Private banking: Une langue ou dos?

Want to break into Scotland's growing private banking scene? It helps to be multi-lingual.

Thanks to allure of Scottish castles and shooting estates to the world's ultra wealthy, a growing number of very (very) rich people are either buying property or taking up non-domiciled resident status here. And they want to talk to private bankers who speak their own language.

Marianne Hay, chief executive for Europe at Citigroup's global wealth management division told us languages are becoming one the biggest challenges when it comes to hiring people.

Hay says the need for languages is also being driven by wealthy Scots' propensity for buying property abroad.

Local clients expect the Scottish advisory firm to be able to handle the whole transaction, and with France and Spain topping the destination list, this means being able to write and speak confidently in French and Spanish.

The head of a second high net worth advisory business confirms languages are an asset. Bilingual himself, he told us: "The demand for advisers who speak a foreign language is starting to grow and it is something that is going to be huge."