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Foreign language correspondence clerk

Also called foreign correspondence clerk, foreign correspondent assistant, foreign correspondent secretary

Foreign language correspondence clerks read and reply to a company's correspondence in foreign languages. They also perform clerical duties.

Will there be jobs?Limited prospectsFewer people are expected to do this work by 2035.Other clerical support workersWhat does it pay?Below averageFrom about €1,100 (Bulgaria) to €5,000 (Luxembourg) a month, depending on the country.Estimate · Other clerical support workersWhat do I need to study?Upper secondary or vocational5 in 10 finished upper secondary or vocational training.Other clerical support workersWill AI change it?StronglyLevel 6 of 6. AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.Clerical support workers not elsewhere classified · ILO

What you'd do

Clerical support workers not elsewhere classified · ILO
  • Receiving customers' orders for classified advertising, writing and editing copy, calculating advertising rates and billing customers
  • Writing business and government correspondence such as replies to requests for information and assistance, damage claims, credit and billing enquiries and service complaints
  • Assisting in the preparation of periodicals, advertisements, catalogues, directories and other material for publication
  • Reading newspapers, magazines, press releases and other publications to locate and file articles of interest to staff and clients
Master language rulesTranslate foreign languageEnsure proper document managementApply grammar and spelling rulesTranslate language concepts+ 2 more essential skills
What the work is like
  • Indoors
  • Sitting most of the day
  • Constant contact with people, including the public
  • Some freedom to decide
  • Usually 40 hours a week
  • Deadlines most weeks
  • Very repetitive tasks
US data: based on the O*NET profile of the similar US job "Office Clerks, General"

Will there be jobs?

Limited prospects

Fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.

People working as other clerical support workers in the EU
1.69m1.67m1.11m 201520232035

Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.

Jobs to fill, 2026–2035

More people will leave this work than new people are needed.

Jobs to fill per 100 people working now
Other clerical support workers-1
All jobs29
Right now
0 of 27 countries report a shortage of clerical support workers not elsewhere classified, 9 a surplus.
Clerical support workers not elsewhere classified · EURES

What does it pay?

Below average

Pay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,100 a month (Bulgaria) to €5,000 (Luxembourg), before tax.

Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.

Among clerical support workers in the EU, women earn 9% less per hour than men. Clerical support workers · Eurostat

What do I need to study?

Upper secondary or vocational

Upper secondary or vocational training is the usual route.

Highest qualification of other clerical support workers (EU, 2025)
Degree 37%Vocational 37%General secondary 14%Basic schooling 11%

Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.

Will AI change it?

Strongly

AI could take on part of most tasks, but none fully.

How exposed is this job? ILO scale
Very low
Low
Some tasks
Moderate
Significant
High

Average task score 0.63 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).

See the score for each of the 4 tasks
Receiving customers' orders for classified advertising, writing and editing copy, calculating advertising rates and billing customers0.67
Writing business and government correspondence such as replies to requests for information and assistance, damage claims, credit and billing enquiries and service complaints0.62
Reading newspapers, magazines, press releases and other publications to locate and file articles of interest to staff and clients0.61
Assisting in the preparation of periodicals, advertisements, catalogues, directories and other material for publication0.61

Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for clerical support workers not elsewhere classified. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).