Finding Work as a New English-Speaker in Québec

Photo Credit: Lucas Paita on Unsplash

May 3, 2024 | Montréal, Québec

Moving to Québec with little French can create an awkward situation when it comes to finding work: it takes time to learn French so that you can earn money to remain here, but it takes money to have enough time to learn French.

The solution to this would seem to be to have money and speak French upon arrival. For those of you who aren’t in this position, my experience will likely be very familiar to you. 

I moved to Québec in February of 2023. I’m a British immigrant but have Permanent Resident status, having first come to Canada through Alberta several years earlier. Legally I can live and work anywhere in Canada. In practicality, it’s a different story. From service industry work to remote international positions, I faced a substantially harder time finding work than in Alberta. As such, I have spent the last year looking for work in multiple fields with varying levels of success. 

So far, my advice to English-speaking newcomers trying to learn French while finding work in Québec would fall along the following lines: accept, diversify, and persevere.

Accept that to remain, French is inevitable:

French is a central part to Québécois life, and by extension its workforce. While many English-speakers live and enjoy their time here, if you plan to remain and work in Québec, French is absolutely needed. Entirely English-speaking – or fully remote positions – are few and far between. 

I first moved to Québec to learn French, yet there were certainly times where I felt like throwing in the towel. If you feel the same, know you aren’t alone. Accept that language learning is a long and very fulfilling process that allows you to connect more with the community around you. 

“Don’t be afraid to try new fields, places, and ways of learning.”

Persevere in your use of French:

One major stumbling block I had to overcome was the idea that ‘French would just happen.’ Without you putting in the work, it won’t. Make sure to push through the especially challenging beginning stage where your French may be improving, but is not yet effective in a job context. 

Be more intentional with asking your friends, classmates, or current colleagues to practice with you. Continue to put yourself out there, and start small conversations with people. The mental hurdle of speaking French and risking getting it wrong will be much more challenging and important than any one particular French grammar rule or piece of vocab.  

Diversify where you are looking and how you practice: 

Don’t be afraid to try new fields, places, and ways of learning. Since moving to Montréal, I have worked in fine dining and construction pretty much for the first time in my life. With some restaurant experience and a slight wood-working background, these fields weren’t completely new. They were also by no means my field of study: political science. But when I found a busboy position at a downtown restaurant and a manual labour position with a family-owned renovation company, I said yes immediately. Collectively, they pay the bills. They also gave me a foot in the door to practice my French in a workplace setting. 

Within these roles, both provide unique learning opportunities. It isn’t always ideal to ask someone to explain verb conjugations to you while in the middle of a busy rush. However, being insistent on using French words for commonly used items, or French questions/answers for common topics, is a way that really helped me get over the hurdle of talking in public. 

How to find work with little to no French:

I have found that over time my enjoyment of the language learning process has gone up and up. The small victories – speaking with a client, answering a stranger’s question, introducing yourself to someone new, all in French – are certainly becoming more frequent since using the above tips, and I have no doubt that the same will apply to you. So, although becoming proficient in French will probably take more time than you’d like, with persistence, it will likely take less time than you think. 

Author
Thomas Brown