Spain, Colombia, Sicily… and back to Stirling again

Yesterday’s blog catch-up came from Erin who graduated earlier this year with a BA Hons in French and is now at the end of the first semester her MSc in International Conflict and Cooperation with us. Today, another opportunity to catch-up with one of our graduates but this time someone who has been away from Stirling for much longer. David graduated in 2017, with a BA Hons in French and Spanish, and has been a regular blog contributor over the years (we’ll link to some of his previous posts in this update so you can read more about his adventures). From January, he’ll be back in Stirling, starting his PhD under the supervision of Fiona Barclay:

“Last time I posted something on here was at the start of the global Covid-19 pandemic, when I had to return to Paris from Glasgow, to finish up my PGDE and graduate online – a very strange reality in which I started teaching in August 2020. After three years of teaching full time, I decided to return to studying and complete a PhD at the University of Stirling, almost 10 years after having left! Let me just rewind a little.

Born and raised in Paris, I was always attracted to living in Scotland as I used to go there regularly as a child (I am getting old…) to visit family. Scotland was always, and still is, renowned for its innovative, modern and forward-looking approach to higher education. I chose to attend the University of Stirling from 2013 as I would have had the opportunity to become a dual-qualified language teacher in just four years. However, the course was under review (it is now very much still in existence!) and I ended up graduating with an honours degree in French and Spanish. During my second year at Stirling, I was asked if I would be interested in completing a PhD after graduating. While I was flattered that I had been asked, I was quite taken aback, as I did not feel that I had the skills or knowledge… I had imposter syndrome! Thus, I declined the offer and focused on my undergraduate studies (although I did sometimes think “what if..?”).

However, during my third year at university, I was able to live, study and work in Spain for a full academic year as part the Erasmus+ programme and this is where I found a renewed passion for language learning but also academia as I had the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects in Spanish: sociolinguistics, heritage conservation as well as mythology! From then on in, I was hooked.

Upon graduating, I decided to work abroad in Colombia as part of the British Council language assistantship programme. To optimise my chances of being selected, I ticked the “send me anywhere” box. I was chosen to teach at a university in the coffee region of Colombia and it was life-changing from an academic point of view: I was treated like a university lecturer although I was only 21 years old and had only graduated one month previously! I discovered the research side of teaching and was given the opportunity to research and improve my teaching through interdisciplinary academic discussions, collaboration and conferences. 

Nevertheless, I was still sceptical about my academic ability and wanted to see if I could perhaps gain more experience as a secondary school teacher to, not only challenge myself further from a teaching standpoint, but also apply the skills I had learnt in Colombia while simultaneously developing my own interpersonal skills through my own language learning. So I applied for a second year as a language assistant to work and live in Italy. Once again, I ticked the “send me anywhere” box and was sent to… Sicily! I taught in two local high schools there and, while I did not speak a word of Italian when I first arrived, after a few months my Spanish slowly turned into Italian (including a bit of Sicilian slang apparently, unbeknownst to me!). Having studied at the University of Catania to improve my grammar, I then came back to Scotland, confident that I was ready to teach at high school level (although higher education had been at the back of my mind since Colombia…). 

My PGDE year was interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic which is when I first experienced the advantages and challenges of online teaching as both a student and a teacher! As a newly qualified teacher applying for my probationary year I could choose 5 different local authorities and as an international student I did not have a specific school in mind. I therefore ticked the “anywhere” box (does that sound familiar?), hoping to go somewhere new and ironically I was appointed to a school in the southside of Glasgow – I did not even have to change flat!

There were no permanent posts available at the end of my year teaching at St. Ninian’s and so I applied to several schools across Scotland. It was a very stressful time as I was in competition with my PGDE peers as well as teachers with a significant amount of experience. There are an incredible number of social codes and professional expectations which teacher training does not prepare you for! Indeed, interviewing is a skill in itself, regardless of one’s teaching ability. 

