Language Success Stories At DCS

Self Generated

We all have many dreams of what we want to do and be when we are older. There are thousands of different careers out there which are available to you, and just about anyone can apply for them! We all are different and we all lead different lives so obviously we all have different ambitions, some of us want to be in the Army, some of us wants to work with animals, work in salon service, hospitality, the police, health and social care, etc… It’s unbelievable just what is out there!

However, although you may study in one country, one day you could easily leave to do work experience in another country. Or even to live there! The people you are about to read about all left Dinnington Comprehensive School to either study language at University or they left the country (UK) to live in Spain or France where their second language of Spanish or French came in useful for a new job…

Chloe Smith:

“My name’s Chloe Smith and I left Dinnington Comp in 2009. At A Level I studied Spanish, Maths and Geography.

I’m now in my final year at the University of Leeds studying Spanish and Management. After my first year at university I spent the summer living in Tenerife and working in a Spanish restaurant and last year I lived in Andalucía for a year teaching English to primary school children.

During my year abroad I got to travel all over Spain and meet people from all over the world. After coming back from my year abroad, and realising that I don’t want to be a teacher at all, I returned to do my final year of uni and applied for jobs and next year will be starting work in London as a management consultant.

I would recommend learning languages and doing them at university as it opens up so many opportunities and really makes you stand out from other people! It also gives you more options when you finish university, even if you don’t want to work with languages there are so many other options and doing a language and a year abroad really gave me lots to talk about at interviews.

And one of the most important things for me is that knowing other languages gives you the chance to travel so much. After saving up through university I’ve booked flights to go travelling round South America this summer which I wouldn’t be as confident doing or have the contacts I have if I didn’t study Spanish.”

 

Neil Froggatt:

“Neil Froggatt, left DCS in 2001, studied a French degree in Leeds, then a Translation Master's degree in Sheffield.

Now living in La Rochelle, France, as a self-employed translator, worked in a French university as a language assistant for 2 years which was fantastic!

I would recommend languages because they open up lots of opportunities for travel, work and meeting new people. It’s a complete myth that everyone in France and Spain can speak English!!”

 

Matt:

“Hello, my name is Matt, and I've recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a 2:1 degree in Spanish and Classical Literature.

I left DCS in 2008 and started a 4 year course in Leeds. On my 3rd year, as a Languages student, I had the opportunity to attend university in Madrid, Spain. The year abroad was the best year of my life; I got to experience another culture and language separate from England, I became much more independent, and I met loads of new friends from places such as Germany, Poland and Turkey.

Being a Languages student also greatly helped in landing me a position as an Assistant at the Paralympic Games. My language skills and the skills I'd developed abroad were the key factors in gaining the position. I worked with the Estonian delegation, accompanying athletes, translating and working in London, in an amazing atmosphere.

None of this would have been possible if I hadn't have done a Languages degree, which has turned out to be the best decision of my life. Demand for languages in the workplace is increasing every year, so it's an incredibly important degree to possess.”

Rebecca Tunstill:

“Rebecca Tunstill, left DCS in 2012, studying Spanish at the University of Chester.

I would recommend languages because it has helped me to meet a lot of new people and it can also take you down lots of different career paths.

I also get to travel as part of my course, for example I'm going to Madrid in February and I also have a whole year abroad in my third year! 

I couldn't imagine not having taken a language at Dinnington as I wouldn't have even considered going to university if I had not done Spanish A-Level and achieved the success I did.”

 

Hester:

“¡Hola! I’m Hester and I graduated last year with a degree in Spanish and Italian.

I left Dinnington Comprehensive in 2008 after receiving G.C.S.E and A-Level qualifications in both Spanish and Italian and also a certificate in Japanese for business.

Following my time at Dinnington Comprehensive, I went on to study a 4 year Spanish and Italian degree course at Bangor University. During my time there I was given the opportunity to move abroad and live in the Spanish city of Salamanca whilst continuing my Spanish and Italian studies at the prestigious Universidad de Salamanca which was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had! Since graduating, I have continued using my language skills and I now work in a Secondary school.

Learning a foreign language raised my confidence and whilst I was abroad it gave me more independence. My language skills allowed me to really immerse myself in the culture of Spain and made visiting many Spanish cities such as Madrid, Segovia and Ávila so much more fun as I was able to communicate well with the local residents and learned much more about their traditions.

I would recommend learning languages because it is really exciting and rewarding being able to travel, knowing that you can communicate well in a foreign language. It raises your confidence and the range of skills that you acquire means that a language student is often more employable. Modern language skills therefore open up a world of work opportunities both at home and abroad. Language graduates go on to work in a variety of professions including teaching, translation and interpreting and tourism, but equally, there are many linguists that do invaluable work for the government in the Secret Intelligence Service- you could even work for MI6!”

All of these students have had success stories from taking a language at GCSCE and choosing to take it further into college and University. Taking a language has a HUGE benefit when you come to applying for a job, whether you are in the UK or abroad. If you can speak another language like Spanish or French, you will have a higher possibility of getting into a more qualified and experienced job because you can speak a client’s language if they didn’t speak ours so it is a bonus if you can speak a different language. Even if you only know a several lines and words will help you when you are older. The world is a big place with many different people, religions, beliefs and languages so it is always good to have a different language on your side.