Starting
Point
Series
Careers
using
Languages
The University of Manchester
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Last updated: September 2012
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A full list of the publications in this series is available at
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/startingpoints
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers
Careers using Languages
This publication is intended to give you some starting points and further
information about career areas that may be of interest to:
 Languages students and graduates
 Students of subjects whose degree includes a language (such as
European Studies or Middle Eastern Studies)
 Students who have a good knowledge of another language through
their personal background even if they have never studied languages
formally
Speaking another language can significantly boost your job prospects. Only
one in ten careers with languages is in fields such as interpreting and
translating. The majority of opportunities are in operational areas of
businesses. You can use your language skills in a wide range of careers. For
many students this poses a dilemma - knowing where to start!
Getting Started
Have you got any career ideas? If you know what you want to do, or even the
sector you want to enter, this can help to narrow things down. If not, don't
despair. The Prospects website has a really useful section entitled: Using your
Language skills: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/languages.This outlines the
different occupational areas and job sectors open to languages graduates.
You might also want to take a look at Prospects Planner, which helps you to
generate new job ideas and check out your existing ideas and helps to identify
your skills and find out what motivates you in a job:
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pplanner
Languages - some facts
 Languages can boost your pay as well as your prospects: research
shows that linguists' salaries can be anything from 8 - 20% higher than
workers without language skills. (source: Isabella Moore, director of
CILT - The National Centre for Languages)
 In an increasingly global job market, being able to speak another
language can mean that UK and foreign employers are actively seeking
to recruit people with language skills.
 Jobs involving languages are also more likely to involve overseas
placements or travel. It is worth remembering that other skills are often
required in addition to language skills.
 If you want to use your languages in business, good sectors to aim for
include contact centres, customer services, engineering, sales,
business development, import/export, financial and accountancy,
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marketing, media, technology, travel and tourism, the public sector,
voluntary and charitable sector, and IT.
The biggest UK business demand is for German, French, Dutch,
Spanish and Italian. The public services need speakers of Hindi,
Swahili, Somali, Turkish, Urdu and Welsh.
Worldwide demand is increasing for Arabic, Japanese,
Mandarin/Cantonese, Portuguese and Russian.
The internet has opened up lots of new jobs for linguists designing or
translating websites.
Languages combined with Business Studies or technical/vocational
subjects can enhance your employment prospects further.
Another way to gain the skills to back up your languages is to take a
secretarial/PA course, including IT.
You can boost your employability by travelling and working abroad so
that you have a working knowledge of the local language and the
customs and culture of the country. Many recruiters are looking for
cultural awareness, so the year abroad element of your course is highly
valued by employers.
To enhance your chances of success, try to find jobs abroad in
university holidays so you have work experience using your languages.
Failing that, try to get part-time or temporary work in the UK - in call
centres, language recruitment agencies or market research firms (see
below for useful websites).
It is worth noting that around 66% of graduate vacancies are open to
students with a degree in any discipline; if you have the skills and
qualities that employers are looking for (as well as additional language
skills), there are lots of options out there!
Examples of job vacancies advertised on the Careers Service website
(Tip: To find out more about these organisations, search for them on Google)
Translation Editor – Amazon (English, German)
International Graduate Leadership Programme – TUI Travel (various
languages)
Trainee Translator Programme – thebigword (German or Spanish)
NATO Internship Programme – 6 month internship (Russian or Arabic)
Freelance Interpreter/Translator – Chinese Services Ltd (Chinese)
Researcher - BBC (Arabic, Farsi, Dari, Urdu, Pashto)
Business Development Officer – Overseas Investors Companies (Japanese)
Junior Professional Officers – The United Nations (various languages)
International Business Analyst – Focus Reports (French, Spanish, Russian,
Arabic)
Internship – Yahoo (various languages)
Arabic Translator – Manchester City Football Club
Face to Face Interpreters – Language Empire Ltd (various languages)
Translator – Mi5 Language Unit (various languages)
Languages unit – GCHQ (various languages)
Assistant Programme Line Manager – Thales (French)
International Internship Opportunities – L’Oreal (French, Italian, German,
Spanish)
Online Media Associate Programme – Google (various languages)
International Business Analyst – Global Economic Consulting (French,
Spanish, Russian, Arabic)
PR Intern – The Scott Partnership (Chinese)
