question for employers/recruitment people

[ShrinkingViolet]

all other things being equal, which candidate for a new graduate type position would interest you more - one with German A level, or one with Latin A level? Would seeing either on a CV make you call one for interview over the other?
DD1 needs to decide her A level choices soon, and is dithering between Latin and German. She has good arguments for either choice, but asked me to ask the Mumsnet as she can't choose .

[Lizzylou]

I'm in Legal Recruitment, so don't deal with "new" graduates, but I think both have their merits. It really depends on what your DD wants to do at University/in her career. If she wants to study Medicine/Law then Latin could be useful (likewise English degree). But if she wants to do a business type degree an extra "living" language could be very useful.
HTH

[ShrinkingViolet]

degree will (hopefully) be in Maths (or Maths plus something), so it's what's going to give her CV an extra "sparkle" really as neither subjects are directly relevant.

[Lizzylou]

What does she want to do with her degree?
I would move towards German myself, just because she may decide to carry on with the language/work abroad and this gives her the opportunity.

[Hassled]

I no longer have a job that involves recruitment, but would say that if she's not of a Humanities/Englishy bent, then go for German. I read something recently about employers snapping up graduates with additional languages - the German is something she could maybe pursue later on, whether as part fo a degree or in her own time, enough to make her reasonably confident as a German speaker.

[flowerybeanbag]

Depends on the job, if it was a job where languages were not needed or relevant, it wouldn't make any difference to me at all.

However I would recommend German over Latin because there are more likely to be jobs where German would be handy than Latin, it's more likely to be useful to her generally.

[ShrinkingViolet]

for a job/career she's thinking about actuarial work or similar. But bearing in mind she's just 15, and I'm sure that's all going to change.
Interstign that the general feel here is towards German, a RL friend said that she'd think "ooh, that's interesting" if she saw Latin A level, and be keen to talk to that candidate.
A further option is to do a Certificate of Business Language in German (is that what it's called?) as well, if she chooses Latin, plus holiday work in Germany (we have friends there) during holidays, so as to keep up the language.
What would be more important - being able to speak the language fluently, or having a qualification?

[trixymalixy]

I'm an Actuary and I and other actuarial employers would be more interested in someone who could speak a living language.

[trixymalixy]

Fluency would be more important than a qualification. I have French qualifications, but am nowhere near fluent.

[flowerybeanbag]

Definitely fluency. I studied French A Level and also did a year of it at degree level, so I am supposedly fluent. My French is in actual fact appalling, quite frankly. I can understand most of what's said to me but when it comes to formulating a response, no chance.

[ShrinkingViolet]

Food for thought there for DD - thanks everyone!

[blueshoes]

I work in a global firm - German definitely. Opens up your dd's options to be posted there or service German-speaking clients. Great if she works for a global firm.

I studied and practised law. You don't need to know Latin to beyond a few phrases which you pick up in law school. Thereafter, you never touch them again in the commercial world except to impress dinner guests , unless you continue in academia.