Learning a second language can leverage your career enormously, says The Language Academy managing director Paul Fox.
“Every man and his dog has some sort of qualification these days. Being bilingual is an added skill that can make you stand out from your peers,” he said.
Mr Fox said the increasingly global nature of many companies reinforced the need for a second language.
“In particular, the mining sector is training everyone from geologists to senior executives in a second language as they need it on-site,” he said.
“Executives at opening introductions for overseas seminars can’t follow the event closely if they don’t understand the language. Being able to converse without a translator is also a big plus in overseas negotiations.”
He estimates 60 per cent of clients are now corporate, and attributes much of this growth to the company’s move to the CBD.
“We are also offering private tuition, and this appeals to executives who have limited spare time. Both standard evening classes and private tuition is done in-house to help students avoid distractions.”
Mr Fox said The Language Academy instructs the beginner in fundamental pleasantries first, then moves on to grammar at a later stage.
“It’s good to get up and running with some basics,” he said. “The aim is to give you the confidence to function on a ‘survival level’, and the difficult stuff can be dealt with later.”
