With public bodies and local authorities delivering Gaelic Language Plans and more private companies looking for people who can use Gaelic, the employment opportunities for anyone fluent in the language and, for some jobs, with good writing skills are better than ever. You can see videos outlining some of the opportunities here.
There are jobs for teachers, broadcasters, journalists, musicians, education & development officers, actors, play leaders, web developers as well as for staff across a range of public authorities and agencies who offer services in Gaelic. This range of choices could well expand as more people learn Gaelic and Gaelic medium education, for example, expands. Knowledge of Gaelic can be a major advantage in the job market and, in common with those in other public sector jobs, people in Gaelic jobs contribute significantly to the Scottish economy.
As well as being an interesting language and an integral part of Scotland’s culture and heritage, Gaelic is also part of the modern way of life for many. Communities where Gaelic is used daily continue to exist and Iomairtean Gàidhlig – Gaelic Initiatives managed by Comunn na Gàidhlig with investment from Bòrd na Gàidhlig – have been established to encourage and support the use of Gaelic in various areas.
Useful Words
Obair/Ag obair | Work/Working | |
Tha mi ag obair | I am working | |
Tha mi nam shaor | I am a joiner | |
Tha mi nam rianadair | I am an administrator | |
Tha mi nam mhanaidsear | I am a manager | |
Tha mi nam thidsear | I am a teacher | |
Tha mi nam dhotair | I am a doctor | |
Tha mi nam sgrìobhaiche | I am a writer | |
‘S e neach-ciùil a th’ annam | I am a musician | |
S e banaltram a th’ annam | I am a nurse | |
Tha mi ag obair sna meadhanan | I work in the media | |
Tha mi gun obair | I am unemployed | |
Tha obair agam dhut | I can offer you work | |
A bheil thu trang? | Are you busy? | |
Tha cùisean sàmhach | Things are quiet | |
An urrainn dhomh do chuideachadh? | Can I help you? | |
Dè nì mi dhut? | What can I do for you? | |
Càit a bheil thu ag obair? | Where do you work? | |
A bheil mòran dhaoine còmhla riut? | Are there many people with you? | |
Am bidh thu ag obair air do cheann fhèin? | Are you self-employed? | |
Tha mi ag obair do chompanaidh | I work for a company | |
Dè seòrsa gnìomhachais a’s a bheil thu? | What kind of business are you in? | |
Tha an ceòl air feadh na fìdhle | Everything is thrown into confusion (Literally ‘The music is throughout the fiddle’) | |
A’ fuireach/A’ còmhnaidh | Living/Residing | |
Tha mi a’ fuireach ann am baile beag | I live in a small village | |
Tha mi a’ fuireach a-muigh air an dùthaich | I live in the countryside | |
Tha mi a’ fuireach sa bhaile mhòr! | I live in the big city! | |
Tha mi a’ fuireach air eilean | I live on an island | |
Coimhearsnachd | Community | |
Tha tòrr a’ fuireach nam choimhearsnachd | A lot of people live in my community | |
‘S e coimhearsnachd bheag a th’ ann | It’s a small community | |
Tha bùth bheag againn | We have a small shop | |
Tha taigh-bìdh againn | We have a restaurant | |
Tha taigh-òsta ann | There is a hotel | |
Tha tòrr bhùithtean againn | We have lots of shops | |
‘S beag orm bailtean mòra | I hate big towns | |
‘S toil leam a bhith a’ fuireach air eilean sìtheil | I like living on a peaceful island | |
Tha obair gu leòr sa choimhearsnachd | There’s lots of work in the community | |
Tha croitean gu leòr timcheall | There are lots of crofts | |
Tha oifis mhòr againn | We have a big office | |
Bidh mi ag obair aig an taigh | I work at home | |
Bidh tòrr a’ tachairt san sgìre | A lot happens in the area | |
Tha cèilidhean againn | We have cèilidhs | |
Tha spòrs gu leòr a’ dol air adhart san sgìre seo | There is a lot of sport in this area | |
’S ann dhut a rug an cat an cuilean! | Your cat gave birth to a puppy! (To someone who has had a stroke of luck) | |
Saor-làithean | Holidays | |
Turas | Trip | |
Chì mi thu! | See you! | |
Dè tha dol? | What’s doing? | |
Tapadh leat | Thank you | |
`S e do bheatha | You’re welcome | |
Cha do dhùin doras nach do dh’fhosgail doras | Every cloud has a silver lining (Literally ‘A door never closed without another opening’) |