Literatures, Languages & Cultures

Alumni and futures

We are proud to have a worldwide community of 15,000 graduates in literatures, languages and cultures. Be inspired by their stories, and find out what our Alumni team and Careers Service can do for you.

Meet our graduates: Iskandar Sattibaev

Iskandar Sattibaev smiling at the camera with green hills and forest in the background
A comparative literature graduate, Iskandar is the creator of SpeakEng, a mobile application helping over 100,000 people learn English in a fun and accessible way, which won him the British Council’s Study UK Alumni Award 2023 in the category for Culture and Creativity.

Meet our graduates: Bhavika Govil

The joint winner of the inaugural Pontas & JJ Bola Emerging Writers Prize talks to us about developing her Creative Writing dissertation into an award-winning novel-in-progress.

Meet our graduates: Francisca Da Silveira

Head and shoulders photo of Francisca Da Silveira on a beach with her hood up
Working full time as a playwright, Francisca Da Silveira has held two year-long fellowships and had plays staged across the USA this year. She is a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2023 finalist.

Meet our graduates: Lynn Houmdi

Photo of Lynn standing outside in a cobbled lane looking at the camera
Twenty years after her first degree, Lynn completed an award-winning MSc in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies and now drives forward skills and training for social businesses tackling global challenges.

Meet our graduates: Laurie Motherwell

Head and shoulders photo of Laurie Motherwell against a black background
An award-winning playwright and screenwriter, Laurie studied with us between 2010 and 2015, completing an MA Hons in History of Art and English Literature, and an MSc in Playwriting.

Meet our graduates: Carol Rennie

Photo of Carol standing outside her cinema with a car and film poster
A two-time postgraduate alumnus in Asian Studies, Carol now owns and runs an independent cinema in northern England where she has co-founded the MINT Chinese Film Festival.

What can I do with... languages?

Employers love to see languages on a CV

Employers love Intercultural Competence.

Studying one or more languages demonstrates that you're a good communicator, a resilient problem solver, and someone open to other cultures and new ideas.

Increasing migration in response to changing global dynamics means that, wherever you are based in the world, the ability to understand and communicate in one or more languages, in addition to English, will make you stand out. 

Find out what careers need language skills

What will your story be?

Sarah Johnston is the dedicated Careers Consultant for the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.

As your Careers Consultant, Sarah can support you with all aspects of your career planning and decision making.  

The Careers Service is here for you both on campus and digitally. It is available to all students throughout the year, including holidays. From CV feedback to interview practice, summer placements to graduate posts, careers fairs to alumni events, the service is all about inspiring futures! 

What can you do? 

Whatever year you are in, and whatever stage of your planning, the Careers Service website is the best place to start.

Visit the Careers Service website

Record, review and reflect on what you’ve done, and plan your next steps, with the Careers Compass, Toolkits and Student Guide.

Use the Careers Compass, Toolkits and Student Guide

Explore the current programme of live sessions, recorded content, and resources with options for whatever stage you are at - and however you want to engage - in Career Essentials; all easily accessible in one place.

Go to Career Essentials

Explore Careers Service Plus for premium content (log-in required). Includes interview & CV software, aptitude tests, career assessments, as well as LLC School-specific resources, Vault and GoinGlobal; invaluable for students seeking international careers.

Explore Careers Service Plus with your secure University log-in

Talk to the Careers Service

During teaching time, Sarah offers in-person Careers 'quick query' drop-in sessions on the first floor of 50 George Square.

In Semester 1 (September to December 2023) the sessions are on:

  • Thursdays between 12:15 and 13:45 on 5 and 12 October and on 2, 9, 16 and 23 November

No pre-booking necessary.

The Careers Service also offers:

  • 15 minute 'quick query' general information and advice appointments (online and in-person) - no pre-booking necessary
  • 30 minute careers discussions - book two days in advance (opens at 8am every day), any consultant, Monday to Friday
  • 45 minute practice interviews - book up to three weeks in advance

Book an appointment on MyCareerHub

Visit the Careers Service website

Alumni support and stories - past and present

Pu Wei-hsuan
Shirley Pu, Russian Studies and History of Art MA (Hons), 2017

From career support to mentoring opportunities, special alumni events and exclusive benefits, the University of Edinburgh's Alumni Services team is dedicated to life-long links with our students. The team is regularly in touch with our graduates, and finding stories about historical students too.

Read an interview with Shirley Pu on the Alumni Services website

Shirley Pu spent four years studying Russian and History of Art and now works for a museum in Hong Kong. She is also President of the University of Edinburgh Alumni Club of Hong Kong.

www.ed.ac.uk/alumni/services