I am currently in my 2nd year of an LLB at Sheffield University.

I seriously regretted not continuing onto A-Level with my French after obtaining A* for GCSE. My University has allowed me to take 20 credits in French language modules next academic year which should bring my language skills up to A-Level standard.

I really feel that being able to speak French would make me stand out from the crowd when applying for jobs and is something that I really want to work on during the next few years (before I get too old or lazy to bother).

My question is this...would it be more beneficial to study for an LLM in France (at a university where the course is taught in English- I dont think I would be able to study law in French just yet!) and take language classes also. Hopefully being there and interacting with fellow French students would really bring out my ability to speak the language. Or would people advise that it would be better to simply move over there for a year and take French language classes and maybe get a job? Sort of like a gap year, not really in education but learning to speak and write in French!

What would look better to a prospective employer? A person who has studied in France and obtained an accredited academic award or a person who is totally fluent but with no qualifications to prove it? Do you think that if I were to study for an LLM that I would have enough time to improve my language skills or would it just be a waste of money. Would I be pushed to speak that much in French if I were on a course taught in English or would I just put all my energy into my LLM. If my main aim is to improve my French, hopefully reach a level where I can read, write and speak at the highest level, which would be a better option?

Any advice much appreciated,

Danielle

I'm a Belgian (Dutch mother tongue) and studied in Paris (Paris 1) for a semester. It was no problem at all to take the courses in French.

I think it would be a good idea to do an LLM in France, but you should also take courses in French in my opinion. It's also important to speak French during your stay and not resort to much to English friends :) After a year you'll be fluent :)