while getting world experience. My experiences in France and teaching definitely gave me an advantage for finding a job as a certain mastery of the language would foster more professional opportunities. My efforts to improve my fluency constantly since finishing my degree have come to fruition after successfully completing the education program at UBC. I am currently living in Vancouver and will be teaching French Immersion in the North Vancouver School District in the fall." Lucas Mann, BA 2008

"I'm a UVic Alumni 2003, French and Psychology. After graduation from UVic, with the help and encouragement of John Greene and Lucie Daigle, I moved to Nice, France for a year as an "Assistant de Langue". This experience was incredible, allowing me to fully immerse myself in the French culture and really perfect my spoken French. The school system in France is quite different, but allowed me to travel a great deal on the school holidays - memories to last a lifetime. After returning to Canada, I attended the UBC in the Faculty of Education, a one-year degree in teaching, specializing in French as a Second Language. Even before I was finished my long practicum, I was hired by the Burnaby School Board for the following September. I feel that this was due, in large part, to my ability to speak French. I was hired to begin a new French program at an elementary school; grade 6 Late French Immersion. I have been a full-time grade 6 teacher since 2005. In addition to teaching full time, I returned to UBC to complete a Master's of Education degree, with a graduating paper on the topic of "Access of French Immersion Programs and Inclusive Teaching Practices in the Classroom", published in 2009. I have just given birth to my first child, a little girl, and I intend on speaking English and French with her...."Lindsey Kippan, 2003

"I left Victoria in 2007 after teaching French Immersion at the elementary level. Then I taught French in Izmir, Turkey in an international school where I stayed two years. After that I went to Cairo to teach French Immersion at one of the Canadian International schools for two years. Now I am in Turkey in Istanbul teaching French in another international school. I love teaching and traveling." Claudine LeGoff, MA 1997

"J'ai gardé un excellent souvenir du département de français a l'UVIC. Après le B.A. je suis allée enseigner l'anglais en France (à Tours) en tant qu'Assistante d'Anglais. Ensuite j'ai eu un poste de Lecteur d'Anglais à la fac de droit a Strasbourg (2 ans). Ensuite je me suis mariée avec un français et j'ai continue avec les études (lettres modernes, et littérature comparée) maitrise, et DEA. Ensuite j'ai passé un concours de l'Éducation Nationale (CAPES) afin d'enseigner l'anglais de plein droit dans les établissements publics. En tout, je suis restée 10 ans en France. Ensuite mon mari a eu un poste à l'Ambassade de France à Washington. Je l'ai suivi, et j'ai eu un poste d'anglais au Lycée Rochambeau à Washington, ou j'enseigne depuis 2000.  (C'est un lycée 100% français, ou la langue de tous les jours est le français.)  www.rochambeau.org  J'adore cet établissement et pense y rester longtemps. Tout récemment, j'ai été choisi parmi 15 autres enseignants aux USA de bénéficier d'une bourse importante de la part du National Endowments of the Humanities afin de participer à un colloque de 4 semaines sur le théâtre français moderne.  C'était à Avignon, durant le festival du théâtre en juillet, bien sur. C'était génial! Voila. En tout cas, je n'aurai jamais pensé que l'impact du français serait aussi fort, ni aussi prolongé." Erin Finney, BA 1991

"After graduation from UVic in 1985 I lived in Germany for over 2 years, working as a nanny & technical translator. Upon returning to Canada, I attended U of Toronto and completed an MA and a BEd. In 2004 I completed an MEd at UBC. I began teaching French & German in the Langley School District in 1994. I enjoy working with adolescent learners, helping them to understand the importance of being able to communicate in a 2nd or 3rd language and the potential opportunities for travel, post-secondary education or future employment. I've toured Europe four times with students from our high school and have thoroughly enjoyed watching them spread their wings in cities such as Paris, Vienna and Munich." Ellen Bornowsky, BA 1985

