Being able to speak English is becoming more than only another language skill. English is already the language of international communication, and knowing it comes with lots of perks. Today we’ll let you know three great advantages of speaking it!
In language learning motivation is the key to success: A motivated learner will learn almost by osmosis; while the bored student who sees the language as a subject will never achieve mastery. Luckily for you, there are LOADS of advantages that come from knowing English, and today we’ll let you know about some of them!
1- Better Travel
Travelling is one of the humankind’s favourite pastimes, and speaking English brings the experience to a new level. It doesn’t matter where you go: there are English speakers in every single nation on the planet, and their numbers skyrocket if you get close to touristic areas or cities. You only need to know a bit of English to be able to talk to them. But there’s more! Even before you go, knowing English gives you access to information about visas, travelling, immigration and more: virtually all the countries on the planet have a bilingual website with information in English, and there are more travel-related websites in English (or about almost any other topic, for that matter) than in any other language. Start with a quick English video guide of London!
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2- More Study Options
e-Learning
If you don’t feel like going to class, English does still offer you many study options. English is the language with the largest self-learning and e-learning offer. Platforms such as Coursera, Udemy, Udacity and Lynda.com, among others, offer loads of different courses in many areas. If you are interested in coding, Codecademy, One Month, FreeCodeCamp and TreeHouse, among others, will help you!
At Home
We are starting with the less obvious one, and we will do so with an example. The Barcelona Graduate School of Economics is one of the top economics departments in the world, and it is located in Barcelona, Spain. However, if a Spanish student wants to study there, what he needs to know is English, not Spanish: They require at least a TOEFL result of 90 or 6.5 in IELTS. The same happens in many other prestigious schools in non-English speaking countries, perhaps yours too!
Abroad
You probably knew that English allows you to study in many countries, but maybe you did not know just how good this is.
Some of the planet’s most prestigmoious institutions such as the universities of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge have English as their primary language. Needless to say, there are other requirements for becoming one of their students, but speaking English well is certainly a must.
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Moreover, this is not only for a privileged few. While many institutions charge hefty fees for their courses, many scholarships help students with tuition fees and living expenses.
It gets even better. In Sweden, for example, PhD candidates usually receive a salary and don’t have to pay school fees. There are also other situations in which foreign bachelor and master’s degree students are exempted from tuition fees as well. Other countries such as Finland have similar arrangements. Incredible, right? Well, read this: There are no tuition fees at Norwegian universities. For nobody. Since these countries offer quite a lot of English language programs, knowing English can help you obtain a high quality and affordable education, helping you achieve your full potential.
3- Career Improvement
We have talked about leisure and study, but humans need to eat, don’t they? Well, English helps you with your career, improving your chances of landing the job you want and getting a better salary. This works in two ways.
The first is when you have a skill that is common in your country but in high demand in another. Nurses, for example, have been for years emigrating to countries such as the USA and Australia, where they get paid high salaries and enjoy excellent work conditions. This applies to many other professions too and, in some cases, people working in areas in particular demand have access to visas that make migrating easier.
The second way knowing English improves your professional life is when you leverage your language skills. If you are in a non-English speaking country, knowing English is in itself an asset, required by many companies. We leave you with this video that will help you succeed in English language interviews!
Problems understanding this video? Watch it on VoiceTube and unleash the full power of your English!