As the language of business, the internet, and academia, the ability to speak English can unlock an endless pool of opportunities in the workplace – including career progression, new job prospects, and the ability to work almost anywhere in the world.
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With many benefits to consider, it comes as no surprise that countries and businesses are investing in the English language for their people. But which countries have invested the most in the English language, and where do the opportunities lie for employees proficient in English?
Europe's Top 10 Capital Cities For English-speaking Employees
To find out, Preply has investigated the best capital cities for English proficient job seekers in the EEA based on the city’s average number of job vacancies requiring English.
Europe’s top 10 capital cities with the most English-speaking jobs:
Berlin, Warsaw, and Bucharest are the capital cities offering the highest number of jobs requiring English
The results show Germany’s capital Berlin has the most job vacancies requiring English skills with 1,160 openings.
Despite neither country requiring students to take English lessons at any point in their education, Poland and Romania came in second and third with their capital cities offering 1,113 and 920 English-speaking job openings respectively.
The Top 10 European Countries Investing The MOST In The English Language
Preply's research also set out to investigate the countries investing the most in English education in 2022. To do this, Preply analysed seven metrics surrounding English education in 29 EEA countries. All the metrics were scored and each country was given a final ‘English investment score’ out of 10.
The top 10 EEA countries investing in learning English:
(out of 10)
Based on EF EPI Proficiency levels: 600+ Very High, 550 - 599 High, 500 - 549 Moderate, 450 - 499 Low and <450 Very Low.*
Germany leads the way in investing the most in the English language, with Spain and The Netherlands following close behind
Germany is the number one country for investing in English learning, with the highest number of job openings requiring English proficiency (4,537) and the fourth-highest number of English Language schools at 1,316. English is also a mandatory subject in Germany, which means that every student must study it at some point during their education.
Spain and The Netherlands come in second and third scoring 6.1 and 5.5 out of 10 respectively on the index. The Netherlands received the highest English proficiency score out of all the countries (663), indicating that the average person can use nuanced and appropriate English language in social situations and read advanced English texts easily. Spain has the highest number of international schools out of every country analysed (274) and also has over 1,400 English language schools.
Slovenia Invests The Least In Learning English Out Of The EEA Countries Studied
According to Preply’s analysis, the country investing the least in English is Slovenia with an English investment score of just 1.8 out of 10. With English being an optional language, students are not required to take lessons, and the country also has some of the lowest numbers of English language schools and international schools at 63 and 5 respectively.
Lithuania and Cyprus also made the bottom three, with both scoring fairly low across the board for English investment receiving a total English investment score of 1.9 and 2.1 out of 10 respectively.
Amy Pritchett, Student Success Manager at Preply commented on the importance of employees learning English in 2022:
“English remains the language of the global business workforce. Therefore, being proficient in English will open up job opportunities, allow you to work almost anywhere, and can even increase your hourly wage in some instances due to its value to companies.”
“Learning English can also give you a competitive advantage before starting your career by opening the door to some of the world’s highest-rated educational institutions. In fact, 85% of the top 20 universities in the global rankings are English-speaking. Scientists, doctors, and engineers also need to have English proficiency to be able to publish work in their industry. This alone demonstrates how English has become the widely-adopted language of academia worldwide.”
“Alongside this, over half of the most visited web pages in the world are also in English, making it the dominant language online. With over 1 billion internet users typing in English, you’ll be able to access many types of resources and learning platforms to strengthen your skills.”
About Preply:
Preply’s mission is to open up the vast potential of the world for every person, business and country. We envision a world where every person and business truly belongs in the global market.
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