 "After graduating in 1979, I obtained my Teaching Certificate and spent a few years as an instructor of French language at Royal Roads Military College. Later I moved to Ecole des Langues at CFB Esquimalt where I taught French to military personnel.  By 1986, I was ready for a new challenge and it came in the form of an appointment as head of the French Department at St. Andrew’s Regional High school in Victoria, where I taught grades 8 to 12 until my early retirement in 2000.  During this time I led a number of school exchanges to Quebec and France.  On two occasions I took a leave of absence to accompany my husband on a sabbatical leave in Neuchâtel, Switzerland where I took further courses in French language at the University of Neuchâtel. In retirement, I have travelled extensively, often visiting our son and his family who live in Toulouse, France, which gives me a welcome opportunity to keep up-to-date with the French language." Ludmilla Weaver, BA 1979

 "After my BA (Honours) at UVic in 1971, I spent a year in Paris at Paris III, then went to the University of Toronto where I completed my MA (1973) and PhD (1979), both in French literature.  My first job as a junior faculty member was at Yale University. I have been teaching at UBC since 1983 where I hold the rank of Full Professor in what is now the Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies. The writer on whom I have written the most is Claude Simon (three books as well as edited collectives), but I have also worked in the field of gay studies. I edited or co-edited three volumes of "Yale French Studies." I have ben awarded two UBC Killam prizes, one for research and the other for teaching." Ralph Sarkonak, 1971

"Grâce à mes études en français j'ai travaillé comme prof de français langue seconde aux adultes au sein du gouvernement fédéral durant plus de 25 ans - ici à Victoria." Merry Connor

 "Je suis toujours à Parksville à l'école Springwood qui est une école d'immersion française. J'y enseigne les maths, les sciences, les sciences-humaines et le français au niveau 8e. J'adore enseigner en immersion car cela me permet de travailler dans ma langue maternelle et je sais que j'apporte quelque chose de différent à mes élèves grace à mon éducation et ma culture de France." Sophie Preston

"I am currently living in Toronto and working at the Ontario Arts Council as Animator/ Coordinator for Culture Days, a volunteer movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities. My position entails holding info sessions for artists and organizers in Ontario, registering Culture Days activities, acting as a resource to event organizers, marketing, media relations, and communicating with the public through our website and social media. Since the Ontario Arts Council offers grants to francophone artists and arts organizations and is required to offer services in both French and English, my background in French Language and Literature has given me a great advantage in enabling me to communicate with francophone clients and artists across the province." www.culturedays.ca / www.fetedelaculture.ca Nazanin Shoja, BA 2003

"I completed a major in the French Department and I am now an Archives Specialist with the Corporation of the District of Saanich. The parts of my degree that were most valuable to my career were the development of strong research skills, and the historical aspects (history of the language, historic literature). The French degree also gives me the option of working in a greater variety of archives (government, corporate, international). Sonia Nicholson, BA 2001

"I pursued a career with the federal public service and having the ability to speak French helped me get my first position. I speak French regularly at work and in the community where I live. I currently work for Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, in Ottawa and I live in Chelsea, Quebec. As a result, I have been able to continue to improve my language skills since graduating from university." Jody Aylard, BA 1982

"I work in Ottawa as an Investment Officer at the Department of Foreign Affairs International Trade Canada. My ability in French - oral comprehension, reading, writing, and speaking - has been invaluable to my professional life and is in constant rotation. I graduated with a BA in French and sociology, conducted private sector labour market research and program evaluation in the private sector where I honed my French technical jargon through interviews and impromptu translation, and am now completing a Master's of Public Administration. My ability to communicate in both official languages has helped me to get a foot in the door in current and previous jobs, and serves as a strategic asset for a BC Anglophone." Jenny Chilton, BA

"I'm located in Victoria and am the President and Executive Chef of Little Piggy Catering at the English Inn. While I principally use my French language training for frequent trips to France, professionally, we have a number of French speaking clients including the Francophone School Board and several local military branches. Similarly, we often employ French speaking staff. Having a firm command of French has also been helpful in my development as a culinary professional. French is the international language of food and professional cooking." Christabel Padmore

