English Subject Centre Mini Projects

FINAL REPORT

Report on English in the Workplace: English Graduate Careers 1998-2001:

Statistics and Commentary

Authors: Deborah CartmellPrincipal LecturerDepartment of EnglishDe Montfort University

Research byTeresa Alves Marques and Darren Kerr

2002

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The English Subject CentreRoyal Holloway, University of

LondonEgham, Surrey TW20 0EX

Tel 01784 443221 Fax 01784 470684

Email esc@rhul.ac.ukwww.english.heacademy.ac.uk

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English Subject Centre Departmental Projects

This report and the work it presents were funded by the English Subject Centre under a scheme which funds projects run by departments in Higher Education institutions (HEIs) in the UK. Some projects are run in collaboration between departments in different HEIs. Projects run under the scheme are concerned with developments in the teaching and learning of English Language, Literature and Creative Writing. They may involve the production of teaching materials, the piloting and evaluation of new methods or materials or the production of research into teaching and learning. Project outcomes are expected to be of benefit to the subject community as well as having a positive influence on teaching and learning in the host department(s). For this reason, project results are disseminated widely in print, electronic form and via events, or a combination of these.

Details of ongoing projects can be found on the English Subject Centre website at http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/index.php. If you would like to enquire about support for a project, please contact the English Subject Centre:

The English Subject CentreRoyal Holloway, University of LondonEgham, Surrey TW20 OEXT. 01784 443221esc@rhul.ac.ukhttp://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk

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Contents

Page

Part 1: Introduction 4

Part 2: Statistical Analysis2.1 The Sample2.2 Employment of English Graduates

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Part 3 English Graduates’ Recommendations/ Commentary

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Part 4 Employers’ Perspectives 70

Part 5: English in the Workplace 73

Part 6: Case Studies 74

Part 7: Conclusions 77

Appendix: Questionnaires 79

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Part 1: Introduction

The perceptions of the employability of English students is summarised in Sadie Williams’ Admissions Trends in Undergraduate English: statistics and attitudes: ‘the overwhelming majority of teachers thought that pupils are more interested now in whether a degree will equip them for employment than they were in the past’ (lTSN 2002, p.46). As Sadie Williams goes on to demonstrate ‘there is a considerable body of opinion suggesting that English could market itself better, emphasising its value in employment terms and expounding the range of occupations for which it serves as a qualification’. Our survey found that it’s not only employers who are not sufficiently educated in the value of an English degree, but students themselves are unaware of the value of their degree to the workplace. Speaking for many of our respondents, one graduate (now a Probation Officer) wrote: ‘The subject itself did not prepare me for employment, but the generic skills acquired by any degree I found useful. If these were highlighted to students (like in this questionnaire) they may see the relevance of their degree to employment and feel less like they made a bad choice on leaving, like I did’.

This project began with the hope that the common assumption that English

degrees have no relation to the world of work could be disproved by a

longitudinal survey of English students from 1998 – 2001. A questionnaire

was sent to English graduates from Cardiff, Gloucester, De Montfort,

Loughborough and Newcastle universities, not simply to discover where

English students go, but to uncover to what extent they found the skills that

they developed in an English degree useful within the workplace and to what

extent their degree helped them in their career aspirations. What follows is an

overall picture of a cross-section of new and old university English graduates

– the universities are considered together rather than compared with each

other. The results are presented below, divided into statistics and

commentary. We also looked not just at how graduates perceive the subject

in terms of employability, but the employers’ perspectives as well.

Reaching the graduates was a difficult undertaking and it is hoped that in the near future, electronic addresses will be held for all our students, making a

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survey such as this more comprehensive, less time-consuming and less costly. 113 graduates have been entered into our statistical analysis, although, at the time of writing, we are still receiving completed questionnaires. The care with which almost all the respondents took in filling out the questionnaires is a clear indication of the interest English graduates have in understanding the links between their degree and their present career. The commentary section of this report includes an additional 25, which came in after the completion of the statistical section. In addition, 13 were returned incomplete, either because the respondent filled out the wrong questionnaire (employers’ rather than graduates’), indicated that they were having a break travelling, were full-time mothers or were retired, and therefore decided not to complete the survey in full. In total, we received 151 questionnaires from graduates and 28 from employers. Although these figures may seem low, they are substantially higher than other surveys of this type.1

Unlike the First Destinations Survey, this questionnaire considers graduates who are in ‘careers’ rather than in ‘jobs’ and also asks them to reflect on how their degree relates to their current employment situation. A significant number of those questioned knew the author of the letter accompanying the questionnaire personally (De Montfort and Loughborough) and responses were accordingly more personal and expansive. The survey was restricted to Single Honours English graduates. Reading the questionnaires was a pleasure. Those who filled out the forms clearly took time and much care over what they said – it’s clear that this is a subject that English graduates feel passionately about.

1John Brennan and Ruth Williams, with Zsuzsa Blaskó, A Report to the Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN) English Subject Centre. The English Degree and Graduate Careers, 2002.

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Part 2: Statistical Analysis

2.1 The Sample:

Age

79.6% of the graduates were in their early 20s.

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Graduation Year

These figures clearly indicate that we lose track of our students – the number of replies decreased significantly, the further away the student graduated. For example, 26.2% replied from 1999 as opposed to 35.9% from 2001.

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It appears that the better the degree, the more likely graduates are to reply to such a questionnaire. 19.5% of the respondents received First Class degrees and 58.4% received Upper Seconds. The number of First Class graduates replying is well above the national average.

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University-wide Responses

These figures were taken in mid August after which we received several late replies, especially from Gloucestershire and Cardiff. Cardiff moves into 2nd place with 36 returns, Gloucestershire into 3rd with 24.

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2.2 Employment of English Graduates

Place of Employment

Less than 2% of respondents work overseas. As these are the students most difficult to track, this percentage is obviously somewhat misleading.

