Creative Careers
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Interested in working in the creative industries but don’t know where to start? Need advice on building contacts and getting essential experience? If the answer is yes, our Creative Careers programme is for you.
From archaeology and heritage, to TV and film, journalism, publishing, and writing – we've curated a series of in-person and virtual sessions to help you kick-start your creative career. Sessions are open to students across all disciplines and year groups.
Starting w/c 10 February our Creative Careers programme will help you:
- Explore job roles and sectors in the creative industries
- Find opportunities, including internships, graduate jobs and further study opportunities
- Gain insight from experienced Exeter alumni
- Connect with industry experts and build your network
Here's what’s coming up:
Featured Creative Careers Events
A unique opportunity for students to hear from one of the UK's leading playwrights, including a Q&A and some networking at a drink's reception after. A must for any aspiring playwright and storyteller!
Click here to register to attend - Eventbrite
On 29th January, Simon Stephens, one of the UK’s most prolific and celebrated playwrights will be visiting the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Exeter University. As part of his visit, Simon will be holding an ‘in conversation’ event with film director and honorary professor of film practice Don Boyd, where he will be talking about his highly successful career as a writer for stage, radio and screen.
Simon Stephens has staged close to three dozen plays over two decades in the UK and internationally, including ‘Bluebird’ (Royal Court Theatre 2001), ‘On the Shore of the Wide World’ (Royal Exchange Theatre and National Theatre, London, 2005); ‘Motortown’ (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs,2006); ‘Pornography’ (Tricycle Theatre, London, 2009); ‘Harper Regan’ (National Theatre, 2008); ‘Sea Wall’ (Bush Theatre, 2009); ‘Blindsided’ (Royal Exchange, 2014); and ‘Birdland’ (Royal Court, 2014).
His adaptation of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ (2012), which premiered at the National Theatre and later toured on the West End and Broadway, won seven Olivier awards and the 2015 Tony Award for Best Play.
This is a unique opportunity for students to hear from one of the UK’s leading playwrights - with plenty of opportunity for audience Q&A. A drinks reception will follow the event, with an opportunity for audience members to speak in person to Simon.
This webinar will introduce you to the main areas of work within the creative industries and how to research the job options available to you. You will also learn how to find creative opportunities to help you develop your experience and build your CV, both on and off campus.
To find out more and register for this event visit Handshake.
This event brings together an exciting panel of University of Exeter alumni working in a variety of roles after graduating. After each panellist has spoken about their career journey there will be time for Q&A.
A link to register for this event on Handshake will be added here soon.
This event brings together an exciting panel of University of Exeter alumni working in a variety of roles after graduating. After each panellist has spoken about their career journey there will be time for Q&A.
To find out more and register for this event visit Handshake.
This is your chance to speak with a range of professionals and organisations in a relaxed environment. You’ll learn about different career paths, work placement, and graduate opportunities, and gain valuable advice and tips on how to stand out in recruitment processes.
A link to register for this event on Handshake will be added here soon.
This event brings together an exciting panel of University of Exeter alumni working in a variety of roles after graduating. After each panellist has spoken about their career journey there will be time for Q&A.
A link to register for this event on Handshake will be added here soon.
To watch recordings of previous Career Zone events please visit this link. Please note you will need to sign into your University of Exeter account using your email and password.
Learn more about Creative Careers
To help you explore job options in the creative industries we have collated some useful websites and resources below. This is not an exhaustive list, but they should help you research different areas you could work in and the range of roles available.
Sector overview
The links below will help you to research the different areas of work within the creative industries.
- Sector pages - these have lots of useful links and advice to help you research your career options in the creative industries.
- Overview of the UK's creative arts sector - covers the main graduate employers and what it is like to work in the sector. Sector overview pages are also available for Marketing, advertising and PR and the Media sector.
- Careers in the Creative Industries – in this episode of the Career Zone podcast, Nick Havergal, Employability and Placements Adviser guides us through the current state of play in the UK job market when it comes to creative careers and provides some starting points for students seeking to enter this industry.
Explore job roles
Once you have a good understanding of the type of area you would like to explore, use the links below to research what jobs you could move into.
- Creative careers - you can select up to five filters to find a role you might enjoy. A series of videos are also available to watch.
- ScreenSkills - roles in film, TV, games, animation and visual effects. The site has a range of resources to help you explore jobs, including very useful career maps.
- Publishing - covers the main publishing roles including editorial, design, rights and marketing.
- Creative arts and design - covers acting, arts administration, heriatge and museum roles and many more.
- Marketing, advertising and PR - covers a range of creative roles in these areas.
- Media and internet - covers publishing, journalism, TV, media and radio roles.
Many of the links in the 'Learn more about the creative industries' section above will help you to find relevant opportunities. Here are a selection of useful sites for finding work experience or job opportunities in the creative industries:
- Sector pages - on each of these you will find a section on finding internships or work experience.
- Creative Opportunities - jobs website for students and graduates at University of the Arts London (UAL) but open to all.
- ArtsJobs
- Journoresources - site for aspiring journalists. Has a list of graduate schemes on the site.
- Creative Access - specialise in finding opportunities for people from under-represented communities in the creative industries.
- Handshake - allows students and graduates to discover employers and opportunities.
- Getting into the screen industries - free ScreenSkills e-learning course designed to support people looking to get their first break in the screen industries.
Jointly commissioned by Arts and Culture and the Career Zone, this newly released set of films feature interviews with recent graduates, all of whom have stayed in the region to build creative careers in the South West. Offering a brilliant insight into different areas of the creative arts from theatre to writing, each film touches on their experiences as students and how they have developed their career path since graduating.
If you would like to connect with alumni working in the creative industries consider using the LinkedIn Alumni Tool.
Useful Schemes & Services
You may find the following schemes and services useful for building contacts, experience and confidence in pursuing a career in the creative industries.
The Career Mentor Scheme matches experienced professionals with a mentee (current student, recent graduate or GBP), to meet monthly for sector insights and one to one careers advice and guidance over a six month period. Find out more.
Ask An Alum is a simple way to connect with our University of Exeter alumni, to ask careers questions via email. We have a wide range of alumni undertaking a variety of job roles and from a huge range of organisations, sectors, and countries available to communicate with applicants. Find out more.
The Professional Pathways programme is a suite of sector specific training courses and paid 35 hour internships that will take place in June and July 2024. There are various pathways to choose from including Pathways to Arts, Culture and Heritage and Pathways to Marketing. Training is delivered by industry experts, to provide you with a firm grounding in the relevant sector. Following the employer-led training, you will undertake a paid 35 hour internship.
Although applications are closed for this year it is worth keeping an eye on your emails in December for more details about next summer's programme.
Access to Internships (A2I) provides support and funding to help undergraduate Exeter students who meet the Student Widening Participation Criteria to arrange a paid internship in the UK. Find out more and apply.
Student StartUps run a weekly drop-in where you can explore your start up idea and get advice. They also run incubator programmes which are designed to support you from the business idea stage through to launch, through workshops, peer-to-peer network building, one-to-one advice, and access to early-stage funding.
Here are some other useful links: