Key Summary
FAQs
What are the highest-paying jobs you can get with an English Literature degree?
Potential higher-paying routes include advertising copywriting, bid writing, technical writing, marketing, social media management and senior editorial work. Current National Careers Service ranges reach up to £80,000 for experienced advertising copywriters, £55,000 for experienced bid writers and around £50,000 for several digital and marketing roles. These are career ranges, not guaranteed graduate salaries.
Can English Literature graduates become advertising copywriters?
Yes. English graduates can bring strong writing and audience awareness to advertising, although employers usually need a relevant creative portfolio. The National Careers Service currently gives advertising copywriters a broad salary range from £20,000 starter to £80,000 experienced. The upper figure reflects experienced professionals and should not be treated as a typical graduate salary.
Is bid writing a high-paying career for English graduates?
It can be. Bid writers prepare submissions for contracts or funding and need persuasive, accurate writing alongside commercial understanding. The National Careers Service currently gives a broad range of £26,000 starter to £55,000 experienced. English graduates may fit the writing side well, but sector knowledge, project coordination and working to strict requirements are also important.
Can an English Literature graduate become a technical writer?
Possibly. Technical authors explain complex products, services, processes or regulations clearly. The National Careers Service currently lists a salary range of £27,000 to £50,000. Strong English skills help, but employers may expect technical knowledge, and some roles prefer higher education in the specialist field being explained.
Can English graduates earn well in marketing?
Yes. English graduates can move into content, brand and wider marketing roles because they develop writing and audience analysis skills. The National Careers Service currently gives marketing executives a broad range of £23,000 starter to £50,000 experienced. Commercial awareness, analytics and campaign experience can be as important as the degree subject.
How much can a social media manager earn?
The National Careers Service currently gives social media managers a broad range of £25,000 starter to £50,000 experienced. English graduates may bring strong writing and editorial judgement, but professional social media also involves strategy, analytics, platform knowledge and campaign management. A degree alone does not normally lead straight into a manager-level salary.
How much can a copy editor earn?
The National Careers Service currently gives copy editors a broad salary range of £24,000 starter to £46,000 experienced. English Literature is a relevant background because the work requires accuracy, consistency and strong language skills. Publishing experience, specialist subject knowledge and the ability to work across digital formats can improve progression.
Are the salary figures on the original article guaranteed?
No. The article uses broad Glassdoor averages and some claims that can make career earnings look more certain than they are. Salaries vary by location, seniority, sector and employer. A better comparison uses clearly defined occupational ranges and distinguishes starter pay from experienced earnings rather than presenting one average as what an English graduate will earn.
How can an English Literature graduate increase earning potential?
Build a specialism alongside strong writing. Useful additions can include digital analytics, SEO, technical knowledge, commercial experience, project management or a strong portfolio. Higher-paying writing careers often reward people who understand a valuable industry as well as language, so sector expertise can matter more than collecting another general writing qualification.
Thinking about the future is never an easy task, especially when there are so many career paths out there for you to choose from. Making a decision can seem impossible, but what always helps is knowing your motivation behind something. For loads of people, money plays a huge part in what career they want to pick, and who can blame them? High-paying careers aren’t really talked about a lot at university, so most students are left going into the world drawing a blank, especially those studying arts subjects. So, if you’re looking for the highest-paying jobs and careers you can get with an English Literature degree, then read ahead to find out more!
We’ve listed the UK average salaries per year for each of these high-paying jobs you can get with an English literature degree. The salaries are taken from Glassdoor (2026), who are a workplace community website. Some of these careers are pretty impressive too, showing just how much you can earn following a degree in English at uni.
1. Editor
Average Salary in the UK: £36,000-37,000
With a degree in English Literature, it is easy to become an editor. Editors need skills such as proofreading, organising, and writing, which is what most English Literature degrees are assessed on! The amount of industries you can become an editor in is endless, however the most popular ones are publishing, marketing, and journalism. The average salary for an editor is around 36,500k, however more experienced editors can earn up to 47k! If you have a great eye for detail and love to read, then this might be the perfect job for you!
