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“No free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and the law of the land. “To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.” HISTORY CAREER GUIDE 2020/2021 History2 Copyright Success at School Ltd 2020 Success at School is a national careers website for students aged 11-19, as well as their teachers, careers advisors, parents and other influencers. Young people can learn about their future career options through no- nonsense careers advice related to their own experiences. As well as covering topics such as career paths, industries, apprenticeships, university and employability skills, we connect schools and students to employers and universities through opportunities on our site and our interactive forums. Millions of young people and their influencers have visited our site for advice and information to help them plan for the future. Go to successatschool.org for more information. AboutSuccess at School MI6 is the Secret Intelligence Service. It secretly works all around the world to keep the UK safe. It’s really important work. But despite what the films might tell you, MI6 recruits people just like you. For over 100 years, MI6 has made sure that the UK (and its allies) have been one step ahead. It has been working quietly in the background, on some of the key events in history. And that’s what’s unique about working at MI6. You really can play a part in history. If you’re interested in history, you’re probably curious about people, culture and technology. You might enjoy carrying out research, analysing information to build a picture, or just tackling problems in a different way. These are all skills MI6 values, and ones which could see you in a range of roles – everything from supporting operations, to analysing data, or managing the finances. MI6 is an organisation of everyday people, doing extraordinary work. So, if you’re thinking about studying history, why not go a step further? Aboutour sponsor3 HISTORY CAREER GUIDE Contents 05 What is history? 06 How will history prepare me for work? 10 Should I choose history? 12 T-levels 15 Job roles 18 How to future-proof your career 14 Why work experience matters 20 MI6 profile 32 Everything you need to know about gap years 22 Spotlight job 34 University 24 Interviews 28 Apprenticeships4 The subjects you go on to study will help you to shape your future. So it’s worth knowing exactly where they can lead you and the kind of careers you can have. That’s what this guide will explore. History is a perfect choice if you enjoy carrying out research, are curious about what motivates people and are interested in how the past influences current culture. You’ll become a critical and strategic thinker, able to present complicated information in a simple way. It’s a subject that relies on your ability to pay attention to detail, while still seeing the bigger picture. These are all skills that employers will be looking for – and that includes MI6. In fact, there isn’t a single role in the organisation that doesn’t use and develop those skills. History is a great foundation for a huge range of different careers. So we hope you’ll feel inspired by the choices on offer and motivated by what the future holds. Foreword5 History teaches you about the past and how these events can affect what’s happening in the world today. Are you interested in learning why the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been trending on social media? Or do you want to know how society has coped with widespread outbreaks of disease in the past? Politics, medicine, law, business and many other fields draw on lessons from the past. You’ll explore a variety of events and time periods in your history lessons. You might look at the last major industrial revolution, or you could explore the birth of the USA in the 18th century. You can go even further back to Spain in the age of discovery or the Tudors in England. We use our past experiences to help us make decisions and studying history allows you to broaden your knowledge to help you make more informed decisions. If you work as an archaeologist, you’ll use your research and problem-solving skills to uncover new artefacts and heritage sites. Museum education officers share information and tell stories about the past to help others learn from previous events. Many history students go into teaching to share their passion for the past with others. History gives you lots of transferable skills. Being a good communicator is essential if you work as a PR officer, or if you become a training and development officer in the corporate world. Research and critical analysis skills are vital in engineering roles too, particularly where you’re developing and testing new technology, like a machine learning engineer. Being able to debate is a highly useful skill if you become a lawyer. What is history? #blackouttuesday6 5 workplace skills you’ll learn in history Communication In class: History is all about learning and sharing what you find. That means you’ll need to be comfortable talking about your research and what you’ve discovered. As well as having discussions in class, you’ll also write essays that are supported by your findings. You might give presentations in class too. At work: Communicating is vital in every job. A nurse needs to be able to talk to patients in a calm and logical way. Environmental consultants need to prepare reports and presentations where they share the findings of their investigations and research with clients. How will history prepare me for work? Debating In class: Interpretations are an important element of studying history. You’ll need to be able to explain why you’ve interpreted events in a specific way, using evidence to support your opinions. You’ll also look at arguments made by other historians and evaluate them. At work: Being able to share your opinion clearly and succinctly is a really useful skill. Organisational development specialists need to explain how to approach business differently and persuade senior management to adopt their ideas. Barristers need to use clear evidence to support their arguments in court. Research In class: A lot of what we know about the past comes from a variety of sources. You’ll learn what resources are available for your research and how to find the parts that are relevant. You’ll compile your research and reference it to support your arguments in essays and presentations. At work: A journalist needs to carry out thorough research on sources for stories, particularly if they’re working on an investigative piece. Sustainability managers need to research different initiatives that can help businesses become more environmentally friendly and present their findings in a clear and concise format. Research skills will also be useful if you go to university and are writing a dissertation. Time management In class: When you’re studying history, you have to carry out independent research to support your views in your essays. You’ll be working to specific deadlines and will need to manage your time effectively to balance this with other schoolwork. In an exam, you’ll have a short period of time