Every so often I’ll have a student who says they’re not very interested in learning English because they’re going back to Mexico as soon as possible. My usual response, which has been pretty effective, is that the student is likely to get a better-paying job there if he/she knows English, too. That position makes sense to me and, usually, to the student, who then tends to become more serious about learning English. I have gotten anecdotal evidence from English teachers in Mexico that this statement is true, but had never been able to find any concrete evidence to back it up.

Until now.

The Guardian recently ran a story on research showing that knowing English increased your income by 25% in five countries in the developing world.

Mexico wasn’t one of the countries started, but just being able to show this kind of data to my students will be helpful.

I’m adding this info to The Best Resources For Learning The Advantages To Being Bilingual.