Miami Jobs For People Who Do Not Speak Spanish? (Pinecrest: job market, high school)

[Dr_Rico]

OP: Good luck with your job search!

I ran into a similar situation when I lived in Canuckistan. I was applying for faculty positions in Quebec and one of the qualifications was fluent French. Now Canada is officially a bilingual country, and the clients (students) in Montreal are largely natively francophonic, but my colleagues in Vancouver BC were somewhat vexed by the requirement. Like many of my native English speaking neighbors in Miami, they felt that Canada was a country mostly settled by English immigrants, imbued with English culture, and that the French minority should just accept that that and be assimiliated into the borg. My Quebecois friends, in contrast, felt the "tyrrany" of the anglophonic majority, fought fiercely to maintain their cultural identity (its a nation that "officially" celebrates diversity), and struggled with the secession movement. Ultimately, an uneasy equilibrium has been reached where folks expect English to dominate in the provences except (primarily) Quebec, in which French predominates. Over the years, people have migrated throughout the country and the historical demographic is not the modern demographic, but the lingering cultural centers reinforce the languages.

The USA is a nation in transition. It has always been a nation of immigrants with many different languages and cultures. While English was historically the "lingua franca" (ha!) of the USA, I would argue that it is (and has been) a moving target. I agree that a good grounding in English provides many opportunities not available to people not fluent in English, but in communities where there is sufficient cultural mass to enforce other dominant languages, such as Spanish in Miami, that advice may be extended to those languages as well.

Once I got my head around the dominant Spanish language culture in Miami, my life improved alot. I have many more friends, many more interesting experiences, additional opportunities, and I feel like a freer, happier Miamian. I do not feel like I was forced to do this, it just opened up my vistas a great deal.

DR

[Wild Style]

Originally Posted by Dr_Rico

OP: Good luck with your job search!

I ran into a similar situation when I lived in Canuckistan. I was applying for faculty positions in Quebec and one of the qualifications was fluent French. Now Canada is officially a bilingual country, and the clients (students) in Montreal are largely natively francophonic, but my colleagues in Vancouver BC were somewhat vexed by the requirement. Like many of my native English speaking neighbors in Miami, they felt that Canada was a country mostly settled by English immigrants, imbued with English culture, and that the French minority should just accept that that and be assimiliated into the borg. My Quebecois friends, in contrast, felt the "tyrrany" of the anglophonic majority, fought fiercely to maintain their cultural identity (its a nation that "officially" celebrates diversity), and struggled with the secession movement. Ultimately, an uneasy equilibrium has been reached where folks expect English to dominate in the provences except (primarily) Quebec, in which French predominates. Over the years, people have migrated throughout the country and the historical demographic is not the modern demographic, but the lingering cultural centers reinforce the languages.

The USA is a nation in transition. It has always been a nation of immigrants with many different languages and cultures. While English was historically the "lingua franca" (ha!) of the USA, I would argue that it is (and has been) a moving target. I agree that a good grounding in English provides many opportunities not available to people not fluent in English, but in communities where there is sufficient cultural mass to enforce other dominant languages, such as Spanish in Miami, that advice may be extended to those languages as well.

Once I got my head around the dominant Spanish language culture in Miami, my life improved alot. I have many more friends, many more interesting experiences, additional opportunities, and I feel like a freer, happier Miamian. I do not feel like I was forced to do this, it just opened up my vistas a great deal.

DR

do you speak Spanish?

[Dr_Rico]

Moderator cut: English OnlyI tend to listen in Spanish and answer in English when in a group of native Spanish speakers. I order food and speak with my staff and cetera in Spanish. When I started doing that, that staff were SOOOO much happier. Its like I'm coming to their turf (which I guess I am).

I mostly date Spanish speaking women, so I get plenty of practice and encouragement!

DR

[rogerbacon]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Why is it different Roger? Does the Chinese language not offend you as much as spanish?

Yeah, pretty much. I guess it's because when I hear Chinese it sounds very musical to me due to the different tones in the language (although I don't like Cantonese because it always sounds like fighting). Also, I've dated 5 Chinese girls in teh past 10 years so I have positive associations with the language for that reason as well.