Occupations

Reassuringly, 96% of respondents were employed. Of these, 26% are in teaching-related jobs, 17% are obtaining further qualifications, 12% are in clerical jobs and 9% in Public Relations or Marketing.

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Business Nature

Unsurprisingly, the range of jobs is vast. English graduates can be found mostly in work related to Education, but also in Publishing, Tourism, Banking and the Health Service.

Among the many occupations are website editor, copyeditor, House of Commons Reporter, probation officer, police constable, newsreporter, journalist, student social worker, conference co-ordinator, university admissions officer, civil servant and literature officer. This verifies the general assumption that English graduates are eligible for a wide range of career options. Some graduates insisted on challenging the expectation that English students can only go into teaching; one respondent (who graduated with a First Class degree and is now working as a support worker for single people) wrote: ‘I felt enormous pressure to have a career path marked out and this led to an ill-advised decision to train as a teacher – the general opinion seems to be you can do nothing else with an English degree!’

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Salary Range

A small percentage of the respondents earn between £25,000. – 30.000. Worryingly, more than half of those who returned questionnaires earn £15,000 or less. This is below the average graduate survey, estimated at between £16,170-18,021. http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/p!eLaXi(Based on graduate advertisements in Prospects Today)

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Number of Previous Jobs

The low salaries of graduates could partially be due to the fact that the majority are in their first or second job since graduation.

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Further Studies

As so many graduates go into teaching, it is unsurprising that those pursuing professional qualification outnumber MAs or other further academic degrees.

These skills were based on those identified in the English Benchmarking Statement.

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Usefulness of Skills/Achievements Resulting from an English Degree to Current Work1 (very useful) – 5 (not at all useful)

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The largest groupings are listed below

Awareness of authors and texts of different periods 5

Knowledge of regional and global literatures 5

Awareness of the importance of the imagination in literary creation 5

Understanding of critical traditions and history 5

Acquisition of correct literary terminology 5

Awareness of different approaches, including creative practice and performance

5

Understanding of the relations between literature and culture 5

Awareness of the importance of context in writing and reading literature 1

Knowledge of the history and development of the English language 4/5

Recognition of other forms of writing and communication 2

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Knowledge of language structures, levels and discourse function 1

Close reading skills 1

Analysis of texts 1

Articulating knowledge, concepts and theories 1

Understanding the significance and conventions of genre 5

Awareness and importance of intended audience/consumer 1

Knowledge of the significance and application of language 1

Rhetorical skills in argument, both oral and written 1

Command of broad vocabulary and critical terminology 1

Citation, bibliographical, and scholarly presentation skills 1

Understanding of the social and cultural influence on language and meaning

1

Identifying the influence of culture on questions of judgement 1

Recognition of literary language and awareness of the importance of research

2

Advanced literacy and communication skills 1

Application of coherent arguments in context 1

Critical examination of diverse forms of discourse 1

Transference of critical methods to working environments 3

Use of interpretative skills to structure information 1

Competent writing skills for project based work 1

Development of independent thought and judgement 1

Skills in critical reasoning 1

The application of concepts in view of purpose and consequence 2

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Identify the importance of alternate practices, perspectives and solutions 1

Adopt self-assessment and self-reflective critical approaches 1

Information retrieval 1

Conduct research to gather, sift, organise and evaluate materials 1

I.T. through word-processing and accessing electronic information 1

Time-management skills involving deadlines and presentation

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Reason English was chosen for a degree

Skills developed from the English degree were seen on the whole as very useful to graduates’ present employment. Unsurprisingly, generic and graduate skills ranked higher than subject specific skills. Arguably, the skill most valued among English academics – awareness of authors and texts of different periods – was seen as the least useful in terms of graduate employment. Those skills most valued by English graduates in relation to their present employment are advanced literacy and communication skills, competent writing skills for project based work, development of independent thought and judgement and time-management skills involving deadlines and presentation. Of all the skills, time-management was deemed the most useful of all.

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Pleasure rather than practicality was the major reason for studying English. A small percentage chose the subject because of its flexibility in relation to careers. It appears that the vast majority of English students enter the subject with little or no career objectives in mind and with a view that an English degree does not lead to a career (other than teaching). On this evidence, it is likely that students choose not to do English because they believe it doesn’t lead to a career. The seemingly non-vocational nature of the subject is undoubtedly a deterrent for applicants worried about career prospects.

Career Plans Pre-degree and Post-degree

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In spite of the fact that most English students have no fixed career plans on entering their degree, teaching comes out at 25% (which matches the actual figures above). There is a substantial drop in the numbers of graduates post-degree with no career aspirations while the numbers wanting to enter teaching also dips slightly.

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How did the English degree help achieve career goals

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1: To a great extent5: Not at all‘To a great extent’ was answered by the largest group, although it is worth noting that 46.4% felt that there was little relevance between career goals and their English degree.

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How far current career meets expectations on entering higher education

The largest group answered ‘as expected’ which suggests English departments present a realistic picture to their students on entry.

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c) Comparisons

Relation of Salary to Gender

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Relation of Occupation to Gender

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Relation of Degree Classification to Occupation

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Relation of Salary to Classification

This figure could be accounted for by the fact that those who graduated at the higher end may still be in full-time study or may have just entered a career after a qualifying course.

It may also be the case that those graduates who have received 2:2s spend much of their time as undergraduates qualifying themselves for the workplace. This may be a distortion given our sample but nonetheless, this is a surprising result.

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Relation of Age to Salary/ Relation of Year of Graduation to Salary

These comparisons reveal some noteworthy trends:

In percentage terms, males earn more at the higher end than their female colleagues.

Men are more likely to go into education than women while more women than men go into secretarial or clerical jobs.

Men are more likely to pursue further study and in percentage terms, more men than women go into teaching.

Students with First Class or Upper Second degrees are more likely to go into teaching while there seems to be higher unemployment in this group as well.

At the top end of the salary scale, First Class students do the worst.

