How many times have you heard the saying that learning French will open doors for your child? Well, whether you are considering sending them to a public or Catholic school in Ontario, here are a few key points to reflect on as you prepare for your child’s language learning journey:
1. Bilingualism
As you may already know, bilingualism means that your child can effectively master both the English and French language. However, as a reminder, in the French Immersion program the English language as a subject is usually not taught until grade 3 or 4, when your child is approximately 9 or 10 years old, in most school boards. As a result, it would be highly recommended that you supplement their English language learning should you choose this option if you do not want to wait for the program to do so. Therefore, it is not enough to just have your child hear and see the language by living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and/or interacting with family members and friends. You would need to focus on introducing and incorporating resources for academic purposes so that they can read, write, speak, and understand the English language accordingly.
2. Postsecondary Education
Additionally, for your child to have access to more job opportunities in the long run, they must be able to get into the necessary college or university program(s) to help make that happen. With that being said, please keep in mind that unless your child goes to a Francophone (French-speaking) college or university, all of their classes will be delivered in English if they choose to go to an Anglophone (English-speaking) postsecondary school. The only exception would be if they choose to major or minor in French Studies or choose to go to a bilingual university or a bilingual campus within a university. This is another reason why your child must have a strong command of the English language when it comes to speaking, listening, reading, and writing, especially in their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses if their chosen program requires it.
3. Future Goals
Lastly, reflect on your child's future goals, aspirations, and the pathways they may want to consider. If they have specific career aspirations that involve the French language or international opportunities, continuing with the program could be advantageous. However, it is important to note that French language acquisition is merely a skill that MUST be paired with a specialization. Specializations can include marketing, project management, translation, engineering, and teaching to name a few. Therefore, do they aspire to be a bilingual marketing specialist, bilingual project manager, bilingual translator, bilingual engineer, or a French Teacher for example? Whatever they decide, French is the first step, but not the only step to your child's future success. So, even if they master the language, it does not guarantee that they will find bilingual opportunities if they have not honed a specialization.
At the end of the day, every child is unique. So, for the French Immersion program to guarantee more job opportunities, you must regularly reevaluate your child's bilingualism while reflecting on their postsecondary education pathways and future goals.
With that said, if you need additional support, book a Pre-Enrollment Consultation with our expert French as a Second Language Consultant (FSL Consultant), as they will:
inform you of all the available FSL program options in your preferred school board,
provide you with comparisons of all existing programs in that school board,
explain the possible disadvantages for each program,
give you the opportunity to ask them questions afterwards, and
recommend one program based on your child’s specific situation.
Our consultation services are for the Durham, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and York regions and are done over the phone.
If you reside outside of our service area and would like a consultation for your child, kindly email us at support@fairesens.ca.
Not ready to commit just yet? No problem! Consider reading How do I know if the French Immersion program is right for my child? or What are some disadvantages of the French Immersion program? for additional support.
Written by Shana Baptiste-Iseyemi
FSL Consultant and Former French Teacher
Mrs. Baptiste-Iseyemi has 10 years of experience supporting students from diverse learning and linguistic backgrounds. She has taught in both the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). She has also lived, studied, and worked in Grenoble, France.
She has a Honours Bachelor of Arts in French Studies with a minor in Anthropology from York University. She also has a Bachelor of Education with a focus on French as a Second Language and General Social Sciences from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto. Finally, she has a Career Strategist Certification with a focus on career development, career planning, and career management from the Career Professionals of Canada.
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