Prospective undergraduates: Careers
Studying China, Japan or Korea prepares our students for a career in the world's most dynamic region. Strong economic growth in China, the globalisation of the Japanese economy and the possible future reunification of the Korean peninsula offer massive potential opportunities for people with skills in Asian languages and cultures.
The School has its own Careers Officer who is there to offer specialist advice on careers, internships, work experience and CV building throughout your degree. We also organise regular talks by alumni to provide inspiration and first-hand experience of the graduate job market, and invite companies working with East Asia (many of which recruit from the School year after year) to give presentations on their sector. We also encourage students to consider taking up the option of a degree 'with Employment Experience', which enables you to build up considerable work experience and career-related skills before you graduate.
Carl Shieber, a graduate of Chinese Studies and Head of Group Coordination at Sheffield United Football Club, regularly advises current students on career development. Here he provides them with a glimpse into his experiences working in the professional football industry and explains how his SEAS degree gained him entry into the industry.
Where will your degree take you?
Over the past forty years, SEAS graduates have entered a variety of exciting and rewarding careers to become city brokers and accountants, chief executives and company directors, business analysts and marketing specialists, journalists and television producers, university professors and school teachers, museum curators and event planners, government advisors and NGO professionals, interpreters and translators, to name but a few. Employers of some of our recent undergraduates include:
Following graduation, some students have chosen to do further study in the UK, specialising in subjects as diverse as law, international development, sociology, nursing and teaching. Others have returned to their country of study to follow advanced level postgraduate courses, often subsidised by prestigious international scholarships from the Chinese Ministry of Education, the Japan Foundation or the Korea Foundation.
Careers of recent graduates in focus
Amy Studdart
Amy graduated with a degree in East Asian Studies in 2008. As Asia Program Associate for the German Marshall Fund of the United States, she travels frequently to East Asia. Her work focuses on identifying how the world changes as Asia, particularly China, rises:
SEAS Newsletter January 2012, p.1
Tom Nixon
Tom is a 2010 graduate of the Chinese Studies programme. Having spent time working in Taiwan following graduation, he now works as a social and online media analyst at Spectrum Consulting in London putting the Chinese and work-related skills he gained during his degree to good use:
SEAS Newsletter January 2012, p.1
Jonathan Paton
As a graduate of the BA in Japanese Studies (2011) Jonathan is using his Japanese on a daily basis working as an in-house translator and liaison officer for Fluid Capital, an alternative investment company in Manchester:
SEAS Newsletter January 2012, p.3
Richard Lamb
Richard graduated with a degree in Chinese Studies in 2002 and is currently working for the Foreign Investment Bureau, which is part of the Administrative Committee of Tianjin Airport Economic Area. He writes here about one of the important aspects of his work:
SEAS Newsletter January 2011, p.5
Mark Winchester
Having graduated with first class honours in Japanese Studies (and the Margeret Daniels Prize) in 2002, Mark went on to complete a PhD at the prestigious Hitotsubashi University where he is now a Junior Fellow in the Graduate School of Social Sciences. Find out more about his research:
SEAS Newsletter January 2011, p.6
Ben Jackson
Ben graduated in 2004 with a BA degree in Korean Studies with Japanese. Since then he has pursued a career in film industry and participated in production of documentaries on Korea. For more information about Ben please see:
SEAS Newsletter May 2005, p.11
Martina Marek
Martina graduated in 2001 with a BA degree in Korean Studies and now she works for Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. For more information about Martina please see:
SEAS Newsletter June 2007, p.9
Niels Footman
Niels Footman graduated in 2001 with a BA degree in East Asian Studies. Niels is living in Seoul and works for Hachette Eins Media company. For more information about Niels please see:
Seas Newsletter June 2007, p.8
Hannah Lilley
Hannah graduated in 2004 with a BA degree in Chinese Studies. Currently as an International Officer at the Sheffield University Hannah is involved in helping international students from Taiwan and sub-Saharan Africa with the application procedures. For more information about Hannah please:
SEAS Newsletter June 2008, p.14
Josh Noble
Josh graduated in 2004 with a BA degree in Chinese Studies. Currently he is pursuing a successful career in media industry and works for Sky News, Consumer News and Business Channel. For more information about Josh please see:
SEAS Newsletter June 2007, p.4
Rupert Chesman
Rupert graduated in 2002 with a BA degree in Japanese Studies. Currently he lives and works in Dubai where he is involved in television production. For more information on Rupert please see:
SEAS Newsletter December 2007, p.11
Carl Shieber
Carl graduated in 2004 with a BA degree in Chinese Studies. He remained in Sheffield to take a post at Sheffield United Football Club and is now an Assistant Football Executive. For more information on Carl please see:
SEAS Newsletter June 2007, p.14
Jamie Hodge
Jamie graduated in 2003 with a BA degree in Japanese Studies and Politics. Following an internship at the Institute for Citizenship, he joined the Fabian Society, a left-of-centre think-tank, as Events Manager. For more information on Jamie please see: