Britons who learn a foreign language are richer, happier and are regarded as sexier than those who can only speak English, according to a new study.
Learning a second language can boost an average worker's lifetime earnings by as much as £145,000, according to the report commissioned by Michael Thomas, the Hollywood language teacher who has taught celebrities including Doris Day and Emma Thompson (who learned Spanish), and Woody Allen.
Foreign language speakers are also more attractive to the opposite sex, a survey of 270 dating agencies for the study found. Britons who speak a foreign language were rated more highly by dating agencies who know from experience that linguists are easier to match with partners as they are considered to be more intelligent and sexier.
Mr Thomas, whose language centre commissioned the report and who sells audio courses in the UK, said: "When I opened my language centre in Beverly Hills in 1947, I was convinced that learning another language could change your life for the better. Now, in the form of this report, we finally have concrete proof that this is the case. It shows that now, more than ever, is the right time to start learning a new language."
As part of the report, human resources managers of 2,700 companies across 10 industries were questioned about their perceptions of language skills.More than half (54 per cent) said they were more likely to hire a person who speaks more than one language and, more significantly, pay them more.
The numbers reveal that companies were prepared to pay workers earning the national average of £25,818 as much as 12 per cent more for a second language. That amounts to an extra £3,000 a year, or almost £145,000 extra over a career.
For higher earners, the numbers were even more startling. Employees earning £45,000 were likely to receive a cash boost of 20 per cent, meaning an extra £9,000 per year or £423,000 over a lifetime. The languages most needed were French, German, Spanish and Italian.
From the very happy, sexy and well paid(!) Madame Bewell
:-D
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