Advice for students who speak Welsh
Discover the benefits of speaking Welsh and how to utilise your language skills in your career.
As a fluent Welsh speaker or even Welsh learner, you might not have thought much about how the Welsh language can positively impact your career. Speaking more than one language is an important skill which you can highlight in applications for jobs or work experience, but in Wales your Welsh language skills specifically could open doors and unlock exciting career opportunities.
Benefits of being bilingual
There are many benefits to speaking more than one language and a lot of the skills and qualities you develop in order to process, communicate and learn more than one language can help you in your career:
- It’s good for the brain; research shows that speaking another language develops a wide range of cognitive skills, including the ability to multi-task, attention to detail and cognitive processing. Read more about this on the BBC and FutureLearn websites. These skills are important in many jobs and could also help you do well in recruitment tests that seek to measure these skills
- Being bilingual can help you develop cultural awareness and social skills, especially if your bilingualism means you can speak to people who might not communicate in another language
- Enhanced job prospects; being a Welsh speaker in Wales specifically can open career doors. Welsh legislation means that for many roles the ability to speak Welsh is a desirable skill, which could give a Welsh speaker an advantage if they can meet the essential criteria for a position. Your Welsh language skills can also help with day-to-day communication in the workplace, particularly for customer-facing or public service roles where it is beneficial to the organisation to be able to offer a bilingual service to its customers or clients
Sectors seeking Welsh speakers
In Wales, Welsh language legislation makes it law for particular types of organisations to offer a bilingual service to the public and the Welsh government is strongly pushing to increase the number of Welsh speakers in Wales and the use of Welsh in the workplace. Whilst all employers in Wales might now view the Welsh language as a great skill to have, there are specific sectors in Wales that have a legal requirements to offer a Welsh language service so are actively seeking Welsh speakers.
Sectors particularly seeking Welsh language skills include:
- Government and public sector – due to the legal need to offer fully bilingual services and information in these sectors, almost all positions will include Welsh language as a desirable skill and some roles may require it as essential. With particularly large public sector organisations in Wales, there may be even roles in supporting offering services bilingually, for example in supporting the implementation of Welsh language legislation within that organisation or through translation. You can find jobs on the Welsh government website and Civil Service Jobs
- Education and childcare – Welsh language is embedded in education in Wales and Welsh medium education is in increasing demand. Being bilingual means you can look for positions in both English and Welsh language schools as English language schools still teach and promote the Welsh language. Early years provision also often looks to help children develop their language skills in both English and Welsh and there are a number of Welsh language nurseries. You can look at websites like Mudiad Meithrin and Eteach to find jobs in education in Wales. Although universities in Wales are not owned by the government, they do receive public funding and as such, also have obligations relating to the Welsh language. You can find jobs in higher education on Jobs.ac.uk and on the vacancies pages of specific universities across Wales
- Tourism and hospitality – Welsh language skills are an advantage in tourism and hospitality roles in Wales to fully promote Welsh culture
- Media and marketing – in Wales there are a number of media companies who work bilingually or through the medium of Welsh and the ability to produce bilingual copy and marketing campaigns is also valuable
Looking for Welsh language roles
There are specific websites which advertise jobs that list Welsh language as either desirable or essential, for example Safle Swyddi, Swyddi 360 and Lleol Cymru.
When looking for jobs in Wales that use your Welsh language skills on general websites such as Indeed, Total Jobs or LinkedIn, try to use words like ‘Welsh speaker’ or ‘Welsh speaking’ to filter results, for example like on the Jobs in Wales website.
Careers Wales also has job profiles and careers advice available through the medium of Welsh.
How to demonstrate your Welsh skills in recruitment
When applying for a role in Wales, make sure you research the employer first to help you identify how they use Welsh in the workplace and how your language skills can help them. When applying for roles where Welsh is an essential or desirable skill, there are different ways you can showcase your Welsh language skills at various stages of the recruitment process:
There are several ways you could highlight your Welsh language skills in your CV:
- You could include languages as a skill in your Skills section and highlight your proficiency with Welsh
- If you have formal qualifications in Welsh, you could add these to your Education section. If you don't have formal qualifications in Welsh, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a Language Skills Certificate, which is available to students at Welsh universities to provide evidence of the level of your Welsh language skills
You could also highlight your Welsh language ability in a cover letter, when you detail why you are suitable for the role. Read our advice on cover letters for more information about what to put in your cover letter.
Like with your CV, you could include any formal Welsh language qualifications in an education or qualifications section.
An application form might have a specific question about your Welsh language skills, particularly if it is desirable or essential for the position, so you can highlight them here.
Some application forms ask for a supporting statement, which is where you provide evidence of how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the position. If the ability to speak Welsh is one of those criteria, make sure you expand on your proficiency with the Welsh language in your supporting statement.
For more tips, read our advice on application forms, including supporting statements.
You might be asked about your Welsh language skills at an interview, where your ability to speak Welsh is essential or desirable for the position you have applied for. You could be asked a question like 'How comfortable are you using Welsh in a professional environment?' or 'Can you give an example of when you have used Welsh in a professional setting?'. You might even be asked questions in Welsh.
If it isn't explicitly asked about, but is still relevant to the position, you might want to mention your Welsh language skills to the interviewer, for example if they ask you if there's anything you'd like to add or haven't mentioned yet. You might even ask them about it, whilst at the same time showcasing your Welsh language skills - for example, 'the advert for the role mentions that Welsh language skills are essential/ desirable for this position. I can speak Welsh [fluently/ at x level], how do you think those skills could be useful in the role?'
Read our advice on interview skills and how best to approach different types of interview question.
Develop your Welsh language skills at Cardiff University
If you are fluent Welsh speaker or learner, there are many ways you can continue to develop your language skills during your time at Cardiff University.
Cardiff’s branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol works with the university to provide Welsh language training and studying opportunities for students and staff. It offers support for students studying through the medium of Welsh with financial opportunities, personal development and support to study for the Welsh Language Skills Certificate.
You can develop your skills with the Welsh language through Learn Welsh Cardiff, and can access courses for free as a Cardiff University student. Courses are available at different levels, from beginners to those who are wishing to improve their Welsh language skills and are already proficient.
Socialising through the medium of Welsh can be a great way to develop your language skills. There are many opportunities at Cardiff University for you to use your Welsh skills in a social setting:
- Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd – a union within the Students’ Union which represents Welsh speakers, learners and anyone with an interest in Welsh language and culture. They work with societies and students to provide a wide range of events and services in Welsh
- Y Gym Gym – a student society that welcomes students across the University who are looking for opportunities to socialise through the medium of Welsh. Welsh learners are very welcome