How Learning Spanish Improves Your Job Prospects

Oh yes, you better believe it – learning Spanish improves your job prospects. The sweeter deal is that it also increases your income-earning potential! While a working knowledge of Spanish gives you access to a wider choice of careers, an advanced skill in Spanish puts you in a much more advantageous position when negotiating for your salary. This is especially evident when the job requires frequent postings to Spanish-speaking countries or dealing with customers who prefer to communicate in Spanish.

Look at Canada’s example. The federal government and some employers in the private sector pay a premium for fluently bilingual candidates in English and French. Years ago, the federal government paid a handsome bonus for bilingualism on top of the base pay; we don’t know if the bonus amount has increased.

In the United States and particularly in states like California, New York, Texas, Florida and Washington, chances are many employers look for job applicants who speak Spanish in addition to their mother tongue. This search for bilingual candidates has intensified in light of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the European Economic Commission (EEC) and the globalization of markets. Bilingualism has its privileges – as that famous advertisement goes – but it also has it rewards!

Consider the following -

Fact # 1: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the US Government implemented a web site in Spanish to help non-English speaking US residents to help them gain access to governmental assistance when they experience a job-related injury or disability. Because the fatality rate for Spanish-speaking people in the workplace has increased, the US Government wants to ensure that workers are treated fairly and promptly. "That starts with understanding vital, basic information about preventing injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Through our new Spanish page, millions more employers and workers in this country will have access to information they can use to make their workplaces safer." (OSHA Spanish web site).
What does this fact imply? The US government will need fluently bilingual people to interpret workplace conditions and alternatives available to workers should injuries occur. That’s just one government department. What about the other departments? This need also extends to state and city governments looking for Spanish-speaking candidates.

Fact # 2: Going over to Europe, one organization that plays an active role in protecting Spanish interests in the continent is the CEOE (Confederation of Employers and Industries of Spain) founded in 1977. It is the highest-ranking Spanish businessmen’s organization, representing one million public and private companies engaged in all productivity levels (agriculture, industry and services). At present there are 184 regional and sectorial organizations in the CEOE. If you want to do your internship in Spain and you think that the CEOE will complement the skills you learned in business school, then your Spanish will serve you well.

Fact # 3: International organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund as well as the United Nations look for candidates with language skills. In the United Nations for example, their web site states that “Virtually all professional and senior posts require an advanced degree; significant number of years of recent, relevant and specialized work experience, some field experience in developing countries; and at least a working knowledge of a second UN language, usually French or Spanish.” It states further, “there are rarely suitable openings for students, recent college graduates, or persons who lack pertinent experience or language skills.”

Fact # 4: Private companies also do their share of recruiting bilingual candidates. Multinationals with branches all over the world and in Latin America are always on the lookout for job seekers who are not only competent in their fields but who also speak a second or third language. Hispanic Recruiter Reviewer says that employers “are scrambling for Latino leaders” who can fill executive and mid-management positions because there appears to be a shortage.

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