I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad

Question

Which ones of the following could be correct:

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

I am learning English because I need it when I go abroad.

What I imply is that I am not abroad now but I am likely to go abroad in the future.

If both are correct, is there any difference in terms of meaning?

Answer 1

They are both correct. It depends on what you want to say.

I am about to go to a place where I will be expected to speak English. So,...

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

I go abroad to work often. My English is passable but could be better. So, ...

I am learning English because I need it when I go abroad.

Answer 2

As you correctly noticed it (your being abroad) will happen in the future, that means that you should put the verb - need - in the future tense, i.e.

I am learning English because I will need it when I go abroad.

The second sentence can be fixed like this:

I am learning English because I need it at work.

But you cannot do something in the present (I need) and in the future (when I go abroad) simultaneously.