Case Study – Hannah Smith
What an amazing and transformative experience! I arrived in a small mountain town located in Haute-Savoie, France in September 2025 with little confidence and almost overwhelming anxiety about what the upcoming months would bring. It is now July 2026, and I return home with new stories, experiences, and memories that I will cherish for life and that will guide my future career path.
From the early days of planning this time, I was determined to be fully immersed in French working life and sought to secure placements that would not only improve my language skills but also provide work experience that might serve my career interests. The first six months were spent with a wine distributor, primarily occupied with servicing the ski industry centred in the French and Swiss Alps. It was a tall order to go straight into a busy marketing and sales environment. However, I quickly built confidence with my French by answering phone calls, interacting with clients at special wine tasting events throughout the season, creating social media and executing marketing campaigns, and through daily communication with my team. Although I found the job challenging at times, it was an incredibly rewarding opportunity, which has opened my eyes to some of the processes and pressures of running a successful small/ medium sized business. The internship introduced me to the world of wine production, marketing, sales and distribution – a foundation and flagship of French culture – and has ultimately sparked an interest in this industry as an exciting future career path after graduation.
Alongside my new job, I launched myself into my new French mountain lifestyle, joining sports clubs and a church that allowed me to meet locals. I have built strong friendships and am already planning return visits. These friendships also exposed me to a more colloquial style of French, of which my understanding has notably improved throughout the eleven months.
As the start of my year abroad marked my first time visiting the Haute-Savoie region, I have thoroughly enjoyed my immersion into its unique culture, notably enjoying the traditional mountain food of raclette, fondue, and charcuterie, as well as the overall sporty, mountainous lifestyle. One of my highlights of this year has been adventuring into the mountains on bivouac expeditions, including hiking up mountains and camping overnight with my local French friends. During peak ski season, the department of Haute-Savoie attracts many tourists, and I became aware of the rules, regulations, and efforts in place to protect and preserve its natural spaces.
The second half of my year abroad marked a transformation in my professional French, working as a receptionist for a prestigious global health conference centre in Annecy. At the forefront of client interactions, I had to learn and adapt quickly to be able to confidently help visiting clients in French. I acquired other general skills, including conference organisation, which again, has sparked an interest in terms of future career opportunities.
Starting afresh in a new city was not always easy, but joining the Language Cafe every Wednesday evening allowed me to meet people from all over the world and take part in local activities such as lakeside volleyball. Living in Annecy, I got to experience the Fête de la Musique, a cultural event that happens each year all across France, uniting people in the streets with a diverse variety of live music. I also loved experiencing Annecy’s Festival International du Film d’Animation, a world-renowned animation festival held in Annecy every year. The city became incredibly busy as visitors from all over the world arrived to enjoy a week showcasing some of the best animation in the world. Through my work, I was lucky enough to receive passes to several film showings, and it was such a memorable moment to watch a French film outside with hundreds of other people.
I am incredibly grateful to the John Speak Language Trust for supporting me financially during this year. I have made connections and friendships for life and have undoubtedly progressed in my French. With these two work placement experiences, I am excited about future job prospects after graduation. This year abroad has flown by, and I have had so many positive experiences that I would recommend taking the opportunity to live abroad to any budding linguists.