After a few awkward online interviews and Q&A sessions, I was offered a permanent position at Lomond School in Helensburgh. There, I was able to further develop my teaching while also completing my provisional registration in Italian by following an evening course at the University of Strathclyde. However, I missed academia and research. Thus, I decided to complete my Masters in Education while teaching full-time. After lots of coffee, complaining and maybe two (or three?) late nights, I submitted my thesis, expecting the worst! 

One month later, I received a notification informing me that I had been awarded a first class in my thesis and the University of Glasgow asked me if I would be interested in publishing it. I think that publishing my masters was a key moment last year for me as it enabled me to shake off the imposter syndrome which I tend to carry around with me! 

Finally, I was invited this year to apply for a PhD at the University of Stirling, in collaboration with the language organisation SCILT, to investigate the effect of the 1+2 Initiative on language uptake. I was delighted when I was selected and while it is strange to think that I will be leaving teaching in December, I am looking forward to returning to the University of Stirling where I was first introduced to Higher Education and challenged academically.”

Many thanks to David for having found the time to send us this blog post – we’re looking forward to welcoming you back in the New Year!

End of teaching already

It seems like the European Day of Languages was only yesterday and yet here we are, with our undergraduate teaching just having finished and our students and staff involved in oral assessments and final pieces of coursework. Many of our Year 3 students are getting themselves ready for a semester on Study Abroad in the spring and, for everyone else, it’ll be back to Stirling where we’ve got new modules launching and lots of exciting outreach work being undertaken by our Language Ambassadors.

There’s plenty to update you on and we’ll hopefully get a few blog posts up over the coming days. However, one thing we’ve been particularly pleased about this semester is that we’ve seen the return of former students who have decided to come back to Stirling, in one guise or another, and whose experiences give a great sense of the range of routes that studying a language opens up.

To start off the updates, we were really glad to hear from Erin, who graduated in June with a BA Hons in French and, in September, started our MSc programme in International Conflict and Cooperation, building on the dissertation she wrote on Islamophobia in contemporary French society: “In the beginning it was quite daunting and just a lot of work, almost everyone else came from a politics background and I was having a bit of an identity crisis thinking ‘well, I can speak another language’. After a couple of weeks, I relaxed into being an International Relations student and managed to impress one of my tutors by being able to speak French in order to analyse a speech by President Macron (that we happened to have studied in our French classes…). Despite the mountain of readings I am buried under now, I am enjoying myself.

As part of this Masters I have signed up to go on a study trip to Geneva in May 2024, the aim of which is to secure work opportunities and connections in UN organisations in Switzerland. I have already volunteered to act as translator for the class because I’m the only francophone in our class. Hopefully, it will provide an opportunity to practice my French – I have been reassured by Brigitte that the Swiss sometimes speak slower, which is a relief since I haven’t been able to practice all that much since graduation.

While it is sometimes strange to be back at Stirling in a new department, and not see the faces I became used to, it is nice to catch up every once in a while with the members of the French department in the corridors of Cottrell building which I am convinced is a maze. This is my fifth year here and I still get lost!”

We’re delighted to see Erin back on campus and grateful that she made the time to send us through this update. We’ll look forward to hearing how the Geneva trip goes in the spring, too. More news about other Stirling returnees, and other assorted updates, to follow…

2023 Finalists and their plans

This week our fabulous finalists become our fabulous graduates and, as well as congratulating them all on their achievements over the past few years, we also wanted to give you a sense of the range of plans they have for the months and years ahead. So, in no particular order, and with others to be added into the mix over the coming days …

Lauren, who’ll be graduating with a BA Hons in French with Spanish and Professional Education is about  to start her probation year teaching French and Spanish in secondary schools. She’s due to find out where she’ll be teaching in the next couple of weeks and, after 5 years at university (and being the student for 20+ years!), is excited to start! And Ewan, who is graduating with a BA Hons in French and Spanish, and who spent time in Quebec during his studies (merci pour les photos!), plans to take a year out of education, and then to go to Montreal next year to study a masters in translation from English to French. He is looking into deferring the offer he has received until next year in order to be able to work and save some money before he goes over there.