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Part 3 English Graduates’ Recommendations/ Commentary

Answers to the question: is there anything missing in the English degree that would benefit graduates in employment?

Most respondents left this question blank, indicating that no change was necessary, while a few went so far as to insist that the degree should be valued for its non-vocational nature. Certainly, there is a view among academics and students that such ‘vocationalising’ of English could seriously dilute the degree and that its academic content could be seriously jeopardised; but it is also possible that the majority of the students who failed to respond to this question did so because they couldn’t think of any changes. Those who did suggest changes focussed on the following areas, listed here in decreasing order of frequency. Recommendations varied from university to university; graduates from one university, for example, were adamant about changes to assessment and course delivery, while not a single respondent from another university mentioned the need for more IT training (they clearly have this covered). Those who expressed strong views are included below.

Opportunities for work placements31 (22%)

Better career guidance: 28 (21%)A greater variety of courses:

19 (14.5%)More IT teaching embedded into English provisions

14 (10%)A greater variety of assessments

7 (5%)

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Graduates wanting no changes to the English Degree

‘A degree is seen as nothing more than a very standard prerequisite. Most employers are swayed, like the Wife of Bath, by the conviction that ‘Experience, though noon auctoritee, is right, ynogh for me!’Unemployed (1st Newcastle, 2001)

‘No, it was marvellous!’English lecturer (2:1 Cardiff, 1998)

‘Forget all the compulsory computer/communications skills courses, which are boring and bear little relation to the workplace and concentrate on providing undergraduates with a sound education in their chosen subject.’Full-time mother (1st De Montfort, 1998)

‘I don’t think it could be improved. I just think that the idea of degrees . . . being linked to amazing salary/career prospects etc. is a false idea, unfortunately.’Administrator (2:2 De Montfort, 1998)

‘I never intended to do literature as a vocational degree and it should not be made into one. My degree developed my critical, research and writing abilities as well as being highly enjoyable to work on. The acquisition of a degree and skills that the work develops should be enough for a prospective employer.’Writier/Researcher (2:1 Newcastle, 2001)

‘The general language and communication skills that I developed over the course of my degree have been invaluable to me both when searching for work and in the course of my day to day work.’Computer Operations Specialist/Customer Services (Pass Gloucestershire, 2001)

‘As the diversity of career goals must be spectacular, changes to the course, on this basis, seems confounding. However, as long as the degree continues to provide a foundation in key vocational skills (as my degree did) then I see no need for other changes.Research Student(1st Gloucestershire, 2001)2

Graduates wanting opportunities for work placements

Most of the graduates merely said that work placements would be helpful with no further elaboration. Those quoted below represent the more expansive of the replies.

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‘I think actively enforcing some kind of work placement. I don’t think employers care about the grade you achieved so much as they want training. I found on graduation that I had a lot of skills, but I was trained for nothing.’Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator (2:1 Gloucestershire, 1999)

‘Many other courses include a year of work experience. I believe there is scope for this in English in relevant careers such as publishing, journalism, teaching, etc. As it is now students feel they have few transferable skills and find it hard to get work because of lack of experience.’Copy Editor (2:1 De Montfort )

‘Make the course more vocational – gap year in the relevant field. I think this is vital!!!’PGCE student (2:1 Loughborough, 2001)

‘Such degrees could include opportunities for work experience and greater exploration of how the degree can be a vocational asset.’House of Commons’ Committee Reporter (2:1 Newcastle, 1999)

‘Modules that incorporate work placements would have been of benefit – e.g. journalism, theatre, publishing’Teacher (2:1 Newcastle, 2001)

‘Work experience in a relevant field such as Journalism, PR, Marketing, Publishing – as most employers value experience over education. Having experience in the workplace would give English graduates a better chance to compete with business graduates.’Supply Planner (2:1, Gloucestershire, 2000)

‘If a work experience module was built in. Lack of experience in the workplace has proved to be the main reason I have been unable to get the jobs I wanted most.’Pupil Inclusion Officer (2:2 Cardiff, 1999)

Graduates wanting more career information A number of graduates indicated that they wanted academics to provide them with career information and expressed dissatisfaction with university career centres which, they maintained, tend to cater for more vocational and scientific subjects.

‘More focus on possible career to allow you to tailor your degree/module choices to what you intend to do in the future.’Teacher (2:1 Gloucestershire, 2000)

‘Advice on how to transfer skills from degree course to work place (particularly useful when talking at interview about the relevance of the degree).

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Young Parent Project Development Worker (2:1 Cardiff, 2000)

‘Better links with the careers service, right from the start of the course’Literature Officer (1st Cardiff, 2001)

‘More career guidance from tutors.’Education Officer (2:1 De Montfort, 1999)

‘It would help if there was more guidance for English students so they could choose a career path with relevance to their degree. All career magazines/newspapers and majority of leaflets available are directed towards business, IT, accounting.’Learning Mentor (2:2 De Montfort, 2001)

‘Give undergraduates some idea of what sort of jobs there are out there.’Teaching Assistant (2:1 De Montfort, 1999)

‘More support from tutors and career advisers as to which career path to take.’Deputy Food Services Manager (2:1 De Montfort, 2000)

‘Maybe more career advice/suggestions could be built into the course? Many English students go straight onto a PGCE as they are unsure of the other options available to English graduates.’ Editorial Assistant (2:1 De Montfort, 2001)

‘To incorporate compulsory career mentoring: otherwise this is avoided due to lack of motivation/direction.’Teacher (1st De Montfort, 1999)

‘Perhaps have annual lectures/workshops on opportunities to use English in the workplace to increase awareness and have the career information centre sent out relevant information/details of vacancies to 2nd and 3rd year students. . . ‘Editorial Assistant (1st De Montfort, 2000)

‘More relevant career days with stalls etc. that are more in tune with English degrees. The main strands used to be based solely around engineering and project management which weren’t that useful for me. As a consequence I do sometimes feel at a bit of a loss on how to pursue my career aspirations.’ Marketing Executive (2:1 Loughborough, 2000)

‘More information on how to transfer skills to a working environment. More information on the type of job an English degree could lead to.’Website Editor (2:2 Loughborough, 2000)

‘I think many students undertaking an English degree do so because they do not have a profession in mind. Suggestions to English students of which careers can be chosen may offer guidance. From there students could tailor modules to suit a specific career.’

