Graduate Jobs: Where to Find Them

Leaving university is a really daunting prospect, especially with an English and/or Creative Writing degree, as it isn't necessarily specific to one type of career.

However, once you figure out the route you want to go down, you will find that the skills you've learnt can be applied to almost ANY career.

To make things a bit easier - as it can be overwhelming trying to find jobs - I have compiled a list of graduate job sites where you can find a job specifically for graduates.

1. graduate-jobs.com

This jobsite is the 'biggest independent graduate job board in the UK'*, and it gives you the option to search for jobs based on sector, location, industry and degree, as well as having different internships advertised.
There are 4,714 recruiters registered with graduate-jobs.com, and these range from international business such as BAE Systems to small independent business.

2. Prospects

Prospects is the 'UK's official graduate careers website', and not only advertises jobs but also offers careers advice and postgraduate study options.

You can search through lists of graduate employers, work experience and internships, as well as simply searching through the graduate job search, where you select keywords, location and industry.

3. reed.co.uk

This jobsite is more of a general jobsite - advertising a variety of jobs requiring a variety of qualifications. However, it does have a Graduate Jobs section, and currently there are around 15,000 jobs advertised.

Like with the other sites, you can search by specialism, industry and location, but you can also search by salary, full-time and part-time and the type of employment (i.e. permanent, temporary, contract, etc).

4. Guardian Jobs

Although the website is not specific to graduate jobs, there are a large amount of jobs advertised specifically for graduates.

You can filter by industry, employer type, job function, location, salary and listing type (i.e. job vacancy, volunteering, graduate scheme, etc), which makes finding a job specific to your wants and needs a lot easier.

5. GradJobs

This jobsite is specific to graduates, therefore, there is a high volume of jobs available. As well as being able to search for graduate jobs specific to industry, location and salary, the website also enables you to search for Recruitment Exhibitions, which again are specific to industry, location and job role.

6. milkround

In addition to having graduate jobs, and search options such as industry and location, it also offers advice, news and the option to search through specific employers and industries.

7. totaljobs.com: graduate

Like with the Reed website, totaljobs.com is usually more of a general jobsite for people with a variety of qualifications, however, they have a 'graduate zone' where there are currently around 12,000 jobs being advertised.

The website offers tools and advice, and is also affiliated with Postgrad.com, where you can find a number of post graduate options.



If you decide to directly approach employers without applying for a vacancy, it is worth looking at The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers, registering is free of charge, and you can find a list of the best employers in Britain for graduates in 2013-2014.

It is also worth mentioning that there is a wide range of employers who offer graduate schemes, and although competition is often high for these jobs, remember you will have a degree that's not career specific, but instead gives you a vast amount of applicable skills and attributes that would make you a valued member of any company!

Finishing Your Degree - PGCE

It is often hard to decide what to do after you have finished your degree, and although it may not seem like it, there are lots of options - both career wise and in further education.

An obvious and popular choice with English Literature students is to study for your PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education).

The PGCE differs from Undergraduate teaching courses as it mainly focuses on developing your teaching skills, rather than the subject you intend to teach, and for this reason, applicants are expected to have a good understanding of their chosen subject(s) before training.

PGCE courses are available at Universities and Colleges throughout the UK. This link will take you to an A-Z Index of UK Institutions offering PGCE courses:

A-Z Index of UK Institutions Offering PGCE Courses.

The courses usually last for one year full-time, or up to two years part-time and you may be eligible to receive funding while you train for your PGCE. Find out about funding for postgraduate teacher training in England by following this link:

PGCE Funding Information

You must have a UK undergraduate degree or a recognised equivalent qualification to study for your PGCE, and you also need a standard equivalent to a grade C in GCSE English and mathematics, and if you want to teach primary or Key Stage 2/3 (ages 7-14), you must also have a standard equivalent to a grade C in Science GCSE.

PGCE applications are made through a system administered by UCAS, and the UCAS Teacher Training website is the portal through which you can search for a provider and make your application.

Find out more about making your application

Search for a PGCE course on the UCAS Teacher Training site.

Generally speaking, UCAS Teacher Training accepts applications from November to June for courses starting the following September or October. 

To guarantee that your first choice of course provider will consider you, you need to apply as early as possible.

You can find more information on your PGCE on the Department for Education website,

Department for Education - PGCE

Finishing Your English Degree – Postgraduate Options

It is nearing the time when our third year students are close to completing and graduating their English degrees. The next few weeks are a precious time to receive the accreditation that you are looking for, but once you complete your degree, the question of what to do next is constantly looming. There are many postgraduate options available from further study, to entering the world of work. We shall be exploring some of the options that are available over the next few weeks, for when you are at the end of your degree.

Further Study – Academic

If you feel like you want to continue your chosen subject, in our case English, then looking at postgraduate study options is a great opportunity for you to do so. As English is a foundation degree, the opportunity for studying an MA or PhD can become very open as you may wish to choose a different subject to specialise in, for example journalism.

Studying a MA

Before one chooses to do a PhD they will usually go down the route of studying a Master’s degree first in their chosen field of study. This can be completed in on year of study, but may vary in different universities so it is important to check the course information for each individual university you are considering studying with.

Studying a PhD

This is usually the next step in becoming an academic if this is the route you choose to take.  PhD’s are studied over a number of years usually between 5 and 7, and will require you to undertake a vast element of research and produce a lengthy account of your findings. PhD’s are much more difficult to gain, and you must present a new idea to the university of your choice that you wish to research in order to be expected.

Further study is a great route for someone who wishes to make their way through the academic ladder especially if you wish to work as a lecturer or within academia.

Further studying funding becomes more complex at this level in comparison with an undergraduate degree. Check out www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study for more information, or as always check with the specific university you wish to study with and they will be able to provide more information.

For full course information and applications see www.ucas.com/how-it-all-works/postgraduate