Emma, who has just completed her BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society has just found out that she has been accepted on the British Council English Language Assistantship scheme for a placement in Spain. When she comes back, she’s thinking of going on to do a postgrad course in secondary teaching for languages. And Nela, who’ll also be graduating with a BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society is off to undertake a 7-month residential programme at the Isha Yoga Centre in India. She’ll be doing daily sadhana and volunteering in exchange, hopefully translating some of the Sadhguru’s teachings into French. As for Eden, who is graduating with a BA Hons in French, she’ll be working as a waitress at Taymouth Marina Resort for the next year to save up money for some Marine qualifications and then plans to work as a deckhand on superyachts in the Mediterranean, hopefully based in France.

Jannie has just finished her BA Hons in Psychology and a European Language with us is planning to head to Strathclyde Uni on the master’s for organizational and work psychology. Before then, this summer, she will be travelling, visiting her friends across Europe, and working back home in Denmark. And Beth, who will be graduating with a BA Hons in French and Spanish, has been accepted for the MA Translation and Cultures at Warwick for the coming academic year. Beth is waiting to see if she has been successful in getting a scholarship and, if she has, then she’ll be Warwick-bound! Until then, she’ll be working in an inn on Mull to earn money before moving down south.

Many, many thanks to all our soon-to-be graduates for having got back to us with all this information about their plans. We wish you all the very best for the future and have thoroughly enjoyed teaching you all throughout your degree! Enjoy your graduation ceremony and do keep in touch. And, if you happen to be reading this as a finalist and haven’t had a chance to get back to us yet, please do drop us an email and we’ll very gladly add your plans into the mix. Mainly, though, félicitations à toutes et à tous!!

“French is a part of me”

It’s a sunny Friday afternoon and we’re edging closer and closer to the summer which seems like a good time to introduce you to another of our undergraduate students. Many of our students in French at Stirling join us having studied French until the end of their secondary school studies but we also welcome students onto our Beginners’ stream every year, students who have either never studied any French before or who have perhaps done 1 or 2 years but who usually haven’t studied it for a few years at least. For these students, the first two semesters focus on intensive language learning (alongside whatever other subjects they are studying), then in 3^rd semester they begin to study French and Francophone cultures while continuing to build their language skills and confidence, and they merge with our Advanced stream from Semester 4 onwards. Today’s post is by Valeriia who has just finished the first 2 semesters in our Beginners’ stream:

“Bonjour tout le monde! My name is Valeriia, and I just completed my first year at the University of Stirling. I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in International Management Studies with European Languages and Society. Let me tell you, choosing this programme has been the best decision of my life. In my 20 years, I have experienced many changes, just like everyone else. Among these changes, foreign languages have played a significant role. I first discovered French when I was in 5th grade. It caught the attention of my teachers, who noticed my interest in French culture and recommended that I start learning the language. Subsequently, I enrolled in an academic lyceum where I delved deep into English and French, participating in various Olympiads and scientific competitions throughout Ukraine. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I thought nothing could disrupt this harmony. However, German unexpectedly entered my life, diverting all my efforts and time to this new language. Consequently, I began to forget French since, as they say, “if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

In 2022, I made the decision to study at a university in Scotland. I had no doubt that Stirling was the perfect choice for me. When I discovered that the university offered the opportunity to study French and even spend a semester in a French-speaking country, I felt a rush of excitement. I once again fell in love with the French language, even after a long break. The native French-speaking teachers provide incredible assistance and support, whilst the university campus and the entire community continuously inspire and motivate me to strive for new knowledge. It’s almost like having a piece of France in Scotland. I’m extremely glad that the University of Stirling offers language learning opportunities for beginners, those looking to refresh their skills, and those who already have a strong foundation. But is there a limit? Personally, I strongly believe that perfection knows no bounds.