to answer the questions so you need to remain focused. At work: Being able to work to deadlines and manage your time is essential in many jobs. A software developer will be working to various project deadlines as part of a wider team to create new programs or solve urgent problems preventing customers from using an interface. Customer service representatives need to work efficiently to speak to as many customers as possible and solve their queries. Critical thinking In class: A lot of what you read in history is someone else’s interpretation of events. You’ll need to analyse different interpretations of historical events and think critically about which are most convincing, based on the other information you have. At work: Critical thinking is a skill that many employers are looking for. A clinical researcher will need to think critically not only about their own experiments, but also about scientific research that could be relevant to their work. A big data specialist needs to take a systematic approach to organising and interpreting the data from an organisation to deliver meaningful insights. As a police officer, you’ll need to critically evaluate evidence and situations that you encounter.7 HISTORY CAREER GUIDE ...and 2 you may not have thought of Listening In class: To understand history you need to listen to different points of view and interpretations of events. These might come from your classmates, your teacher, from historians or in the form of audio or video content. Listening to the tone of someone’s voice, as well as what they say, can help you better understand how events made them feel. At work: Listening is an important skill in any job. Doctors need to listen carefully to patients when they describe their symptoms to help them reach a diagnosis. If you work as a user researcher, you need to listen to people’s responses and record them accurately to inform the development of new or existing products or services. Problem solving In class: Often when you’re studying historical events you’ll apply this knowledge to current issues or problems. You’ll take an analytical and critical approach to research which can help you find creative or alternative solutions to problems. You’ll also learn to see issues from different perspectives and to use a variety of sources to help you solve a problem. At work: Problem solving is one of the most sought- after skills among employers. Water engineers need to find the most appropriate way to provide clean water to households and businesses. Human resources officers need to solve problems between team members and help people see different points of view. virtual appointment How are you feeling?8 You may learn about imperialism and the rise of the British Empire. Explore how indigenous peoples responded to British rule and what conflicts arose due to challenges to British rule. You’ll also look at trade and commerce around the world and how this played a role in imperial policy during this period. Decolonisation in Asia and Africa largely occurred after World War II. The impacts of British rule still affect relations with some countries today. Being sensitive to these historical events is essential if you work in any international organisation. An international business development manager needs to reach out to people around the world to build working relationships for their organisation. Diplomats need to be mindful of past conduct to ensure they are sensitive and maintain good relationships with governments around the world. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Explore the social and economic issues caused by World War I and World War II and how the UK governments following each conflict sought to deal with the problems. You’ll learn about unemployment, regional divisions and how living standards changed. You may also explore the impact of conflict on crime rates. You’ll also cover the creation of the NHS and other domestic political policies. Looking at how politicians dealt with social change and economic hardship in the past can be useful for understanding some of the policy decisions being taken today. If you are a social worker, understanding why certain groups in society are typically disadvantaged can help you approach problems sympathetically. A political risk analyst will analyse and evaluate the conditions in a country to help inform business investment decisions or to influence national or international policymaking. Understand the origins of the Civil War in America, how the conflict unfolded and how the country rebuilt itself after the war. Explore the social, political and economic characteristics of different states, as well as the abolitionist movement and how different states reacted to it. Learn about the constitutional amendments made following the conflict and how these continue to impact American politics. You may also explore women’s rights and the fight for equality through the Suffragettes and the Suffragists in the UK. You’ll look at how this has shaped women’s roles in society today. There are still deep divisions in American society and understanding the causes of the Civil War can help you to understand some of the divisions and issues in the country today. If you work as a human rights lawyer, understanding societal divisions all over the world is essential for your job. As a policy officer, you’ll research and advise on issues that affect both national and international policies for governments, charities or businesses. Or you might become a charity campaign manager, working to further women’s rights around the world. 5 ways your history know-how will help you at work9 HISTORY CAREER GUIDE Find out about the Cold War and how the conflict between capitalist and communist nations escalated following the end of the second world war. In particular, you’ll explore relations between the UK, US and USSR in this period. You’ll also look at the widening of the Cold War to encompass parts of Asia and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Events during the Cold War still have significant implications on the geopolitical landscape today, especially the wider world’s relations with Russia and North Korea. If you’re a political correspondent, you’ll need to use this knowledge to inform your reporting. Understanding the background to the current political landscape can also be useful for intelligence analysts. KnowledgeHow will it help me at work? Learn to investigate a wide variety of historical sources and how to interpret them accurately. Discover how to use your existing knowledge to make connections between places, people and objects, and use historical contexts to make judgements. Develop your understanding of the nature of historical study and learn how to present your findings concisely and clearly. If you pursue a career as a historian, you’ll carry out source analysis as part of your work. This knowledge is also useful for archivists, who need to categorise and evaluate artefacts, documents and other evidence to store and protect them. A management consultant needs to read various reports and analyse information from different sources to understand the nature of a business. Next >