Intermediate French: Work, Leisure and Culture
Improve your French language skills and explore life in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, focusing on work and leisure time.
Duration
Approx 12 weeks4 hrs per week
Examine work, leisure, and cultural activities in French-speaking countries
Work, leisure, and culture play a key role in the fabric of life in the French-speaking world. If you’re exploring the opportunity of enjoying time there, for work or pleasure, it’s vital to have the language skills to thrive.
This 12-week ExpertTrack will help you become an independent and competent user of French. With a focus on employment, training, leisure, and culture, you’ll develop key language skills that you can use in a range of everyday contexts.
Enrich your vocabulary to better understand written and spoken French
You’ll start by discovering work, qualifications, and training in France and Belgium. You’ll learn to talk about jobs and workplaces, describe people’s qualities and the skills required for different roles. You’ll also develop your language and communication skills to give instructions or ask for advice in the workplace and a range of other contexts.
Next, you’ll develop your ability to understand job adverts, CVs, and application letters in French. You’ll increase your knowledge of the vocabulary required to apply for jobs, work placements, or study programmes.
You’ll also find out about job satisfaction among the French-speaking population and explore the possibilities offered by working or studying in a French-speaking country.
Improve your French language skills to talk about culture and leisure activities
You’ll explore how people in France and Belgium spend their free time and what they enjoy about it. You’ll gain the skills to review structures for talking about free time, likes and dislikes, and to extend your ability to express your ideas with reasons and reactions.
You’ll embark on a virtual cultural visit to Brussels to discover important buildings, and learn about the bande dessinée (comic books) - a literary and art form that is very popular in Belgium and France. Finally, you’ll investigate the importance of cinema in France and reflect on how films can help you improve your French language skills.
This ExpertTrack has been designed to develop your skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, as well as perfecting your grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Throughout your learning, you’ll have many opportunities to practise your skills with other learners if you wish to.
Key skills you will learn
- Understanding spoken French
- Writing and understanding written French
- French language skills
- Understanding video and audio documentaries and interviews
- Understanding and producing descriptive texts
- Preparing and producing short spoken presentations
- Finding information on French-language websites
- Recognising and using different language registers
- Developing intercultural competence
- Evaluating information
Learning outcomes
By the end of the ExpertTrack, you’ll be able to...
- Demonstrate an understanding of a range of spoken and written communication in French relating to a variety of everyday contexts
- Demonstrate an understanding of cultural information relating to societies where French is spoken and demonstrate an ability to reflect on cultural differences
- Develop and demonstrate lexical, grammatical and phonological competence in spoken and written French in a variety of everyday contexts
- Communicate successfully in spoken and written French within a range of everyday settings
Experience required
The Open University’s language ExpertTracks are designed to help you progress with each one you study.
This ExpertTrack is for those at Level A2 with a grasp of Level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) who feel confident in most situations likely to arise while travelling in French-speaking countries.
To effectively develop your skills, before joining it’s suggested you complete Intermediate French: La Francophonie (People, Places, and Events).
Getting started
This ExpertTrack is ideal for those who would like to improve their spoken and written French and to deepen their understanding of French-speaking societies.
The courses are suitable for those:
- Seeking to develop their ability to communicate in spoken and written French
- Looking to improve their professional prospects through increased competence in French
- Interested in developing an understanding of employment opportunities in French-speaking Europe
- Interested in developing an understanding of leisure and culture in France and Belgium
ExpertTrack course overview
Course 1
Intermediate French: Jobs and Training
Discover the world of work and training in French-speaking Europe and gain the skills to talk about them.
4 tests
4 weeks
4 hours per week
Course 2
Intermediate French: Working in the French-Speaking World
Improve your French language skills to understand job seeking and training opportunities.
4 tests
4 weeks
4 hours per week
Course 3
Intermediate French: Leisure and Culture
Develop your French language skills and understanding of culture and leisure time in France and Belgium.
4 tests
4 weeks
4 hours per week
Prove you're job ready
Highlight the new, job-relevant skills you’ve gained and supplement existing qualifications with a hard-earned, industry-specific digital certificate – plus one for every course within your ExpertTrack.
- Learn the latest in your chosen industry or subject.
- Complete each course and pass assessments.
- Receive certificates validated by the educating organisation.
- Impress employers with learning outcomes you can add to your CV.
- Make your career dreams a reality.
Download a PDF
How ExpertTracks work
Join an ExpertTrack to master new skills in your chosen specialist area. Work through a series of topic-focused courses at your own pace, and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate award which proves your expertise.
Decide if the ExpertTrack is right for you with free access to the full suite of courses and assessments for a week.
Pay a monthly subscription fee of $39 for as long as it takes you to complete the ExpertTrack. You can learn at your own pace and cancel at any time.
Receive a certificate for every completed course and pass the final assessment to earn a digital certificate.
Use your specialist training to progress further in your career or build expertise in areas you’re passionate about.
World-class learning with The Open University
As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.
Established
1969Location
Milton Keynes, UKWorld ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
Meet your instructor
Dr. Bill Alder is an Associate Lecturer in French at The Open University and has contributed to numerous French language modules. He has a special interest in French-language crime fiction.
Learning on FutureLearn
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- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
- Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
- Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others
Map your progress
- As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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FAQ
ExpertTracks are a series of online courses designed to help you master new skills in specialist areas. You pay a monthly subscription fee which includes access to all courses within the ExpertTrack, as well as assessments and the final digital certificate.
Each ExpertTrack comes with a 2-day free trial period. You may cancel your subscription at any time and your subscription will automatically cancel when you finish the courses and assessments in your chosen ExpertTrack.
Yes. All of our ExpertTracks come with a 2-day free trial. You may claim one free trial period per ExpertTrack.
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No, all of our ExpertTracks consist of fully online courses. This means you can take an ExpertTrack from anywhere in the world.
No. ExpertTracks are designed for you to master new skills in a specialist area. You will earn a digital certificate that proves your learning, but it does not carry accreditation.
If you’re looking for certified or accredited courses, many of our microcredentials offer university credit or professional certification.
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