err, we're in France, Derek. I can't believe for a minute that I could ever have traded in the UK in French!
Salut Fabienne - great story and as I think I said last time où qu'on aille il y a des bons et des c... ! or as someone once said "you can take the man out of the bog but not the bog out of the man" :-O
CQFD !
Unfortunately there will always be the expat who moved to France because its the thing to do in certain circles, they go back on their frequent visits telling all who will listen they no longer live in the UK but the south of France, they moved to France but want to drag their little bit of the UK with them.I am a guest here and as such conduct myself in the manner that i would expect a guest to behave in my house learn the language abide by the customs France isn't perfect by any means but for me ticks more boxes than the UK at this point in my life yes sometimes you have to stand your ground and fight to be recognised Ski instructor being one but that doesn't mean being damn rude and arrogant and expect the French to have interpreters and everything in English nice as it would be sometimes
simply because France as an administration does not accept, and never has accepted, English as an official language!! Come here to live, work etc, everything HAS to be done in French
With my old SARL which I created in 2003 and ran to 2013, EVERYTHING, the whole kit and caboodle, EVERYTHING HAD TO BE DONE PURELY AND SOLELY IN FRENCH LANGUAGE... no other language is officially recognised
Go to Belgium.... Flamand, French, English, German & Bruxelloise are all recognized by the Belgian government, but here, French only.....
Hi Véronique and Andrew, nice reading you again.
Just to add my 2 pence in this "language" conversation, where I live some anglophone people have been complaining that they cannot take driving lessons, nor sit the driving test exam in English...and they really (and honnestly) do not understand why not...I cannot help but having pity because it is not fair indeed that some people can adjust and find happiness in a new environement and way of life and some simply cannot and need the same "repères" all their life -:)
Good article in the Guardian March 2nd 2012 about the 12 foot square wooden cabanon he used to spend summers in on the Cote.
In fact yes! Le Corbusier was the inspiration in those days!
mais la situation est tout à fait égalitaire - you have the same rights as other EU nationals in each country. You have to pass the capes to be a state teacher - same rule for everyone. Now let's just imagine the reverse situation, a few french teachers on a survive UK forum complaining that the UK Education dept doesn't give them a job for life and that they actually have to apply for a job, go through an interview/selection process and compete for a position...! :-O
Care to translate 120 pages of course content for me?
What an absolute arse. I hope you said that you should, therefore, be upgraded a point or two in all your other subjects to level the playing field... I have used this gambit before with regard to native speakers at Lycée... goes down like a bucket of sick of course but usually ends up with fairness (ie native speakers get full marks) prevailing.
Luckily times are changing, albeit still too slowly for my liking.
Yes, I think the implications for local retailers are pretty serious.
Yes, all the noticeably bad ones (who generally get classified as suffering from depression) get sent to rehab clinics where they live out their lives on some kind of pay (bit like the old police force in the UK) until such time as they can face the world again or retire - mind you, I'm not surprised given some of the classes they have to teach ! The strop with the Ministry sounds interesting, something like throwin an ashtray at the Recteur or publicly dissing your Inspecteur in front of the class or the Principal ? Sounds fun ?
My French law school was the same, way back when, although I have to say, the Directeur d'Etudes told me (and other non-French students having a command of English/German) at the time that he couldn't possibly award us 20 out of 20 for the English or German exams because that would represent an unfair advantage over his French students - arbitrary or what ? I had other issues with that particular teaching institution anyway, notwithstanding the fact that it was at the time (and still is) the only accredited organisation that would then later allow me to sit my French qualifying exams...I have avoided the place like the plague ever since, despite it trying to entice me back for further courses.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! :-D
Here you have to be really spectacularly, noticeably useless or have an inappropriate relationship with a pupil or pupils for that to happen.
Or have a strop with the Ministry, that can happen too.
Best not to ask Vero. There are some here with a list as long as yer arm;-)
Not even teaching courses, my stepson who is French & has a PhD in physics (so you might think: science geek no need for languages at all, shut away in your lab), had to do Spanish & English right up until the time he submitted his thesis. He publishes mainly in English, I've done some proof-reading for him & his written English is remarkably good. His Spanish is even better.
So do I John, I buy nearly everything on the internet and yep, amazon prices can vary hugely throughout Europe. but I would much prefer to be able to support the local shops.
Which is more than can be said for the equivalent teaching course in the UK
ROFLMAO !