Foreign Languages Jobs in the Federal Government

There is a growing demand for people with foreign language skills across the federal government.
Since 9/11 the FBI has hired close to 1,000 linguists. It is projected that 274 new hires will occur in the next fiscal year.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is aggressively recruiting and plans to hire 1,500 people a year, many of them language analysts, until 2010.
Due to the high demand of qualified linguists, the Pentagon is temporarily recruiting foreigners on work or student visas. Read more about this initiative.

Many Federal Agencies Offer Attractive Signing Bonuses

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) offers a Corporate Language Hiring Bonus Program for individuals who have exceptional language skills. New employees who are hired for a language specific occupation must be tested in order to meet eligibility requirements. The size of the language bonus is determined by tested proficiency, language difficulty and level of critical need as determined by the CIA. Individuals may qualify for multiple hiring bonuses if they are proficient in more than one language. The maximum bonus awarded is $35,000 per person.

Students who graduate with a proficiency in a foreign language or professional linguists may qualify for work at the National Security Agency (NSA). New NSA employees receive competitive salaries and may be eligible for signing bonuses of $7,500.

Job Profiles

Here are examples of recent job openings. Explore more and apply now at USAJOBS.

Language Specialist

Salary Range: Unlisted
Duty Locations: International field assignments
Job Summary: National Security Agency Analysts will provide policy makers, military commanders and members of the Intelligence community with crucial information regarding the nation’s security. The Agency is particularly interested in candidates who are proficient in Asian or Middle Eastern languages.
Major Duties: Through an understanding of written or spoken language analysts will collect and analyze intelligence material, placing information in appropriate contexts. Tasks may include translation, transcription, research and reporting. In addition, analysts will research the culture in which the language is spoken.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

Salary Range: $24,966 - $51,972
Duty Locations: South Texas, West Texas/New Mexico, California and Arizona
Job Summary: Join the Department of Homeland Security by working for Customs and Border Patrol at the gateway between the United States and Mexico. Candidates must be fluent in Spanish and English.
Major Duties: Detect, prevent and apprehend illegal immigrants attempting to enter the United States. Protect the border using surveillance systems, monitor and respond to electronic sensor alarms and use infrared technologies at night. Interpret physical evidence including following tracks and marks. Additional duties include conducting traffic and transportation checks, and patrolling for illegal drug trafficking.

Foreign Service Construction Engineer

Salary Range: $47,682 - $70,023
Duty Locations: Positions available world wide
Job Summary: Work as a professional engineer for the Department of State in the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations.
Major Duties: Oversee contractor activities and construction work on properties used by the Department of State and U.S. government agencies abroad. Tasks include monitoring contractors safety and security programs, as well as the quality control/quality assurance program, inspecting construction work, evaluating proposals and approve contract submissions, administering budgets and verifying payments to contractors and preparing progress reports on construction activities.

Internship ANd scholarship Examples

The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship is funded by the Department of State and is administered through the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (WWNFF). The goal of the fellowship is to attract students from diverse backgrounds, with an interest in international affairs, political and economic analysis, administration, management and science policy, to the Foreign Service. The fellowship award includes tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees during the junior and senior years of college and during the first year of graduate study. Fellows commit to pursing a graduate degree in international studies at one of the schools chosen by the WWNFF.
http://www.woodrow.org/fellowships/foreign_affairs/pickering_undergrad/index.php

The National Security Education Program is administered through the Institute of International Education and provides undergraduates with scholarships to study abroad in regions such as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. The program offers students an opportunity to learn about other cultures and to study languages in regions critical to national security. Upon completion, students are required to work for the Federal Government in agencies such as the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State or the Intelligence Community. http://www.iie.org/programs/nsep/default.htm

The Critical Language Scholarships Program is offered by the Department of State and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), and consists of over 500 overseas scholarships for intensive summer language institutes in eleven critical need foreign languages. Participants take part in seven to ten week group-based intensive language instruction and extensive cultural enrichment experiences at the beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. All program costs, including travel, are covered by the scholarships.
http://www.clscholarship.org/home.php

Federal Jobs by the Numbers

A Sample of Agencies that Recruit Students with Foreign Language Skills

Department	Hiring Projections (2005-2006)
Department of State
— Foreign Service	1,806
Department of Homeland Security
— Border Patrol	2,000
— Immigration Investigators	800
Department of Commerce
— General Business and Industry	144
— Trade Specialist	140
Department of Defense
— Security and Protection	3,676
— Business and Industry	3,338
— Compliance and Enforcement	444
Agency for International Development
— Civil and Foreign Service	493