In-Demand Jobs in Quebec: Which Ones Require Proof of French?

In Quebec, French at work falls under two separate rules. The first covers occupations governed by a professional order. Under section 35 of the Charter of the French Language, an order may issue a licence only to a person whose knowledge of French is appropriate to the practice of the profession; according to Québec.ca, that means being able to work in French. The licence holder must then keep that level for as long as they hold the licence.

The second rule covers every other job. The Charter requires employers to respect workers' right to carry on their activities in French: job offers, written contracts and written communications to staff must be in French. These are duties for the employer: the chapter on the language of work does not ask employees to prove their French to be hired. Our guide to Bill 101 details your language rights at work.

The table lists, in the same order, the 36 occupations in shortage from our guide to in-demand jobs in Quebec. The second column repeats what each occupation's official profile on Québec.ca lists as also required. The third draws the consequence: the Charter requires proof of French only when you need a licence or membership in a professional order.

Our reading of the Québec.ca profiles: 13 occupations require membership in an order or its licence; for 2 others, it depends on the exact job within the group; for 3, membership is required only to use the title; the 2 teaching occupations follow a different rule; the last 16 require no licence from an order.

For the occupations marked only to use the title (social worker, professional technologist), section 35 applies only if you join the order. If you plan to work without the title, ask the order which activities are reserved for its members.

According to Québec.ca, the order considers that you have this knowledge if you meet one of these conditions:

• you completed at least three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary education in French;
• you passed the French mother-tongue exams of the fourth or fifth year of secondary school in Quebec;
• you obtained a secondary school diploma in Quebec in 1985-1986 or later.

In all other cases, you must pass the exam of the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), which issues a certificate of knowledge of French. According to Québec.ca, the exam is free, lasts about three hours and assesses your oral and written French through a case study linked to your profession. It has four parts that must all be passed in the same session. It is held in person in Montreal, and twice a year in Quebec City; it is never offered remotely. If you fail, you can retake it as often as needed, after waiting three months.

To register, contact the order you want to join: it tells you whether you need to take the exam. If you are studying in Quebec, section 36 of the Charter lets you provide this proof during the two years before you obtain your diploma.

Under section 37 of the Charter, an order may issue you a temporary licence if your French is not yet sufficient, provided you acquired the required professional skills outside Quebec. According to Québec.ca, this licence lets you practise your profession while you keep learning French. It is valid for one year at most.

On the same page: the licence may be renewed up to three times, with the OQLF's authorization if the public interest justifies it. To qualify for renewal, you must sit the OQLF exam at least once within the twelve months after the licence or its renewal is issued. The years of validity must be consecutive. Once they run out, you can no longer practise until you pass the exam, but you can keep taking it.

Your order checks whether you are eligible. Section 40 of the Charter also provides, where the public interest justifies it and with the OQLF's prior authorization, a restrictive licence for a person already authorized to practise elsewhere: it allows work for a single employer only, in a role that does not involve dealing with the public.

The 2 teaching occupations on the list do not go through a professional order: they require a Quebec teaching licence. According to Québec.ca, some applicants, including those who received their teacher education outside Canada, must pass a language exam to obtain it: the TECFÉE in French or the EETC in English. Some applicants may also have an oral exam.

These applicants first receive a notice of conditional eligibility, valid for five years. It does not allow you to teach; it lets you sit one of the language exams. The information document sent with the notice explains the compulsory exam.

For the 16 occupations on the list that go through neither an order nor a teaching licence (mechanics, truck driving, farming, fish processing and early childhood education, among others), the Charter requires no proof of French. Several require another document, such as a certificate of qualification or a driver's licence; the Québec.ca profiles give the details for each occupation.

How much French is asked for therefore depends on the employer and the job. The Charter makes French the normal language of work, but it allows the employer to write to you only in another language if you ask for it.

To improve your French while you work, Francisation Québec offers free courses; our guide to Francisation Québec explains how to sign up. For the sectors where people often work in English, see Working in Quebec without speaking French.

Here are the concrete steps to know what your trade requires. Check each box as you go — your progress is saved if you're signed in.

The most common questions about French requirements in in-demand jobs: renewing the temporary licence, the cost of the OQLF exam, keeping your French once licensed, employers who ask for English, and the language orders use to write to you.

These related guides may be useful:

• In-demand jobs in Quebec — the list of 36 occupations in shortage, with the training each one requires.
• Recognizing your foreign diplomas in Quebec — the other half of the work if your occupation is governed by an order.
• French tests for immigration (TEF, TCF) — the tests for your immigration file, not to be confused with the OQLF exam.
• Working in Quebec without speaking French — the sectors and cities where people often work in English.

For official, up-to-date information, see these sites:

• Gouvernement du Québec — Learning French
• Office québécois de la langue française
• LégisQuébec