Interpreter : Employers and vacancy sources

Typical employers include:

• the European Commission , which operates at the very heart of the European Union (EU)  and recruits through the Directorate General for Interpretation ;
• other EU Institutions, such as the Court of Justice of the European Union  and the European Central Bank ;
• the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) ;
• the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) ;
• the Ministry of Defence (MoD) ;
• the civil service, see Civil Service Jobs ;
• agency Applied Language Solutions  for Ministry of Justice (MoJ) work;
• private sector businesses, such as larger multinational companies, legal firms or media, although most interpreting work here is arranged through agencies;
• academic institutions, for international conferences;
• language agencies;
• public services - police, courts, local education authorities, social services departments;
• international exhibitions.

In all sectors and settings the profession is dominated by freelance interpreters, with few full-time jobs advertised each year. Experienced freelancers have to balance the freedom of deciding when and where they work with the potential scarcity of employment opportunities.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO)  
• ITI Bulletin on the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI)  website.
• Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)  and its publication, The Linguist.
• The Times Jobs   
• Guardian Jobs  
• Association of Welsh Translators and Interpreters  

Only a small number of roles are advertised through these sources.

Online directories such as ProZ  and the Aquarius Directory of Translators and Interpreters  may be useful. Clients can post assignments, while translators and interpreters can create professional profiles and bid for the contracts.

Business and public sector organisations are increasingly outsourcing their interpreting requirements to specialist language agencies. Some of these are listed on Languages Work .
 
Many interpreters start their careers by finding work through agencies, gradually developing regular clients through contacts, their own websites, professional online directories and listings for work. These include the CIOL's Find-A-Linguist  register, the ITI’s Directory of Members, the Association of Police and Court Interpreters  list, and the website of the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence (AIIC) .

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.