Careers in Foreign Language

• In Teaching
• Outside of Teaching
• Download the Careers in Foreign Languages poster (pdf)

Preparing for Jobs in Foreign Languages

• According to Rivers (see reference below, pp. 1-13), employment opportunities in foreign languages are determined by:
  • the professional area,
  • the language,
  • the level of language skill,
  • the improvement, and
  • maintenance of language skills.
• Seelye and Day (see reference below) indicate that professions in the following business sectors can be greatly enhanced by the knowledge of (a) foreign language(s):
  • Commerce and business,
  • library and information science,
  • human services,
  • journalism and mass communications,
  • the entertainment industry,
  • health care,
  • travel and tourism,
  • local and federal government, and
  • language intensive jobs.

Current Resources on Foreign Language Jobs

• At Courtright Memorial Library
  • DeGalan, Julie, and S. Lambert. Great Jobs for Foreign Language Majors. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, 2000. (P60.D44)
  • Rivers, W., and M. Duffy. Opportunities in Foreign Language Careers. Lincolnwood: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, 1998. (P60.R5)
  • Seelye, H. N., and J. L. Day. Careers for Foreign Language Aficionados and Other Multilingual Types. New York: McGraw Hill, 2000. (P60.2.U6S4)
  • Segal, Nina, and Eric Kocher. International Jobs. New York: Basic Books, 2003. (HF5549.5.E45 S44 2003)

Online/Paper Publications

• Current Jobs International
• "The National Employment Bulletin in the Foreign Language and International Affairs Professions"

Department Job File
The department also keeps track of job announcements and descriptions that have been advertised in various sources to offer students an idea of what professional sectors recommend/require foreign language skills. Check the department bulletin board or contact the department for further details.