Religious Education careers
There are many occupations open to students and graduates of a Religious Studies degree, although most of these are open to graduates in any subject 17% of theology and religious studies graduates in employment in the UK are working as teaching professionals, with a further 16% being employed as welfare professionals. Welfare and housing associate professionals (7%), sales, marketing and related associate professionals (6%), HR (5%), care work (3%), teaching and childcare support occupations (3%) and finance professionals (2%) are also among the top ten jobs reported. (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/theology-and-religious-studies)
Further details of job roles and employers in these sectors are set out below:
Teaching includes mainstream teaching but also forms an element of a wide variety of jobs in education and wider. Examples of these can be seen here in more detail:- Teaching and Education profiles from Prospects
Primary school teacher
Primary school teachers teach a range of subjects to children aged between 5 and 11 years old. All state schools are required to teach religious education, although primary school teachers also need to teach other subjects. To teach in state schools (excluding academies and free schools) in England and Wales, you must complete a period of “initial teacher training”, such as a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course or school-centred training, which leads to Qualified Teacher Status. It is important to build up teaching-related experience during your undergraduate degree and to apply early for teacher training.
Job profile of a primary school teacher from the Prospects website
Job profile of a primary school teacher from the TARGET Jobs website
Secondary school teacher
To teach in state schools (excluding academies and free schools) in England and Wales, you must complete a period of “initial teacher training”, such as a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course or school-centred training, which leads to Qualified Teacher Status. It is important to build up teaching-related experience during your undergraduate degree and to apply early for teacher training.
Job profile of a secondary school teacher from the Prospects website
Job profile of a secondary school teacher from the TARGET Jobs website
National Association of Teachers of Religious Education
University lecturer
As well as teaching through lectures and seminars, academic staff in higher education also carry out research and a wide range of administrative and pastoral tasks. Although a teaching qualification is not required, you will need a higher degree, normally a PhD. Competition is strong for entry-level academic posts.
Job profile of a higher education lecturer from the Prospects website
Job profile of a higher education lecturer from the TARGET Jobs website
Other careers
You may be interested in graduate roles outside of jobs that directly involve Religious Studies. There are many employers who are looking for graduates with good degrees but that don’t have a preference for the subject studied and will value the skills you have gained through your degree. The following career areas may be of interest to religious studies graduates:
Youth Worker
Youth workers work in a variety of settings to encourage young people to have a smooth transition into adult life. These can be colleges, faith groups, youth centres, and in collaboration with organisations and charities who engage in activities that support young people.
Job profile of a youth worker from the Prospects website
National Youth Agency, the national body for youth work in England Routes into youth work
Charity worker
One of the most important activities in charities is fundraising but there is a wide range of others, from applying for grants or managing volunteers to providing advice and information to clients. Charities recruit into a variety of roles including project management; finance; marketing; public relations and volunteer management. In smaller charities, staff may undertake multiple tasks.
Job profile of a charity officer from the Prospects website
Job profile of a charity fundraiser from the Prospects website
Job profile of a charities administrator from the TARGET Jobs website
Job profile of a charities fundraiser from the TARGET Jobs website
Civil Service via the Fast Stream or direct entry roles
The Fast Stream is a development programme designed to prepare graduates for careers at the highest levels of the Civil Service and Diplomatic Service.
Job profile of a Civil Service Fast Streamer from the Prospects website
Job profile of a Civil Service Administrator from the Prospects website
Job profile of a Diplomat from the TARGET Jobs website
Civil Service Fast Stream website
Equality, diversity and inclusion officer
EDI Officers help to promote positive attitudes in workplaces, train and educate staff and aim to make workplaces free from discrimination.
Job profile of an Equality, diversity and inclusion officer from the Prospects website
Health Service Manager
Responsible for the strategic, financial and day-to-day running of health services in both the NHS and the private sector, including hospitals, general practices and community health services. Managers liaise with clinical and non-clinical staff and other partner organisations, while considering the demands of political policy and local circumstances. Managerial roles in the health sector include those in finance, human resources (HR), clinical management, staff management, project management and procurement, information management, facilities management, and operational management
Job profile of a health service manager from the Prospects website
Job profile of a health service manager from the TARGET Jobs website
NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme
Human resources manager
Human resources management (HRM) involves the management of people within organisations. It may include organisation and planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, employee relations, job evaluation, performance and reward and much more. Also known as personal management.
