New Zealand is truly one of the most picturesque and photogenic places on earth, renowned for its mesmerising landscape of nature, rich culture, economic freedom, high quality of life, and diverse community of Māori, European, Pacific Island, and Asian residents that have contributed in achieving this reputation.
Christchurch – The Gate of The South Island has been receiving domestic and international tourists even before the unfortunate event in 2011 occurred, and now, people have come from far and wide to see how Christchurch managed to get back up.
Since COVID has slowed and tourism is allowed, the island should expect a surge of tourists to see the clear, blue sky of New Zealand again.
In this article, we will discuss the topic of learning French in Christchurch. You might be wondering: what is the relevance of learning French in a place so far away from France?
Well, in addition to thousands of French-speaking tourists visiting every year, French is among the top 7 most spoken languages in the whole world!
Let’s see more on why you should learn French in Christchurch.
Why Should You Learn French in Christchurch?
There is a healthy French expat community in New Zealand and even more second-generation NZ-born residents. The French were amongst the earlier Europeans that arrived in the country in the 19th century and established a colony at Akaroa in the South Island, a seaside settlement, 97 kilometres south-west of Christchurch.
Christchurch, a revitalised central city surrounded by stunning natural landscapes, is one of the cities with the most French populace today.
According to statistical data published in 2018, French is a fairly popular language spoken in Christchurch with about 5,000 speakers.
Christchurch is home to a significant number of immigrants including French expats, students, and travellers. It is beneficial to learn the language in order to grasp the advantage of the cultural and social opportunities present in the city for bilingual speakers.
Healthcare, hi-tech services, agriculture, engineering, construction, and professional services are just the tip of the iceberg. Christchurch welcomes people from overseas to come and work to support its steady economic growth and focus on sustainable activities. New Zealand has a strong job market attracting expats from around the globe to work here.
Learning a bit or more of French will give you an advantage to interact socially and bond faster with French colleagues.
In Christchurch, companies with ties to many countries more than often seek out multilingual individuals such as French speakers to join their company.
Therefore, learning French in Christchurch will give you a competitive edge that will broaden your professional horizons.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity, you'll also be able to find similar chances to learn French in Auckland!
The Alliance Française Christchurch was founded in 1959, with the aim to promote the French language and cultural activities within the Christchurch community through a wide range of cultural and social events.
Therefore, there are tons of activities that will allow you to practice French to connect to more people, increase your social circle and enhance your life experience.
What is the Advantage of Learning French?
As we have discussed earlier, there are many reasons to learn French in Christchurch. However, learning French as a whole package will give you a great advantage.
Here are 10 advantages of learning French.
- Expand your global horizons and join the international community of polyglots when you know multiple languages.
- Compete in the global economy with French as one of the most spoken languages in the world and the second most used language in diplomacy.
- Stepping stones in careers as French are in demand in the job market.
- Experts say that bilingualism will keep your memory sharper and make you smarter.
- Allows you to travel to European countries with ease as the majority of locals speak French or similar languages.
- Having more international friends and romantic connections that speak the same language.
- Enjoy French media like literature, movies, TV, and music.
- Self-improvement and the satisfaction of knowing you have the perseverance to learn a new language.
- Increase analytical skills and develop critical thinking. Experts say learning a language helps learners to improve in other subjects too such as Math, English and Science.
- Easing immigration to France, Canada or any other Francophone countries.
Still not confident about why you should learn French? Let’s see how you can learn French in Christchurch.
How to Learn French in Christchurch
There are many ways to learn French. It is a beautiful, melodious and rich language that is often described as the language of love.
Watch French Movies
Learning a new language by watching movies or listening to French songs or conversations is a fun way of learning.
Try watching movies you already know and love with French audio and English subtitles, and vice versa as well.
You’ll be able to pick up on both written and spoken French with this method.
You can also binge-watch French movies on Netflix. There are a number of French movies that might interest you.
Try watching without English dubbed. Listen to the French phrases and imitate the pronunciation.
Find a French Circle
Learning French will be easy if you have someone to talk to.
You can find a peer that speaks French as a start to familiarise yourself with the language. You may enjoy a French movie at Ciné Club or have a cup of coffee with croissants (from Le Panier, Merivale) and engage in French conversation in a relaxing atmosphere.
Take a French Course
Some say learning French is easy at the beginning but will get very complicated once you dive deeper. Well, that always depends on how you learn it, why you are learning it and how deep your passion goes towards learning the language.
You can always learn a new language by yourself but it will be time-consuming. However, taking a French class will help you learn the language at a faster pace with support from teachers and friends in the same course.
Hire a French Teacher
For the best results, you can find a private tutor to teach you French. With a one-on-one connection, you get personalised instruction that helps you learn according to your strengths.
Having a knowledgeable teacher who can provide immediate feedback, and practice speaking and listening, reading and writing, and grammar skills with you is a valuable method for learning French.
Where to Learn French in Christchurch
Let’s get started with French Classes in Christchurch. Nowadays, it is very easy and convenient as we have plenty of choices to choose from based on our requirements and needs. Here are some of the options that may suit your objectives.
Group Lessons
All under one roof, Language Centres such as Alliance Française de Christchurch, offer a wide range of French language classes from beginner to advanced level. If you wish to learn how to speak up in meetings, get comfortable with small talk, improve listening, practice negotiating, learn to debate, or gain some confidence in public speaking, you can consider joining a group class.
It is an advantage for a social person who enjoys talking with others and likes to work with a team to attend this class as this will be more motivating than a one-to-one lesson.
Private Tuition
You can always opt for more affordable private tutoring with a personal French tutor.
You can focus on your individual pronunciation problems, learn how to speak in a 1-to-1 setting, improve your writing, learn industry-related vocabulary, practice interviewing, or have all of your errors analysed and corrected, consider taking a private lesson.
Superprof is one of the leading educational platforms that offers direct instructions and tutelage from a recognised French tutor in Christchurch, allowing for more personalised, intensive and regular study feedback.
The tutor will be able to correct mistakes as they happen and teach content in an interactive way.
How much does it cost to hire a Superprof teacher? It can start from as low as $20 per hour!
At Superprof, you may select your tutors in Christchurch based on your preference for either a face-to-face French class or online classes to learn French vocabulary, pronunciation and communication skills from the comfort of your home or office, at your own pace.
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