If your knowledge of the rich Mandarin language goes beyond the usual nǐ hǎo and xièxie, this is your chance to work in the country’s main gateway.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is looking for 12 Chinese-speaking Filipinos to serve as interpreters at immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“This is to eliminate the possibility that foreigners are excluded simply because our officers fail to understand the passenger’s response,” Immigration spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang said in a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Immigration officers and NAIA supervisors have long requested for Chinese interpreters to ensure smooth communication between travellers and airport authorities.
Data from the Bureau of Immigration showed that 676 of the 1,938 foreigners who were denied entry to the country in the first half of 2016 were Chinese nationals. Some of them said that they could not express themselves in English.
The requirements for the position? In addition to being proficient in Mandarin (plus points if knowledgeable in other Chinese dialects), applicants should also be natural-born Filipino citizens, 40 years old and under, and must have worked as an interpreter for at least a year. Must be willing to work at any given shift.
For more information, visit the Bureau of Immigration’s Facebook page.