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Public Relations Information Officer (2:2 Newcastle, 2001)

‘Careers service could encourage more companies to visit during milk round, not just accountancy and law firms.’Administrator (2:1 Newcastle, 2001)

‘Maybe students could be made more aware of potential careers available to them with an English background.’Behaviour Support Manager (2:2 Gloucestershire, 2001)

‘Careers advice was not available for English in a clear and direct way. ‘Teacher (2:1 Gloucestershire, 2001)

‘Useful career advice to include the skills obtained through the degree would greatly support students in achieving their goals.’Support Worker (1st Gloucestershire, 2000)

‘Show and explain the vast opportunities out there.’Assistant Editor (2:2 Cardiff, 1999)

‘Departmental careers advice, with personal tutors taking more of an interest.’Conference Co-ordinator (2:2 Cardiff, 2001)

‘More talks centred around Arts degrees. Students should be able to speak to people in their chosen profession.’Teacher (2:1 Cardiff, 2001)

‘Offer advice in translating what has been gained from the degree onto applications.’Fundraising and Development Officer (2:1 Cardiff, 1999)

‘It would be helpful to hear suggestions of non-typical career paths with English (e.g. other than Jornalism/Teaching, etc.)Student (2:1 Cardiff, 2001)

Graduates wanting more variety of course content and delivery‘More seminars – in popular modules it is easy to feel alone. Seminars would allow more discussion and develop speaking and listening skills which are important in all jobs.’English Teacher (2:1 Cardiff, 1999)

‘Introduction of a business module to include: writing reports, analysis, and other ways that English could be used in a non-literary environment.’Project Administrator (2:1 Gloucestershire, 2000)

‘More opportunities to study a foreign language.’Missionary/EFL Teacher (2:1 De Montfort, 1998)

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‘When I got into my 3rd year the module on Black/African Women’s Writing was removed. This would have been really useful in the ethnically mixed school that I now work for.’English Teacher (2:2 De Montfort, 2000)

‘I think that more specifically vocational modules could be introduced so that they have some relevant experience when they graduate.’Service and Tilling Advisor (2:1 De Montfort nd)

‘More work-based study – the option to take some management or business modules. Otherwise, if you want a degree to equip you for working life, don’t take English!’Interpreter Expansion Project Manger (2:1 Loughborough, 2000)

Perhaps a module offered in “English in Modern Business’ or “Transferring your English Degree to Everyday Life’. I myself would have taken neither of these modules had they been offered to me.’Charity Fundraiser (1st Loughborough, 2001)

‘Going from 7 hours a week and very individual working to full-time and a lot of teamwork and group discussion is tough – maybe the final semester should alter that?’Research Student (2:1 Newcastle, 2001)

‘More flexibility to take modules from other courses, relevant to career plans.’Freelance Journalist (2:2 Cardiff, 2000)

‘More coherent teaching of critical traditions and their relation to culture. Also more linguistic analysis to counterbalance ‘literary’ enquiry.Associate lecturer (1st Cardiff 1999)

‘More practical modules (such as writing for radio/television/film) are essential in providing the practical work-based experience that every employer is looking for.’Civil Service Administrative Officer (2:1 Cardiff, 2000)

Graduates wanting more IT skills within the English programme‘More IT skills should be introduced in the first year.’Programme Tutor, Probation Service (2:1, Newcastle, 1999)

‘Encourage students to use IT more – i.e. powerpoint presentations.’Health Community Advisor (2:1 Lougborough, 2001)

‘More IT practice – it is essential now.’Press Consultant(2:1 Newcastle, 2000.)

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‘More IT training in a variety of software’Research Student(2:1 Newcastle, 1999)

‘IT skills are absolutely essential and English students often do not have these skills.’Account Sales Executive(2:1 Newcastle, 2001)

‘I would not like to have included computing, word processing within my degree, but perhaps it should be an option – not compulsory.University Admissions Officer (2:1 Cardiff, 2001)

Graduates wanting a greater variety of assessments‘”English” is very wishy-washy. Obviously good written English helps greatly, but I have never really used my English literature knowledge of books/authors/texts. More practical essays?’Travel Sales Representative (2:1 Cardiff, 2001)

‘More opportunities for individuals to speak – presentation, etc., wider focus of assessment, shorter deadlines, more frequent assignments with staggered deadlines so not all at once.’English and Media Teacher (2:1 Cardiff, 2000)

‘When students present seminars, etc. actually place importance of the transferable skill of presentation.’Copywriter (2:1 Newcastle, 2000)

‘More exams, other assessment methods would give students a sense of responsibility. More oral presentations or introduction to powerpoint for presentation use would also be very beneficial for interviews and future work.’Assistant Programmer (1st Loughborough, 2001)

‘More group work – i.e. presentations etc. as this would help people prepare for work situations, build up confidence for interviews, etc’Primary School Teacher (2:1 Loughborough, 1999)

‘More collaborative assignments with other students and follow up presentations. Involve using the internet more as a research tool.’Supply Teacher (2:1 Loughborough, 2001)

‘On the literature course, presentations were voluntary. I found these hugely beneficial but obviously there was a temptation to let the opportunity pass. If they were compulsory or contributed towards marks in a module, students may put in a great deal of effort and thereby improve on a valuable skill for work.’

