Why Study English?

Students wishing to study English at University must have an undying passion for the subject, and be prepared to devote hours to reading a wide variety of texts in considerable depth in order to meet the demands of the course. Literary criticism is an essential part of all courses involving Literature; however, most courses have a wide range of texts in their library to support your understanding of this. Generally, the first year is more prescriptive and will offer less choice, but often in the second and third years, students are able to concentrate on their preferred genre.

Which are the best Universities?

http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?s=English

What skills will you develop?

Most English Literature degree provides you with an excellent all-round education in literature, drama and poetry in English. You will be taught by lecturers who are recognised experts in their field of research.

Degrees combine a flexible approach and wide range of option choices with extensive historical coverage. The authors you can study include Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, and Woolf, as well as more contemporary writers in English.

In addition to some familiar names in English Literature we teach American, postcolonial and children’s literature, drama, detective fiction, and poetry.

There may also be opportunities to practise creative writing and theatre and to make films, or even to take a work placement in one of the regional cultural industries. But most of your work is reading-based, and  the principal aim is to give you a  broad knowledge of literary texts and a firm foundation in the critical and theoretical skills needed to analyse them.

What other English related degrees are there?

This link: http://search.ucas.com/cgi-bin/hsrun/search/search/StateId/QLlSQwlS4YX6ogAMuzZk2MaVTGDGC-VBzg/HAHTpage/search.HsKeywordSearch.whereNext?query=224&word=ENGLISH gives a list of all the different courses that are offered through UCAS - however, many universities also offer English as part of a joint degree; look at your chosen university's website to see what they offer.

What does it lead on to and what are the chances?

English is a fairly flexible degree and provides students with a wide range of transferrable skills that are valuable to graduate employers including: how to argue a point, how to think independently, to summarise and precis, to write and speak well, to write reports, to present information effectively and to work as part of a team.

To the many employers who recruit graduates in any discipline, these skills will be more important than the actual subject of your degree.

 

Occupations associated with English

School teacher

You will need a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) to teach in State schools. English is a popular PGCE courses so early application (in October or November for entry the following September) is advised.

Journalism and writing

Many English graduates are attracted to Journalism and Writing. It's important to gain relevant experience on the student newspaper or other publications and to build a portfolio.

Publishing

This covers books, magazines and electronic publishing, generalist or specialist (including academic publishers). Graduates may work in editorial roles or in business roles such as production and marketing. www.prospects.ac.uk/links/PubPrint

TV, Radio, Film, Drama and Music

is the most popular career area for Arts graduates. To be successful you need to gain and be able to show evidence of relevant practical skills (writing for publications, Local Radio, Film Making Society, word-processing skills etc.). Take action well before your final year.  Many jobs in the media are not advertised - organisations get enough CVs from people applying speculatively to be able to fill their vacancies from these. You need to be prepared to chase employers - you must take the initiative by visiting them. Most univiersities have Media Careers pages for further advice.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language is a popular option and still relatively easy to get, although you would be wise to get the CELTA Certificate in TEFL as this will make the better jobs available - it can be done in one month. The JET scheme each year takes about 200 British graduates to Japan to teach English for one or more years and pays well - it is usually advertised in October each year with a closing date is usually about late November.

University lecturer

This does not require a teaching qualification, but you will need a higher degree, ideally a PhD plus teaching experience (which you may be able to gain while a postgraduate student). Competition is strong for junior academic posts www.prospects.ac.uk/links/HELecture

Library and Information work

This may be carried out in public, academic or specialist libraries and involves managing the library's collections and helping users to get the most out of them. www.prospects.ac.uk/links/InfoLibInfoMan

English is also useful in the following careers:

Many careers are open to graduates in any subject and may offer the potential to use the analytical, information and communication skills that you have gained through studying English. Your interpersonal skills, however, are likely to be even more important.

Below are just a few of the occupations where the skills of English graduates may be particularly relevant:

Marketing, Advertising and PR. The typical job here is working as a Marketing Brand Manager - being responsible for the sales and marketing of a brand, be it breakfast cereal or sports cars. It's a very creative role, but also (unusual for many creative jobs) well-paid!. Advertising account manager - these plan and run advertising campaigns on behalf of client companies. Very competitive to enter - you need to do your research!

Law

Solicitors advise clients on legal issues, using statutes and case law to determine their relevance to their client's problem. Barristers also investigate and advise on legal issues, often the more complex ones, and present the client's case in court if necessary.

HR or Personnel Management is another option which requires strong communication and advice giving skills.

Civil Service

Graduates joining the Civil Service Fast-Stream are involved in a wide variety of tasks, such as researching and analysing policy options, drafting material that will be used as the basis for new legislation, supporting Ministers in parliamentary work and the management of their departments and liaising with outside organisations. www.prospects.ac.uk/links/CivServAdmin

Retail management requires leadership and communication skills. You need to be practical, mobile and prepared to work irregular hours. This is not a deskbound job and requires doers as much as thinkers. However promotion can be fast and you can rapidly reach a position of responsibility.

Finance

has become another popular option. Many Humanities graduates enter business careers in accountancy, banking, insurance and other areas. There is no prejudice against Arts graduates provided they are numerate (grade B at GCSE maths would be about the minimum acceptable) and indeed often they are sought after because of their good communication skills.

How much am I likely to earn?

This is very much dependent on the career path you choose; lawyers, bankers and leading marketing gurus can be paid up to £100k/year after five or six years; teaching begins at £21k/year.

How can you gain vital experience?

Firstly, you need to be very well - read. Make sure you have read - or at least begun - a majority of the classics of English Literature. This list from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml is very helpful.

Try to have read at least 30 or so of these and, in your personal statement, include your favourite genre / author and why you enjoy their work.

If you know what career you want to do, try to organise some work experience with a local company during a summer holiday.