Humanities
What can you do with an English degree?
Quick answer
An English degree commonly leads to roles such as editorial assistant, content writer and communications assistant. Five years after graduating, English graduates had median earnings of £31,100 (middle half: £24,900–£38,100), and 88.2% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for English studies graduates is education (26.6% of those in work).
English degrees train close reading, editing, and argument. Graduates often start in publishing, content, and communications. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £23,400
- Median pay after 5 years
- £31,100
- In work or study after 5 years
- 88.2%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 101 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Education
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 2,980
On this page
What jobs can you get with an English degree?
Graduates commonly start as editorial assistant, content writer, communications assistant or publishing assistant. English also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Editorial assistant
Chases manuscripts, applies a house style, and keeps a title moving through production.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- copy editing
- schedules
- author emails
Content writer
Skills these adverts often ask for
- briefs
- plain English
- CMS
Communications assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- internal notes
- proofing
- channel calendars
Publishing assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- metadata
- advance copies
- rights admin support
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do English graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for English studies graduates in UK employment were education (26.6%), professional, scientific and technical services (13.4%) and information and communication (11.9%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was education (18.7%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 26.6% | £30,700 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 13.4% | £34,400 |
| Information and communication | 11.9% | £34,000 |
| Wholesale and retail | 8.1% | £25,600 |
| Health and social work | 7.9% | £27,800 |
| Administrative and support services | 6.5% | £28,900 |
| Public administration and defence | 6.3% | £31,800 |
| Finance and insurance | 3.9% | £33,300 |
Most common specific industries
- Secondary education — 10.1% of graduates in work, median £32,200
- Primary education — 9.3% of graduates in work, median £30,700
- Higher education — 4.5% of graduates in work, median £28,200
- Publishing of books; periodicals and other publishing activities — 4.4% of graduates in work, median £31,700
- Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community — 4.1% of graduates in work, median £32,200
- Management consultancy activities — 3.5% of graduates in work, median £35,900
How much do English graduates earn?
Official dataEnglish graduates had median earnings of £23,400 one year after graduating and £31,100 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £23,400DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £17,900–£27,800 | 88.7% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £27,800DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £23,100–£32,600 | 88.8% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £31,100DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,900–£38,100 | 88.2% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £36,200DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £25,600–£48,300 | 86.3% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning English studies graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 English studies graduates measured, University of Oxford had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£38,100), followed by University College London (£37,300) and Durham University (£35,900).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| University of Oxford | £38,100 | 215 |
| University College London | £37,300 | 105 |
| Durham University | £35,900 | 135 |
| University of Edinburgh | £35,500 | 155 |
| Birkbeck, University of London | £35,100 | 70 |
| University of Bristol | £35,100 | 180 |
| University of Cambridge | £35,100 | 195 |
| King's College London | £34,800 | 180 |
| University of Southampton | £34,800 | 170 |
| University of Warwick | £34,800 | 165 |
Is English the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You want to spend years on language, form, and context.
- You like redrafting until a paragraph is exact.
- You enjoy seminars where interpretation is contested.
It may not suit you if
- You wanted a media-production course with cameras every week.
- You dislike long reading lists.
- You expected a built-in journalism licence.
Interview questions for English graduate roles
EditorialEditorial, content and communications interviews usually test whether you can cut copy, check facts, and write for a brief. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
This paragraph is twice as long as the brief. What do you cut first?
What it tests. Editing judgement: claim, evidence, and filler.
A fact in a draft cannot be sourced. What do you do?
What it tests. You flag or cut it; you do not leave a plausible-sounding line.
How would you rewrite a specialist sentence for a 16-year-old reader?
What it tests. Audience, not dumbing-down as a slogan.
Two stakeholders want opposite tones. How do you handle the brief?
What it tests. Clarifying the owner of the voice before rewriting twice.
Walk us through how you would proof a page that will go live today.
What it tests. A method: names, links, dates, and a second pass.
Most English courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find English graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to english. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Editorial assistant…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Research exact university programmes
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Planning to study English in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for English in our index
133 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open English in the full university explorer.
Show all 133 universities
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Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
English degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with an English degree?
Common starting roles include editorial assistant, content writer, communications assistant and publishing assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for English studies graduates in work were education (26.6%), professional, scientific and technical services (13.4%) and information and communication (11.9%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do English graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled English graduates of £23,400 one year after graduating, £27,800 three years after graduating, £31,100 five years after graduating and £36,200 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is an English degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 88.2% of English graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £31,100. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places English 101 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning English studies graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for English studies were at University of Oxford (£38,100), University College London (£37,300) and Durham University (£35,900). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study English in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.