Where to study Modern Languages and is it worth it?

[Operafanatic]

my child is doing French and Spanish at a level plus media studies (which he dislikes). School are v generous with predictions (they are obsessed with getting students into RG unis as it is a school performance measure). We didn’t realise school over-predict (head of sixth form said that parents pressure them to). My YP is predicted AAA as a result but no way they getting that - BBC most likely. Asking for advice about MFL as they seem to be the courses getting cut

Does this mean that some countries can't or won't differentiate between an under grad MA and a post grad MA?

Does this apply to BSc and MSc as well?

Portsmouth isn't in the same league in the others - I'd leave that as a plan D if I were you!

Only do it with a clear career path in mind.

I did one and never used it, and left uni having no idea what i wanted to do. I now work in utilities.

Also bear in mind that she wants to apply dor grad schemes at the end of the degree, there will still be difficult maths tests, none of which I could do.

Surely over predicting is counter productive to the school ? DS college is the opposite. They want to be able to say that 100% of their students got their first choice uni.

Honestly Id say no its not worth it
So many immigrants qre dual-lingal and even French / Italian companies dont specify language ability

Suggest do business instead with a few modules in a language as a hobby

All my friends who did languages now work in Hr or low paid customer service/ hospitality roles.

I dont think employers value language degrees. Probably seen similarly to sociology or music

Don't panic. The unis your DC has chosen may well drop their offers considerably on results day.

Really? I am in a senior management role and I did a language degree from.a non RG uni. Two of my neighbours are investment bankers and have French degrees. People in my course all went into good and very varied careers, one is very senior management at a global hotel chain, one is a vicechancellor at a uni etc...

Nothing wrong with an HR career or.customer services career, if you are motivated you can do really well out of both too.

DD graduated with a first in Spanish and Portuguese 12 months ago. She’s working on the project management side in a hedge fund and the company specifically targets MFL graduates. Friends from her course are all on good grad schemes. So depressing to hear MFL degrees being dismissed for no reason especially in favour of generic “business” degrees which are often cash cows and take all applicants especially at the lower end of the grade spectrum.

I studied German, Spanish and Business at Newcastle and graduated in 2016. I would recommend that any one wanting to study languages combines it with another subject to keep options open. Especially when arranging the year abroad the people wanting to do internships rather than work as teaching assistants seemed to have a lot more options and find an Internship a Lot quicker than those who were only studying languages.

Of those I graduated with, the ones who studied languages alone seemed to mainly go in to teaching and translating whereas those with other subjects have had more diverse career paths. A lot who studied Business or economics got snapped up by graduate schemes with banks or multinationals.

I now live in Italy working for a multinational and although my work is not related to my degree I would not have got here without it and I think studying a language opens up so many possibilities for Personal and Professional development. I especially think the year abroad is such a learning curve that really sets you Up for later life.

I am really concerned about such a blatant level of overprediction, however. Does your DD’s headmaster not realise that by encouraging his pupils to aim too high he is actually doing them a disservice? Are the families not angry at having to scramble in August? Or have I got it wrong?

I was pretty sure DD's "outstanding" Sixth Form were massively overinflating her predicted grades AAB last year.

The pressure she put herself under to get those grades was sad to watch. She got BBC (just missed out on an A for one subject). Her firm rejected her and she rejected her insurance (ABB).

She had no problem getting onto a MFL + humanities course at a good RG in clearing and it's turned out well but her Sixth Form did her no favours with their aspirational grades.

100% this and anyone doing well in a MFL A level is no fool - it is far from being an easy option.

The dismissive attitude to languages makes us look like idiots compared to other countries.

Both DDs studied / are studying languages (not combined with anything) and have started / will start training contracts at Magic Circle law firms. And they also had offers from Big 4 consulting firms. So I can’t see that it’s held them back.

So I definitely think languages are worth doing. The year abroad is such a great life experience too.

