What Job Settings are Available for Spanish Majors?

Image of Spanish students for our FAQ on What Job Settings are Available for Spanish Majors

There are a wide variety of job settings for Spanish majors ranging from schools to offices, to the medical setting. Knowing more than one language will always open additional career paths. Below are just a handful of places where Spanish majors can find work.

An Educational Institution

Many Spanish majors who want to teach go on to work in education. They teach Spanish to students in a number of educational settings, from private classes to grade schools to high schools to university-level courses. It is also possible for Spanish majors to teach English as a second language both at home and abroad in Spanish speaking countries. English as a second language, or ESL, is an in-demand teaching field as more students do not speak English as their native language. Educators are then tasked with teaching regular classroom materials in a way that is most conducive for non-native speakers to learn. It is also possible to get a job as a tutor and work in a school setting. This is a pretty common first occupation for Spanish majors who get a job tutoring other students at their university.

An Office

Regular offices are common job settings for Spanish majors. Professionals in this setting can do translation work and provide customer service in Spanish. They perform many of the same tasks regular office workers do such as:
  • scheduling meetings
  • responding to e-mails
  • answering the phone
If a business’s clientèle is predominately Spanish-speaking, management will typically want to hire Spanish majors for administrative and management roles. Spanish majors who work in offices tend to work full-time and have the associated benefits. But it can lack the flexibility of other settings.

Medical Settings

There is, without a doubt, a growing demand for medical professionals who speak Spanish. This is because the number of patients who primarily speak Spanish is growing. They prefer to have access to medical professionals who can speak their language. It can be exceedingly difficult to explain complex medical information across a language barrier. So this an excellent setting for Spanish majors to work. Of course, to work as a doctor, nurse or in many other medical occupations, students will need to have a medical degree in addition to their Spanish major. However, Spanish majors could still potentially find jobs in a medical setting. They can find jobs as receptionists or  similar roles without an additional healthcare degree. Related Resource: 10 Most Affordable Bachelor’s in Spanish Degrees Online

Anywhere In The World

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,  Spanish majors can work abroad in a number of settings, including:
  • businesses
  • government agencies
  • non-profits and more.
They can work as interpreters and travel to many different places such as courtrooms or follow a client who needs translation services. They can also tutor students online in Spanish. There are quite a few online services that connect tutors to learners all over the world. Spanish majors can do freelance translation work as well. They can make good money doing this. They can start their own small businesses. Translation work is in high demand because many companies want to have their information available in Spanish but may not want to hire someone full-time for the role. While there are many advantages to being a freelancer, there are also disadvantages, such as irregular pay and sole responsibility for everything. Individuals who can speak Spanish certainly have a wide variety of job prospects available to them. Because of this, job settings for Spanish majors are widely available.

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