French Teacher Education
- Overview
- Careers
- New Freshmen
- New Transfer
- Illinois State Students
Our award-winning and nationally accredited French Teacher Education major prepares graduates for K-12 teaching while offering a dynamic interdisciplinary lens for exploring the diverse cultural productions of the Francophone world: language, literature, the arts, politics, philosophy, and other fields of human inquiry and creative expression. Our students engage closely with faculty in small seminars and regularly study abroad for a year, semester, or summer in Angers or Grenoble (France), or Québec (Canada).
Regularly offered co-curricular activities including Pi Delta Phi (the French Honor Society), conversation tables, guest lectures, service learning, and a film series offer opportunities to hone your French outside the classroom.
Graduates in French Teacher Education demonstrate ACTFL-rated Advanced-Low language or higher proficiency and intercultural competencies, as well as the knowledge and experience necessary to become an effective educator.
Why Study French Teacher Education?
French Teacher Education majors acquire skill sets that prepare them for K-12 classroom teaching. Upon successful completion of their degree, graduates are certified to teach K-12 French in Illinois, as well as 32 states with reciprocity agreements. Career outlook for graduates remains promising. In fact, school principals around the state regularly contact our department in search of qualified job candidates.
The French Teacher Education program at Illinois State University prepares candidates to be highly qualified teachers and to be able to use their linguistic and intercultural competencies in any job that they may have.
Related Skills
- Ability to adapt to other cultures
- Good writing and speaking ability
- Understand cultural diversity, different cultural values and habits
- Critical reader
- Ability to translate carefully
- Strong interpersonal skills
Being Successful in the Field
- Research and Investigation -
The search for specific knowledge, fromcontrolled laboratory experimentation to detective work, from scholarlyendeavors to investigative journalism. - Organize: Information Management -The arrangement and retrieval of dataand knowledge, from cataloguing to accounting, from computer programming toinventory control.
- Communicate: Communications andPersuasion -The exchange, transmission, andexpression of knowledge and ideas, from sales to film news writing toillustrating, from teaching to performing.
- Emphasize: Humanitarian Service -The attention to physical, mental, orsocial needs of people, from medicine to social work, from labor relations toplay therapy.
- Administer: Organization Management -The direction and guidance of a group inthe completion of tasks and the attainment of goals, from politician tominister, from industrialist to school principal.
- Imagine: Design and Planning -The conceptualization of the future anddescription of a process for creating it, from the city planner to artist,proposal writer to architect.
Related Fields
Industry and Commerce
- Overseas salesrepresentative
- Overseas manager
- Overseas researcher
- U.S.-basedimport/export officer or investment specialist
- Interpreter
- Translator
- Technicalwriter/translator
Academic and Professional
- International lawyer
- Medical researcher
- Health care professional
- Academic researcher
- Librarian
- International researcher
- UNESCO project worker
- Translator
- Interpreter
- Foreign language/Bilingual teacher
U.S. Government
- Agency forInternational Development (AID)
- CentralIntelligence Agency (CIA)
- Federal Bureau ofInvestigations (FBI)
- Drug EnforcementAdministration (DEA)
- Immigration &Naturalization Service (INS):
- U.S. CustomsService
- National SecurityAgency (NSA)
- Immigration/Customsofficial
- Staff /Faculty atoverseas U.S. school
- Foreign Embassystaff
- Overseasbroadcast staff
- State Departmentstaff/ Armed forces staff
- Translator
- Interpreter
- IntelligenceAgent
Arts, Media, Entertainment
- Journalist
- Foreign/overseascorrespondent
- Filmproducer
- Art dealer
- Overseasmanager
- Translator/interpreter
Service
- Employee ofoverseas non-governmental organization
- United Nationsagency and project employee
- UNtranslator/interpreter
- Overseas medicalor agricultural worker
- Peace Corpsvolunteer
- Missionary
Travel and Tourism
- U.S. based travelagent
- U.S. hotelstaff
- U.S. tour guidefor foreign visitors
- Writer of touristliterature
- Internationalairline employee
- Internationalhotel staff
- Internationaltour guide
- Agency forInternational Development (AID)
- CentralIntelligence Agency (CIA)
- Federal Bureau ofInvestigations (FBI)
- Drug EnforcementAdministration (DEA)
- Immigration &Naturalization Service (INS):
- U.S. CustomsService
- National SecurityAgency (NSA)
Education
Approximately 100,000 people in this country work in the field of foreign language teaching. Over two-thirds teach in Jr. & Sr. High Schools, and the rest in colleges and universities, elementary schools and commercial and government- operated language schools with the greatest number teaching Spanish.In addition, a substantial number teach English to those who speak other languages as their native tongue. The teaching of English to speakers of other languages also offers expanding opportunities for employment abroad in government, academic & volunteer programs.
Career Industry Liaison
| Name | Office | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olanna Pullen | 223 Bone Student Center | olpulle@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-2200 |
Internship Coordinator
| Name | Phone | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nancy Ferrill | nferrill@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-7960 | Student Teacher Supervisor |
Applying to Illinois State
Applying by our priority deadline is encouraged for best consideration for your academic program and for scholarships. Start your application today!
Applying to Illinois State
Applying by our priority deadline is encouraged for best consideration for your academic program and for scholarships. Start your application today!
Minimum GPA
2.75
Middle 50% GPA
2.96 - 3.67
Required Courses
None
Recommended Courses
To find the course equivalencies at an Illinois community college, please review our Course Articulation Guides.
- Foreign language equivalent to Illinois State’s 115 level or higher
- Introduction to psychology (PSY 111)
- Introductory-level composition (ENG 101)
- Introductory-level speech (COM 110)
- Child Growth & Development (TCH 210)
Academic Advising
| Name | Office | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Edwards | Stevenson Hall 231B | lcedwar@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-3279 |
Minimum GPA
2.75
Middle 50% GPA
2.96 - 3.67
Application Period
Applications are always accepted.
Application Information
Current students can use the Apply to Your Program tool on My.IllinoisState.edu.
Academic Advising
| Name | Office | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laura Edwards | Stevenson Hall 231B | lcedwar@ilstu.edu | (309) 438-3279 |