How is french helpful in Canada?

[unarmed]

Hello,
I am in Ontario and soon I will apply for PR in Ontario, I was wondering if learning french language can be helpful, My questions are -

1. If learning french is helpful in *Ontario* then how is it helpful? please elaborate
2. What level of french proficiency is helpful in Canada?
3. In which areas learning french is helpful? For example - in jobs etc.

any other suggestions/comments you like to give then please do

Thank you

 

[ttrajan]

It is helpful if you are looking for jobs in Quebec.

 

[newtone]

You also get slightly more money for being bilingual

 

[buliwyf]

I think it's only helpful if you're completely fluent in French.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I think it's only helpful if you're completely fluent in French.

that is not necessarily true. While it may be ideal for a candidate to be fully bilinqual, for some (not all) private sector jobs, only a "working" knowledge of it is essential. For the public sector (ie: goverment jobs), then yes, it is required to be fully bilinqual. not having any or very minimal french background is a big barrier for ottawa newcomers (myself included).

in Ottawa, it is a valuable skill for getting a full time job. it is seen A LOT on job postings around ottawa, because it is the government center of the country. it also depends on what job you are applying for, as most jobs that require you to speak to customers frequently will want bilinqual candidates. ottawa borders quebec, so it can be pretty common for companies to serve french speaking companies/clients.

 

[unarmed]

Thank you very very much, that means that I should start learning french for jobs perspective.

 

[Rob_TO]

Thank you very very much, that means that I should start learning french for jobs perspective.

If you aren't living in Quebec or in a town bordering Quebec (like Ottawa), then French is not very useful at all. Just in some specific types of jobs in the government, or if you are applying specifically for a job requiring dealings with French customers/clients. So if you are settling in Toronto, it might not be worth your time depending on your job field.

 

[unarmed]

As 'rcohen' said above that it is a valuable skill if you learn french in getting a job, what are your views about it?
THX

 

[aashay12]

education is never a waste.....i wish i knew french....i took in 2002 at alliance Francasie in mumbai
it was an intro class...and all i remember is the nursery rhyme "allouette"....

 

[keesio]

education is never a waste.....i wish i knew french....

+1

My wife and I live in Toronto. She is going through the process of getting her Ontario license to practice as a physiotherapist. She's been looking at some job postings and noticed that there are several postings looking for bilingual therapists. I think the main need is that there are laws that require a certain amount of bilingual speakers, even if the demand is not necessarily there. I know being bilingual is a big benefit for working on a Canadian airline, especially Air Canada since by law they must be able to provide services in English and French so they need at least one flight attendant on the flight that can speak French. So there are many places where being bilingual is a strong benefit - even outside Quebec. My wife is planning on bringing up her French textbooks from the US to refresh her skills.

 

[unarmed]

+1

My wife and I live in Toronto. She is going through the process of getting her Ontario license to practice as a physiotherapist. She's been looking at some job postings and noticed that there are several postings looking for bilingual therapists. I think the main need is that there are laws that require a certain amount of bilingual speakers, even if the demand is not necessarily there. I know being bilingual is a big benefit for working on a Canadian airline, especially Air Canada since by law they must be able to provide services in English and French so they need at least one flight attendant on the flight that can speak French. So there are many places where being bilingual is a strong benefit - even outside Quebec. My wife is planning on bringing up her French textbooks from the US to refresh her skills.

Thank you very much for input, which level of french is required? Can you give more details?

 

[keesio]

To be honest, I don't know. I believe the therapist jobs was "functional" french. I think that means being at least conversational level with being familiar with all the medical terminology.

 

[rhcohen2014]

I think the main need is that there are laws that require a certain amount of bilingual speakers, even if the demand is not necessarily there.

I *think* the law is 10% must be french speaking? i was at a newcomer focus group last week and this came up because the language is seen as a barrier to finding a job for most newcomers. i'm not sure if this is just ottawa, or for ontario as a whole.

My wife is planning on bringing up her French textbooks from the US to refresh her skills.

your wife knows she has access to FREE french lessons as a PR, right?

 

[mrbeachman]

Back in the day when I moved from Montreal to Toronto with my 100% bilingual Francophone girlfriend and her only experience being in customer service, she applied for several jobs in Toronto that were looking for bilingual staff and got a job within 4 business days. Her salary also went up from 32,000 a year in Montreal to almost 50,000 in Toronto. So, I would say bilingual people in Toronto are in a lot of demand.

However, your functional French will not cut it. You really, really need to be born in Quebec and speak fluently.

 

[keesio]

your wife knows she has access to FREE french lessons as a PR, right?

I thought that was just for people residing in Quebec? Gotta check that out! Thanks!