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Police Constable (2:1 Newcastle, 2000)

Other suggestions/comments‘To gives students more confidence about the relevance of their subject to today’s world’Sponsorship Assistant (2:1 Gloucestershire)

‘Educate employers to understand the value of an English degree – most think it’s very easy and a waste of time.’Account Executive in a public relations agency (1st Cardiff, 2001)

‘In my opinion, some linguistic and grammar basis would help students to acquire a better knowledge about the English language as the essential vehicle for literature. It would also improve and widen the depth in their textual analysis work, and their own view of the English language in general.’EFL Teacher (1st De Montfort, 2000)

‘To concentrate on grammar, spelling, etc. This is very much overlooked, and with the increasing use of computers with spell checks, it is far too easy for students to become lazy.’Student Teacher (2:2 Gloucestershire, 2001)

‘All of the mature students that I graduated with have returned to their previous careers. We all found ourselves greatly lacking in confidence and were offered no career advice whatsoever. Once we had graduated we had no support and were not offered any.’Sales Assistant (2:2 Gloucestershire, 1999)

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Part 4 Employers’ Perspectives

28 employers returned the questionnaire; not all of them ranked skills, but those who did have been recorded below. Skills were ranked between 1 and 5, to a great extent = 1 and not at all = 5. The final calculation is based on the mode in each category.

SkillsAdvanced literacy and communication skills 8 1s; 14 2s; 4 3s; 2 4s14/28 = 2Application of coherent arguments in context 8 1s;11 2s; 3 4s; 2 4s11/24 = 2Sensitivity to diverse forms of discourse 4 1s; 7 2s; 14 3s; 2 4s14/27 = 3Transference of critical methods to working environments 3 1s; 11 2s; 10 3s; 2 4s; 1 511/27 = 2Use of interpretative skills to structure information 9 1s; 12 2s; 6 3s12/27 = 2Competent writing skills for project based work 10 1s; 12 2s; 4 3s; 1 512/27 = 2Development of independent thought and judgement 7 1s; 7 2s; 10 3s; 2 4s ; 1 510/26 = 3Skills in critical reasoning 5 1s; 8 2s; 11 3s; 2 4s11/26 = 3The application of concepts in view of purpose and consequence 4 1s; 7 2s; 9 3s; 5 4s9/25 = 3Synthesis group work and collective negotiation 6 1s; 4 2s; 9 3s; 2 4s; 3 5s9/24 = 3

Identify the importance of alternate practices, perspectives and solutions 5 1s; 4 2s; 10 3s; 3 4s10/22 = 3Adopt self-assessment and self-reflective critical approaches 3 1s; 7 2s; 13 3s; 3 4s; 1 513/28= 3Information retrieval 8 1s; 10 2s; 7 3s; 2 4s10/27 = 2Research to gather, sift, organise and evaluate materials 7 1s; 11 2s; 7 3s; 1 411/26 = 2IT through word-processing and accessing electronic information 6 1s; 8 2s; 11 3s; 2 4s11/27 = 3

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Time-management skills involving deadlines and presentation 3 1s; 12 2s; 7 3s; 4 4s12/26 = 2

From the above table, it’s clear that employers valued all the skills listed; in fact, in response to the question ‘what do you value about an English degree?’, a Head Teacher replied that ‘the list above sums it up well’. The most highly regarded skills were: advanced literary and communication skills, application of coherent arguments in context, sensitivity to diverse forms of discourse, transference of critical methods to working environments, interpretative skills, writing skills for project based work, information retrieval, research and time-management. Information retrieval scored the highest.

On the whole, employers’ perceptions coincided with the graduates’ views with the majority stressing the need for more practical opportunities.

The fuller responses to the questions have been selected below.

1. What do you think an English Degree should include to help students develop personal and key skills needed in the workplace?

‘Greater amount of work placement opportunities during the course.’General Manager, Sports Lighting Company.

‘Writing ‘business English’, not just literary English.Director, Writing Services

‘Practice of interview techniques’Human Resources Manager

‘Time management and prioritising workload.’ Chief Executive of a Professional Association

‘I think English grammar should be a key element of an English degree.’Manager, Recruitment Company

2. What do you value about an English degree?

‘Having articulate employees’Human Resources Manager

‘Good level of general knowledge, cultural sensitivity.’Head of Education (Theatre)

‘The employee can prepare accurate written reports that are generally sound in reasoning.’Office Manager, Occupational Health, Metropolitan Police

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‘High level of communications skills (written and verbal), high level of problem solving, reflection.’Head Teacher

‘Like other degrees, it increases reflexiveness, critical reasoning, clarity of thought/presentation, etc.’Police Sergeant

‘It gives you the ability to think laterally and to learn to argue a point using the relevant facts.’Senior Recruitment Category Manager/Classified Advertising

‘An English degree confirms the level of development we can achieve with employees and ensures attention to detail in written work, including project work.’Human Resources Manager

‘Personal development, good writing and analytical.’Business Planning Manager

‘The wide perspective it brings.’Teacher, Head of English

3. Is there anything in your view, that is missing in the English degree,

that would benefit graduates in employment?

‘Confidence in the relevance of their subject to the modern world.’Sponsorship Administrator

‘Workplace experience, enabling skills to be transferred to a working environment in a supportive framework.’Head of Strategy, Local Government

‘Basic letter writing skills and report writing.’Interpreter Services Manager

‘Skills of writing for different purposes. The course need to cover practical skills of using English for presentations.’Head Teacher

‘Nothing. Please let English degree students study English. I’m against trying to ‘vocationalise’ degrees that have a sound basis.Communications Manager

‘Presentational skills – very useful in the workplace. It would be good include a short business module in any arts degree to prepare for work.’Product Manager

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Part 5 English in the Workplace

The most frequent suggestion for improvement to the English degree was for some work experience to be introduced as a voluntary component of the programme. Such a course has been piloted at De Montfort University (2000-2001) and the graduate questionnaire was sent to the 30 students who took the module. 10 were returned and those responses to the question – ‘Can you suggest any ways that your English degree be improved to better support students in achieving their career goals/aspirations?’ other than ‘workplace modules’ are recorded below.