You know, they say that knowing at least one foreign language becomes second nature. If you were to ask me what the nature of the French language is, I would tell you that it varies for everyone. For some, it’s the language of love, for others, it’s the world of cinema, and for some, it’s the pages of timeless French classics or the pleasure of gastronomy. For me, it encompasses all of these aspects. In a nutshell, it is life itself. You come to realise that a foreign language is so is so intricately woven into your life that it becomes a part of who you are. So, French is a part of me.

Through personal experience, I have come to understand that even when life takes unexpected turns, it is important to hold onto what you love and what gives you strength. I look forward to the upcoming years as a student and rejoice in my progress and the progress of my ‘camarades’. We, like all students, have a lot of work ahead of us, with so much more to learn about the French language and culture. However, at the University of Stirling, we are never alone. In unity, there is strength!”

Many, many thanks to Valeriia for this great blog post and we hope the summer will offer many opportunities for you to continue to build your language skills so you’re ready for the language and culture combination that awaits in the autumn!

Farewell Erasmus

Just before the final curtain falls on the UK participation in the Erasmus programme at the end of May 23, our Language Coordinator, Jean-Michel DesJacques, was able to take part in a staff mobility exchange with two of our partners in France, AMU (Aix Marseille Université) and UVDP (Université Via Domitia in Perpignan), de la Provence au pays catalan. It went very quickly as always when you have a good time, but we’re very pleased that he’s agreed to share some of the highlights from his trip:

“First of all, as the person responsible for sending our language students abroad, it was most useful to meet colleagues in person, see the locations, campuses, getting a feel of the two cities. I am grateful to staff at both universities for their welcome, for giving up some of their precious time to show me around and for their insight on our current bilateral agreements. We concluded that we were very much attached to our respective partnerships and there was a clear determination from all sides that our valued exchanges should continue. In a way, this was the crucial part of my visit: making sure we can carry on sending students via our renewed bilateral agreements. We did talk a lot about the visa situation, its impact on the registration process and how it acts almost as a deterrent for some continental students. Et c’est bien dommage! Having said that I did meet Vincent from Perpignan who is keen on joining us in Spring 24 as part of the exchange.

More importantly, it was a golden opportunity to meet with students in a completely different environment and having a chat in a relaxed atmosphere was very precious, to me anyway. By relaxed atmosphere, I mean chatting in French at a terrasse of a nice café (with thanks to Kaye for the box of Madeleine cakes, Marcel Proust would have been proud). I am very grateful to all our students who attended courses at Aix and Perpignan for taking time to meet me, some had visiting family members, others had upcoming exams or apartment to vacate. So many thanks again.

The end of Erasmus means the end of staff mobility, too, as it is not a feature that the new Turing scheme will offer so particular hanks to Jennifer and Jo from the International Office at Stirling for making this trip possible for me.”

It seems fitting to post this article on 31 May, the final day of Erasmus for us at Stirling. Our colleagues and students have benefitted so much from the scheme over the years and we’ve been lucky enough to welcome colleagues and students from many of our partner institutions to Stirling, too. We really hope to be able to find a way to maintain these relationships over the months and years ahead and to continue to benefit from the friendships and connections we’ve all built thanks to Erasmus.

A Passion for Languages

Time for some more from our students and graduates! I’ll be posting another profile by one of our Year 1 students a little later but to start of this week’s blog updates, news from Natalie who graduated in 2019 and who continues to find ways to put her languages to excellent use in her career:

“It’s hard to believe that I graduated over three years ago, where has the time gone! Since graduating in International Management Studies with European Languages and Society, I have been lucky to use my language skills on a daily basis in the workplace. Although, I have to admit that I wasn’t always sure what career path to take. But one thing was sure, I wanted to find a job that allowed me to not only pursue my passion for languages but also develop my knowledge of international business.

