Careers with an English degree

CONTENTS

1. What can you do with an English degree?

2. Career options with an English degree

3. Who employs English graduates?

What can you do with an English degree?

A degree in English involves a lot of writing and research, so many think of jobs in the arts, media, publishing, education and academia. However, English graduates have lots of transferable skills, including analysis, planning, communication and creative thinking. These skills make you attractive in the eyes of employers across almost all sectors, such as social work, tourism, retail, environment, law, politics, banking, business, charity work and finance. 

You could be writing advertising copy for a pharmaceutical company, preparing children’s books before going to print, planning upcoming content on a charity website or even doing something completely unrelated to words and writing. The opportunities span far and wide! 

Some graduates go on to postgraduate study and further research. 

Career options with an English degree

English graduates go into careers like:

• Content creator
• Copy editor
• Copywriter
• Editor
• Editorial assistant
• English as a foreign language teacher
• Journalist
• Marketing executive
• Proofreader
• Publishing assistant
• Researcher
• Scriptwriter
• SEO executive
• Social media executive
• Teacher, tutor or lecturer
• Web content manager
• Writer

Other potential opportunities include: 

• Administrator
• Archivist
• Charity worker
• Civil servant
• Comedian
• Librarian
• PR manager
• Social worker

Who employs English graduates?

Examples of employers looking for graduates with English skills:

• Amazon
• BBC
• BFI Network
• British Library
• Conde Nast
• Hachette
• HarperCollins Publishers
• Penguin Random House
• Telegraph

Typical employers include universities and schools if you go into research or teaching.

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