DD has absolutely fallen in love with French over the course of Y12. She has a wonderful A-level teacher who really seems to have lit a fire in her, and she's very excited by her own progress. She is a very creative girl, and is intent on a degree in jewellery design or product design, but would now like to take a gap year or two and develop her French as much as possible in that time. We've been brainstorming options, but we can only think of two.
First, au pair in France. This would give her the advantage of having a guaranteed job before departure, accommodations, and a support system in a HF. She loves children and is good with them. It would be European French, which is what she is studying now. But she may struggle to find a HF in Paris or a major city, and she's hoping to participate in the local art community in her spare time, visiting galleries and taking some lessons. That might be harder in a rural setting.
Option two is a gap year in Canada. We are dual citizens, so she could work there. This gives her some control over where she works and what job; she could just go to Montreal and start applying in cafes and similar. It's more flexible and she wouldn't lose a visa if the job didn't work out. She could try different thjngs, teach at a ski resort, etc. She wouldn't have to live wirh her employers. But she'd have to sort out her own accommodation and she'd be further from home - no weekend visits. Although my DM is reasonably nearby in case of emergency. It's also Canadian French, which apparently has some differences from the European version.
So there are pros and cons to each. Are there anynoptions we haven't thought of? Any glaring red flags we're missing here that would make your DC lean one way or the other?