There is an increasing demand for professionals who speak multiple languages, therefore being fluently multilingual can lead to more career opportunities. Whether you are learning foreign languages for personal or professional development, there are many career choices available with your competitive edge.
Your language skills are extremely valuable, and a foreign language job can be extremely rewarding. In this guide, we take a look at some of the many best-rated jobs for foreign language speakers to give you an idea of some popular career avenues!
Language Tutor
Interested in language teaching jobs? There is nothing quite rewarding as sharing your knowledge with others, which is why foreign language tutoring jobs are some of the most rewarding career opportunities. Knowing that you’re making a positive contribution to others can make the job all the more rewarding.
As a language tutor, there are three ways you can teach; in a classroom, as a private (one-to-one) tutor, and as an online tutor.
If you prefer stability and structure, language tutoring in a classroom is the best choice for you, whereas private language tutoring and online language tutoring can be far more flexible. Online tutoring is great for tutors who like the idea of teaching wherever and whenever.
Language Translator
Language translators have an important role in rendering text understandable and usually work by translating foreign text into their native language.
There are various types of language translators, including medical translators, literary translators, legal translators, script translators, website translators, specialised translators and many more.
Language translators play a crucial role in removing language barriers for those who do not speak or understand foreign languages.
Language Interpreter
Language interpreters (not to be confused with language translators) are more involved in facilitating communication between different parties who would otherwise not be able to communicate due to language barriers.
Unlike language translation, language interpretation requires more quick thinking and ‘instant’ verbal translation between multiple parties.
Language interpretation is one of the most challenging careers, but also happens to be a fun foreign language job!
Tour Guide
Tour guides are highly sought after, with foreign travel always in continuous demand. Tour guides offer cultural experiences and in-depth knowledge of popular destinations to help answer questions, give directions or provide recommendations to tourists.
Exploring new territories and discovering unknown cultures are two of the top reasons why many of us love foreign travel, which is why many travellers opt for local tours.
Local tours tend to be run by local tour guides of that native country, however, it can really help if tour guides are multilingual to reduce cultural and language gaps for tourists.
Tour guides must be well travelled and possess people, leadership and communication skills. Of course, it also really helps to have a deep understanding of the type of tour you wish to give! In terms of languages, you should be able to speak several languages fluently and, ideally, the languages that are commonly spoken in that native country.
Airline Flight Attendant
If you’d like a career that allows you to get paid to see the world, have a fast-paced lifestyle and meet new people, then working as a flight attendant may be a suitable role for you!
Flight attendants are responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers and crew during a flight. They greet passengers as they board, demonstrate safety briefings and offer refreshments during the flight.
Generally, speaking a second language is not required, but it is something that will certainly make you stand out from the crowd. Becoming a multilingual flight attendant also makes it easier to communicate with foreign travellers – and can therefore be crucial in emergency situations.
Journalist
If you have a keen interest in current affairs, including local, national and international events and news, then journalism may be of interest.
Journalists investigate and present information through various mediums, including television, radio, newspapers and online platforms. International journalists often travel the world to cover important news and happenings, meaning that the knowledge of other languages is highly advantageous.
As well as knowledge of other languages, it can also help to have a strong interest and understanding of current affairs and world news.
Looking for your next role?
Considering a language career but not sure where to start or what your options are? Check out some of our recent guides, including an overview of which languages are in demand at the moment, top tips to make the most out of a job fair networking in a virtual world and job interview tips.
We’ve also put together a guide on the easiest languages to learn and some of the best language jobs available to multilingual speakers.
Looking for your next language role? Check out our latest jobs now.
