It seems like only yesterday the tabloid papers were filled with fear mongering headlines about Polish plumbers coming over here ‘stealing’ jobs… How different headlines this week suggest that no matter what your nationality, you will not win certain plumbing jobs without speaking French!
Just as the newspapers here have moved on from focusing on the French President Francois Hollande dalliance with an actress, they have revealed how the tax regime in France is driving wealthy Parisians to London – and they need plumbers who can speak the lingo.
The Daily Telegraph was the first to spot the demand after noticing an advert from the founder of Pimlico Plumbers, Chris Mullins, had advertised for four French-speaking plumbers who know their ‘siphon’ from their ‘soupape de pression’ (U-bend from a pressure valve). Apparently his plumbers have struggled to communicate with French clients in the affluent areas of South Kensington, Chelsea and Mayfair.
The number of call-outs from French expats in the capital has more than doubled over the last year, coinciding with Mr Hollande announcing a 75 per cent tax on salaries of more than €1m (£825,000) in 2012.
Where French speaking plumbers are needed so are a host of other trades and services will benefit from speaking the local language too and what this story highlights is yet again the professional benefits that a second language can bring.
While without doubt a bilingual builder could clean up in London, there are few trades and professions that would not benefit from knowing another language, which is why so many people come to the VICI Language Academy and VICI Language Dynamics to learn a second or third language.
You do not have to leave England to benefit from speaking a language other than English anymore and whether you are purposefully targeting ex pats that are here in the United Kingdom, or simply want to offer a wider range of services to a wider audience, being bilingual will help.
Why not contact us today to find out which languages would help your business and discover how we help companies and their employees through to sole traders benefit from speaking another language.