MFL at uni

[northender]

Dd is doing French, German and PE at A level (Y12) and is keen to continue with MFL in some form at uni. I'm interested to hear of other people's experiences of different courses. She liked the look of International business studies with French (& doing Spanish as an additional language) but now is thinking of pure languages. There seem to be so many different combinations including a language it's quite hard to navigate.

I went to UCL for MFL - French adn German. I didn't want to do literature really and could focus on current affairs/politics and social issues

That is mainly true unless someone had a specialism in film and languages and was interested in subtitling. Film and Netflix/streaming subtitling is a hugely growing industry with the growth in popularity of FL films and programmes in the mainstream, although sometimes (not always) in very niche languages. It is not always considered better to be a native speaker of the language being translated from in this instance.

This is all interesting to read.
My DD1 is currently reading English lit and Spanish at royal Holloway.
I still don't profess to understand her degree but am just glad she does 😂
I would however look closely at modules at different unis , it varies so hugely depending on the leaning of that institution.
RH is very much arts leaning so many of DDs modules are based on art history , feminism and other liberal subjects built around literature , for both her subjects.
She also has shorter compulsory modules in other languages. Not necessarily leaning another MFL but studying German or french literature in English.
For DD it suits her artsy leanings and her literature and Spanish mesh together quite fluidly.
Have no experience of joint honours where there may be little overlap but it's felt like her JH have blended well.
She's in her final year and most avenues are open to her (as long as she keeps knuckling down!!).

I would say it’s important to know what avenue you want. Especially in final when internships have come and gone. DD planned her career and I think that pays dividends.

Would not recommend languages on their own (I'm a professional translator and have been for many years) because the pay both in translation and in teaching are pretty low (I've recently seen job adverts for MFL teacher roles at secondary schools for £70-120 a day). Much better to combine with another subject such as business / economics or law in my opinion.

Is that supply teaching? Teaching is a salaried profession.

@Piggywaspushed

Is that supply teaching? Teaching is a salaried profession.

It sounds like it's full time: uk.indeed.com/m/viewjob?jk=a03005545f1312b6&advn=9910156437748496&adid=374768137&ad=-6NYlbfkN0B2CvZvmw_kV0tw4vuZ5Q0yqxAHLT-svKtszUR9G_PBCwqPXAYG2PO8EddGklyvXGw_7jE4RGwsgMkPQDBsYA2bLWT1xwqGk80M2rAQwn5LZO5yOSN6NDDGaQ7RKl7p3GuOdoSwbA03JKve3IrM1MXeyKpb09dDrdcCseJRCur1gnKeRBCmCFPKeWblIpZrYILW6hK9qnwoJPBezg62tnoZ6q4VXOxx58GOZy7BTB1DeNPU8DGh1XNUdjU0rDIN8jihlLTjM62zSIikGvwO_AVhkmVWvSJUwRyktqTML_vV9r8nTJ1ghrUByksO5Gl3ryZY6tNg0w7OVd-6c-_uCda5sQe1uqm1aEU8JFPvoXwKeUkeEsmC54H9uP-a4VjmvkyLdavVEtUTog7RRPHDKjAEYcknJ8v4H2M%3D&from=serp&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aplitrak.com%2F%3Fadid%3DcGF1bC53YW5sZXNzLjUzOTM4LjQ3MDdAY2FyZWVybGVnYWwuYXBsaXRyYWsuY29t&desth=f031789d3757b08910176bf628819311&prevUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fuk.indeed.com%2Fm%2Fjobs%3Fq%3DMfl%2BGerman%2BTeacher&tk=1fje849v4t7fu800&dupclk=1&acatk=1fje84f8ittom800&pub=6917c08ec3ecf6012dd26f3773156e870cace3277f6b99df

Interesting that prospects seem to be better for pure language graduates from UK universities, even with a degree in languages. I have an masters from a leading German university in 2 languages and could only dream of a Civil Service job.

Wish there was an Edit button! *a masters

It’s perfectly possible to apply for the civil service here with a MFL degree. It’s considered a degree that’s worthwhile and lots of MFL grads are high calibre. However they are not employed just for languages. So a masters in languages would not make much difference if you could not pass the selection tests.

That applies to lots of careers. I often think language advice on here is rather non aspirational. It’s not seen as a degree where grads can earn well. Very well. They just need to move away from the obvious careers like translation. There’s a much bigger world out there. If grads want management/business and MFL, and have the A levels to do it, go for it. Otherwise do joint honours. Don’t pick the easier options. Stretch intellectually. Then lots of jobs are possible. The year abroad really helps too.