Since graduating, I have worked in an e-commerce business. I currently work as a Marketing Manager where I have been lucky to use my Spanish on a daily basis to converse with Spanish colleagues. I have also used my French skills to write copy for the web and translate our products for online platforms including Amazon.

It’s great to keep up my language skills, but it’s also important to not forget all the transferable skills my degree has taught me. Studying abroad at EM Strasbourg Business School developed my cross-cultural awareness and knowledge of international business. I also developed my communication skills working as a Language Assistant for the British Council in Spain.

One of the reasons I chose to study this degree was due to its flexibility. I have acquired skills which are highly sought-after in the global job market. I would recommend this degree to anyone wishing to use their languages in an international context.”

Many, many thanks to Natalie for sending through this update and we wish you all the best for your career and for the years ahead – we look forward to checking in again in the future!

Semester Abroad in Aix: ‘The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done!’

As we head into the second half of our autumn semester, many of our Year 3 students are already thinking (and planning) ahead for their spring semester which they’ll spend on Study Abroad. Depending on degree combinations, for some of them, this will mean time in France or at one of our partners in other French-speaking countries, while others will be off to Spain or Latin America for the semester. And many of this year’s finalists will be thinking back to this time last year when they were making plans for their own time abroad. With that in mind, we thought it was a good time to ask one of our current finalists, Amy, who is doing Single Honours French with us, to reflect on this past spring which she spent in the South of France:

“For as long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to live in France at some point in my life and the semester abroad was the perfect opportunity to do so. After finding out that I was going to study in Aix-en-Provence, I was ecstatic. It was my first choice and I couldn’t wait to experience life in the south of France. After going through the whole visa process, packing my bags and saying goodbye to my friends and family, it was finally time to leave. On the 6th of January 2022, I flew from Edinburgh to Marseille where I began this new chapter of my life.

Before arriving in Aix-en-Provence, myself and Rose, one of the other students who was also placed on her semester abroad there by Stirling, decided to do a bit of travelling. I had no idea that I was about to make a lifelong best friend. We explored Marseille, St Tropez, Cannes and Nice before moving into our uni accommodation in Aix. I was placed in a building called “Gazelles, Pavillion 7” which was predominantly for international students. My room was small but cosy. I had my own bathroom and fridge and plenty of desk space to do uni work. It was basic but had everything I needed. The kitchen on the other hand was an experience. We had no oven, one hob, one microwave and one sink that the 36 of us on my floor were expected to use. At first, it was a little difficult to get used to, but after a while, I got into a routine. I ate a lot of pasta, salads, baguettes and we also ate out quite a lot! Student accommodation was quite different compared to Scotland, everyone tended to keep to themselves so I would recommend joining an Erasmus group to meet people and going to events that they host. In Aix, they had an Instagram page where they would post regular social events for Erasmus students as a way of meeting people.

I absolutely loved daily life in Aix. There are so many things that you are able to do! Whether this be the cinema, bars and restaurants, the gym, a scenic walk or coffee shops, you are never stuck for choice. Le Cézanne fast became one of our favourite places for dinner and drinks, and the French wine definitely lived up to expectations!! Place des Cardeurs is also a lovely little square, full of music, bars and liveliness – ideal for students and those wanting to make new friends. La Rotonde is the centrepiece of Aix and is an absolutely stunning monument also. The weekly markets were also a firm highlight – so authentically French and a perfect way to spend your Saturday morning! Waking up every day in such a beautiful place is something that I tried never to take for granted !

Uni itself was such a fantastic experience. It is a ten-minute walk away from students halls and definitely isn’t as daunting as the confusing corridors of Cottrell! Classrooms are easy to find and students are always happy to help you find your way. We had to choose our classes before moving to France. The translation class was mandatory and was only for Erasmus students, as was our FLE class, which focused mainly on grammar. To ensure that we were awarded the correct number of credits by Stirling, we also chose to take a European Societies class where we learned about the history and politics of European countries and an Anthropology class. All classes were in French and although it seemed daunting at the start, it massively helped to improve my French. I was in classes every Monday and Friday and had an optional lecture on a Tuesday which left me a lot of time to study and travel!