Job profile of a human resources officer from the Prospects website
Information on HR careers from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Human Rights Officer
Works for inter-governmental or non-governmental organisations ranging from the United Nations and Amnesty to small charities and campaigning bodies. The work may involve monitoring and reporting on human rights issues with a view to bringing them to the attention of decision makers, the media and the wider public in order to end human rights violations and provide justice to their victims. Human rights work is wide-ranging: for further information see “I Want to Work In Human Rights”
Librarian
Library and information staff manage, organise, evaluate and disseminate information. In specialist libraries (such as local history libraries) or universities, graduates may be able to use their subject knowledge directly however you will need to undertake further study to complete a Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) -accredited postgraduate diploma or Masters in librarianship or information science/management
Job profile of an academic librarian from the Prospects website
Job profile of an academic librarian from the TARGET Jobs website
Job profile of a public librarian from the Prospects website
Job profile of a public librarian from the TARGET Jobs website
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
I Want to Work In: Librarianship and Archives
Local Government
This offers a broad range of careers, both generalist (manager, officer, administrator etc.) and specialist (such as finance, education, human resources). Graduates in local government are responsible for the development and implementation of the local authority’s policies and procedures, ensuring that they are delivered effectively and offer value for money.
Job profile of a local government officer from the Prospects website
Job profile of a local government administrator from the TARGET Jobs website
Probation Officer
Probation Officers work with offenders and aim to reduce rates of re-offending and protect the public.
Job profile of a Probation Officer from the Prospects website
Job profile of a Probation Officer from the TARGET Jobs website
How to become a probation officer from How2Become.com
On Probation blog, “the personal thoughts of an ordinary probation officer”
Social worker
Social workers work with individuals and families to provide support and help to improve people’s lives and their ability to cope with difficult issues, and to ensure that vulnerable people, both children and adults, are safeguarded.
Job profile of a social worker from the Prospects website
Job profile of a social worker from the TARGET Jobs website
I Want to Work In: Social Work
Solicitor
Solicitors provide expert legal support and advice to clients (who may be individuals, groups, public sector organisations or private companies), take instructions from clients and advise on necessary courses of legal action. Some solicitors’ firms specialise in areas that relate to religious studies, such as ecclesiastical law, charity law and civil liberties.
Non-law graduates can enter the legal profession – more information can be found here Non-law graduates convert to law from the Prospects website
Job profile of a solicitor from the Prospects website
Job profile of a solicitor from the TARGET Jobs website
As well as the above areas, Religious Studies graduates work in a variety of different roles in many other employment sectors including other caring professions; advertising, sales, public relations and marketing companies; the media; publishing; tourism and travel; youth work and the heritage sector.
Skills gained
A graduate in Religious Studies typically has:
- empathy and imaginative insight
- self-discipline and self-direction
- independence of mind and initiative and a belief in life-long learning
- teamwork skills including attending to others and having respect for others’ views
- ability to gather, interpret, evaluate and synthesise different types of information
- analytical ability and the capacity to formulate questions and solve problems
- IT and presentation skills
- writing skills, including accurate referencing and clarity of expression
- ability to attend closely to the meaning of written documents.
This is not an exhaustive list of skills - you will develop many skills from your course, extra-curricular activities and work experience. You can find out more about the skills employers look for and how you can develop them here.
Find a job
The Careers and Employability Service provides information and advice on job searching to University of Kent students and recent graduates. This includes a vacancy database advertising a range of graduate jobs, sandwich placements and vacation work/internships and online resources. The websites listed below may also be useful when searching for a job and when looking for further information on this sector.
Useful Websites
- Additional websites offering graduate jobs, internships and placement yearsFaith based searches could include:
- https://www.natre.org.uk/news/latest-news/videos-of-careers-for-graduates-in-theology-and-religious-studies/
- https://jobs.theguardian.com/jobs/faith-based/
- https://www.charityjob.co.uk/jobs?cause=faith-based
- https://www.jobs.ac.uk/categories/religion
The Job Crowd
Further study
Some Religious Education graduates opt for further study but this is typically determined by the area of work that they are hoping to go into. For teaching in higher education, further study within your discipline would be required. For school teaching or for a career in law, additional vocational qualifications may well be necessary. For other areas, such as journalism or marketing, work experience may be the bigger factor. It is important to research the area that you hope to work in when considering any further study decisions.