French ? Canada?

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.:::Niko:::.

It depends on the province and the city that you intend to work.For example you must speak "French" fluently if you are seeking a job in any part of Quebec.In Ottawa,Ontario, you must be bilingual both English and French, if you wish to work for Government as English and French are the official languages of all federal government institutions in Canada. This means that the public has the right to communicate with, and receive services from, federal government institutions in either English or French and that federal government employees have the right to work in the official language of their choice in designated bilingual regions.The Canadian federal government is also committed to advancing the equality of status and use of the English and French languages within Canadian society and provides support to the development of English and French linguistic minority communities. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms spells out language rights in Canada and the Official Languages Act specifies the obligations of Canadian federal government institutions.

Mike_D

You would certainly be expected to speak French and English if you wanted to work for the government. As others have already stated, the "need" to know French varies across the country, being greatest in Quebec (obviously) and provinces immediately east or west of it, such as Nova Scotia or eastern Ontario. In BC and Alberta, most people get by just fine without speaking or reading French.

Atom 74

It's really regional. We like to think we are bilingual but we are not. Ontraio, Quebec, New Brunswick are very french. So that's half the country yes. Anything in the government is absolutely bilingual. And most airlines reqire people to be bilingual, but not all are. I live on the east coast and actually ironically just did a design breif for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. They have minimal signage in french and nobody I ran into spoke a work of french. It's pretty much the same on the west coast from what I know as well.

contessajfjg

Usually government jobs or some customer service jobs require you to be fluent. I used to live in Ottawa, ON for a year and the fact that I didn't speak French at work was extremely difficult, however while working in Toronto not speaking Mandarin (Chinese) was an issue. I think it depends where you are working, Quebec you need to speak French, Ottawa it is a bonus, Toronto still a bonus but better to speak Mandarin or another language since the city is so diverse.

badger123ca

Whether or not you need to know French depends on the part of the country you live in. Most people I know out West do not speak French. Doctors do not need to know French. As far as I know, Air Traffic Controllers work in English throughout much of the world.

If you're in Quebec or New Brunswick it would be more important to know French as there is a larger Francophone community there.

EDIT: French is not required to work for the federal government, depending on the part of the country you're in and the department you work for.

pictureperfect

I can tell you first hand, an air traffic controller does not need French. NAV Canada is always looking for people to qualify. A pilot also does not need to speak French either although knowing the language does open other doors for pilots.A flight attendant on the other hand, is required to know a second language, preferably French with Spanish and German as a close second. A doctor also does not need to know French, but again it increases your job opportunities. :)

Dangermanmi6

A lot of federal jobs that deal with the public and the same is true for some provinces. The rest it is usually English is good to go except for Quebec and New Brunswick where French is required (NB fired a snowplow operator who couldn't speak French). You DO NOT need to know French to be a pilot or an ATC it can be handy but it isn't required all ATC in the province of Quebec and NB MUST be bi-lingual because English is the international language of avaiation.

Blueberry24

I think a pilot or air traffic controller may need to know French, but a doctor? Not necessarily I don't think...They may have to take French at some point but I don't believe they are required to know it even though they probably should.

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