‘Try to show how skills learnt, eg. close reading, will be useful in the workplace throughout the degree, not just for the English in the Workplace module.’PGCE Student

‘I felt that more encouragement could have been given to students to visit careers advisors and that similar modules to that of English in the Workplace be available at all levels of study, not just in the final year.’Agency Worker

‘A module in Children’s Literature would have been of particular interest to me. However, the wide range of module choice provided a good (and much improved) range of knowledge. The Workplace module was useful as it enabled me to gain school-based experience and was a flexible module tailored to individual needs.’Unemployed

‘Perhaps the degree may introduce more practical modules like ‘English in the Workplace’.PGCE Student

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Part 6 Case Studies

It was clear from the survey that many graduates felt thrown into the deep end after graduation and, in hindsight, would have liked more focussed career training. A small number of respondents were contacted and asked to describe how they pursued their current career after graduating. 3

Helen WilliamsUniversity of Wales Cardiff 1999English Teacher

The year after graduating I worked in a preparatory school in Shepton Mallet as a general assistant. I then trained to be a teacher at Swansea University. I found my current job in the Times Educatioanl Supplement. My English skills and subject knowledge were a huge factor in securing my position since I have to use them and teach them to my pupils.I have just started my second year of teaching.

Kate Collins University of Gloucestershire  (formally Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education).  2001Teacher of English, secondary education. 

After I graduated, I did a PGCE through the School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme based in Cornwall.  I found my current job through the TES (Times Educational Supplement), and because the job is a Teacher of English, my skills in English were of vast importance!  My job entails teaching Year 7 - 10 students a variety of Reading, Writing, and Speaking and Listening skills appropriate to English. 

Diana WelshNewcastle University, nd.Reporter, Berwickshire News (local weekly newspaper, south east Scotland)

I was asked to fill a vacancy at the newspaper shortly after completing a week's work experience with my paper's sister paper, based at the same office. I had to complete a post-grad NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) course at Sheffield College as part of my training. To be honest I don't think an English degree was essential in getting the job or a place on the course (but a degree of some sort is probably necessary these days). However, having a good grasp of grammar is obviously handy.

3 Permission to use names has been given.

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Matthew CoxNewcastle University, 2000Press Consultant, Skipton Building Society

I worked temporary at Skipton Building Society for 8 months after graduating. While looking for the right role to use what I’d learnt, a role came up in the Corporate Communications Department and I was told that without my English degree I would not have been successful. In my role, I have to monitor national, regional, trade, broadcast and internet press coverage on a daily basis and maximize the positive press coverage for Skipton Building Society. This includes speaking to journalists and writing articles and press releases to launch new products and services. The role means I’m using the English language, written and spoken, every day.

Clare Elizabeth PaynLoughborough University. 1999

I am a Corporate Governance Analyst working in the UK Pension department for Deutsche Asset Management in London. I research the governance of blue chip companies to make sure the boards are properly constructed etc. I also vote on the shares for all our UK clients at Company AGM's. Additionally to this I undertake socially responsible investment research.

After graduation: Before I went to University I worked for two years in the City as a secretary right after my A-levels. I worked for Morgan Grenfell which was subsequently taken over by Deutsche Asset Management, so basically I now work for the same company as I did when I was 18. After University I had several interviews for various jobs in the City initially wanting to go into Personnel. I met some old friends at Deutsche and they suggested I hand in my CV which I did rather reluctantly. On the way back from my Grad Ball I was telephoned by the personnel department to ask me for an interview for a job they thought I may be interested in. I only had one interview with one of the directors of the company who I had worked for previously and he offered me the job there and then. I accepted and am still at the company three years later. I have changed my job though and I love the one I do now. I do use my English a lot as I attend seminars and conferencesand have to prepare summaries on these as well as writing quarterly statements for our clients and business letters etc. My English degree was definitely seen as a positive and relevant qualification for the job I am doing now and although I work in a bank I use my English every day. It is seen as a good all-round degree that reaches further than just language and reading.

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Lucy Gilham, De Montfort University, 2000Editorial Assistant

I spent most of the summer after finishing university job hunting. I scoured Situations Vacant pages in the local papers, wrote to publishing and advertising companies listed in the Yellow Pages, and filled in job search forms on the Internet. I was hoping for work as an advertising copywriter or an editorial assistant. My first job (as a Content Researcher for a new music and sport memorabilia website) came about through one of the letters I'd written, as the company was sister to an advertising agency in Huntingdon. That involved writing band biographies and compiling databases of chart information. It came to an end when the office was closed down at the end of February 2001, about 6 months after I started there, as the company wasn't making enough money to keep us on. After that I went back to job hunting, but couldn't face it for long so ended up temping as an office assistant at a very small publishing and exhibitions company for a few months until I saw the advert for my current job at Accoladia, a travel company jointly owned by Thomas Cook and British Airways. At the time the job title was 'Text Management Assistant' - it was changed a few months ago to encourage applications to fill two vacancies, though the responsibilities and salary haven't changed. As part of the selection process, I had to write a hotel description in the style of one of the brochures using information provided and proofread a section of text. Apparently I was the only person ever to have picked up on all the mistakes!

The main aspects of my job are brochure-related (we produce the Thomas Cook Signature and British Airways Holidays brochures), including writing hotel descriptions, faxing brochure copy to suppliers (eg hotel owners, tour operators and attractions such as Disney) for approval, and proofreading completed pages before they go to print. I manage the text before it goes onthe page, ensuring it is signed off by our Product department and editing copy so that it makes sense. I also help our Copy Writer with creative text such as destination introductions, and assist with Image work (making sure that records of images used are correct, so that we know what charges to expect from image libraries) when my own workload is low. In the past yearI've seen a department restructure, a change of Managing Director, and a complete rebranding project (which we're currently in the middle of), much of which has come in the aftermath of September 11th - it's very strange working in two industries (travel and publishing) at once!

