Using your subject: Politics and International Relations

Learn about your career options with degrees in Politics and International Relations (PIR)

Degrees in Politics or International Relations equip you with a wide range of skills and knowledge that are applicable across a wide range of sectors.

PIR graduates will:

  • develop a thorough knowledge of political ideas, institutions and practice
  • demonstrate understanding of key political events which have shaped the world
  • formulate and advocate solutions to problems
  • identify, analyse and interpret complex information drawn from a variety of sources
  • prepare and present an argument coherently and with authority
  • demonstrate transferable skills relating to communication, organisation, teamwork and critical reasoning

These skills, along with other factors of career choice – what you like doing (your interests), what’s important to you (your values) and your personality type – will help you make informed career decisions. Remember that your career may be based on the skills you’ve gained over the course of your degree studies. And some careers listed will require further study or training.  Social Sciences graduates enter a wide variety of professions. 

The top five professions for politics graduates include business, research and administrative professionals (4%), PR professionals (4%), national government administrative occupations (4%), chartered and certified accountants (4%) and finance and investment analysts and advisers (3%)

What can I do with a politics degree? | Prospects.ac.uk, accessed 11.05.26

Some of the main career options with a PIR degree are:

You can find out more about these on Prospects what can I do with a politics degree? And What can I do with an international relations degree?. Do not limit yourself to the list here: the skills you develop through your degree are widely transferable to many contexts. 

Key resources for your career research include:

Volunteering 

If you are interested in gaining some voluntary experience locally you may find the following websites helpful.

Internships and work experience:

Note: the resources above include a range of opportunities. Some are aimed at graduates, while others are suitable for current students, and they may be either paid or unpaid. Please ensure you read each listing carefully to check eligibility and details.

Speculative applications

Sometimes, making a speculative application may be the way to get that work placement or internship that you want. If you’d like to talk through how to approach a potential employer, feel free to contact the Careers Service.

Finding a graduate job 

In addition to the resources listed above, try:

A list of generic job searching sites for graduates can be found on our Find Graduate Jobs guide

Graduate training schemes

Many leading UK employers across all industries run graduate training programmes, to discover the benefits of these schemes and how you apply our  Find Graduate Jobs guide will help.