2. Grant writer
Average Salary in the UK: £35,000
You might never have heard of grant writers before, which makes sense, since it’s not a career that is really talked about. Grant writers submit grant proposals for individuals or businesses, in order to help them receive grant funding. These jobs are usually in the public sector, meaning you will most likely be working with charities, schools, or non-profit organisations. If you want a job where you can make a difference and help someone, then this is a great job to do that whilst also earning some good money! When you first begin, you will probably earn around 35k, but an experienced grant writer can earn 53k!
3. Technical writer
Average Salary in the UK: £30,000-40,000
This is a great role for those who love everything tech-related. Tech writers more or less translate complex technical information into more understandable content that anyone could read. This is mostly used for instruction manuals, journal articles, guides, and more! It’s definitely important that you understand the tech side of things for this position, but some places would train you to ensure you know what you’re doing! The average salary for a tech writer is 33k, but the best of the best earn up to 60k!
4. Bid writer
Average Salary in the UK: £33,000
Similar to a grant writer job is a bid writer role, although they do vary slightly. Where grant writers use emotional language, bid writers will not write in this style, and so it is a different way of persuasive writing. This job includes a lot of research, writing bid documents, working with clients and more. When you first start, you can expect to be paid 27k, which isn’t a huge amount, but as you get more experienced, you could earn around 80k! You can read more about becoming a bid writer on the government website.
5. Tutor
Average Salary in the UK: £32,000
Another one of the highest-paying jobs with an English Literature degree is tutoring! Tutoring is probably one of the easiest careers you can get into, as most people begin by working as a tutor alongside their studies. You can pick your own hours, choose your own rates, so gaining experience in this area isn’t too difficult. You can also decide what you want to tutor, and pick something you’re passionate about, although obviously some subjects are more sought after than others. Experienced tutors can earn above 50k, so if you love to teach and want to continue your passion on a certain subject, then tutoring might be for you!
6. Social media manager
Average Salary in the UK: £38,000
Social media has become such a huge thing recently, especially in terms of advertising for businesses, so social media managers are always on demand. The responsibilities of a social media manager include creating content, finding ways to increase followers, reviewing data, and creating social media campaigns. If you love all things social media, then you would love this job! Obviously, no one starts off as a manager, but once you get into that position, you could earn around 38k or more! Any managing position you can get into will always be the highest-paying career with an English Literature degree.
7. English Lecturer
Average Salary in the UK: £33,000
Similar to tutoring is becoming an English Lecturer at a university! The great thing about becoming a lecturer is getting to teach what you enjoy, as many lecturers come up with their own ideas for modules that they would love to teach! Working as a lecturer does come with it pros as cons, as depending on what you’re teaching, you may not have to work over summer, however you will have to complete loads of marking. The average salary for an English Lecturer is between 28-39k, so if you think the marking is worth it, then it’s a career you should consider!
8. Sales representative
Average Salary in the UK: £35,000
In easy terms, a sales representative serves products to customers by meeting their demands. The day-to-day responsibilities of a sales representative can be meeting with clients, doing some research, pitching products, and making closing sales. This job would be perfect for someone who loves to work around people whilst also being great as persuading! The average salary for a sale representative is 35k, but obviously this increases with experience!
9. ESL teacher
Average Salary in the UK: £28,000
Becoming an English second language teacher is one of the highest-paying careers with an English Literature degree. One of the most popular aspects of this job is the opportunity to travel abroad, which is a great way to travel whilst working! The national average for this role is 28k, but if you travel abroad, then this figure can increase. The countries which pay the highest for ESL teachers are South Korea, China, and Japan, but obviously there are opportunities all around the world!
10. Brand strategist
Average Salary in the UK: £54,000
A brand strategist works with a company to help get their brand across to the customer. This involves ensuring the brand image is consistent, developing marketing strategies, and conducting market research. A brand image is super important to any company, so obviously this important position pays well. The average salary for a brand strategist can be anywhere between 43-67k! This is definitely one of the highest-paying jobs with an English degree, so if you’re interested, do some more research!
These are the highest-paying jobs you can get with an English Literature degree, but obviously there are so many more career paths with this degree out there! You can find out more about what to do with an English Literature degree in our guide.
If you’re still choosing where to go, these are the best UK unis for English Literature to pick.