School of Languages Student Profiles
What our students say!
Name: Amy Bates
Course: BA (Hons) European Languages FIGIS
Year of Graduation: 2009
Why did you choose to study on the course
at the University of Salford?
It was based on applied language skills and I had the option of studying 3 languages, including Spanish from scratch, as well as translation and interpreting modules. I didn't want to study literature so this course was perfect for me.
What were the best aspects of studying this course?
The modules were delived in an interesting and engaging way and the year abroad was very worthwhile and helped to improve my language skills and fluency enourmously. Even though I started Spanish from scratch, the intensive nature of the course means that by the time ab initio students graduate, they are at the same level as post A-Level students.
How did you spend your residence abroad and what would you recommend about this experience?
I spent four months in translation department of the AUDI Akademie in Ingolstadt, Germany as an intern. My duties included preparing and proofreading translations, liaising with clients and working with translation databases. I made some fantastic friends who I am still in contact with now and I had a great time there. I then went to Toulouse in France where I spent three months as an English assistant in a lycée, for students aged 14-19, where I taught English and conversation classes. In the summer I went to Madrid, Spain and spent three months at the Universidad de Nebrija learning Spanish as a foreign language. It was a great experience, linguistically and culturally, and it is a wonderful opportunity to make new friends and travel.
Do you have any comments about the School’s staff?
The staff are fantastic - helpful and very knowledgeable. I was fully supported throughout the course and thouroughly enjoyed my time at Salford.
What are your duties in your current role?
I currently employed as a full time teacher at a specialist languages college in Cheshire, where I teach French, German and Spanish to students aged 11-18. I am also a moderator for the AQA and Edexcel examination boards, and I do private tuition work.
How have your studies at the University of Salford assisted with your duties?
After graduation I found a perfect job via the careers service - I worked in Cheadle as an MFL Project Coodinator for Lightbox Education. This involved producing, developing and proofreading of online learning GCSE revision materials for AQA, as well as copyediting and translation assignments. I was in charge of Spanish content and also assisted in French and German. This job was a three month contract, so I was able to leave my old part time job in order to gain valuable experience in the area of lanuage teaching between finishing university and starting my PGCE.