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Come on Jambo. That comment is bordering on trollish. I know you're soured on many things about living in Montreal but it's not strange at all that someone would want to move there over other large Canadian cities, rents alone being huge. I know, I live in Vancouver right now, Montreal is better in a variety of ways (not all).
Inquiring why some one with poor French skills would want to move to Montreal seemed like an honest question to me, not sure why you think i'm trolling.
The sourness you speak of has nothing to do with the city of Montreal or its population but more to do with that aspect of Quebec government that has been slowly but surely eradicating the English culture from Quebec.
The gov. sponsored French courses in adult education centres where I studied, have a service of "French for businesses", promoting classes for employees. Since companies can send employees to improve their French, it must be that they hire with rudimentary French.
The gov. sponsored French courses in adult education centres where I studied, have a service of "French for businesses", promoting classes for employees. Since companies can send employees to improve their French, it must be that they hire with rudimentary French.
I just had a job interview in Montreal (finance job). The only mention of French was right at the end - "how willing are you to learn a little bit of French?"
Of course, on the job description it says that applicants must be fully bilingual
There are still some jobs in Montreal that require good English and little or no French. Look for the job adds that are posted in English only or in English and French. This is usually a good indication that the job is mostly English.
Even Bombardier or Mega Blocks, both big Quebecois companies, have departments based in Montreal where the main working language is English.
This is not to say you should not try to improve your French. Being bilingual will give you access to a lot more jobs.
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ARrocket
I just had a job interview in Montreal (finance job). The only mention of French was right at the end - "how willing are you to learn a little bit of French?"
Of course, on the job description it says that applicants must be fully bilingual
Good for you for applying despite the "warning"! (There was no sarcasm there at all. Most people -- those who are not bilingual, I mean -- wouldn't have bothered.)
There are still some jobs in Montreal that require good English and little or no French. Look for the job adds that are posted in English only or in English and French. This is usually a good indication that the job is mostly English.
Even Bombardier or Mega Blocks, both big Quebecois companies, have departments based in Montreal where the main working language is English.
This is not to say you should not try to improve your French. Being bilingual will give you access to a lot more jobs.
Yes there are laws but what Kent is saying also correct. Montreal govt. encourages international companies to setup shops here and give subsidies for that. So there are quite a few north American companies who has setup IT development centers , Call centers and IT service centers here in montreal whose main clientele is non Quebec Canadian and American companies. Obviously because these companies functions in English at client side the jobs here also are in English.
I'm from Sudbury, ON, where probably still a fifth of the population speaks a very weird boiled down version of French. My mom's side is very Francophone, while my dad's is very anglophone (A Smith married a Labelle...), so while I can understand a lot of what is going on around me in *Sudbury* French, I can't speak it beyond phrases that have stuck in my mind over the years. I was in French immersion until the end of grade 1, but was pulled out and sent to an English-only school. That was 17 years ago.
I know lots of people post about the language issue here, but I wonder how it differs for a Canadian, rather than a foreigner, just one province away. I understand there is something of an English-concentrated area somewhere in MTL, but apart from that, are there a lot of Canadians coming from out West and East trying to get their foot in Quebec's door without the language? If you are skilled enough in some field, will it bother employers that you only speak English?
I figure it would be fun to try out Montreal for awhile if some future plans of mine don't pan out. I'm not lazy and would try to pick up my missing French while living there, I'm just curious if lots of Quebec outsiders end up frustrated and move back to whatever province they came from. It's weird to have to consider this kind of issue but also not have to worry about the element of immigration (haha).
So just in general, what kinds iof things to anglo Cads do for work in Montreal? Do they mix well with the francophones? Do many 'go home'?
There is a lot of English spoken downtown due to the nature of businesses dealing with the rest of Canada and other countries.
It's not easy to get a job in English only but it is possible.
In general the city is bilingual for all services, bars, shipping etc- you can get by.
Learning and speaking French goes a long way but there's plenty of anglos here. Don't believe everything you read in the papers.
As long as the company has a francisation programme then no issues with the law - you just have to prove you are learning French. Remember they get the tax dollars after all
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