Five languages you should be learning right now

Five languages you should be learning right now by Michael Cheary Learning a new language can be a great way to improve your career prospects â€" and your pay.In fact, somewhere in the region of 15% of all jobs posted on reed.co.uk cite language skills or a foreign tongue as being beneficial in helping secure the role. And with estimates also suggesting that learning another language increases you’re earning potential by at least 2%, there’s never been a better time to stop putting it off and start learning.To help you with any multilingual meltdowns, here’s a rundown of the five most in-demand languages to help get you hired:5. MandarinAround one fifth of the planet speaks a form of Chinese. Of those, more than 870 million people consider Mandarin Chinese their mother tongue, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world. Unsurprisingly, therefore, becoming fluent in the language opens quite a few doors when it comes to your career.Companies from countries ranging from China to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are constantly on the lookout for fluent speakers, not to mention those recruiting right here in the UK.And with 3% of all the foreign language vacancies posted on reed.co.uk currently looking for Mandarin speakers, there’s never been a better time to start learning.View all Mandarin courses »View all Mandarin speaking jobs »4. ItalianKnowing Italian can have multiple benefits, no matter what industry you’re in, something reflected in the fact that over 7% of our foreign language vacancies call for those who speak it.This may go some way to explain why Italian is ranked fourth among the most studied languages worldwide. Additionally, not only is Italy considered one of the centres of modern civilisation, it’s undoubtedly considered a world leader in everything from the cooking and culinary arts, through to fashion, furniture design and even shipbuilding.It is also (arguably) the language of love. Although you may have to take this up with the French (and/or Welsh)â €¦View all Italian courses »View all Italian speaking jobs »3. SpanishIn terms of the sheer number of countries which list it as their primary language, Spanish ranks right up there. It’s 20, if you’re asking…Whether you want to work in Spain, somewhere in South America or even here in the UK, the number of Spanish speakers and jobs available continues to rise. And that’s just part of what makes Spanish the second most studied language in the world.Spanish speakers are being sought by almost 10% of all companies looking for bilingual or multilingual candidates on reed.co.uk. So if you’re looking for a way to make your CV stand out and have more roles open up for you, ‘vamanos’.View all Spanish courses »View all Spanish speaking jobs »2. FrenchParlez-vous français?If you do, you may be eligible to apply for thousands of jobs advertised on reed.co.uk right now, ranging anywhere from accounting and finance vacancies, right through to roles in education, IT and energy .Still not convinced? One in five international speaking roles on the site are searching for people with French language skills. So if you think you have a sense of je ne sais quoi, why not consider learning French?View all French courses »View all French speaking jobs »1. GermanFinally, the most in-demand language recruiters are looking for right now is German.A staggering 24% of all foreign language vacancies advertised on reed.co.uk look for German speakers. Which is probably not surprising considering that German is not only the most widely spoken language in Europe, but also accounts for the continent’s largest economy.Some of the biggest companies in the world hail from Deutschland (BMW, Audi, Adidas, Aldi). And with recent research suggesting that learning German has the potential to increase your pay at a higher level than any other country, demand will continue to grow.You hate Mondays because you hate your job. You should be learning German…View all German courses » View all German speaking jobs »Thinking about learning a new language? View all available language courses today.*Information subject to change. All stats correct at date of publishing.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the