Good luck to your YP. x

The dismissive attitude to languages makes us look like idiots compared to other countries.

I agree. It makes us look arrogant. I have O levels in French and German and A level French.

I loved learning languages so much that after I started work I did evening classes in both languages (not both at the same time).

The dismissive attitude to languages makes us look like idiots compared to other countries.

I agree really. But part of me has to admit that actually it makes us look like people fortunate enough to be native speakers of English. People aren't going to prioritise skills they are unlikely to need. Kids think they won't use the French or Spanish they learn at school, and almost all of them are right.

The thing is that in a professional situation it makes us look like children. There are so many sectors where people come over to do business or attend conferences or whatever - whether you are architects, lawyers, archivists, whatever. The people from other countries almost always speak fluent English. Then when we reciprocate, we are the ones that need everyone to talk to us in our own language. It's mortifying.

Sorry OP, getting off track here.

If your dc is at a school in the bottom 40% for A level results the offer from Bristol is BBC. They provide a list of schools you can check.

It's not that one is better than the other, but a straight languages degree versus, for example, business + French has a very different emphasis, and different people will suit them.

I'd also like to disagree with the pp who said the UN/NGOs want dual language degrees. What they may want is fluency in another language, doesn't need to be via a degree.

Hey @Operafanatic I didn't realise from your OP that your DC was in year 13 and taking A levels now. Sorry, thought you meant they were due to apply.

Yes you might find they do better in the actual exams; also you might find the unis will accept lower grades. Don't give up now! What unis do they have offers from?

But it would be worth looking ahead at possible alternatives through clearing - they can do this well in advance.

I am very much unable to agree with @productiony's post I have to say. MFL degrees are worth having and neither "sociology or music" is a worthless degree as they seem to think.

I also don;t agree with @Wantitalltogoaway that a B at A level means a degree is not worth it. DD got BCC (with much higher PGs) but she was capable of more; she found her feet at uni and came away with a first in her much-loved subject.

I see that the written exams in both Spanish and French are after half term. How did the speaking exams go? If he wants any last-minute top tips on the writing papers, MFL is my subject and I know the spec (assuming AQA) pretty well so let me know. Best of luck with it.

And, in the nicest way possible, if they’re only likely to get a B in both I wouldn’t say an academic degree would be the best use of time and funds

😂Nonsense!

A B is no barrier to a MFL degree. Some require a lot of literature but others don't. Of course MFL grads are employable but not that many employers just look at degree now. They want to see more on the cv.

Also, employment abroad is now subject to getting a visa. The jobs have dried up. I would think internships are the same. However the year abroad is still hugely valuable: it's all about self sufficiency and managing far from home. Thats a big skill.

Some degrees with MFL might ask for higher grades. Also teachers might be marking harshly. Maybe?

A B is no barrier to a MFL degree

Nor was a C last year!

Maybe look at joint degrees with other subjects - there might be something which appeals.
There's nothing wrong with collecting information about possibilities now, but you can't decide anything until you know what grades he has and what courses are available in clearing. There might be something in clearing which really takes his fancy which he hasn't even thought of yet.

Sounds great. Had they got lots of work experience? Unusual languages? What was their approach and how did they manage applying for both law and consultancy?
Also, where did they study?
Trying to get tips. @Norauraborealis

@billymean You have to pass all the selection tests. MFLs don’t stop bright dc doing this. Dc probably are not recruited for specific unusual MFLs. They almost certainly aren’t part of the selection criteria. It’s always best to do what you are best at. Obviously you can convert to law or get selected for many careers with MFLs. Internships are very useful and nothing to stop MFL undergrads applying for them either. These companies don’t always require paid work in a bar! They want intellect and test to find that. Any academic degree allows DC to progress in an area of their choice - if they are bright enough and actually want these careers.

The IFS still says RG unis are best and clearly they have a pecking order. That doesn’t mean other dc cannot do well. Of course they can. However Cs at A level will be a barrier when applying for a highly competitive career.