English - using your degree
From CareersWiki
Contents |
Introduction
A degree from Scotland's first university is an excellent start to any future career. St Andrews has a reputation for excellence and the ability to attract the brightest students world wide. With this as a starting point you are well on the way to impressing future employers.
The skills you gain through studying English are marketable in most career areas. Perhaps the major strength of all English graduates is communication skills, both in speech and in writing. However, you also develop a wide range of skills and attributes, for more details refer to "Employability Profile".
Typical employers include: banks; publishers; advertising agencies; PR companies; accountants; local government; UK Home Civil Service; the National Health Service (NHS); retailers; finance; educational institutions; voluntary and charitable organisations; the media; libraries; leisure industries; the tourist trade; social services; as well as a wide range of local, small to medium-sized enterprises.
Well Known English Graduates from St Andrews:
- Siobhan Redmond - actor
- Eric Anderson - Provost of Eton
- Sarah Hall – author, shortlisted for Booker prize
- Hugo Swire - MP for North Devon
- Roger Lewis - author
Well Known English Graduates:
- Alistair McGowan – radio presenter and TV actor (Leeds)
- Libby Purves - radio presenter, journalist and author(St Annes, Oxford)
- Colin Greenwood - musician with Radiohead (Peterhouse, Cambridge)
- Ian Hislop – editor of Private Eye (Magdalen, Oxford)
- Sarah Waters – author (Lancaster)
- David Montagu, merchant banker and Liberal peer (Trinity College, Cambridge). (His entry in the Dictionary of National Biography says that he studied English literature “having tried law and economics but found them too dull”. His foremost legislative achievement as a peer was to make rear lights on bicycles compulsory.)
The Careers Centre can provide information on a comprehensive range of careers including those detailed above. There are specialist advisers for different occupational areas. We offer 20 minute drop-in sessions on a first come, first served basis. Drop-in is available for all students and recent graduates of the University of St Andrews on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2.00pm - 4.00pm.
Students who are in their penultimate or final year and those studying for a Masters or Phd, can book an appointment with a careers adviser. Booked appointments generally last up to 30 minutes. Visit Careers advice for further details.
Student / Alumni Profiles
Students and alumni from the School of English have kindly agreed to share their experiences of work and other career-related activities with you. These profiles illustrate the wide range of careers, internships, volunteering and other work experience opportunities open to students and alumni from your School. Check regularly to see what's new.
Where Our Graduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | English Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Edinburgh City Council | Press Officer | Not directly |
| 2011 | Ketchum Plc | PR Account Manager | Not directly |
| 2011 | ITV Yorkshire | Assistant Media Librarian | Not directly |
| 2011 | Asyima Search Marketing | Content Writer | Yes |
| 2010 | Channel 4 | Corporate Relations Administrator | Not directly |
| 2010 | Fast Property | Junior Associate | Not directly |
| 2009 | Durham University | PGCE | Yes |
| 2009 | Basware | Data Administrator | No |
| 2009 | OgilvyOne | Account Executive | No |
| 2009 | BT | Business Management Trainee | No |
| 2009 | Scottish National Dictionary | Sub-editor | Not directly |
| 2009 | Cell and Bales | Charity Fundraiser | No |
| 2009 | Oxford University | Higher degree English Literature | Yes |
| 2009 | University College London | Law Conversion Course | No |
| 2006 (CAN) | KPMG | Accountancy Audit Assistant | Yes |
| 2005 (CAN) | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Bonn | Strategic planner and Foreign relations. | Not directly |
| 2004 (CAN) | Darley Anderson Literary, TV & Film Agency, London | Rights Manager | Yes |
| 2003 (CAN) | Accenture S L, Barcelona | Financial Consultant | Yes |
| 2002 (CAN) | Derby Grammar School for Boys | Teacher/Head of House | Yes |
| 2002 (CAN) | Department of Foreign Affairs, Dublin | Diplomat,Third Secretary | Yes |
| 2002 (CAN) | Macmillan Publishers Ltd | Commissioning Editor | Yes |
| 2000 (CAN) | John Lewis Partnership | General Manager case study | Not directly |
| 2000 (CAN) | Foreign and Commonwealth Office | Vice Consul in Mumbai | Not directly |
| 1997 (CAN) | Sonia Friedman Productions | Theatre Producer | Yes |
Careers Alumni Network(CAN) indicates these alumni are willing and keen to be contacted to help St Andrews students with their careers search.
