Spanish
Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world and is part of everyday life through business and its culture. Spanish is without any doubt a language of the future.
A lot of British children go to Spain on holiday. They have posters of Shakira and Ricky Martin and their favourite footballer David Beckham plays for Madrid. Spanish relates to their world.
Aims and objectives
To give pupils the opportunity to
- Acquire knowledge and understanding of the target language
- Develop language skills (speaking, listening reading and writing)
- Develop language learning skill
- Develop cultural awareness
Some possible fields of employment
The following list provides examples of career titles and fields that language majors may wish to contemplate. This is only a sampling and does not represent all careers you might consider. Some occupations may require education beyond a bachelor's degree and/or may require experience/education in another field. In each of these fields, your language major will give you an edge in a competitive job market:
Business
| Business Executives | Stenography | Banking and Finance |
| Personnel Manager | Import/Export | Fashion Industry |
| Receptionist | Sales | Automobile Industry |
| Secretary | International Law | Public Relations |
Communications:
| International Operator | Translator | Publishing |
| Foreign Correspondent | Interpreter | Advertising |
| Journalist | Editor | Telecommunications |
| Photographer | Customer Service | Film and Entertainment |
Education:
| Teacher | Study Abroad Coordinator | Textbook Author/Editor |
| University/College Professor | Tutor | Missionary Work |
| Overseas Teacher for Foreign Corporations & Diplomats | Teacher for Commercial Language Schools | ESL (English as a Second Language) Teacher |
Government Services:
| Peace Corps | Immigration and Customs | Immigration and Customs Aid Agencies |
| Diplomatic Corps | Federal Agencies | Armed Forces |
| Court Interpreter | INS | United Nations |
| Intelligence | Overseas Dependents' Schools | Social Work |
Humanities & Arts:
| Historian | Art Historian | Theater |
| Travel Writer | Critic / Reviewer | Philosophy |
| Author | Actor / Actress | Area Studies |
| Vocalist / Singer | Linguist |
Science:
| Technical Translator | Engineering | Anthropologist |
| Researcher | Medicine | Archeologist |
| Lab Technician | Museum Studies | Archivist |
| Field Researcher | Library & Information | Science |
Technology:
| Software Designer or Tester | Technical Support Specialist | Web Developer |
| Applications Trainer | Web Community Manager | Software Consultant |
| Technical Writer | Web Localization Specialist | Software Localization Specialist |
Travel Services:
| Hotel and Restaurant Staff / Management | Publisher of Tourist Literature | Visitor and Convention Bureaus |
| Tour Guides | Foreign Travel Advisors | Airline Industry |
| Car Rental Agency | Travel Agents | National Parks |
Letter from Ms A.Vella, Head of MFL Department.
Letter from Ms A.Vella, Head of MFL Department.
In June 2003 I went to Pamplona on a course organised by the British council in partnership with Notley High School. The course was organised for teachers of Spanish and its aim was to establish professional link with Spanish teachers, visit secondary schools, have lessons at university to prepare a diploma in Spanish and taste the culture and language on a complete immersion basis. I stayed with a family and learnt a lot about the country and the culture.
Along with other teachers from different European countries I went to the “Palacio”, where the minister of education of Pamplona, Mr J Laguna, received us and gave a very welcome and warm speech. His words were that his country is our country and he hoped that through the understanding of the language we could appreciate the beauty of the Spanish culture. He was honoured that European teachers came to Spain to enjoy the culture and then transfer their experience to students all over Europe.
My favourite part of the course was the visit to a secondary school. I was amazed to find out that most Spanish students learn English from the age of 3 and by the time they arrive in year seven they are fluent in English - in fact in this secondary school both PE and Drama are actually being taught in English!
They were really keen about English culture and were very knowledgeable about the media and were following “Pop Idol” in class. We even visited a very remote primary school in the countryside where students age 3 –12 were taught by one teacher. They organised a visit of their school and the castle (which is the main attraction of their village) and they all had prepared an introduction of their school and their village for us using English language when possible.
In Spain, I encountered the same enthusiasm for British culture and language from people from different background. This is why Spanish teachers from the MFL team are conveying the same enthusiasm towards Spanish language and culture to our students of Notley High School.
September 2008
Five years on and Spanish at Notley continues to go from strength to strength. GCSE results have been consistently impressive, with 100% of students passing at grades A*-C in 2006.
In September 2008 the teaching of Spanish at Notley was expanded so that all students in Year Seven are provided with the opportunity to study the language. Spanish is also offered to Year Eight students in Sets 1 and 2 (approximately 70% of all students in the year). Year Nine top set students now study Spanish for three, instead of two hours per fortnight, thus enabling them to make greater progress in preparation for GCSE study. Owing to pupil enthusiasm, a series of Spanish Master Classes are being organised for Year Nine students this year.
Spanish is really popular amongst the students at Notley and they enjoy having Spanish assistants: Bea from Valladolid, Ana from Madrid, Dulce from Mexico and currently Juanjo from Murcia.
Miss Vella, Head of MFL