What languages are the most "well-paid" in your country?

[anna3101]

I wonder how it is in other countries when it comes to the amount of additional money you may get for knowing a particular language.

My experience working in Russia and Poland points to French being more "useful" in a job search than English. English is supposed to be the "standard" now, so it's assumed you should know it at some intermediate level. However, not so many people speak really fluent French which just may be the reason for more interesting job offers.

However, if you want a really amazing salary, Chinese is probably one of the most valued because there's a lot of business with China and very few speakers. Also, Dutch is a huge advantage. Job offers with Dutch are rare but so are the people who know the language.

How is it in your country?

[Wanda Kaishin]

This is a good question, and I don't know the answer, but I will say that as far as I can tell French lessons are the most expensive of the languages I study. Whether or not that leads to employment opportunities is beyond me.

[lushlala]

There are 2 main languages spoken in my country; English (the official language) and Setswana (the national language). It pays to be fluent in English as it's the main medium of instruction and communication. We don't really have a use for any foreign languages here. But there's a very small handful of people who speak French and Portuguese, who hold vey lucrative diplomatic posts.

[Tyrell]

Definitely English. It's pretty rare to find someone who's fluent in English here. A lot of people can speak English, but they're far from fluent at it. In fact, they still mess up.. everything. So it's really an advantage to be fluent in English. The main reason why there aren't many fluent English speakers is because those who are fluent are no longer in the country. Most of them have moved to other countries - Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, the US, etc. This is because the fluent English speakers usually have a rich background and have very little appreciation for the country. Many don't even identify themselves as Indonesian anymore. 

[anna3101]

Thank you all so much for sharing the information. It's really interesting to see how things differ or how they are the same in various countries.

 

[jumbo]

Here in India, English pays the best and is the only way to live at least a decent lifestyle. There are a few exceptions such as government jobs where you can earn good money with Hindi or the state (provincial) language; however, most other jobs require English communication and writing skills. That's sad because according to statistics, only 20% of the population can actually speak English. Many students living in big cities have affordable access to private education where everything is taught in English. However, about 60% of India's population lives in rural areas where no one can speak or write English.

Being one of the former British colonies, India's story is reflected in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nigeria etc where English has precedence over the local language. In fact, US-centered globalization has meant that all societies, including non-English speaking European societies, deem English as more desirable/profitable than their first language.

Edited November 2, 2015 by jumbo

[linguaholic]

In Switzerland English, German, French and Italian is important. Depending on where you are living in Switzerland, you will definitely need to know either German, French or Italian. On top of that you should be able to speak English as well (not very surprising, is it). Then again, in some regions of Switzerland, it is a must to be able to speak German and French. In my city, for instance, German and French is a must because the city is bilingual. So to get a decent job you will need to be fluent in both. Italian is crucial in the italian speaking part of Switzerland, however, it can still be a valuable asset to know Italian for some international business or business that spreads all across the country. The same with French -->Many employers are in need of someone who can actually master German, French and maybe a third language like Italian. So knowing these 3 languages is definitely improving your chances of getting a decent job on the job market. 

[Chris_A]

In my country, companies are always on the look out for people who know German very well. I think that has to do with the fact that a lot of German companies outsource here in Romania, and need native level speakers. They pay really well, also.

[foolsgold]

I previously worked in a shared services / business processing environment which means our employees work for companies overseas. People who can speak any language other than English are very well paid (a language premium on top of the basic salary, which is usually the same or more than the amount of the basic salary). Common languages that were handsomely paid were Bahasa Melayu, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, German, and French, and I know for other companies Mandarin-speaking employees are paid well, too.

[Miya]

Not necessarily my country, but in Japan, if you can speak English you are almost guaranteed a teaching spot. You don't even have to know "proper" English grammar. As long as you're fluent in speaking, it's fairly easy to get a job here. 

[anna3101]

It looks like if there's one thing common, it's English and the importance of knowing it. It's both good and bad I think. I know some people who are really good in what they do but don't speak English so it's more difficult for them to find a decent job. The problem is, here in Poland employers do not always need English-speaking people - but they always put "excellent English" in the job offer! And then the person finds out they are never going to use English anyway. It's something I can't understand and really dislike a lot.