Where Our Postgraduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | English Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Copyright Licensing Agency | Marketing Communications Executive | Yes |
| 2009 | University of London | Library Assistant | Yes |
| 2009 | Osprey Publishing | Marketing Co-ordinator | Not directly |
| 2008 | St Martins | Teacher | Yes |
| 2008 | University of Bath | Senior Lecturer | Yes |
| 2005 | St Leonards | Supply Teacher | Yes |
| 2005 | Trinity College Library | Graduate Trainee | Not directly |
Popular Jobs for English Graduates Nationally
In 2010, a HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicated that six months after finishing their course around 52% of English graduates had entered employment, with a further 8% combining further study and work. Many were in temporary jobs, mostly clerical, retail or catering, to be used as a stepping stone to gain experience for their longer-term aims. These figures are typical of non-vocational subjects, in contrast to vocational subjects where more graduates go straight into employment.
English graduates tend to enter a wide range of employment areas. For example, of the English graduates going into employment in 2010, around 8% were in commercial, industrial and public sector managerial positions, 7% had entered marketing, sales and advertising roles and around 9% were in teaching and related roles. A further 5% had become business and financial professionals.
After English this website is for students of English who may be unsure of their future direction. After English has ideas, exercises to try and links to follow to help you start thinking about future possibilities.
Summer Internships & Work Experience
Many English students write for student newspapers and magazines, get involved with student radio or film societies or volunteer in the community or local schools. For you as an English student doing a non-vocational course, the skills you develop outside your study are critical in developing a rounded CV. The combination of evidence of skills gained from work experience and extracurricular activities, as well as through your study, can help you in CV writing and job applications - and boost your employability. It can be very valuable to gain experience of work in various areas, but particularly in those areas that you are considering as a future career.
- The University Careers Centre has information on vacation jobs and internships in the US
- If you'd like to stay in St Andrews over the summer, you might want to apply for the St Andrews Summer Internship Scheme.
- Remember to network with students in more senior years, tutors, family and friends they may have suggestions and contacts.
- The Undergraduate Research Internship Programme (URIP) was launched in 2008 by the University of St Andrews. Under the URIP scheme, the University funds 20 undergraduates to carry out research over ten weeks during the summer vacation. The students work on independent projects under the guidance and supervision of a member of academic staff. Look out on the website for application forms which normally have to be returned by the end of April.
- Several penultimate year students have been successful in getting a paid summer internship with the Saltire Foundation. These are global experiences in USA, Japan, Cayman Islands and others.
- If you are interested in teaching or other work with children the University runs schemes in partnerships with local education authorities which give students access to school pupils. To find out more contact the staff involved by e-mail, schools.access@st-andrews.ac.uk .More Schools are offering the UK Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme, which requires students to spend up to 25 hours working within a Primary or Secondary school or Science centre. The module is assessed and contributes towards the final degree outcome.
- Joining a society and particularly taking on a role of responsibility can impress future employers and also enhance employability skills such as - team working, negotiation, event management, controlling budgets, leadership etc. Have a look at the case study from a student who made the most of his time at St Andrews through involvement in societies. At St Andrews you have a wealth of societies to choose from. Here is a relevant example:
- Literary Society A fast growing society that uses a love of literature as the focal point for a multitude of events.
Employability Profile
Over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject specific and transferable core skills (communication, team work, time management, presentation etc). Consider these alongside your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.
Skills
The profile below identifies the skills that can be developed through the study of your discipline based on subject benchmark statements developed by UK higher education academic communities.
This table is able to help you to identify the valuable skills that you can offer to potential employers.
| A graduate in English typically will have the following abilities |
|---|
| use advanced literacy skills to communicate effectively in an appropriate style |
| apply sustained written and oral arguments coherently and persuasively |
| engage in critical analysis of diverse forms of oral and textual communication |
| adapt the critical methods of the discipline to a variety of working environments |
| gather, sift, interpret and organise substantial quantities of diverse information in structured ways |
| organise time and workload as developed through the planning and delivery of written assignments, presentations and project work |
| exercise independent thought and judgement |
| comprehend and develop intricate concepts in an open-ended way that involves an understanding of aims and consequences |
| work with others through the presentation of ideas and information and the collective negotiation of solutions |
| understand, interrogate and apply a variety of theoretical positions and weigh the importance of alternative perspectives |
| handle information and argument in a critical and self-reflective manner |
| use IT effectively to retrieve, evaluate and present information. |
English Careers/Employability Link
Each School has a Careers/Employability Link who "champions" employability. Yours is Dr Sara Lodge. If you have any information you consider important for your fellow students please let her know. Alternatively you can contact the Employability Coordinator for the University, Pamela Andrew,at pea1.
Links to Useful Resources
- Destination Statistics of St Andrews graduates
- Prospects: Options with English
- Why study English? Includes advice on what it’s like to study English, and the opportunities an English degree may create.
- Higher Education Academy Student Employability Profile: English
- Prose Magazine This website was developed by English students at York University to assist other English students and includes various articles on work experience, information on job vacancies and employer profiles.
- Research Gate research jobs
