Can’t find a job?Tired of all the retail job applications?Looking for something more challenging and rewarding in your life?Another advantage to getting an English Literature degree is that you can write a newspaper or magazine article. In other words, freelance writing jobs!
English literature degrees are more than just about reading books for fun. While you can certainly do that with your degree, you’ll be better prepared for a variety of careers if you have a broad understanding of literature and language.
Here are some jobs where an English literature degree is useful:
Journalism: If you want to pursue journalism as a career, having an English literature degree will help you understand the nuances of writing for different genres, like fiction or nonfiction. It’ll also help you develop skills in critical thinking, research, and communication.
Advertising: An English literature degree can also help you become an effective copywriter or marketer. If your goal is to work in advertising or marketing at any level, having an English literature degree will give you a leg up on your competition because it gives you insight into how language works and how it can be used effectively to persuade people to buy something or do something (or not).
Publishing: If you want to work in publishing—whether as a writer or editor—an English literature degree will give you the tools necessary to do so effectively. The study of literature will teach you how stories are told and why they matter; this knowledge will help prepare students for careers in publishing by giving them insight into what makes certain
what jobs can you get with an english literature degree
Introduction
You love writing, reading, and analyzing language. You’re pretty good at it, so much so that you obtained a degree in the subject. Now you’re wondering: “What kind of jobs can I get with an English literature degree?” It’s a great question to ask. After all, if you’re going to have spent all those years studying something, you want it to pay off with some kind of gainful employment at the end of it. Fortunately for you, there are plenty of career options out there for people like you who love working with words and ideas. Here are just ten of them:
English language and literature teachers
What do you want to do with your degree?
Are you looking for a career in language education or are you interested in teaching English literature at university level, or perhaps both? Or are you simply wondering what jobs are available to graduates with degrees in English language and literature? As well as the obvious option of teaching English language and literature, there are many other possibilities open to those with a degree in this subject.
The first step is deciding what type of teaching job best suits your interests:
- Teaching English Language – this could take place in secondary schools where English is taught as one subject alongside others such as geography and history; alternatively it could be focused more on its use as part of social interaction through coursework assignments and group work activities involving communication skills. This position would require knowledge of different age groups (from primary school children up until university students) due to varying levels of linguistic proficiency among students within these age brackets; successful candidates will need excellent interpersonal skills when dealing directly with pupils/students plus experience working under pressure during busy periods like exam time when deadlines must be met quickly before moving onto other tasks which require attention immediately afterwards!
Copywriters
Copywriters are the people who write your favorite commercials, magazine and newspaper ads, and other marketing materials. They take a company’s product or service and create an ad that persuades you to buy it.
They need to be able to write well enough to convince you through words alone—no pictures needed! Copywriters have to be able to think of creative ways to sell products, but they also have to know how consumers respond—if they don’t hit the right note with their audience, their clients won’t make any money.
Companies across all kinds of industries hire copywriters: banks use them in their marketing campaigns; nonprofits use them for fundraising appeals; restaurants use them in menus; universities use them for promotional materials. Generally speaking, you’ll need some sort of degree related specifically toward communications (like advertising) before getting a job as a copywriter—but this doesn’t mean that someone with an English Lit degree couldn’t apply!
Publishing assistants
Publishing assistants are an important part of the publishing process. They help with all aspects of publishing, from editing and proofreading to marketing and publicity. Publishing assistants may also be involved in more specialized roles, such as book design or sales and distribution.
Recruitment consultants
Recruitment consultants work in the human resources sector, and help employers find the right people for their jobs. They often work with jobseekers to help them find the right job.
They also can be involved in the recruitment process, helping companies advertise their vacancies and screen candidates before they are sent on interviews or invited to interview at head office. Recruitment consultants may also be involved in selection processes where they check that a candidate’s skills match those needed by an organisation.
University lecturers
You’ll need a PhD and a teaching qualification, as well as the ability to think clearly, write eloquently and speak effectively. You must be able to communicate your ideas in an interesting way that keeps people engaged.
Journalists
Journalists are people who report on news or events, and need to write well. They also must be able to work under pressure and in a team, as well as independently.
Editors and proofreaders
Editors and proofreaders work in publishing, marketing and advertising to check spelling, grammar and punctuation. They also edit books, magazines, websites and other written material. Editors work with writers, designers and copywriters to develop content for publication.
Some editors are in-house employees who work at a company or organization full time while others freelance on a contract basis.
Archivists and curators
The role of an archivist or curator is to preserve and organize historical documents, objects, or other materials. This may involve creating an index of these items, classifying them in a way that makes sense for researchers to find them again later on, or even developing the policy for what gets kept and what doesn’t get kept.
Archivists and curators work in museums and libraries; they are responsible for keeping track of everything from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to photographs taken by local photographers in the early 20th century. The range of jobs available is as varied as the materials they’re working with!
Archivists often have extensive knowledge about their area of study; this means that if you are studying art history or literature, it may be easy enough for you to get into this field with just an undergraduate degree—as long as you know how much training would help your career development.
Human resources managers and business advisers
If you want to become a human resources manager or business adviser, then consider studying English literature. You’ll need a degree in business administration or human resources management for this job, but having an English lit degree will be good preparation for your studies.
Human resources (HR) managers and business advisers are responsible for managing the recruitment, training and development of employees. They also advise on company strategy and performance. They work for large companies and organizations such as government departments, retail businesses or military organizations. Their role is comparable to that of an HR consultant but they usually have more responsibility within an organization than an HR consultant would have on their own – they may even manage other staff members who report directly up through them
Public relations officers and press officers
If you’re interested in a career that involves communicating with the public, you might want to consider becoming a public relations officer or press officer.
A public relations officer is a person who communicates with the public and promotes products, services, or ideas by giving out information. They work for companies and organizations that provide goods and services to large groups of people (think: hospitals, airlines). These professionals develop messages about their organizations’ practices, products, or services; maintain positive relationships with the media; coordinate events; and sometimes even design ads! Do this job well enough, and your company could get some great coverage in the news!
If working for a business isn’t quite your thing but still want to be part of government? Then perhaps becoming an official spokesperson would work better for you. A press officer works directly under government agencies or corporations as they relate back-and-forth with journalists who write stories about these institutions’ activities (or lack thereof).
You can get a lot of different good jobs with an english literature degree.
- You can get a job in your field.
- You can get a job in your field that pays well.
- You can get a job in your field that is interesting.
- You can get a job in your field that is rewarding.
Conclusion
So, there you have it: 7 of the best jobs for English literature grads. They’re just some examples though and I’m sure you can think of many more. So keep your options open and remember that university isn’t just about getting that degree certificate at the end of three years—it’s also about giving yourself time to grow, learn and explore new interests.