Intern for Lisbon Embassy – Foreign & Commonwealth Office (Portugese)
Accounts (Russian Speaker) – Manpower PLC
Graduate Opportunities in Japanese Tax – KPMG (Japanese)
Graduate Trainee Finance Programme – AstraZeneca (Mandarin Chinese,
European Languages)
European Customer Account Advisors – Bet 365 (various languages)
International Management Trainee Programme – TUI Travel PLC (various
languages)
Useful sources of information
Reference Books in the Careers Resource Centre
 ‘Life after… Languages and Literature. A practical guide to life after
your degree’ - Sally Longson
The Careers Resource Centre has additional reference information on the
careers detailed in these pages. Explore what is available by searching the
Online Careers Library: www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/library
General Graduate Directories - free to collect while stocks last
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Prospects Directory
GET Directory
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
The Guardian UK 300
The University of Manchester Careers event for Language students
The following organisations have attended this event in recent years (the
event takes place in October each year):
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Accenture: http://careers3.accenture.com/
Aldi: http://www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/
IBM: http://www-05.ibm.com/employment/uk/graduates/
BDB: http://www.bdb.co.uk
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L’Oreal: http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/careers-l-oreal.aspx
Teach First: http://www.teachfirst.org.uk
The European Commission: http://www.ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
GCHQ: www.gchq.gov.uk/careers/
North West Translators’ Network: http://www.nwtn.co.uk/
The University of Manchester School of LLC: www.llc.manchester.ac.uk
Top Language Jobs: www.toplanguagejobs.co.uk
The Big Word: http://www.thebigword.com/
Royal Bank of Scotland: http://www.rbs.com/careers
Hays: http://www.hays.com/
Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/about/careers/
Careers information websites
 Prospects graduate careers website
www.prospects.ac.uk
 Prospects section on using languages
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/languages
 Target graduate careers website with section on working in Europe
http://targetjobs.co.uk/general-advice/working-in-europe.aspx
 University of Kent Careers Service website pages on ‘What can I do
with a degree in Modern Languages
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/modernlanguages.htm
Other useful websites
 CILT, the National Centre for Languages is the Government’s
recognised centre of expertise on languages.
www.cilt.org.uk/
 The regional languages network north west (improving business in the
North West through language skills and cultural development)
www.rln-northwest.com
 Gateway to the European Union
www.europa.eu/index_en.htm
 Omniglot
www.omniglot.com/language/careers.htm
This site contains details of most alphabets and other writing systems
currently in use, as well as quite a few ancient and invented ones.
Specialist language recruitment websites (see below for a more
comprehensive list)
 www.appointmentsbilanguage.co.uk
 www.appliedlanguage.com
 www.toplanguagejobs.co.uk/
 www.multilingualvacancies.com
 www.eurolondon.com
Career options
Translating and Interpreting
These specialist language occupations offer the opportunity to use your
language skills as a central feature of the work. Translation work focuses on
the written word and interpretation is focused on verbal communication.
Translators and interpreters can work in a range of different settings, typical
employers include:
Civil Service Departments, including: GCHQ; The Security Service (MI5)
Language Unit; The Foreign and Commonwealth Office; Other UK Civil
Service Departments; The European Union (EU); International Organisations;
Commerce and Education; Public Service Organisations. In addition, many
translators and interpreters work on a freelance basis.
Useful websites:
 European Commission Civil Service page for jobs using languages
http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/job/languages_en.htm
 The Institute of Translation and Interpreting
www.iti.org.uk
 National Network for Interpreting
www.nationalnetworkforinterpreting.ac.uk/
 World-wide association of conference interpreters
www.aiic.net
 The Chartered Institute of Linguists
www.iol.org.uk
 Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) (an intelligence
and security organisation)
www.gchq.gov.uk/careers/
 The Association of Translation Companies
www.atc.org.uk
 The North West Translators Network
www.nwtn.co.uk/  Big Word – translation company
www.thebigword.com/
 Euro London Appointments
www.eurolondon.com
 Express Language Solutions
www.expresslanguagesolutions.com/
 Lloyd International Translations
www.lloyd.co.uk/
 M-four translations - Manchester City Council's full service in-house
communications agency (There may be opportunities to work on a
freelance basis as an interpreter or translator)
www.m-four.com/translation/translations
 RWS is recognised as one of the world's leading patent translation and
search companies.
www.rws.com
 Lingo 24 is a professional translation services company
www.lingo24.com/careerguide.html
 The Translation People
www.thetranslationpeople.com/
 Translation directory – portal for language professionals and their
clients
 http://www.translationdirectory.com/
 International Talent advertises work experience mainly for students but
some opportunities may be suitable for recent graduates.