Travelling played a massive role in my time abroad. Every opportunity that we got, we travelled somewhere new. Some of these places included, Courchevel, Paris, Bordeaux, Brussels, Vienna, Rome, Cassis, Lyon and La Ciotat. We always prioritised finding cheap flights and hotels so that we were able to go and do and see as much as possible. One of my favourite memories from my whole time away was our trip to Courchevel. Rose and I decided to go skiing in the French Alps and I was absolutely amazed at the way of life there. This was such a once in a lifetime experience and one that I’ll forever have fond memories of.

Whilst I was in France, we had a speaking exam and a mini dissertation for Stirling and a number of assessments for our uni in France. The biggest piece of advice I could give to others is start your mini dissertation early and don’t leave it until the last minute!! Researching something to do with where you’re staying in France can be really interesting and gives you something to focus on too.

If I could go back and do my semester abroad again, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It’s without a doubt the best thing I’ve ever done and I would recommend it to anyone. It’s such a life changing experience and you meet so many amazing, like-minded people!”

Many, many thanks to Amy for taking the time to write this post – it’s always great to read about our students’ time abroad and we hope this will also offer some useful pointers and advice for other students thinking ahead to their own semesters or years abroad.

Working with schools

Alongside all the usual activities happening in our classrooms and across our programmes (including our Year 3 students making plans for their upcoming Semester Abroad…), our outreach work centred on language learning in schools has also started up again.

On the European Day of Languages, a team of our Language Ambassadors were invited along to Wallace High to talk to the pupils there about the benefits of language learning. For Patrick, who is in his 2^nd year studying French and Spanish with us, this was his first in-person school visit and a really positive experience: ‘The afternoon was a great success, pupils were engaging with the activities we had set out for them and have asked to be included in the future planning of similar events. From my point of view, it was an invaluable piece of my time used to hopefully persuade young pupils to continue to study languages.’ Feedback from the S3 pupils at the school was equally positive and huge thanks to Modern Languages teacher, Michelle McCaffery, for inviting us. We’re delighted our Ambassadors helped to convey the fact that, in the words of one pupil, ‘languages can take you places you would not expect!’

Despite some pretty atrocious weather, many of the Ambassadors got together at the end of that week, too, for a training and information session about the Ambassador scheme over the coming year. And while we were talking about that on campus at Stirling, some of the Ambassadors from our Strathclyde partners were out at St John Ogilvie High School, meeting with pupils and teachers there, including our own graduate Sam Evans! We’ll be joining forces for more school visits over the weeks ahead, working with Cédric Moreau from Strathclyde and Emma McLean from SCILT so watch this space…

And on Saturday 1^st October, Cristina Johnston, Pete Baker, Fiona Noble and Elizabeth Ezra ran an online workshop for senior phase secondary school pupils, focusing on the multiple benefits that can come from using films as part of the ways we study languages. The event was part of a series of workshops organised by SCILT and was supported on the day by Sheena Bell, Suzanne Ritchie and Alice Lister. We were also really pleased that three of our current students, Dagmara, Alex and Helena, were able to join us on the day to talk about their experiences learning languages and, in particular, the ways in which film and visual culture have formed part of their own language learning. And we’re especially grateful, of course, to all the pupils who attended, from across Scotland, students of French, Spanish, German and Italian. They asked brilliant questions and worked hard on listening exercises involving songs from Encanto, as well as thinking about the wide range of topics that might emerge through the study of that kind of film.

Thank you, merci, Danke, grazie, gracias… to all the pupils at our SCILT workshop and to everyone who has been involved with our outreach activities so far.

