"I have now been working for a year at Amsterdam FashionWeek on the online editorial of Fashionweek.nl. I write articles, manage social media channels, produce videos and essentially combine all my knowledge from the JNM master’s into this job. In particular, the focus on New Media in this master’s perfectly fits the current demand on the journalism job market, where you are expected to be a jack-of-all-trades and be up-to-date with the latest developments. We have an English-language website as well, for which I do some translation work. I also have regular contact with fashion agencies abroad, including other FashionWeeks. So, my English Literature master’s is also coming in handy."

Going for two MA degrees

"During my BA in English Language and Culture, I also followed courses for the minor in Journalism Studies which triggered my interest in combining the two. So, after obtaining my BA, I decided to go for two MA degrees: Journalism and New Media and English Literature and Culture. Both were very different in their structure, the one focused on practice, while the other provided a more literary background. Language has always been one of my main interests and combining both studies has certainly enriched me."

“I work in London as a sales assistant for a large publisher. When the rights to a book are sold to a Dutch publisher, I help with the entire production process. I send out the materials for the translation, I draw up a contract, we discuss how the book will look, I make sure it gets to the printer, and so on. I suppose I’m the middleman between the Dutch publisher and Penguin Random House, and I help wherever I can.”

Working overseas

“I always planned to find a job outside the Netherlands, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. London is really competitive; there has to be something about you that makes you stand out. My work as a student assistant in the faculty helped there, as did my bilingualism and my master’s degree. It’s quite unusual to have one of those in England, because it’s more expensive to study there.”

Useful skills

“During my course I found history and literature especially interesting. I’ve always loved books, and I was fascinated by literary history. It helps you place books in a particular historical context. In Leiden I also had the opportunity to study American literature, which offers a really broad, interesting reading list.”

“I’ve noticed that I get to use my presentation skills in the labour market. You have to give presentations a lot more often than you might think, even if the setting isn’t always as formal as I was used to during lectures. I also learned to write well in English during the course.”