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/internationaltalent
Look on the bookshelves in the Careers Resource Centre for more information
on translating and interpreting careers. Specific folders:
Translation and Interpreting (information about the career)
Translation Services (employers)
Teaching
You may wish to promote language learning to others, through language
teaching or language training. The following roles exist:
Primary/Secondary School Teaching; Teaching English as a Foreign
Language; Further Education Lecturing; Higher Education Lecturing; Adult
Education Lecturing; Opportunities in Organisations; Private Tutorial Work
Useful websites:
 Teaching Starting Point Sheet on Careers Service website
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/options/sectors/education/
 Department for Education – Teaching Agency
http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching
 The Graduate Teacher Training Registry (details on postgraduate
routes into teacher training)
www.gttr.ac.uk
 Teach First
http://graduates.teachfirst.org.uk/
Useful websites for teaching English Abroad/TEFL:
 Information about TEFL training and jobs
www.tefl.com
 The JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Scheme
www.jet-uk.org
 Information about language assistantships worldwide.
www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants
Look on the Education bookcase in the Careers Resource Centre for more
information on teaching careers.
Other public sector careers using languages
There are opportunities for linguists in local, national and international
government other than translation, interpreting and teaching. Please note that
there are strict nationality requirements for many public sector jobs,
particularly in the civil service.
Some local government careers may require (or it may be advantageous to
have) a ‘community’ language - i.e. a language spoken by a significant
proportion of the local population. The specifics of which languages those will
be will vary by place and over time as populations migrate. The biggest
demand is currently in Hindi, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu and Welsh, if the trend of
east European migration continues some local authorities may need more
speakers of Polish, Romanian etc.
The Diplomatic Service (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) involves working
abroad in UK embassies. They offer intensive language tuition before each
overseas posting, so although language knowledge is not an essential
requirement it is advantageous, demonstrating that you have both the ability
and interest in learning languages.
GCHQ roles for linguists can extend beyond translation, producing intelligence
reports and liaising with counterparts elsewhere in government. GCHQ may
train linguists with proven ability of learning languages in the specific
languages they require.
It is not usually possible to work for the UN as a new graduate, they recruit
experienced civil servants. However opportunities may be advertised from
time to time with other international organisations and internships exist in the
EU and NATO.
Useful websites:
 National Graduate Development Programme for local government
http://www.ngdp.org.uk/
 Local government careers
www.lgcareers.com/
 Local government vacancies
www.lgjobs.com/
 Jobs go public
Public sector jobs, search by category ‘interpreter/linguist’ for positions
using languages
www.jobsgopublic.com
 The Fast Stream is a graduate entry route for senior Civil Service careers
http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/
 GCHQ opportunities for linguists
http://www.gchq.gov.uk/aboutus/pages/languages.aspx
 Secret Intelligence Service
www.sis.gov.uk
 The Civil Service recruitment gateway website
www.civilservice.gov.uk/jobs/
 The European Commission
http://ec.europa.eu/
 The United Nations
http://jobs.un.org
 NATO internship
www.nato.int/structur/interns/index.html
Look on the Administration, Government, Charity & Development Work
bookcase in the Careers Resource Centre for more information on careers in
local and national government.
Look on the International Work and Study section of the Careers Resource
Centre for more information on working for international organisations.
Specific folder:
International and United Nations Organisations
Reference books include:
 ‘Looking for work in International Organisations’ (covers EU, UN, NATO,
World Bank and some major international charities.
Business and Commercial Services
In addition to public sector organisations, you could also use your languages
at work in the business or commercial sector. In the competitive global
market, people with language skills can be of real benefit to the companies
they work for, regardless of the sector. Commercial opportunities exist within a
wide range of industries, from business services and finance, through to
media organisations and travel and tourism.
To get an idea of the range of opportunities available, look at the case studies
on the languages work website: www.languageswork.org.uk/home.aspx
This website is the on-line information portal supporting a wide range of
products designed to show the true value of languages in the workplace and
beyond.
In addition, the Top Language Jobs website lists jobs by industry:
www.toplanguagejobs.co.uk/
Top Language Jobs is the No. 1 specialist language recruitment website
providing language recruitment and Language Jobs in London, UK, and
Europe.
