Have you ever heard about Foreign Language Incentive Pay (FLIP)? If the answer is “no” and you are bilingual, you could be missing out on a fantastic way to earn a higher income using your language skills.

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Demand for Bilingual Skills Is Growing

A recent national survey commissioned by ACTFL revealed that the demand for foreign language skills in the workplace today in the United States is greater than ever before, and on a constant rise. One in five people in the U.S. speaks a language other than English and one in ten has limited English proficiency. As the country becomes more diverse, it is vital for employers to hire bilingual and multilingual employees to better serve customers in their preferred language.

The Importance of Equal Language Access

In this context, government agencies need to work to eliminate linguistic barriers, anticipate future challenges, and comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law requires that people with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to federally funded government programs, services, activities, and resources.

Foreign Language Incentive Pay (FLIP)

In order to attract and retain bilingual employees and to avoid violating this federally mandated law, some employers in the government sector are offering Foreign Language Incentive Pay, or FLIP, to current and prospective employees. For example, in the U.S. military and across all its branches, FLIP is a standard practice.

“The government’s largest program of this kind is the Defense Department’s foreign language proficiency pay program, which pays up to $500 per pay period for eligible Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees performing intelligence duties and up to 5 percent of salary for civilians assigned to non-intelligence duties requiring language proficiency,” (FEDweek).

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) equally recognizes the value of having employees with language abilities that allow them to handle national security issues. According to its website, their Foreign Language Incentive Program provides various monetary incentives. The agency compensates their employees’ language skills if they meet and maintain the required proficiency in foreign language. The agency has a list of different FLIP-qualifying languages, which include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, and many more.

Organizations may pay out the monetary incentive as a one-time bonus or in the form of a higher salary. The bilingual and multilingual employees need to demonstrate professional working language skills by taking a valid language proficiency test to be eligible, and the terms of the programs vary depending on the governmental agency.

“The purpose of testing our employees applying for this additional pay is to verify that they actually have the proficiency that they say they have,” said Katie Hedrick, Community Inclusion Coordinator of the City of Roanoke in Virginia. Hedrick, who works in the Department of Community Engagement is responsible for developing and implementing their Bilingual Employee Incentive Pay Program. She expressed that the process of looking for a language testing provider was initially very overwhelming. However, she found the support she needed in Language Testing International (LTI).  “I had a completely opposite experience with LTI. I essentially sent one email and that was all I had to do. Everything has been straightforward, very easy to manage, and all the languages that we would need are offered through LTI,” she emphasized.

Public facing positions that require bilingual professionals to enable non-English speaking individuals to gain access to essential services, such as police officers, 9-1-1 operators, firefighters, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), community relations staff and healthcare personnel, are also fantastic job opportunities to receive extra compensation via FLIP. In addition, bilingual and multilingual public servants in a diverse community make a significant impact on society.

Read more –> Certified Language Skills : A Pathway to Foreign Language Incentive Pay

Certify Your Language Skills

Contact LTI today if you want to accurately assess your foreign language proficiency skills and position yourself as a candidate that qualifies to receive FLIP. As the exclusive licensee of ACTFL, LTI is a leader in the delivery of language proficiency testing in over 40 countries and 120 languages through remotely proctored tests that can be conveniently taken from the privacy of your home.

Sources

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and the Lead with Languages Campaign commissioned Ipsos Public Affairs, with the support of Pearson LLC and Language Testing International. (2019). “Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers.” https://www.leadwithlanguages.org/report

CIA.gov Foreign Language Incentive Program. https://www.cia.gov/careers/language-opportunities/foreign-language-incentive-program/

FEDweek. “Federal Government Foreign Language Proficiency Pay”. Tuesday, December 13, 2022. https://www.fedweek.com/ask/federal-pay/foreign-language-pay/

Madeline Martínez is a Multicultural Navigator Specialist at URBANDER, a Woman and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) specializing in transforming businesses to advance humanity. URBANDER’s role is to serve as an extension of Marketing, Diversity, Human Resources, Procurement, Community Relations, and Social Responsibility teams, providing innovative approaches in the areas of strategic marketing, content development, workforce development, community outreach and IDEAS (inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and sustainability). Madeline holds a both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and is an experienced copywriter and content developer dedicated to amplifying the voices of URBANDER’s clients. From blogs and articles to social media posts and interviews, Madeline is a skilled writer across diverse topics integrating her marketing, business and academic acumen. Though her earlier work as a Publications Officer at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico, and her most recent performance as a Spanish Interpreter, Substitute Teacher, and Instructional Assistant for English-language learning elementary school students, Madeline has impacted countless families as they have navigated migrating to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries. As a bilingual professional, Madeline is also proficient in translating written documents from English to Spanish, and vice versa. She has received LTI issued ACTFL Language Proficiency Certificates in Spanish as follows: Advanced Writing, Advanced Listening, Advanced Reading and Superior Speaking. During her downtime, Madeline loves spending time with her family, and enjoys dancing, movies, photography, and coffee. She considers herself a continuous learner. “A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers”- Helen Keller

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