Learning a new language can be an enriching hobby that broadens your horizons, bolsters job prospects and helps you meet countless new people. The question is, how can you get smart about your language learning?
For many of us, scrolling through Babbel or Rosetta stone or even spending hundreds on language courses just won’t cut it anymore. This article explores six jobs that can teach you a new language while also seeing you earn money and help you learn a language the right way – immersively.
The Best Jobs to Help You Learn a New Language
1 – TEFL Tutoring (ESL Teaching)
For better or worse, English prevails as an international language that opens doors around the world. For this reason, countries everywhere – particularly in East Asia – have a high demand for English language tutors.
Teaching English as Foreign Language (TEFL) courses are simple, relatively affordable, and can be completed in just ten weeks. Once qualified, you’ll be able to teach English to students around the world, often on a freelance basis. If teaching abroad, you’ll be fully immersed in your destination’s culture and language.
In theory, you should be able to find work across Europe and Asia. That said, countries like South Korea, China, Germany, and Japan have a particularly high demand for ESL tutors. Be sure to check the entry requirements and experience required when applying.
What better way to pick up a new language?
At a Glance:
- An excellent way to travel.
- It can pay pretty well.
- Course requirements are pretty simple.
- Flexible working.
- Some countries have generous entry requirements.
2 – Work Abroad as an Au Pair
If cashing out on a specialist course isn’t your thing, Au Pair work has a much lower barrier to entry. When it comes to language learning, the great thing about this kind of job is that you’ll often be considered a “full member” of the family.
This level of immersion – especially with children who might not be able to communicate with you in English – will encourage you to pick up your new language much faster.
You’ll be expected to help with childcare duties and some other household tasks like shopping, cooking, or cleaning. You’ll most likely sleep in a room at your host family’s house. Most Au Pairs get a lot of downtimes. If you’ve completed your chores for the day, you can spend this exploring to your heart’s content.
Sites like AuPair World and AuPair.com can be great for finding Au Pair work. You’ll either respond to listings posted by families or create a profile that families can search for. This line of work is still pretty gendered, generally speaking – women tend to find jobs more readily than men.
Watch out for any specific requirements from your prospective host homes, and try to have the clearest possible picture of what to expect before you fly.
At a Glance:
- Free bed and board.
- Get to know a family from another country.
- Very low barrier to entry.
- Plenty of free time in a foreign country.
- You’ll be fully immersed in the country’s language.
3 – Hospitality and Bar Work
Your luck with this option will depend on the language you’re hoping to learn. As far as jobs that can teach you a new language go, this one is pretty impressive. In more metropolitan, English-accommodating cities like Berlin or Stockholm, however, you should be able to find a short-term bar or cafe job without too much trouble.
Previous experience in barista or a bar work will, of course, help you out somewhat here. In the right city, you’ll be encountering new customers every hour who will expect a level of language competency from you. After a shift or two, you should notice that your grasp of the language is improving. Sometimes all you need is a “sink or swim” scenario.
While the barrier to entry for this kind of work can be reasonably low, it’s worth keeping in mind that the work can be pretty challenging and poorly paid.
Be ready for some grueling shifts every now and then. If your main goal is to see a new city and dive into a language, hospitality and bar work can be great options.
For ultimate flexibility, try to find locations that offer shifts on a freelance basis. Catering and similar work is often your best bet if you don’t want to be “employed” by a location.
At a Glance:
- Flexible, low-stakes work.
- It puts you in a “sink or swim” scenario with new customers every hour.
- The barrier to entry is usually relatively low.
- Great way to experience “real people” in a city.
- It can be pretty low pay so try to find decent freelance options.
- Catering is an excellent sector for self-employed work if you have the skill set.
4 – Lifestyle/ Travel Blogging
Let’s be clear – you can’t set up a lifestyle blog that starts generating serious revenue overnight. With enough patience and know-how, however, it can be an absolutely fantastic way to bring some passive income into your bank account. Plus, it’s one of the most rewarding jobs that can teach you a new language.
If your chosen niche is travel, your blog could be the perfect excuse to get out there and see the world.
Immersing yourself in a culture is often a great approach if you’re hoping to generate some relevant content for your site.
If you play your cards right here, you’ll be engaging with real people from your destination. Over time, you may find that these interactions help to build up your language skills.
Are you writing about the “Top Five French Phrases to Learn Before Your Holiday”? You’ll probably need to brush up on your skills to write it effectively.
While they’re not a guaranteed gold mine, revenue-generating blogs can breathe a staggering amount of freedom into your life.
Try it out if you want your freelance work to build your language skills.
At a Glance:
- It offers ultimate flexibility if you can set things up effectively.
- A great way to meet a new city/ culture on your own terms.
- You can build up passive income if you’re smart about it.
- It isn’t a guaranteed gold mine – it takes time and patience.
- You’ll still need to be disciplined and work hard if you want to pick up the language.
- You can also leverage blog to grow your e-commerce business
5 – Part-Time Yacht Work
The world’s ultra-wealthy travel to all corners of the world in their purpose-made yachts. If you’d like to come along for the ride – and polish up your language skills along the way – freelance work can often be picked up as part of their crew, albeit on a part-time basis. This is one of the best jobs that ccan teach you a new language!
Your responsibilities can range from cleaning tasks to cooking to helping out when it comes time to moor up at the port. The job itself isn’t particularly glamorous, but you can end up in some of the most dazzling parts of the world.
With the right freelance position, you’ll have plenty of downtime, providing ample opportunities to meet the locals and practice what you’ve learned abroad.
Just keep in mind that most yachts won’t hire freelance staff unless they’re in a particularly busy period of the year. This means that when you’re there working, you’ll be working at a very frantic pace, often with few breaks during your shift.
If a more hectic job suits you well, this can be a great option to see some far-flung hidden gems and pick up more than a new phrase or two.
At a Glance:
- You’ll see some beautiful parts of the world.
- Freelance positions are often part-time, so tons of downtime to practice your language skills.
- Communication skills with workers at ports are often a bonus.
- Hectic work environment.
- Relatively low barrier to entry.
6 – Freelance Flight Attendant
Many people don’t realize that it’s possible to work as a flight attendant on a freelance basis. Sites like FlyingFreelance connect self-employed aviation crews with companies that need them fast. Anyone with the requisite skills can create a profile and fill out their availability. The best part? The service is free!
If you have a pilot’s license (well done, by the way), you can also sign up on the site. The lack of job security on offer here isn’t for everyone, but the flexibility and freedom this kind of work provides are perfect for the right candidate.
As a flight attendant, you’ll regularly fly to many different corners of the world. When working as an employee with one airline, your flight route can often be limited to just one or two countries. When working freelance, you’ll have increased agency over where you fly. You’ll be engaging with customers who don’t necessarily speak English on a regular basis.
If you apply yourself, you should be able to turn this into a language-learning opportunity!
At a Glance:
- An online profile can be set up for free.
- Increased flexibility VS employed flight attendant work.
- Work with customers who don’t speak English.
- Travel to all corners of the world!
Final Thoughts on Jobs that Can Teach You a New Language
We hope you’ve found the suggestions above helpful. It’s worth remembering that you can’t simply “magic” your way into fluency. Even with an appropriate freelance job, you’ll still have to apply yourself and stay disciplined if you want to improve your skills. Over time and with the right working environment, you’ll be well on your way to success.
About the Author
Shabbir Noor is a photographer, blogger, and language learning enthusiast at OneYearWithFilmOnly.com. When he doesn’t have a camera glued to his face, you can find him memorizing some vocabulary!