Business Professionals- Working in Quebec with only English

[carina1]

Hello,
I am a 20 somethings business professional with an associates degree for Business administration, marketing, and management. I have the experience that any employer would be looking for in an applicant! That includes expertise in running a business, running the marketing of a growing business including the full time job of social media marketing, sales manager (coming into a sale and closing it), hiring, training, and managing employees with no experience at all, buying and trend forecasting (formal wear industry).
I'm from Pennsylvania, US. I am moving to Quebec to be with my husband. I have been having a very hard time learning french and have a hard time believing I will be able to speak the basics by the time I get accepted for PR.

Do you all think I will have a problem getting a job in business if I can't speak french? I greatly appreciate anyone who responds to this post! You will be a huge help whether it's bad or good news!

 

[scylla]

Will you be able to find a job? I'm sure you will.

Will your options for work be quite a bit more limited since you don't speak French? Absolutely.

 

[next2015]

First, you should know, you are not alone. I find my self in a similar situation.

That said, my interaction with a few on this forum has confirmed, it is possible to get a job without proficiency in French but like Scylla said, the options are limited. Key to the availability of these options is the location of your employer. The biggest English speaking community in Quebec is in Montreal particularly the part they call West Island i.e. NDG, Pointe- Claire, Beaconsfield etc. Its in this area that you will find employers that have relatively relaxed requirements on one's French. You may need to keep that in mind.

I had a chat with a guy who shared with me what he did. While still in the US, he contacted US companies (big and small) that he knew had operations in Quebec and eventually got a job. He mentioned it wasn't easy, he had to build professional relationships from scratch which triggered one phone call and another. Perhaps you could try that approach. With your experince, you should know someone who knows someone...

So yes it may be a problem but from what I've learnt it's not impossible. You'll realise a lot of the IT guys (from Asia) in Montreal do not speak French and they tell you, they don't actually hear a lot of it in their places of work. Stay positive, stay focused.

All the best.

 

[mrbeachman]

Yes, I do. You will not be able to find a job in Quebec with English only.

First of all, what is a job in business? Posting on forums and saying I have the experience that any employer would be looking for in an applicant means very little to someone hiring you.

For your information the official language of doing business in Quebec is French. There is no other official language. English is not an option for doing business in Quebec.

I have lived in Quebec for 15 years and feel like I wasted my time (save for 6 years at the Colege/university which was a blast).

You will do well for yourself if you accept the reality and go from there.

 

[mrbeachman]

Also, moving from USA to Canada is a career suicide.

Moving to Quebec is really something I would not recommend to anyone who held a half decent job in the United States.

 

[carina1]

Thanks next2015, I am actually moving to the Vaudreuil-Dorion/ St-Lazare/ Husdon area, so it's 15 mins from west island! My husband's family already seems to have a lot of connections with the english population, many who are business owners. I never really need to use french besides trying to talk to his grandmother and father. It seems like mostly everyone I meet is fluent in both languages in that geographical area. I am trying to stay positive, but I'm not putting too much pressure on myself to make it big. My main concern is being able to pay for the necessities in the beginning and then when I get comfortable and more fluent, something will turn up!

mrbeachman, thanks for your input... but I don't really have a choice. I want to be with my husband and his family. If my main priority was being a successful business woman for the rest of my life, I would not move there. Thankfully, it is not my priority. It would be fantastic if I could have both, but i guess we'll have to wait and see!

 

[rhcohen2014]

mrbeachman, thanks for your input... but I don't really have a choice. I want to be with my husband and his family. If my main priority was being a successful business woman for the rest of my life, I would not move there. Thankfully, it is not my priority. It would be fantastic if I could have both, but i guess we'll have to wait and see!

while moving to Canada from the US basically means starting from scratch professionally for most people, since you are young, you'll most likely have no trouble getting back up to the desired professional level sooner now that you know all the "rules" of the game. i'm sure quebec will be quite challenging, so definitely use your husband's network to help guide you in the right direction. all of my jobs here have been found by networking. it's just as important here as it is in the US. I'm in Ottawa which has a high demand for french language for most jobs, and I was realistic enough to know I have to start from the bottom and work my way up again. It makes sense to me that I will need to prove myself in this market, gain Canadian references, and get familiar with the Canadian workplace. I'm quite confident at 36 yo it's not going to take me as long to reach my professional goals as when i was 23 and knew nothing about the business world.

other helpful suggestions from experience:
- make sure to get in touch with a local settlement agency who can refer you to employment/mentoring programs
- look up CLIC. It is a free french language program for newcomers sponsored by the canadian government. If you can't find it by googling, try looking up LINC which is the english equivalent. The majority of programs are full time, so it can give you something to do during the day and you can get a jump start on french. There are also some part time programs available. You will have to go to a specific location and take an assessment test (mine was hilarious as I knew absolutely nothing). Then you'll discuss what schools in your area provide the program. *Quebec may actually have their own free french language program, so check the provincial site for information about it.

best of luck!