The Student Room Group

Are there jobs in International Relations careers?

Hi,

I'm thinking of applying for international relations next year but i want to be sure that I will have good prospects for the future and will be able to find a job with this degree. I have been told that I am articulate and have also taken part in many public speaking events related to this field and it is something I am really passionate about.

So, what are the prospects like for this degree? And if there is anything else you know about this degree (IR) please share! :smile:
(edited 11 years ago)
Whilst I'm not in the industry (and therefore can't speak with any authority), I will say anecdotally that having a degree simply isn't a guarantee for employment anymore, let alone relevant employment. What I advise you do is do a little bit of research - find the people who have the kind of job you're interested in and see what steps they took to being where they are. What I can almost certainly tell you is that none of them will say "I got my job as a [insert relevant IR profession here] because I studied IR at [insert university] and am quite articulate". As somebody who studied English, I strongly suggest you shake off naive ambitions (not to put a dampener on things), just try to be realistic.

If anyone believes I am incorrect, feel free to correct my assertions.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by jumpingjesusholycow
Whilst I'm not in the industry (and therefore can't speak with any authority), I will say anecdotally that having a degree simply isn't a guarantee for employment anymore, let alone relevant employment. What I advise you do is do a little bit of research - find the people who have the kind of job you're interested in and see what steps they took to being where they are. What I can almost certainly tell you is that none of them will say "I got my job as a [insert relevant IR profession here] because I studied IR at [insert university] and am quite articulate". As somebody who studied English, I strongly suggest you shake of naive ambitions (not to put a dampener on things), just try to be realistic.

If anyone believes I am incorrect, feel free to correct my assertions.


Thanks for your reply, I understand that completely but what I really wanted to know was whether there are actually jobs available regardless of the steps required to get there, or if it is a saturated field with scarce jobs available in general (particularly in london) and the difficulty level of getting employed in the field
Reply 3
On all of the websites of the universities that I have applied for they mention career prospects. Like Politics, career prospects seem to be:

- Central government
- Local Government
- Voluntary organisations/Charities
- NGOs
- International development
- Education
- Politics/Political research

Of course, if you excel in the subject then surely you'd aspire to work for a supranational organisation like the EU or UN.

I personally feel that Politics is a better subject to study and that is what I've applied for although I do have an offer from Plymouth to study International Relations with Politics. I just feel that International Relations on its own is very specific whereas many Politics courses include aspects of International Relations, History, Sociology, War Studies etc.
IR doesn't really lead to any specific career or job. What do you mean by 'the field'

Quick Reply