That is very peculiar to advertise a teaching role in that way! Teaching is definitely not the only job open to MFL graduates, although many students do languages degrees with a view to teaching ( some young people do want to teach!) FWIW, current government says it aims to put starting salary up to 30k pa which is not peanuts.

£30,000 is average grad starting salary. It’s ok but possible to do better!!

Yes, if money is what motivates (although that is mean salary and not a typical starting salary and not average for MFL) but I was really just commenting on the weirdness of the ad posted above!

Money motivates people who need to pay the rent.

Oh, come on now. You can pay the rent on a teachers salary! You were talking about high paid jobs previously. That's not paying rent.

That was a tongue in cheek remark! Not literally accurate. I know higher paid jobs would have money to spare but £30,000 does not go far in London. So depends on rent really. Of course in areas where rents are less, being a teacher is just fine for money. When you talk about buying a property, that’s where there is a real difference in what salary is needed.

@TizerorFizz

It’s perfectly possible to apply for the civil service here with a MFL degree. It’s considered a degree that’s worthwhile and lots of MFL grads are high calibre. However they are not employed just for languages. So a masters in languages would not make much difference if you could not pass the selection tests.

That applies to lots of careers. I often think language advice on here is rather non aspirational. It’s not seen as a degree where grads can earn well. Very well. They just need to move away from the obvious careers like translation. There’s a much bigger world out there. If grads want management/business and MFL, and have the A levels to do it, go for it. Otherwise do joint honours. Don’t pick the easier options. Stretch intellectually. Then lots of jobs are possible. The year abroad really helps too.

Thank you; that's very interesting.

Wow this has moved on! Thanks for all your comments, really valuable, particularly re German, food for thought there. Great advice about content too. She definitely wouldn't go for a lot heavy course and yes, we're aware PE is a "softer" subject and are fine with that. Newcastle is in the lead at the minute but there's a long way & a lot more research to go!

I did languages at uni and if I had my time again I would definitely combine it with business or similar.

Why though? Good MFL grads can be very successful. Doing business doesn’t necessarily make any difference if you are not the right sort of candidate. Plenty of people get business jobs without a business degree. There are such things as internships, work experience, volunteering, what you do regarding clubs at university, and all sorts of things that improve you as a business candidate it’s not all about degree. However the best unis for business and management offer great courses but if you are a linguist would you get on one?

My dd graduated from Newcastle last year with a triple MFL degree. Great place to live, and an awful lot cheaper than Bristol which was her second choice! Plus it was higher up the league tables then, I have no idea where they all are now.

I would agree to look closely at the course structures because they varied a surprising amount. She wanted a fairly equal balance of language and culture modules, and some universities are quite weighted to one or the other.

Her ab initio language was German which is still the weakest, but she can read it easily. She is near native fluency in French and not far behind in Spanish, so you can get good results even if you do 3. She also did a year of Italian, lol, she just loves languages.

Lots of employers are not really bothered about the nuances of the top 10 in MFL league tables if they are not recruiting for MFL. They fluctuate quite a lot depending on language too. DD has never used her languages since graduating so what she can speak or read is immaterial. Employers who are not recruiting for MFL skills won’t care. They look for other things.

Bristol is always going to be more expensive than Newcastle. Just look at property prices! Doesn’t mean the grads get better jobs though!

I was in exactly the same position as your DD, took French and German A-Level but decided to swap and take French and Beginners' Spanish at uni.

I also agree with PP that triple languages is quite hard to manage although of course not impossible - I'm currently on my Year Abroad and sorting out two placements was a difficulty, let alone three!

If she's interested in translation/interpreting, some unis offer undergrad Modern Languages with Translation degrees which could be of interest?

Why pidgeonhole yourself into a low paying profession though? How many employers actually want this?

@TizerorFizz

Why pidgeonhole yourself into a low paying profession though? How many employers actually want this?

Not sure if you're replying to me here, apologies if not!

If you're referring to the Translation Studies degree, it's not purely translation (that would only be available as a masters), so a good portion of the course would be a traditional MFL degree. People taking this course probably already know they're interested in translation as a career, or potentially interpreting which at high levels can be very well paid. If they decide against translation, they've got a lot of transferable skills - including another language or two! - which can be put towards a different career.

Not for everyone but if OP's DD has an interest in translation and wants to avoid literature etc. it could be another option to look at.

Sorry yes. I didn’t tag you @thetwofridas

I think it’s a shame to specialise too early. You can do translation on the year abroad. At least by then careers are looming. I would still contend that a traditional MFL degree keeps more doors open. Most MFL grads don’t use their languages.

Also what’s well paid? Translation isn’t. How many interpretors are there? Very few.