Nowadays, many high-paying career options demand bilingualism. Spanish, a language spoken by more than 500 million people around the world and in more than 20 countries, the requirement of “must be fluent in Spanish” appears in many of these well-paid job offers.
If you are at the beginning of your professional journey, looking for information about universities, colleges or higher education, and you are already fluent in Spanish, you may want to know where your best options lie. If, on the other hand , you started a job a few years ago but are now considering a career change, here you will find 11 well-paying professional options.
Lastly, if you have a passion for the Spanish language, wish to learn it, and add this skill to your resume, you may also be curious to know if the time invested in learning Spanish will yield benefits in the future. In any case, as with any other language, your Spanish will always be an asset in the current job market, and will always give you a competitive advantage when you are on the job hunt in today’s globalised world. In this article you will discover 11 high-paying career options for those who want to use Spanish in their professional field.
When designing (or redesigning) the path you want to follow with your professional career, you have to take several factors into account. Think that, on average, you are going to spend between 40 and 70% (depending on the country) of the hours that you are awake working. That is a significant time of your life! Therefore, finding a job that you would like and which brings you happiness and satisfaction is very important.
But also, we work to get the life we want. How much is the life you want worth (in financial terms)? Take out the calculator and punch some numbers: the apartment that you desire, the education you want for your children, the food and clothes you would like to wear , the hobbies you want to have… The result of this sum is the salary you need to earn.
Therefore, you should take these factors into account when you design (or redesign) your professional career:
Researching on high-paying career options and comparing various sources, authors and articles, these are the 11 careers in which, in terms of salary, you can see how learning Spanish can make you richer.
1. Translator
When we talk about language translation, we talk about adapting written content from the original language into a new target language while preserving the message and meaning.
Translators are needed in the fields of health care, law, tourism and politics. And here is one new field that is demanding more of the skillset than before : especially more with children books!
2. Interpreter
When we talk about language interpretation, we talk about relaying messages from spoken or signed language in real-time so it is understood immediately, as it would be in a typical exchange.
Interpreters are needed in hospitals, court houses, in the fields of politics, and diplomacy. Here is one that is increasing in demand for more interpreters: immigration facilities.
3. Human resources specialist
Ethnic diversity in the workplace is correlated to profitability. HR people are increasingly hiring these multilingual workers as well as solving problems in the workplace because of cultural crashes.
4. Study abroad coordinator
This is a new field in which bilingual or multilingual speakers are needed. Their job is to review applications, to help with accommodation, to support students and give them advice… They are generally hired by universities.
5. Hospitality industry
Among the professions in the hospitality sector among which you can find a better salary and competitive advantages when speaking Spanish are, hotel managers, restaurant managers, receptionists and waitresses/waiters. Don’t be fooled by these professions. I have a friend in Menorca who speaks Spanish, English and German and thanks to her waitressing from June to September (four months) she doesn’t need to work the rest of the year!
6. Tour guide and travel agent
In the field of tourism, these two professions need a specific set of skills in which speaking more than one language is essential. Depending on the language and the type of tourism in which they specialise in, they can get a good amount of benefits when operating in their high seasons.
7. Flight attendant
This is another traditional profession in which it is necessary to speak native and multiple languages in order to give the best possible service to flight passengers.
8. Academic (field) researcher
For many scientists, Central and South America are the “Promised Lands” in fields such as environment, archeology, anthropology and geography.
9. International business
Some professions working making business among countries from all over the world and Spain or Central and South America (these last ones are immensely rich in natural resources) need to speak and understand Spanish. Examples of these professions are international sales manager, logistic specialists, international marketing managers and engineers.
10. Customer sales service
Bilingual or multilingual professionals are needed in the customer service sector in companies that sell globally, such as Amazon, or in companies that work with clients globally, such as airline organisations.
11. International (governmental and nongovernmental) agencies
Let’s go for the last of the high-paying career options on this list. Diplomats and workers from governmental and non-governmental agencies need to speak at least three languages. Just take a quick look at job offers from the European Union or the United Nations. In most of them, two of these three languages required are English, Spanish or French. The same goes for job offers as International Development Program Officers.
Throughout the article we have seen the 11 high-paying-career-options that you could choose if you speak Spanish as a second language. The range of options is quite wide and will surely continue to grow in the coming years with new professional careers that will be created in an increasingly globalised job market.
Of course, when applying for a job that requires you to speak a certain level of Spanish, you have to prove it. Some employers may switch to Spanish when they interview you to test your skills and assess your level for themselves. Others may have some form of a Spanish placement test to determine whether your skills fulfil their requirements.
At Your Spanish Hub, we are teachers accredited by the Cervantes Institute for the preparation of the official Spanish exam DELE (Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera). In addition, in our Spanish Classes catalogue, you can also find exclusive classes to practise your conversation. Therefore, if you are designing or redesigning your professional career and you want to incorporate Spanish into your set of assets, we invite you to book a trial class today with our accredited native teachers.
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