There are plenty of jobs available for students who have completed their graduation in English Literature. They can become narrators; find jobs with newspapers, become lawyers and much more. But, if they wish to get job with the government, they can find that there are many jobs available in that direction too. Apart from this, the opportunities for students to get jobs as teachers with public sector schools and colleges are high.

Central Government Jobs after BA Literature

The Government of India holds many admission tests for taking in candidates for many posts that are available in firms in the public sector. A graduate of English literature is eligible to apply for these posts. A few of the main exams are held by the SSC and the UPSC.  Those who wish to apply for the position of teachers or lecturers can apply for the UGC – CSIR (NET) or the SET exam.

State Government Jobs after BA Literature

Aspirants who have finished their graduation in English Literature are eligible to apply for jobs in the state government. The defense service is one such area that takes in students after they have completed their graduation.  Other areas where they can get jobs include the Police, agriculture, transportation or in the area of private investigation. If they wish to get jobs with the state services, students are required to write the entrance examination that is held by the Public Service Commission (PSC). After the aspirants pass the test, they will be informed about the interview.

Jobs in railway after BA Literature

Graduates of English literature are eligible to apply for the entrance exams that are held by the Railway Recruitment Board. They carry out exams every year for the recruitment of candidates into the Indian Railway Accounts Service and the Indian Railway Traffic Service. The recruitment of the aspirants is done on the basis of their merit. A few designations that are available for the candidates include Foremen, Special Class Railway Apprentices and Clerks etc. Once they have passed this exam, aspirants with the highest marks will be shortlisted. They will then be informed about the interview.

Teaching Profession after BA Literature

One of the areas where a graduate student of English literature can shine is teaching. Those who seek to teach can get good jobs with top educational institutions like:

• Aligarh Muslim University
• Annamalai University
• Calicut University
• Delhi University
• Jamia Millia Islamia University
• Jawaharlal Nehru University
• Kurukshetra University
• Mahatma Gandhi University
• University of Kerala etc.

One other thing is that, numerous private institutions take in candidates as teachers who have cleared English literature course. But, the students need to have the mandatory qualification to teach in these institutions. An M.Ed degree in English in addition to a NET qualification will suffice to teach at colleges. Once they enter into this job, they can write departmental tests and thus secure promotion to higher designations.

How to prepare for all these exams?

To prepare for these exams, the students must primarily have a good idea about the subject of study. Besides this, they must also have a good idea about the pattern as well as syllabus of the exam. Students can study the subjects according to the levels of difficulty. Besides this, they can also refer reliable guides. Practicing on former year question papers will prove to be of major help to the candidates. By doing this, candidates will be able to understand the pattern of these exams. One other thing is to enroll themselves with some good coaching centres as to train themselves.

Reference Books for B.A Literature Graduates preparing for PSC tests

• General Knowledge Digest by Pratiyogita Darpan
• R. Gupta’s Bank Clerical Test (popular Master Guide) 2010
• Railway Recruitment Board Exam by Khanna and Verma
• RPH Editorial Board’s Bank Clerical Practice Work Book
• Subash Kashyap’s Polity

Coaching Centers for Competitive Exams

Numerous coaching centres are available in India for providing students with training in competitive exams. A few reputed ones comprise of Brilliant Tutorials, Brilliants College, Career Launcher, Career Point and IMS India.