Study abroad...couple...how to make it happen???

[Francophile1]

Hi all!

I would love if some of you could give me some advice, since I'm currently determining my future and a very hard decision needs to be made soon!

 

Let me explain. I dream is to teach French in University level, however I really need more in the country experience before I can do this. I have studied in France before but had to come back to finish my degree. Now I might have another opportunity to go again but must consider everything carefully before committing!

 

I have a family, and although I am not married I am in a committed relationship. I also have a child who is not a baby. My dilemma is not with my child, since he has gone with me before and we made it work, but with my boyfriend, who has motivated me to pursue this, very kindly- but I also want to consider his future.

 

Right now he is studying in a community college and I would like to possibly find him a program either in France or nearby England or other country that offers degrees in English.

 

What I have found that in France they have very few english programs, as France is very focused on French, and even those few programs are private and have very high fees with no possibility of using U.S financial aid.

 

He could of course come to France and enroll in language classes and then eventually proceed to a degree,but again for him this would be losing time, since he doesn't really need french for his degree!

 

Now another option is for him to enroll in a degree in the UK, but then the issue is that we will have to be separated.

He could possibly limit our "separation" time by doing one of his years in the UK..as study abroad in France though.

And in UK he can use U>S loans-if need be.

 

As far as the future, after I get exposure in the country and improve my language skills while getting an advanced degree, I could be open to jobs in Europe or in the U.S

 

So, I apologize for long explanation...but I really need some people to give me their opinions and which option they would choose in my case!

Thank you!

[iphi]

Why can he not come with you and do an online program? Or enroll in a U.S. college but take courses through them that were distance learning? The problem would be with his visa though, unless you two were to get married.

 

Do YOU have a position in France yet? If not you can consider Quebec. You could both get the language experience you need. (And before you say it, my first language was French so I am fully aware of the differences between French from France and Canadian French.)

[xolo]

You don't say whether or not your boyfriend or you are EU citizens.  That might make a difference.  You might also consider Spain for your boyfriend.  I assume he does not speak Spanish, but if he does, then he is in like Flint.  Spain has English programs and the socialistic way of life might be responsible for 50% unemployment among youth but it also makes for dirt cheap universities.  They are very welcoming to foreigners and if he is native in English he might find that he is quite in demand.  Right now France and Spain are not connected by good rail service but Ryanair and SqueezeeJet are cheap.  If you're going to be in southern France you can drive into northern Spain, and there are no border controls, the signs just change languages.

Edited June 29, 2014 by eyepod

[Francophile1]

Why can he not come with you and do an online program? Or enroll in a U.S. college but take courses through them that were distance learning? The problem would be with his visa though, unless you two were to get married.

 

Do YOU have a position in France yet? If not you can consider Quebec. You could both get the language experience you need. (And before you say it, my first language was French so I am fully aware of the differences between French from France and Canadian French.)

We have heard that online programs do not have good reputations.  Yes I have looked into quebec. Would I be able to get a full immersion experience there? 

[Francophile1]

You don't say whether or not your boyfriend or you are EU citizens.  That might make a difference.  You might also consider Spain for your boyfriend.  I assume he does not speak Spanish, but if he does, then he is in like Flint.  Spain has English programs and the socialistic way of life might be responsible for 50% unemployment among youth but it also makes for dirt cheap universities.  They are very welcoming to foreigners and if he is native in English he might find that he is quite in demand.  Right now France and Spain are not connected by good rail service but Ryanair and SqueezeeJet are cheap.  If you're going to be in southern France you can drive into northern Spain, and there are no border controls, the signs just change languages.

No we are not EU citizens, so would have to get student visas. I was thinking about spain...do you happen to know universities that have undergraduate courses in english there?

[iphi]

The most likely places are business schoos, if he's interested in that. I believe Scandinavian countries and also perhaps the Netherlands may have undergraduate courses in English. You can of course get a full immersion experience in Quebec if you so desire. Just be aware that the further away from Montreal you go (and you will hear a lot of English in Montreal) the less the language will sound like the French you know!

[hj2012]

We have heard that online programs do not have good reputations.  Yes I have looked into quebec. Would I be able to get a full immersion experience there? 

 

Depends on the online program. If he eventually wants to work in the States, I'd argue that he would be better off with an online degree from a recognizable American school (e.g. Harvard, Berkeley, Penn State, ASU) than with a degree from an EU school that no one in the States will know about.

[victorydance]

The only choices he would have in Quebec are McGill, Concordia, and Bishop's. The former two are in Montreal, while the latter is in Sherbrooke. Montreal is not full immersion, way too much English to be considered so. However, it does have the most education options and is an easier transition for you/your husband (both Concordia and McGill regularly admit community college transfers for example). Sherbrooke would be complete immersion, doubtful you would hear much English there. I think the percentage of Anglos there is under 5%. 

[Lifesaver]

Not for nothing, but what does your boyfriend think about all of this? Is he jumping on the bandwagon for you, or does he actually want to/has the means to travel internationally for an undergraduate degree where no one speaks his language? Sounds a little one sided to me.

[Francophile1]

Not for nothing, but what does your boyfriend think about all of this? Is he jumping on the bandwagon for you, or does he actually want to/has the means to travel internationally for an undergraduate degree where no one speaks his language? Sounds a little one sided to me.

Actually yes he suggested this, but we are exploring options together so by no means has a decision been made. We are carefully considering choices.

[juilletmercredi]

Where in France is your opportunity?  There is the American University of Paris, which is an American-style university in Paris (exactly like the name implies).  The AUP is accredited by a U.S. regional accreditation association, and the instruction is in English.  http://www.aup.edu

 

I was also going to suggest the Netherlands; they may have some undergraduate degrees in English there.  Of course, the Netherlands may be further away than the UK depending on where in the Netherlands and where in France you are.

[nugget]

How long do you want to stay in France? If it is for a short time, such as one year, I would recommend an online degree at a US university, then applying to a classroom based program later on and transferring the credits over.

Edited July 12, 2014 by jenste