If someone asked you to think of tech industry jobs, the image that would most likely pop into your head is of someone hunched over a computer writing unintelligible strings of code. But the industry is so much more than that.
In recent years, tech-adjacent roles are seeing unprecedented growth. As the tech industry grows, jobs in support, customer services and more are all receiving a corresponding bump.
When it comes to those areas, language skills can be of the utmost importance.
It’s more than skill, it’s language too
A lot of tech companies have EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) operations headquartered in Ireland. This means that we at Hays Recruitment see huge demand for a wide range of jobs with language requirements, from customer services, credit and collections, accounts payable, inside sales and tech support.
The in-demand languages vary, with the most sought-after ones representing large populations and business bases. These include France, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Italy.
Some organisations will also look for languages from outside of the EU, such as Hebrew, Arabic and Russian.
The most hard-to-find language skills in Ireland are Swedish, Norwegian and Dutch. The difficulty increases when an organisation is looking for multiple combinations of fluency from one individual.
One area that has seen growth has been support roles in the gaming sector, with a number of gaming organisations now based in Ireland. A big chunk of their market is in Asia and, as a result, we are seeing demand for Asian languages – Japanese, in particular – increase.
Relocation, relocation, relocation
More than 50pc of the candidates that Hays places are already based in Ireland. However, we spend a significant amount of time supporting candidates coming from overseas. Skype and telephone interviews before they are flown over are not unusual, especially if the skill set and languages are niche.
Some organisations will provide financial relocation support. This is normally dependent on the level of the job and the availability of the language in the market. Key considerations should include:
- Where you need to go to sign up for a PPS number and the amount of time it takes to get it set up
- The requirements to set up a bank account
- The amount of savings required to bridge any gap between starting a new job and getting paid
- The availability of property – this is a significant challenge in Dublin and a growing challenge in Cork
- If you have children, then schools and healthcare are factors that you should also consider.
Claire Kiernan is an associate consultant at Hays Recruitment. Claire recruits for a variety of roles with languages, both permanent and contract-based.
Looking for tech jobs in Ireland? Check out our Featured Employers section for information on companies hiring right now.
Main image via Shutterstock
