Juliette Wiles
Job Title
Information and Sales Consultant
Company and location
Britain and London Visitor Centre, central London
Industry sector
Travel and tourism
What does your job involve?
Helping visitors with queries, selling display space to visitor attractions in the UK and training new staff. I also give presentations to travel and tourism students in schools and colleges, and to foreign students who’re here to study English.
How did you get into that area of work?
I kept e-mailing the manager asking for a job and eventually she caved in! Foreign languages are pretty vital for this job. I did French A level and German GCSE at school, then a Diploma in Foreign Languages for Business, which included French and Italian. I’ve also worked in France, Italy and Switzerland.
What other languages do you speak?
Basic Japanese. A few years ago, my employer paid for me to do classes as we needed someone who could speak to Japanese visitors. A lot of our visitors are Spanish and numbers are increasing, partly because of all the airlines that do cheap flights now. So I’ve just signed up for a Spanish course.
What skills and qualities do you need to do your job?
You have to enjoy helping and meeting people – anything from two minute interactions to long, involved conversations. You have to be a curious thinker, to be able to research, produce and accumulate knowledge about the UK. You also need IT and admin skills.
How do you use your languages at work?
Nearly half a million people come to the centre every year. 6% of them are French, 6% German, 3% Italian and 2% Japanese. Quite a lot of people when you work out the numbers, so I use my languages a lot! My German and Japanese are basic, but still important. Even when visitors speak some English, it’s useful to be able understand their language. Sometimes mixing and matching languages makes communication easier.
Japanese people often appreciate it if you understand their culture and their way of speaking, as their biggest challenge in English is pronunciation. A Japanese girl came into the centre one day and asked for a room with a chicken, instead of a kitchen! I know how easy it is to mispronounce words when you’re speaking another language so I understood her immediately.
Any tips?
Speaking another language gives you opportunities to travel, helps you get to know people better and is an extra skill that employers find impressive. Understanding a language can make the difference between getting ripped off or not, and it’s great being able to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations! You shouldn’t be put off learning another language because it’s hard to become fluent – often, a smattering is all you need.