Rentrée 2022

And we’re off! Undergraduate teaching begins this week at Stirling, our postgraduates will be coming back over the coming weeks, and we’re all looking forward to being back on campus once again. Lots of new students to welcome to our Year 1 Advanced and Beginners’ streams, returning students to catch-up with, including all those coming back from English Language Assistantships and Semesters Abroad, and news to share from colleagues, old and new (welcome and congratulations to Ashley Harris and, in Spanish and Latin American Studies, Rebecca de Souza and Jacky Collins).

As well as teaching starting up again, plans are also afoot for a whole range of other activities. Our Language Ambassador programme has continued to run online over the past two years but we’re delighted to be working towards a return to in-person visits in the coming academic year. We’re also really pleased to be working with colleagues at the University of Strathclyde and at SCILT on the Language Ambassador programme this time round, with students from both universities going out to schools together over the coming months. And with our colleagues in Spanish and Latin American Studies, we’re also working with SCILT to run a workshop for senior phase secondary pupils in early October that’ll focus on language and film.

The shift back to much, much more happening in-person also means we are able to organise our traditional annual Study Abroad get-together. As in previous years, all our Year 3 and 4 students, as well as all visiting Francophone and Hispanophone exchange students have been invited along to share their plans, experiences and hopes. Most of our Year 4 students spent the spring on Study Abroad and most of our Year 3 students are in the planning stages for their own time abroad which will happen in spring 2023 so this always gives them a really useful opportunity to share tips and questions. And inviting along our Francophone and Hispanophone exchange students from across the whole campus means there are plenty of opportunities for new friendships and building connections across Stirling’s international community. And, of course, colleagues from French and Spanish will be there, too!

A busy few weeks, then, as the semester gets fully underway and we’ll be sharing news from staff, students and graduates as regularly as we can. In the meantime, bonne rentrée!

2022 Finalists and their plans

Our annual post about our fantastic finalists and their plans for life after graduation has become something of a blog tradition (see 2021 here, for example, or 2020 here) and this year is no different. As this year’s finalists prepare for their graduation ceremonies next week, it’s great to be able to share their thoughts and plans for what lies ahead so here goes…

Morgan, who’ll be graduating in International Politics with Languages, is spending her summer volunteering in Calais and working in the refugee camp there (keep an eye on the blog for Morgan’s own post about that). At the end of the Summer, she’ll be off to Belfast to start an MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen’s University. And Pauline, who is also graduating with a BA Hons in International Politics with Languages is spending her Summer working as an intern in the European Parliament, working for an independent MEP. From October, she will be doing a trilingual Master in Applied European governance and policymaking, based in Nice, Kent and Berlin. Sophie, who has just completed her BA Hons in French and Spanish, is also continuing with her studies and is starting a BA in Theology and Christian Leadership at Missio Dei college which has affiliation with the University of Chester. Sophie will also be working with her church in Stirling to manage their social media and communications. As she says, this is a bit different from her degree work but she will have the opportunity to use her French and Spanish on missions trips and will also get the opportunity to learn Hebrew and Greek.

Finn will be graduating in French and Marketing next week and has a part-time field sales role with Fuel10k, an up-and-coming breakfast/cereal brand who also do their fair share of charity and environmental work that has led them to become the first cereal B-Corp brand. Finn’s cycling career is also going well and we’re delighted to be able to report that he has been selected to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games this August in Birmingham. He’s also got some big races coming up on the continent, as well as throughout the UK, so we’ll all be keeping our fingers firmly crossed. Then there’s Brendan, who’s graduating in French and Spanish, and who we’re really pleased to say will be returning to Stirling in the Autumn for this to work on our Master’s programme in TESOL. Like Brendan, Ceinwen is also planning future postgraduate studies as she looks forward to a research Master’s, building on her BA Hons in French, and both Muirne and Vasiliki, who will be graduating in Business Studies and French, are also planning postgraduate studies. Muirne will be starting a Master’s in International Business in September and Vasiliki intends to undertake a Master’s in Business based in Madrid, as well as being interested in an internship or a future career that would involve translation further down the line. And Sofia, whose degree was in French and Spanish, is planning a Master’s in South Asian Area Studies at SOAS where she hopes to research the transmission of intergenerational trauma in Asian women in the UK.

