Joanna worked abroad in Paris and is now job-hunting with an impressive CV
by Dimitry B
This article was written by Global Graduates, published on 25th March 2012 and has been read 36391 times.
Joanna studied Modern and Medieval Languages (French) at Cambridge University and spent her year abroad working in Paris. She graduated in 2011 and is now job-hunting.
"It is not every twenty year old English girl who finds herself reading the weather forecast on French television, interviewing a rock band in a dark and smoky recording studio in a Parisian basement, or auditioning young actors for a short film series for the Festival of Cannes. My Year Abroad in France, made up of two Erasmus-supported work placements gave me a wealth of experiences working in French companies, with all-French teams, in the heart of French film and television culture. I worked unpaid for four months of my ten months' experience, and without the Erasmus funding and the increased student loan I received a part of being a language student on a year abroad, I would not have been able to do it. Having graduated this year, I am currently looking for work and find myself in a strong position having accumulated 10 solid months of work experience, when most other graduates have done two-week stints here and there. I am planning on returning to France to find permanent work because my experience was so positive. The friends I made I have been able to keep in touch with, and they will be the most important part of my professional network in the future.
Without the Year Abroad, a linguist would struggle to find the confidence and experience to go off into the world and make a life in their chosen country. They would struggle to see the culture beyond the pages of books, and outside of the perspectives of the British and American literary critics who form the majority of our critical reading. The Year Abroad was the most fulfilling and exciting year of my life so far, and I would be far less employable, rounded and confident about the future without it."
In partnership with the British Academy and University Council of Modern Languages (UCML) we gathered short reports from graduates on the importance that the year abroad has had for them, in terms of their skill set, their careers and their lives. These reports formed the basis of the Position Statement: Valuing the Year Abroad. Browse the reports below for inspiration, and select a tag within a report to read more on that theme.
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