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Part 7 Conclusions

The common opinion that an English degree has been devalued by employers is primarily due to the increase in numbers of graduates combined with rapid technological changes in the workplace. In the light of this it is clear, as Malcolm Brynin has argued, that there is a need to give our students more information on the variety of career prospects available to them. (‘The Incredible Shrinking Degree’, THES, 25.10.02). It is evident from this survey that many of our students feel that they are lacking in career information and training.

Why do students do the degree? Overwhelmingly, students choose English because they enjoy the subject. A small minority go into English for career reasons but clearly, the degree is not perceived as vocationally directed. This is good news in the sense that English degrees meet student expectations, but it a cause for concern if English is being overlooked by students with more immediate career motivations. More information about where the degree can lead could improve students’ aspirations and, possibly, increase applications to English.

What do they want?Although students do not choose the subject as a means to an end, at the end of their course a sizeable group feel in need of either experience or career information. Opinions are divided among graduates as to whether or not English lecturers should change what they do and succumb to the ever-increasing demands of the marketplace. Although a few graduates asked for compulsory career training, most suggested it as an option or an additional feature of the degree. It was evident that students enjoyed their English degree and are not prepared to sacrifice its academic content. However, of those making suggestions for ‘improvement’, the most frequent suggestion was for the degree to include a work placement whilst graduates were most outspoken on the need for better career information. There was a general consensus for more subject-specific career information and for more involvement between English departments and career offices. From this survey, it was clearly the case that students believe that more direct involvement from tutors in career planning is needed. There was also criticism of the essay as a single basis for assessment; graduates seem to lament the fact that they had few, if no, opportunities for group work and presentations.

What do they do? Four years or less after graduation, almost half of the English graduates surveyed are in Education or studying for an additional qualification. Although there were some graduates in unlikely occupations (such as Police Constable) most graduates found employment in areas that had some relevance to their degree (Conference Manager, Research and Development Officer, Public Relations Officer, Editor, Journalist, Career advisor).

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How do employers regard English graduates?Among the employers’ recommendations for ‘improvements’ in the degree were the opportunity for work placements, writing business English, more experience of interviewing, more emphasis on grammar, and time management. Employers valued English graduates’ communication skills, general knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and the ability to think laterally. Although some employers saw no need for change, some recommended the need to demonstrate the relevance of the subject to the modern world – this includes teaching writing for different purposes as well as demonstrating how certain skills can be transferred to different contexts.

How well do we prepare them?The skills developed in the degree that they found most useful were advanced literary and communication skills, writing for project based work, independent thought and judgement and time-management. Awareness of authors and texts of different periods was seen as the least useful of the skills. The respondents undoubtedly enjoyed filling out the questionnaire and were grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the relation of their current work to their English degree. It may be worth considering keeping students more abreast of current debates in the subject, making them aware of what they can do with an English degree (perhaps by presenting them with case studies) and ensuring that they are fully aware of the benchmarks they have achieved.

English graduates want English academics to involve themselves in career planning not in exchange for what they do already, but as an option or added on feature. From the survey, it is apparent that we are not doing enough to bridge the gap between degree and work – and the suggestions of English graduates should be taken further.

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Appendix: Questionnaires.

English in the WorkplaceTo be completed by English Graduate

This survey aims to measure the contribution of the English degree to English graduates’

careers. We would like to know how our students have fared and what aspects of the degree

you found helpful and what aspects of the degree you would like to have changed to suit your

present career. The project is funded by the LTSN English Subject Centre. The results will be

anonymous.

I. Personal details:Name:

Age: years Gender (Male=M,

Female=F):

Ethnic origin:

Home address:

Home telephone:

Email:

Date of Graduation from first English Degree:

Classification obtained (please tick): 1st 2.1 2.2

3rd Diploma

University Campus:

II. Professional details:1. Current job/occupation:

Job title/Occupation:

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Full time(FT)/ Part time(PT): Date started:

Main Duties:

Current Annual Salary Before Tax Deductions:

Under £10, 000. Between £10,000 – 15, 000. Between £15, 000. – 20,000.

Between £20,000. – 25,000. Between £25,000. – 30,000 Between

£30,000 – 35,000. Between £35,000 – 40,000. Between £40, 000 – 50,000

Over £50,000.

Work telephone: Work fax:

Email:

Work address:

Department:

Name of Company/Institution:

Nature of Business/Activity:

Number of people employed by Company/Institution as a whole

(nationally/Internationally):

Under 5 6-10 11- 20 21- 30 31 – 50 51 – 100 101 –200 201 – 300

Over 300

2. Previous jobs/occupations since graduation:

Job title/ Occupatio

n

Department

Company/

InstitutionLocation

Nature of

Business

/Activity

Date Started

Date Ende

d

Starting

Annual Salary

Final Annual Salary

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III. Postgraduate studies/research

Please describe any postgraduate studies since graduating:

Course type (MA/PhD/other) Course Title University

and CampusDate

StartedDate

EndedFinal grade

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IV. Key skills developed in the English degreeIn your employment/occupational experience:

Which skills developed in the English degree have been useful in your present career? (Where ‘1’ = to a great extent and ‘5’ = not at all)1 5SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

KNOWLEDGE OF LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE(acquisition of knowledge and employment relevance)

Awareness of authors and texts of different periods

Understanding of literary genres (fiction poetry and drama)

Knowledge of regional and global literatures

Awareness of the importance of the imagination in literary creation

Understanding of critical traditions and history

Acquisition of correct literary terminology

Awareness of different approaches, including, creative practice and performance

Understanding of the relations between literature and culture

Awareness of the importance of context in writing and reading literature

Knowledge of the history and development of the English language

Recognition of other forms of writing and communication

Knowledge of language structures, levels and discourse functions

KEY SUBJECT-SPECIFIC SKILLS

1 5

Close reading skills

Analysis of texts

Articulating knowledge, concepts and theories

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Understanding the significance and conventions of genre

