Spanish required for a job?

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by AnUnidentifiedMale

I've been seeing comments on other sites that say Spanish language skills are increasingly a requirement for a lot of jobs in L.A.

Has anyone here noticed this?

Bilingual skills have been a requirement for many jobs (especially those that do not require a degree) for a while now. As I only know English, I found it difficult to find a job when I was a new job hunter in the late 90's due to the bilingual requirement. I'm not necessarily against immigration but I do think the bilingual requirements has the unintended affect of being discriminatory towards job seekers who only speak English.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by Full-Blooded American

There are MANY jobs here where "habla Espanol" is a requirement. I've seen quite a few of them in the Jobs section of the L.A. Times, and most government jobs where you interface with the public require "habla Espanol", as discussed on various radio talk shows. And, as we have a mayor who champions La Raza, things will only get worse for those of us who "no speaky Spanish".

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...exico_med1.jpg

Many governmental agencies provide bilingual bonuses for positions that require public interaction.

[Chatteress]

Originally Posted by antialphabet

I don't know about it being a requirement, but I think employers have always given more consideration to the applicants with the most skills. Being fluently bilingual is considered a skill.
Depends on the job.

Spanish classes, as well as other languages, are offered extensively in high schools, junior colleges, universities. There is a huge Latino market(obviously) in the Southwest, so I would think being fluent in English and Spanish would definitely be a plus.

Although I agree that knowing more than one language is beneficial, not everyone can master a second language. Due to my hearing challenges, I've found it difficult to master Spanish even after completing two years of high school Spanish.

[Cubancoffee]

I think the official American language should be Iroquois and anyone who came over after 1491 and insists on speaking some crappy, inferior immigrant language their parents brought with them should be sent back wherever the Des Moines they came from!

[msnorman67]

Originally Posted by Cubancoffee

I think the official American language should be Iroquois and anyone who came over after 1491 and insists on speaking some crappy, inferior immigrant language their parents brought with them should be sent back wherever the Des Moines they came from!

Where can I get the tapes?

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by Cubancoffee

I think the official American language should be Iroquois and anyone who came over after 1491 and insists on speaking some crappy, inferior immigrant language their parents brought with them should be sent back wherever the Des Moines they came from!

Yes yes, we understand that the US, like pretty much every country, has native languages that have been passed over in favor of new ones. This doesn't stop many other countries from establishing national languages when it's prudent to.