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auccl799 · Newbie Joined: 17 Sep 2009 Posts: 1 Career Advice: +0/-0

Hi,

My name is Ocky and I am 22 years old. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and History from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand with an average grade of 82%. I am currently enrolled to begin teacher training (secondary) in February and, while it is something I've always wanted to do, am having second thoughts.

To be quite honest I have a passion for European history and politics (although I do not have a mind which can analyse speeches and discuss their implicit meaning - I take things at face value) but do not really know where I could go with it career wise. I have a European passport so could move for the right job but I don't know where to start looking!

I have had a summer internship previously at the Ministry of Transport where I did research and wrote papers. I do not know whether the content turned me off or working behind a desk, I am inclined to believe it was the content which did not interest me, although I found the mental stimulation great!

Any ideas for starting points? Should I go back to uni and do a Masters in European studies (I don't really want to study more)?

Thanks
Ocky

Pauloz · Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:01 am Post subject:

auccl799

I've read a lot of European history, and there's not a lot of substance in those speeches. You're not missing much. Check out how much time Elizabeth the First, Bismarck or Napoleon spent on being quotable, and you can see where the business end of European history is.

Extra study will be required, sorry, to work in these areas, which are very competitive. That won't be so bad, in fact it might really help, if you get something where you're strongly motivated.

With those subjects, you can:

1. Become a reader in history. Requires the Masters, but worth it. You also get to do all that cool research, and that's really not dull.

2. Do your Masters in Geography. A friend of mine has a PhD in Economic Geography, real cutting edge stuff. It's tough work, but it's extremely interesting.

3. If you like research, you can start digging around in that area with the local universities, or perhaps the Australian unis. Not everybody has the mentality to be a researcher, so you'd be mixing with other interested people, too, not the time servers you get in some jobs. This work has the advantage of not requiring that you instantly go back to study, but it will require it later, to progress.

Where to look and starting points:

This type of work is sometimes highly specialized, and it's done by particular colleges. Your existing source materials will be a good starting point. Check out their websites and see what's going on about jobs with them. That will also provide you with a good look at qualifications, salaries, etc.

The good news, in terms of employment, is that you can produce a CV with some big names on it. Who you've worked with is a big deal in this area. It's the quality control for higher positions.

Important: Make sure you contact the local Kiwi colleges, because they should have somebody around who can take you through all these things in detail. The academics also usually have contacts who can save you a lot of time and confusion, so you don't have to wade through online materials.

Teaching

Secondary schools definitely aren't for everybody. You have to be very strongly motivated. I know a few teachers, and there are those who love it. They're fine in those jobs. I also know a few I've met at seminars who baffled the more experienced teachers because they spent most of their spare time saying how lousy it was. The experienced teachers said "Shouldn't be in the game if they can't handle it", which sounded about right.

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