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The University of KentCareers & Employability
Service Careers with a School of English Postgraduate
Degree
You can download a copy of this presentation atwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
Sutton Trust Report
• The proportion of people of working age in Britain with a postgraduate qualification has climbed rapidly: from 4% in 1996 to 11% in 2012
• The study found that a postgraduate degree remained linked to higher earnings: worth on average £5,500 per year more than someone with only an undergraduate degree.
Is postgraduate study worthwhile?
Further Postgraduate Study
• 23% of English grads do PG study after graduation
• Research MA/MPhil 1 to 2 years – often part-time
• PhD – 3 years. Must do an MA first.Arts and Humanities Research Council bursaries
• See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm
Study Abroad
• Many postgraduate courses are now taught in English, especially in the Netherlands and Scandinavia
• No course fees in Sweden and about £1,000 in Germany and Denmark
• See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm#PGAbroad
Help for postgraduates
Career Planning Guide for postgraduates
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/PDWPgrad.htm
Work in Universities
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/university.htm
Skills gained with an English Degree: sell these in your applications!
• ability to write well in a variety of styles.• to convey meaning precisely.• to summarise, argue and debate.• to plan, organise and meet tight deadlines.• to research, select, analyse, organise and
present information.• to think clearly and logically and solve
problems.• To gather, assess, interpret and critically
evaluate.• EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION!
“Would you say their are any skill shortages in the UK for actuary's ie their enough out their, is their a shortfall of any kind of actuary?” In an email from an HR manager to me!
What do Employers look for in Postgraduate applicants?
On appointment:
1. Honesty & integrity2. Ability to listen to others3. Can integrate quickly into team4. Ability to present ideas clearly (verbally & in writing)5. Good time management
After one year:
6. Ability to identify areas for change or improvement 7. Can be asked to undertake independent research 8. Negotiation skills 9. Capable of learning new IT systems quickly 10.Attention to detail & thoroughness
What skills do Postgraduates have?
Postgraduate Skills
Destinationswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/destinations.htm
MA Creative Writing PhD Poetry Text - University of Kent Communications Intern - SchoolCreative Writer - Self employedTeaching Assistant - High SchoolThe Contemporary Novel - University of KentUniv. of Kent Library Ass'tRun Wild Media Editorial Ass'tUCL - Evening Courses Admin Ass'tChrist Church Univ. - PGCE 7-14 EnglishUniv. of Kent - Library Ass'tGrammar School - Teaching Ass'tConcord International - EFL TutorUniv. of Kent - Lecturer
PhD EnglishAssistant Lecturer - University of KentLecturer in English – Mid-Kent CollegeChief Program Officer - Champions for Kids
MA English & American LiteratureTeacher of English Literature - Self employedPGCE/M.Ed English & Drama – CambridgePGCE - Christ Church UniversityEnglish Literature Tutor - Open Book ProjectPhD in English - University of Kent (2)Sky - Ass't ProducerTime Products UK Ltd. - Field Sales ManagerBBC Etzella Ettelbruck - Basketball PlayerCanterbury Christ Church Univ. - PGCE English Canterbury Christ Church Univ. - PGCE Primary Univ. College London - Admissions Ass'tWestcliff High School – TeacherZenjiang Univ., China - TEFL Teacher
MA Dickens & Victorian CultureSchool - English TeacherCollege of Law - General Diploma in LawUniv. of Kent - M.Phil. EnglishInstitute of Education - PGCE English
What can I do with a degree in English?
• What graduates in English did after leaving Kent
• Jobs related to your subject
• Employers and vacancy sources
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/English.htm
Teacher Training
• PGCE (teacher training) 1 year: about 6% of grads
• Schools Direct and Teach First routes as well
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/siteach.htm
• Teaching in Collegeswww.kent.ac.uk/careers/teach-FE.htm
VACANCIES
University of Kent Vacancy Database
www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html
Other talks
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/casevents.htm
Applications and Interviews
• English Postgrad CV must be targeted at the job! www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/postgradcvexample.htm
Media CV www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/mediacv.htm
• Covering Letters www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm
• Practice Interviews: journalism, teaching, marketing, HR, postgrad study etc.www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm
• Application, interview and selection centre videos www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm
Location of the Careers Service
School of EnglishCareers Employability Award on Moodle
+ 40 employability points
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Moodle/English.htm
Moodle Careers Employability Award 14 Quizzes: need 75% to pass but allowed
unlimited attemptsComplete 3 of the following seven
assignments•Employability skills quiz•Employability skills quiz: drag & drop•How to develop the skills employers want?•Test your spelling and grammar!•What makes you happy at work?•How commercially aware are you?
•Special interests topic lesson•Interview preparation•Practice interview•What are the most common interview questions?•Aptitude tests and assessment centres•CV quiz•CVs and covering letters: drag & drop quiz•Career planning drag and drop quiz
•Analyse your skills and learn how to make top quality applications
•Do you want to live to work or work to live?
•Researching careers
•Choosing a career
•Submit a CV
•Social media
•Action planning
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm#subject
Comments from students who have completed the award
You get a really nice certificate!
It was so easy, quick and I learned a lot.
Without realising, you have finished the course
and have already put together a very good CV
and covering letter.
It really blew my mind with some ideas I’ve never known
before, such as portfolio working and working from
home. I never thought about obtaining happiness from my
work before.
It would be mad to apply for a job or attend an
interview without doing it! Before the course I had only a vague
idea of my career path and opportunities. Now I am applying for summer internships and know how to
effectively sell my skills to a prospective employer and have a much
more focused plan for my future.
The module is very, very useful! I really love how it makes you to think about your personality and helps you to identify your
strengths and weaknesses.I found the module to be highly thought-provoking as it really
encouraged me to consider how my degree will benefit my future and what I can be doing now to
improve my graduate employment prospects.
I enjoyed the depth of the module. It went far beyond some general tips on
how to write a good CV and prepare for an interview. Rather it went in to detail
about the whole process of graduate job search from the beginning to the end. It
was very instructive .
The amount of time put into this is astounding! I actually spoke to friends from other universities who said they
wished they had something like this.
It has made me feel a lot more confident when it comes to
applications and interviews and has also made me think about skills that I didn't think I had
before. I recently had a very successful interview
largely because I put the advice on the module into
practice.
BRUCE WOODCOCK
• A Duty Careers Adviser is available for short (15 minute) consultations: MORNINGS (10.30 am - 12.30 pm) and AFTERNOONS (2 to 4 pm). Don’t need to book an appointment just ask at reception in the Careers Service (Keynes College Driveway)
• If you need longer ring our reception on 01227 823299 to make an appointment for interview with me.
• Email: [email protected]
Other Points
• Check you campus emails regularly as I will send you emails most Mondays!
• We are open in the vacations
• We will support you for 3 years after graduation
The University of KentCareers & Employability
Service
You can download a copy of this presentation atwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
Get actively involved in university life …
Graduate Application Form Questions
• Describe a challenging situation which required your persuasive skills and your ability to organise other people in order to reach a successful resolution.
• Describe how your personal planning and organisation resulted in a successful achievement of a personal or group task.
• Describe a situation where you had to work effectively as a member of a team. What were the team’s aims? How was the team selected? What was your role?