Other useful websites:
 www.prospects.ac.uk/links/languages
Graduate careers website with section on using languages
 www.multilingualvacancies.com
Multilingualvacancies.com is an online job board solely specialising in
advertising language jobs in London, across the UK, Europe and
worldwide.
 www.eurolondon.com
Multi-lingual recruitment website
 Bilingual People
www.bilingualpeople.com
 Corinium Language Associates
www.coriniumlanguage.co.uk
 Crone Corkill
www.cronecorkill.co.uk
 French Recruitment
www.frenchrecruitment.co.uk/
 French Selection – recruitment agency for French, German, Spanish,
Russian and Italian speaking graduates
https://www.french-selection.co.uk/index.php
 Iagora – International jobs and internships
www.iagora.com
 Language Talent
http://www.languagetalent.com/
 The Language Business
www.languagebusiness.co.uk
 Language Jobs 4U
www.languagejobs4u.com/
 Language Matters Recruitment Agency
www.languagematters.co.uk
 The Language Export Centre
www.lxcentre.co.uk
 Lingua-jobs
www.lingua-jobs.com
 Linguists Direct
www.linguistsdirect.com
 London Jobs Online
www.london-jobs-online.co.uk/multilingual.htm
 Maythorne Express - Export Recruitment
www.maythorne.co.uk
 Merrow
www.merrow.co.uk
 Reed
http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs?keywords=multi%20lingual
 TMI
www.tmi-paris.com
 UK Language Jobs
www.uklanguagejobs.com/
The following reference book is available in the International Work and
Study section of the Careers Resource Centre:
 ‘Communicating across cultures. The key to successful international
business communication’ - Philip Khan-Panni & Deborah Swallow
Bilingual Personal Assistant
These roles tend to be found in the commercial sector in the main. Bilingual
PAs offer professional support to people in executive roles. As the work often
involves a great deal of administration work, a higher level secretarial
qualification is usually a prerequisite. To find out more about this type of work,
take a look at the occupational profile on the Prospects website:
ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/bilingual_secretary_job_description.jsp
Further Study
For some, further study is the preferred option. You may need to embark on a
postgraduate or professional qualification in order to enter your chosen career.
Those wishing to work in translation and interpreting roles often find a
postgraduate qualification advantageous. Similarly, if you wish to work as a
primary or secondary school teacher, a postgraduate teaching qualification is
the recommended route into these careers. You may simply wish to study
your chosen language in greater depth, or pursue an academic career; in
which case research-focused study might appeal to you. Some students
decide to train in a completely different field, or pursue professional
qualifications in business.
Examples of Further Study entered by recent graduates:
MA/Diploma in Translating & Interpreting
MA Conference Interpreting
MA Journalism
MA Medieval German
MA European Business Management
Diploma in Public Relations
Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) - Law Conversion course
PGCE - secondary & primary teaching
MA European Film
Useful websites
 www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/students/options/study - postgraduate
study information on Careers Service website
 www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy - postgraduate study information on
the Prospects website
Working Abroad
Around 9% of modern language graduates start their first job after graduation
outside the UK; this compares with 1.6% of graduates across all subject
disciplines. Many students, having experienced a period of time abroad as
part of their degree course, are keen to spend more time abroad, before
embarking on a longer-term career in the UK. Students from EU countries
have the right to live and work in EU member states without restriction and
without a work permit. However, it is important to carefully research working
abroad as an option, as in many countries, the graduate labour market is more
restricted than in the UK.
Many websites can provide information on working abroad, either generally or
in relation to specific countries. See our website for details:
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/internationalworkexperience or the Prospects
website for more information: www.prospects.ac.uk/links/abroad
The bab.la language portal have collected phrases useful when applying for a
job or an internship abroad. The website offers help with writing CV/résumés
and motivational letters in 15 languages including English, Spanish, French,
Italian, German and Russian:
http://en.bab.la/phrases/application/
If you are considering working abroad, look in the International Work and
Study section of the Careers Resource Centre. Reference files and books
are available for many countries.
General reference books include:
 ‘Getting a job abroad. The international jobseekers directory’ - Roger
Jones
 ‘Jobs and careers abroad’ - Deborah Penrith
 ‘Communicating across cultures. The key to successful international
business communication’ - Philip Khan-Panni & Deborah Swallow
 ‘The Global Citizen. A guide to creating an international life and career’
- Elizabeth Kruempelmann
National Careers Events
The Language Show is an annual event that takes place in London (usually in
October or November). This event incorporates the Language Recruitment
Fair. Check the website for further details: www.thelanguageshow.co.uk
It is worth taking a look at the website for a list of exhibitors.
Online support
Be sure to check the Careers Service website and CareersLink regularly for
details of any events or presentations related to languages:
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/events
http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/careerslink/
You can also sign up to our Languages, Linguistics and Cultures Facebook
group for regular updates:
http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/services/interactive/facebook/
Please note, this information was correct at time of going to press,
details/closing dates where mentioned may have changed.