As for Maria, who has also just completed her BA Hons in Business Studies and French, at the moment she is working for her family’s business and she hopes to secure a job in Human Resources by the end of September. Maria is currently looking for positions both using French and English and hopes to secure one where she will still be able to practise her French on a daily basis. As part of her degree, Maria spent a semester at our partner institution ESSEC Business School in Cergy-Pontoise and her tip for future languages graduates is to make the most of Study Abroad in job applications because it gives you a real advantage as a candidate. And then we have Jackie, who’ll be graduating with her BA Hons in English Studies and French, and who is currently back home in Chicago with a very busy schedule, working full-time at a hair salon, part-time as a gymnastics coach, and working on writing her seventh book in her spare time. Jackie has been independently publishing books since she was 18, and her goal is to one day become a full-time author. She would love to be able to write full-time and travel around Scotland, France, and more of Europe once she has the savings to do so. Her current plan is to work and save money for a year or two, and then hopefully spend some time in France to really get fluent. As if all that wasn’t enough, Jackie is also currently taking an online TEFL course so would love to build on that in France as well.

Valentina has just completed her BA Hons in International Management with European Languages and Society and is already in employment, working in the finance department of our local translation and interpreting agency Global Voices. Her role is as a credit controller for the Italian and French markets so plenty of scope to continuing using her language skills in a friendly environment where they’re looking to expand their multilingual workforce. And David, who will be graduating with a BA Hons in French and History, is currently in Minnesota working as a Division Director in a summer camp until the end of August. After that, he plans to return to Stirling either to work in the heritage sector or to undertake our own Master’s in Heritage. And Courtney, who is graduating with a BA Hons in French, is continuing her current career path with a job in a pharmacy. She’ll be starting her dispensary course soon which means she can become a dispenser and will be eventually undertaking a course to become a dispensary technician. 

Caitlin, who will be graduating with a BA Hons in French, has an offer for a place on the PGDE in Primary Teaching at the University of Strathclyde, a career that has always been her goal and her dream, so she’s really looking forward to starting on her teaching career. Like Caitlin, Eilidh is also heading for a career in teaching, as she reaches the end of her BA Hons in French and Spanish with Professional Education (Secondary) and is particularly pleased to have learned that her probation year will be spent teaching in her own former high school. Shannon, who has just obtained her BA Hons in French and Spanish at Stirling, is moving on to study for a PGDE in Early years and KS1 education at Liverpool John Moores University. She has always wanted to teach primary and her time teaching in Spain through the British Council helped her decide which age she’d like to teach. Shannon hopes to let her language work influence some lesson plans in the future. And our other Caitlin, who is graduating in French and Spanish with Professional Education (Secondary) will also be beginning her probationary year in August and is very much looking forward to getting the opportunity to inspire young people to learn languages. And Lara, who has just completed her BA Hons In French and Spanish, is also off to teach but, in her case, it’ll be through the British Council English Language Assistantship scheme. Next year, she’ll be working as an ELA in the Community of Madrid to experience full immersion in Spanish language and culture and to explore the opportunity of a future career in teaching Languages. Lara is planning on reapplying next year to do the same in a French-speaking country.

And Joanna, who’ll be graduating in French and Spanish, is planning to apply for a post working with PwC and intends to begin a Master’s in either Business or Translation later next year. First and foremost, though, Joanna’s getting married in two weeks’ time and, on behalf of everyone in French at Stirling, we wish her and her partner a very happy future together!

We’ll keep adding to this post as and when updates come in from more of this year’s finalists but, as ever, this is definitely one of the most fun posts to put together and we’re really grateful to all the finalists who have been in touch so far. On behalf of everyone in French at Stirling, we wish you a fantastic graduation and all the very best for the future, and we hope you’ll keep in touch with us over the months and years ahead.