"I followed my BA with an LLB from UVic in 1982; I have worked for the Province of BC as a prosecutor since 1989 and have been a member of the bilingual prosecution team since 1991; French has been a major component of my career." Pinder Cheema, BA 1975

"I am still living in Victoria and I currently work as a Student Recruiter for UVic. I first discovered I really enjoyed working in an ambassadorial/public relations role while I was in the French department and spent time visiting high schools and helping out at Experience UVic and French department open houses to talk to prospective students about the great opportunities French studies offer students. I was actually offered a permanent job doing research with the federal government in Vancouver, but I chose to accept a position in recruitment because I really enjoyed my work representing the Department. In my current position with National Recruitment, I am the one French-speaking member of the team, and I am proud to reach out to even more students across Canada because I speak both national languages." Lauren Crawford, BA 2009, MA 2011

"I was an undergraduate student at UVic from 1993 until 1997, when I obtained my BA with a major in French and a minor in Spanish. I also enjoyed taking courses in a number of other languages: Latin, German, Italian, as well as Old French. In 1998, I moved to Toronto and did my MA in French Linguistics at the University of Toronto. After that one-year program, I continued on with my PhD in French Literature, also at U of T. My thesis, which I defended in 2003, was entitled "Collusions linguistiques: la littérature plurilingue en Occitanie au Moyen Âge." In it, I examined the series of medieval troubadour poems that make use of different languages for a variety of reasoons. Since 2003, I have worked for the Government of Ontario, and now work in communications managing a team of professionals who maintain websites for the Ministry of Education. Marc Trottier, BA 1997

"I am presently employed as a Student Advisor in the International and Exchange Student Services office here at UVic.  I provide support for incoming exchange students from UVic’s partner universities.   Prior to this I was an ESL instructor both in Canada and Japan for 18 years.  My degree in French has been very useful to me in my career.  As an ESL instructor, it enabled me to gain employment with DND as an ESL instructor to French-speaking military personnel.  In my present position, I work with a number of incoming exchange students from France, and although they speak English, from time to time I have the opportunity to communicate with them in French as well." Sherri Williams, BA 1988

"Je travaille chez R.A. Malatest comme "coder." Ça veut dire que je fais de la traduction, j'organise des grandes bases de données, et je corrige les épreuves." Katherine Hewko, MA 2008

"Je pourrai rentrer pour faire une deuxième maîtrise en Histoire dans laquelle je détiens un autre diplôme dans le cadre du programme de double majeur que j'ai suivi avec le français au niveau sous-gradué à UVic ou pour suivre un programme professionnel plus pratique pour le marché du travail. J'ai trouvé toute une section d'oeuvres de la littérature africaine en anglais et aussi des oeuvres littéraires écrites par des africains en français à la Bibliotèque McPherson. Je m'y rends toujours pour emprunter des livres que je lis avec une voracité incroyable dans les deux langues tandis que je lis aussi en portugais, tout en écrivant un roman sur un conflit intergénérationnel ayant la liberté comme son thème principal. Et l'écriture de cette oeuvre s'achemine vers la troisième partie et vers la crise finale. C'est une oeuvre littéraire avec une esthétique sociologique et anthropologique africaine, tout étant aussi une satire de quelques moeurs africaines démodées que la vieille génération croit comme étant encore des coutûmes honnorables. Mais la rébellion de la nouvelle génération renverse le statu quo et la société n'est plus la même... La partie écrite jusqu'ici fait 110,000 mots, soit 215 pages. J'ai des outils pour écrire de la fiction -- ce que je peux faire en français, en anglais ou même en portugais. Je détiens un diplôme en écriture de fiction et en journalisme. Je ne pouvais pas écrire quand j'étudiais à UVic à cause du manque de temps." Francisco Moises