Speaking another language can be challenging, especially if you have been monolingual all your life, but being bilingual can open career doors that might otherwise have remained firmly shut.
Children who grow up in bilingual or even trilingual families quickly learn those languages at an early stage, being sponges who soak up the different ways of communicating. That creates an advantage for such individuals when choosing a career over people who only speak one language.
However, with the right application and hard work you can equip yourself with new language skills, and if English isn’t your first language you can use High Q courses to help put you in the driving seat when it comes to seeking to advance your career. There are significant benefits to bilingualism when it comes to work, so here are some of the reasons you should seriously consider the prospect.
Bagging the interview
Many companies are global operations and they need employees who are able to work in more than one language. Although English is generally accepted as the lingua franca of business, the ability to speak Spanish, Russian, Chinese, French or many other languages can put you at the top of the interview list. Employers want people who can understand different cultures and are able to converse fluently in another language because it makes them more versatile and a greater asset. The world is multicultural and being bilingual gives you the edge over other applicants who don’t have your skills.
Boost your earnings
Companies are more likely to want to keep you when you have additional language skills, especially when they have offices in a number of different countries. The chances are they will offer pay incentives to ensure you stay with them, so using your language skills whenever you can will demonstrate the added value you bring to the business.
Understand your adaptability
You may enjoy your current job but might be looking for other options. With a second language you could be asked to work abroad in an appropriate office or look for a new area of work as a translator or interpreter, jobs that are in huge demand. In terms of work abroad if Spanish was your second language you could work in practically every South American country as well as Spain and Mexico.
The travel and tourism industries are also large employers of bilingual workers so if you were looking for a complete change of scene, and potentially a lot of travel, your skills will be needed.
Creative solutions
All languages differ as do the thought processes you engage when learning and speaking a new language. This gives you creative ways to think about solving problems that come up. Sometimes just considering a problem in a second language can lead to an outcome through analysis and logic, having to think through an issue in a different way to using your mother tongue.
The world is your oyster
Globalisation has shrunk the world in terms of business and communication so being bilingual certainly gives you a head start in terms of developing your long-term career.