Awareness and importance of intended audience/consumer

Knowledge of the significance and application of languagein constructing meaning and awareness of its affective/persuasive power

Rhetorical skills in argument, both oral and written

Command of broad vocabulary and critical terminology

Bibliographical, citation and scholarly presentation skills

Understanding of the social and cultural influence on language and meaning

Identifying the influence of culture on questions of judgement

Recognition of literary language and awareness of the importance of research in understanding

GENERIC AND GRADUATE SKILLS

Advanced literacy and communication skills

Application of coherent arguments in context

Critical examination of diverse forms of discourse

Transference of critical methods to working environments

Use of interpretative skills to structure information

Competent writing skills for project based work

Development of independent thought and judgement

Skills in critical reasoning

The application of concepts in view of purpose and consequence

Synthesis group work and collective negotiation

Identify the importance of alternate practices, perspectives and solutions

Adopt self-assessment and self-reflective critical approaches

Information retrieval

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Research to gather, sift, organise and evaluate materials

IT through word-processing and accessing electronic information

Time-management skills involving deadlines and presentation

Other skills related to your English degree – please specify:

V. How the English degree contributed to your career plans:

1. Why did you choose to do an English Degree?

2. What career plans/aspirations did you have when you applied for an

English Degree?

3. What career plans/aspirations did you have when you graduated from the

English Degree?

4. How did the English Degree help you achieve your career goals/aspirations?(Where ‘1’ = to a great extent and ‘5’ = not at all)

1 2 3 4 5

5. Does your work situation meet the expectations you had when you entered

higher education?

Better than you expected What you expected Worse than you

expected

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6. Can you suggest any ways that your English degree be improved to better

support students in achieving their career goals/aspirations?

7. What kind of career changes do you expect within the next three years?

Tick any which apply.

obtain employment not be self-employed any longer

stop being employed be promoted

be engaged mainly in family care achieve a greater degree of

job security

change my employer get a job more appropriate to my

skills

change my type of work earn a higher income

begin full-time study take over a less strenuous

assignment

begin part-time study have a greater opportunity to

pursue continuous learning

increase my working hours get a job more closely linked to my

study and experience

Start my own business experience no major change

decrease my working hours other (please specify)

____________________________

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Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. We may need to contact you to

clarify your responses to this questionnaire. Please tick here if you do not want us to contact

you . Please sign it and return it in the enclosed prepaid envelope by 15 th June 2002 to Dr

Deborah Cartmell, English Subject Leader, Faculty of Humanities, De Montfort University,

Clephan Building, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

Signature: ………………………. Date: …………….

The information supplied on the form will be used by the English Depts. DMU and

Loughborough University to report on where our graduates have gone. No one will be able to

obtain information about you personally from any published statistics. In accordance with our

statutory requirements, the data supplied by you shall be held by us for three years in paper and

electronic format. After this period, the information shall be destroyed in a secure, approved

manner. If you have any queries as to how the information is used, please do not hesitate to

contact Deborah Cartmell at the address above.

English in the WorkplaceTo be completed by Employer/Line Manager

This survey aims to measure the contribution of the English degree to English graduates’

careers. We would like to know how our students have fared. The project is run from De

Montfort and Loughborough universities, funded by the LTSN English Subject Centre. The

survey results will be anonymous.

I. Personal details:

1. Current job/occupation:

Name:

Job title/Occupation:

Department:

Name of Company/Institution:

Nature of Business/Activity:

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Number of people employed by Company/Institution

Under 5 6-10 11- 20 21- 30 31 – 50 51 – 100 101 –200 201 – 300

Over 300

II. Contact with English graduates in the workplace:

1. Length of your professional/occupational experience: _____ years

2. How many English graduates do you supervise/ work with/ work in your

department, currently?

Don’t know Under 5 6-10 11-20 21 –50 51- 100 101- 200 201 –

300 Over 300

3. How many English Graduates did you supervise/ work with/ work in your

department, throughout your career (excluding those referred to in Q2

above)?

III. English graduates’ skills demonstrated in employment:

In your employment/occupational experience:

1. Which of the following skills do English graduates bring to the workplace? (Please tick and comment on as many as appropriate.)

(Where ‘1’ = to a great extent and ‘5’ = not at all)

1 5 Advanced literacy and communication skills

Application of coherent arguments in context1 5

Sensitivity to diverse forms of discourse

Transference of critical methods to working environments

Use of interpretative skills to structure information

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Competent writing skills for project based work

Development of independent thought and judgement

Skills in critical reasoning

The application of concepts in view of purpose and consequence

Synthesis group work and collective negotiation

Identify the importance of alternate practices, perspectives and solutions

Adopt self-assessment and self-reflective critical approaches

Information retrieval

Research to gather, sift, organise and evaluate materials

IT through word-processing and accessing electronic information

Time-management skills involving deadlines and presentation

Other English skills demonstrated – please specify:

a) What do you think an English Degree should include to help

students develop personal and key skills needed in the workplace?

a) What do you value about an English degree?

b) Is there anything, in your view, that is missing in the English degree, that

would benefit graduates in employment?

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire. Please sign it and return it in the enclosed prepaid envelope by 15th June, 2002 to Dr Deborah Cartmell, English Subject Leader,

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Faculty of Humanities, De Montfort University, Clephan Building, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH. Signature: ………………………. Date: …………….

The information supplied on the form will be used by the English Dept. DMU and LoughboroughUniversity to report on where our graduates have gone. No one will be able to obtain information about you personally from any published statistics. In accordance with our statutory requirements, the data supplied by you shall be held by us for three years in paper and electronic format. After this period, the information shall be destroyed in a secure, approved manner. If you have any queries as to how the information is used, please do not hesitate to contact Deborah Cartmell.

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