With 93% of our graduates employed or in further study within six months of graduating (DLHE 2017), we take your future employability very seriously.
Testament to this is that as well as high employment we have the 14th highest earning English graduates in the UK earning £27,900 per annum, 21% more than the sector average (Longitudinal Education Outcomes 2018, median earnings after five years).
Transferable skills
Our English Literature, Creative Writing and American Literature graduates are equipped with the wide knowledge and practical skills required to enter an extremely competitive job market.
According to 'The Future of Jobs' report by the World Economic Forum (2016), the top three skill sets required to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. A degree in English trains the mind in all three and feeds the imagination; it provides a range of transferable skills that are already prized by employers, including oral and written presentation skills, time management, and the ability to work independently. It also leaves your options open.
Diverse career choices
Our graduates find jobs in fields from publishing, literary agency and freelance writing, to PR, marketing and HR, to the cultural and heritage industries, theatre and the media, to IT companies, accountancy and banking to law and teaching. Many go on to further degrees in literature and other fields.
Organisations that our students have gone on to work for include Shakespeare's Globe, The Royal Court Theatre, Royal Historic Palaces, Disney, the BBC, BT, Opera North, the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lutterworth Press, Honda, DAS Omnicom, Hachette UK, Goldman Sachs and Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, amongst others.
Many Creative Writing students have gone on to critical success; from publishing novels and collections of poetry, to nominations and winning recognised literary awards. Recent graduates include prizewinning novelists Tahmima Anam, Sarah Perry, Jenni Fagan, Preti Taneja, Barney Norris and Liza Klaussman, Declan Ryan (Faber Young Poet), and internationally renowned poets Sophie Robinson, Jennie Cole, Liz Berry, Sam Riviere, Jane Yeh, Mary Jean Chan and Kayo Chingonyi.
Award-winning Careers and Employability Service
The Department of English works in partnership with Royal Holloway's dedicated Careers Service to help you enhance your employability and prepare for the choices ahead.
English students are offered tailored opportunities across the year such as a part-time jobs fair, a wide variety of skills workshops, online sector-specific resources; plus a new series of relevant themed careers weeks including ‘Charities Week’, ‘Finance Week’ and ‘Creative Careers’.
In addition, all undergraduates starting with us from September 2019 will be eligible to participate in our Year in Industry scheme on completion of their second year of study.
Activities and informal coaching are offered as part of our curriculum as well as through the Careers Service.
Study Abroad
First and second year students have the opportunity to expand their horizons and gain valuable personal experience by completing a year of study abroad at one of the University's partner institutions in Oceania, East Asia, or North America through Royal Holloway's International Exchange programme. In addition to all the benefits that come with broadening your perspective and world view, studying abroad experience is a way to demonstrate your willingness to take on new challenges and ability to adapt to new environments to future employers and graduate admissions boards.
Admission into this programme is competitive. Please visit the University's International Exchange page for more details, including requirements, eligibility, deadlines, and how to apply.
