Business & Language degrees

[RosaRoja]

Are they actually useful? Enjoyable? I have a DD who keeps changing her mind. The other option is pure Language.

I think definitely add Business to MFL. I did this and struggled to find good jobs using languages. So glad that I added Business.

My DS did one MFL and post-degree found that many jobs, and also at working student level, were asking for MFL + ... presumably business or marketing or something I would never have recommended because I thought it would take away from the language learning.

This is interesting to me at the moment.

DD got A-Levels two years ago (BCC) and after working for two years is now thinking about going to Uni so we've been looking at the options in Clearing. There are quite a few courses available to her which include a language option.

My feeling is that as her grades will obviously limit her choice of uni a degree in for example, International Relations and French from Manchester Met will be more useful than just doing International Relations alone. It's an extra skill to offer an employer (especially as she qualifies for an EU passport as well) and a year abroad is good life experience.

I don't know what she'll decide though!

My DD never wanted to work using her joint MFL degree. I think there’s a difference between those who see it as a vocational qualification and those who see it as an academic degree that’s not much different to History.

With BCC @HPFA you might find there’s better unis for MFL. Business really doesn’t just recruit people with a business degree or the FO look at IR degrees for diplomats. So many organisations look far more widely. I guess IR might be useful for charities working abroad but they also recruit employees with all sorts of degrees. So I tend to think ambition snd cv actually makes a huge difference and not thinking these degrees are vocational. Therefore I’d aim as high as possible and not expect a career linked to the subjects. Often the academic MFLs are a lot harder and can equip grads in useful skills.

@TizerorFizz

Thank you, yes, there are unis higher up the rankings currently offering clearing courses at BBC - so it might be when the A-Level results come out some of those drop to BCC.

I'm quite suprised that she already has the grades for somewhere like Aberystwyth - from when I was applying to unis myself (admittedly a good few years ago!!) that would have been considered a solid enough choice.