[FinnishAmerican]

You have to know fluent spanish to get a job in Miami. Bottomline. Like it or not.

[Dr_Rico]

Originally Posted by FinnishAmerican

You have to know fluent spanish to get a job in Miami. Bottomline. Like it or not.

Ummm, no. At least not at the University of Miami (one of the largest employers in SoFlo). Perhaps that is true for SOME jobs...

DR

[flyingnurse55]

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

Well there is nothing wrong with making it a requirement to speak another language or spanish there are a lot of jobs which require certain skills. If you speak spanish well enough for them than i dont see why you would not get the job. I dont think you name should have anything to do with it. If you feel and have proof that they dont hire you soley beacuse your not hispanic than they have a legal issue on their hands and you could sue them for discrimination. But if you have a heavy accent or do not speak it fluently and thats what they need than thats what they need and there is nothing than can be done about it.
Good Luck hope you get the job.

There is alot wrong with making it a job requirement to speak another language..as well as there is alot wrong with allowing bill boards to advertise in another language other than our ENGLISH language of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...that is the preferred language and the predominant language...NOT SPANISH..NOT RUSSIAN..NOT anything else...you don't see the Europeans griping about not having their language interpretors here...and do you honestly think that for one minute when you go to Mexico they will have interpretors there on standby waiting to interpret English?...how stupid and self centered and nai've can one be?..It's not about education it's about our country going down the tubes and letting all these illegal immigrants take over..I am sick of this attitude and I am sick of people like you who think that it is alright to require another language... [mod]Flaming[/mod]...it's our country...don't be so passive and let it go...you probably think the 911 terrorists deserve to be kept in a federal prison and educated...why don't you go to NY and ask them?...

[flyingnurse55]

Originally Posted by Thomas Jefferson

lol

I think that everyone should have to learn English..instead of giving classes to learn everything in spanish our governement needs to give classes to learn in english...and they do...some...but the illigal immigrants I took care of continually at a trauma center in houston...would choose to be there for 12 years and never learn english..their stupidity...but think that I should have to learn [mod]Flaming[/mod] spanish...these bleeding heart democrats need to wake up before our country is gone without a revolution...a silent one that takes it over...a little at a time...

[Neng.]

Lingonberry

You should write some creative Résumé.
You are native Hispanic, but it happens that your parents were Irish or whatever from Guatemala and they moved to Miami, or they were Germans from Argentina, whatever.
Not all Hispanics are called "Rodriguez".
What counts is that you're Miamiam and your Spanish is Ok or passable.
Man, you're Miamiam and you've got retail experience. I bet that your Spanish is better that the one spoken by many Hispanics.
As to the language required by employers, "the business of America is business".

[giz2000]

Originally Posted by flyingnurse55

There is alot wrong with making it a job requirement to speak another language..as well as there is alot wrong with allowing bill boards to advertise in another language other than our ENGLISH language of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...that is the preferred language and the predominant language...NOT SPANISH..NOT RUSSIAN..NOT anything else...you don't see the Europeans griping about not having their language interpretors here...and do you honestly think that for one minute when you go to Mexico they will have interpretors there on standby waiting to interpret English?...how stupid and self centered and nai've can one be?..It's not about education it's about our country going down the tubes and letting all these illegal immigrants take over..I am sick of this attitude and I am sick of people like you who think that it is alright to require another language... Moderator cut: Flaming...it's our country...don't be so passive and let it go...you probably think the 911 terrorists deserve to be kept in a federal prison and educated...why don't you go to NY and ask them?...

If the majority of the customers you deal with speak Spanish, why would it be wrong to require a candidate to be bilingual? I know this is the US, but there is no "national language." A great deal of companies in the largest cities deal with other companies/customers, etc from all over the world, so being bi- or multi-lingual is becoming a job requirement in many fields...it's no longer an option.

Besides, knowing another language never hurt anyone...if anything, it's to your advantage.