Six Awesome Jobs That Require a Second Language

There’s an increasing demand for bilingual workers. New American Economy reports that the demand for bilingual workers more than doubled between 2010 and 2015. That’s a lot of new jobs that need qualified bilingual (or multilingual) candidates!

According to the Chicago Tribune, foreign language careers are on the rise in a number of fields, including finance, health care, social services, information technology and more. Learning a second language can increase your employability in almost any field you can imagine.

Additionally, bilingual workers often earn more than their monolingual counterparts. AOL Finance reports that bilingual workers earn between 5% and 20% more than the base rate per hour.

1. International Sales Manager: In any sector that produces goods, it is likely there are international sales positions. Many international sales positions focus on B2B “business to business” sales. Businesses often sell their products to other businesses, and while these negotiations are often considered more complex, they can also be tremendously satisfying for a skilled negotiator.
2. Study Abroad Coordinator: These coordinators serve as a university’s go-to person for study-abroad opportunities.
3. Foreign Service Officer: Foreign service officers serve as representatives of their home nation in countries throughout the world. Depending on their career track, they might help Americans abroad, protect American borders, work to negotiate with foreign governments, manage embassy operations, promote mutual understanding and more.
4. International Development Program Officer: International development jobs focus on helping communities across the world. This may involve addressing issues like health, clean water, economic development, energy, the environment and more.
5. Foreign Correspondent: International journalists and foreign correspondents travel throughout the world to cover breaking news stories.
6. Intelligence Operative: Being an intelligence operative doesn’t necessarily involve sneaking into parties to follow shady characters. It might involve field work, but there are also many positions in analysis, STEM and support.

Adapted from “Living the Dream! 6 Awesome Jobs That Require a Second Language.”