English
A foreign language is essential to take your career to the next level. The benefits of studying one are obvious in some professions, while it is less obvious in others.
But the knowledge of a foreign language is especially useful if you plan on pursuing an international career. Sooner or later, a valuable specialist might start to feel restricted in the job market of his country and begin to look abroad. What does it take to enter the world stage? Let's figure out which languages are worth learning in order to achieve this and what else may be required for a smooth advancement in your career.
Languages that are useful in any country
A large-scale study by the Erasmus University of Rotterdam confirmed that the knowledge of foreign languages is a necessity for getting a better-paying job. English is in the highest demand, but German, French, Spanish, and Italian are also in high demand.
Don't neglect learning languages, even if English is your first language! After all, knowing the languages of other countries can help you quickly win over your business partners, conclude a more profitable contract, or get the best job offer.
Knowing a foreign language has little effect on the salary in some professions, but you could be dismissed in others for not knowing one! For example, foreign languages are very important in business in order to perform the following tasks:
- hold meetings with foreign partners without hiring an interpreter
- develop partnerships with international companies
- represent the company and its products to a foreign audience
- attend major fairs, conferences, and congresses
- prepare materials for publication in international publications
- interact with customers
Likewise, a foreign language is important for department heads and order executors that have to take orders from foreign customers regularly.
If you plan to bring your business to the international level, then it is advisable to not only learn the language of the country where your business partners live, but also its traditions and customs. A specialist striving for professional development in another country, or even just moving there, should first assess how open they are to immigrants in that country and whether or not it is realistic to move there, even with knowledge of the language.
English is almost a universal language. Everyone should start with it first (especially if you work in IT). However, in some countries English is not enough. For example, many Japanese people do not know English very well. Anyone who wants to work with them or live side by side should definitely learn Japanese. If you have not yet decided which country you prefer for your career development, then you can simply choose to study the language that is spoken by the most people in the world.
The most popular languages in the world
Each researcher has his own opinion about which languages should be at the top of a most popular list. However, according to a study by babbel.com, the most common languages in the world are:
- Chinese (1.3 billion native speakers)
- Spanish (460 million native speakers)
- English (379 million native speakers)
- Hindi (341 million native speakers)
- Arabic (315 million native speakers)
Choosing the language of a developing country will give you a career advantage in their job market. However, it may be physically inconvenient to move to such countries for other reasons, such as a low standard of living or inappropriate migration conditions. Therefore, you should weigh all of the pros and cons before choosing a foreign language.
The best countries to look at for an international job
According to a study by Salary.com, the most in demand jobs in the global labor market are:
- Physiotherapists
- Engineers
- Nurses
- Teachers
- Pediatricians
It is important to find out if you will need to additionally confirm your qualifications before moving to another country. For example, in Switzerland, as in many other European countries, it is not enough for a doctor to simply obtain a work permit - he must also confirm his diploma. Also, the minimum requirement for most countries is to know their state language and pass the appropriate exam.
If your family is from a country where you dream of moving to, be sure to find out if you can participate in a repatriation program.
It is much easier for returnees to obtain citizenship. In some countries, such as Israel, there are special repatriation programs in which participants are helped to learn the language as soon as possible and adapt to life in their new country.
However, you can move to another country even if you don't work in a high-demand area. First, you can always get an education in the country where you want to work. Second, you can go abroad as a laborer or get a seasonal job. There are programs for such workers even in countries with the highest living standards, for example, in Canada (the official languages of the country, by the way, are English and French).
Whichever language you decide to learn, the most important thing is to find your motivation. Improving career opportunities can be a great stimulus for your language development, but the main thing is that it is interesting for you and really helps you achieve your goals.
