Modern Languages

Studying modern languages will give you excellent and varied career opportunities and life-long skills. Language skills are in scarce supply and can be used in almost any job. Studying a language clearly makes you a communicator, both orally and in writing.

Over the course of your degree you develop a wide mix of subject-specific and technical skills, you should consider these skills developed on your course as well as through 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.

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Prospects

A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation, just over half of modern languages graduates were in employment in the UK or overseas. Of these, 15% were working in administrative and clerical roles, 11% in commercial, industrial and public sector management, a further 11% in the marketing, sales and advertising industry and 12% were business or financial professionals.

Many graduates choose careers not directly related to their subject but where there is the opportunity to use their language skills, for example working for companies who trade or offer services internationally or to non-English speaking customers and suppliers.

For example, significant numbers take professional or managerial roles in commerce, industry or the public sector, or work in advertising, marketing and sales. A considerable number also take clerical and secretarial positions in order to gain experience for careers in business, commerce or the public sector, or jobs in retail or catering to gain experience of dealing with the public.

Where are the jobs?

Language graduates work for a huge variety of employers and sectors, with media, tourism, PR, business, finance, commerce and the public sector all featuring in the destinations of graduates.

Potential employment areas worth exploring:

• Advertising, marketing and PR - marketing includes planning, promotion, media relations, product development, direct marketing, sponsorship and market research. Advertising and PR are concerned with promoting and selling products and services.
• Government and public administration - local government is the collective term for local councils and local authorities. The Civil Service consists of government departments and their agencies whose role is to implement government policy and to advise ministers. Language opportunities exist with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, GCHQ and European Union institutions.
• Accountancy and business services - this sector can be divided into those firms that provide advice and accounting services to a range of clients in the public and private sector and those working in one particular organisation in industry, commerce, or the public sector.

Jobs directly related to your degree

• Translator
• Interpreter
• Secondary school teacher

Jobs where your degree would be useful

• Retail buyer
• Chartered accountant
• Diplomatic Services operational officer
• Logistics and distribution manager
• English as a foreign language teacher or English as a second language teacher
• Event organiser
• Marketing executive
• Market researcher
• Commercial solicitor or Non-commercial solicitor

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it's not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

You can find more about the skills you develop during your course, the jobs listed above, plus case studies and where to find these jobs at Prospects.

Included with the permission of AGCAS. For the latest version of this publication, see www.prospects.ac.uk. For permission to reproduce, contact copyright@agcas.org.uk