PEOPLE all over Europe are reserving airline tickets buying a personal computer or booking hotel rooms over the phone. This is nothing new. What is new is that many of these freephone calls, originating from all over Europe, are being answered in Ireland in the language of the caller.

Telesales, tele support and telemarketing are relatively new to Ireland it was an industry that didn't exist here a few years ago but now employs close to 2,000 people.

United Parcel Service, the biggest freight courier in the world, has established a centre in Tallaght, Dublin, and has 185 employees taking calls in German for their German customers. This should grow to over 900 jobs as the Irish centre expands to take calls from other European countries.

Meanwhile, from this month, American Airlines is operating all its European bookings from Dublin. It has already hired 160 people and expects to take on a further 60 people by the end of the year.

Pat Desmond, project officer with IDA Ireland, explains that the reason that the companies are locating here is because we have a "very good work ethic. Irish people are very good at customer relations. They have a friendly chatty approach."

It seems Ireland also has a good name for languages. There is a big emigrant population which has picked up languages and the IDA has recruitment companies tracking these people through clubs and associations. Desmond says that "what is needed is fluency in a language, not an academic third level qualification". People need to know the colloquialisms and the slang. The first interview may be conducted on the telephone in the language the company is seeking.

Desmond says that the teleservices industry offers good opportunities for people who do well in a language at Leaving Certificate but who don't want to go on to third level. He mentions the possibility that people could go abroad to increase their fluency or they might consider the FAS intensive language course, described in the panel. Starting salaries are good and there may also be a commission if the job is in sales.

There are three main types of job at present, he explains. There is direct sales for instance with companies such as Gateway 2000 and Dell, which manufacture personal computers. There is also customer support which might involve talking a customer through a problem. The third job area is that of technical support which would suit someone with, perhaps, a qualification in software and fluency in a language.

While the IDA say that a third level qualification is not necessary, it is always useful when job hunting. A spokesperson for Irish Recruitment Consultants, which is recruiting for both telesales and customer services, says that there is a big demand for these people at present and that, while a third level qualification is not essential it is useful. She points out that not all telemarketing requires a European language either as many companies conduct their business through English, but a language will widen your options.

If you have a job in teleservices in mind, courses providing dual skills are especially useful. For instance, there are courses which combine a language with computing, engineering, law, business or marketing.

For those who are worried at the prospect of spending their lives tied to a telephone, there is a reasonable career path, according to Desmond. People can progress to become team leaders, managing a group of six to eight people and after that they may become area managers.