LauraM

Thank you so much for your response. All of this is really, really helpful. I've started emailing graduate program advisers regarding candidacy for each program, and am getting a lot of additional insight into how I can best prepare myself. I may follow your advice about entering a post-bac program to get a better footing in academic French and boost my application prospects. Anyway, I really appreciate your advice!

Hi all, I graduated in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Global Studies--I fell in love with France/French in the summer of 2011 when I spent a month studying in Paris. I'm currently living and working in Paris for a year, and my French skills are improving rapidly. Always excited by the job description of language teacher, I can now more than ever see myself in the position, spreading my passion for the French and culture to students in the US. I'm hoping to apply for a graduate program in French after I move back the US and work towards the goal of becoming a French language instructor. I would like to teach college-level age groups, and have been looking into master's and doctoral programs in French at various universities. I'm set on being a language instructor, as I'm mostly interested in language pedagogy and less of a research-oriented role that many university professors have. After doing some research on requirements for these positions (i.e. at a community college), it seems as if a masters would suffice, although I'm not sure about this. What I would get my masters or Ph.D in is my next question--French, applied linguistics, etc. The potential setback: I don't have much formal education in French (I figured out my passion late and only got through French 4 at my university), and I realize this could affect my chances of getting into a certain program. I have a bachelor's in Global Studies, two years of formal education in Farsi, and four quarters of French, but that's as much as far language education goes. I have a fairly impressive résumé from my undergrad years and wrote an undergraduate thesis related to French immigration policy, but right, not too much in the field of French language or literature. Living in France has obviously improved my French massively. I'm more than willing to supplement my résumé with further French courses when I come back to the US to help satisfy any requisites. Also, would studying for and passing a French placement test help give grad schools a sense of my level? My two main questions now are: What program would best suit my goal of becoming a language instructor to college-age students? And secondly, would I have trouble getting into programs based on my lack of formal French training? I'd love to get some clarification on the next steps I should be taking, and would appreciate any advice you all have. Best, Laura