15 International Relations Degree Jobs (With Salary Info)

Obtaining an international relations degree can be an effective path for bettering the world. Knowledge of international relations helps experts maintain favourable diplomatic ties between territories, avert looming international crises and ensure positive relationships between nations. A degree in this field may provide you with a wide range of employment choices in social systems, economics and community culture. In this article, we explain the importance of an international relations degree and provide you with international relations degree jobs you can pursue.

15 international relations degree jobs

Below are 15 different international relations degree jobs you may wish to pursue :

1. Programme coordinator

National average salary: £26,782 per year

Primary duties: Programme coordinators collaborate with other programme managers to develop plans and programmes for an organisation's mission and objectives. Budgeting and fundraising, technical support and community outreach are among their duties. Programme coordinators frequently show an awareness of the cultural contexts related to their company's objectives and leverage this to augment their relationships with their clients.

2. Media consultant

National average salary: £27,458 per year

Primary duties: You might serve in a non-governmental organisation, a press office or a multinational body. Degree holders in international relations sometimes choose to work as highly specialised reporters in mainstream media outlets or as media and communications columnists or public affairs professionals in high-level positions. This opportunity is because of their extensive knowledge of the interconnections among national, local and transnational systems and international cooperation and governance processes.

3. Translator

National average salary: £27,587 per year

Primary duties: Translators correctly translate written material from one language to another. Memos, letters, legal papers, scientific publications and novels are examples. Translators can also recommend changes to textual or audio materials to their customers based on their knowledge of the culture and language. A translator is useful in fields such as:

• science and technology

• publishing

• finance

• law

• education

• medicine

• business

Related: Translator Skills: Definitions and Examples

4. Interpreter

National average salary: £28,459 per year

Primary duties: Interpreters convert oral communications from language to language, allowing individuals that don't share a common language to communicate. Interpreters are fast thinkers who are fluent in a minimum of two languages to keep up with the pace of an ongoing conversation. Courtrooms, schools, customer service roles and hospitals are all common places where translators work.

5. Public relations manager

National average salary: £30,282 per year

Primary duties: Also known as communications specialists or media specialists, public relations specialists strive to establish and keep a positive public reputation for the companies that employ their services. Their roles enable enterprises to effectively communicating with the members of the wider populace. These experts frequently deliver press releases and media packets, give presentations and evaluate internal correspondences to ensure that all communications follow laid down rules. Public relations experts may also function as press secretaries in governmental and political settings.

6. Research consultant

National average salary: £31,441 per year

Primary duties: Consultants carry out specific studies or investigations, prepare documents from information gathered, provide qualitative and quantitative results and make suggestions in their field of competence. Most NGOs (non-governmental organisations) and volunteer organisations that deal with foreign affairs have vacancies for research consultants who studied international relations.

7. Political consultant

National average salary: £34,205 per year

Primary duties: These experts assist government appointees and politicians in their endeavours and public reputation management. They endorse their candidates using strategies like press releases and advertising to promote their campaign or client, acting as salesmen and public relations experts. They may also need to direct policy, communications and speaking engagements effectively. Other duties include pushing for legislative reforms and collaborating with lobbyists, corporations or groups.

8. Economic analyst

National average salary: £34,356 per year

Primary duties: Economic analysts are research professionals that extensively study economic data and information to identify trade patterns and then develop projections and simulations for their company based on these patterns' influence on their sector. These experts might work for either public or private sector companies. They frequently need to be aware of international, commercial and fiscal patterns.

9. Policy analyst

National average salary: £36,130 per year

Primary duties: Policy analysts, often known as foreign affairs analysts, study government systems, laws and policies that may influence the company they serve. They frequently specialise in areas like health, foreign and environmental trade policy. They can serve in companies, humanitarian organisations and public sectors. To achieve their objectives, they can perform investigations and analyses, make programme and policy suggestions, assess projects' success and record and disseminate reports, summarising their findings.

10. Language specialist

National average salary: £36,800 per year

Primary duties: Language specialists use interpretation and transcribing to convert written information and spoken interaction. A language expert is frequently multilingual, allowing them to successfully convey the core meaning of information from language to language while also taking subtlety, colloquialisms and figurative expression into account. They usually have strong writing and spoken verbal ability are widely employed in certain fields, like law, education or medicine.

11. Logistics manager

National average salary: £40,199 per year

Primary duties: These individuals oversee the transportation, warehousing and delivery of commodities in markets, with the objective of efficient supply chain management of their organisation. They may do so by creating and evaluating estimates, negotiating contracts with suppliers and clients, processing goods deliveries and training and supervising logistics staff. Problem-solving capabilities, flexibility and sophisticated communication qualities are all attributes that a top-notch logistics manager has.

12. Intelligence specialist

National average salary: £42,208 per year

Primary duties: Intelligence specialists are members of the national government who serve in the military or national security service. Their major responsibilities involve gathering and evaluating information on national defence. They may oversee activities by compiling mission briefings, analysing statistics and data and assessing risk levels. These experts may also be responsible for the upkeep of sensitive intelligence systems and information. This job frequently necessitates extensive training.

13. Risk analyst

National average salary: £42,980 per year

Primary duties: A risk analyst's work is both intriguing and diverse. Risk analysts gather, analyse and report information and data on any possible risk to an organisation's assets, financial prospects or performance in the commercial, industrial or public sectors. Companies frequently ask analysts to investigate other societies and habits, which might result in international travel prospects.

14. International lawyer

National average salary: £49,146 per year

Primary duties: International lawyers work for a legal firm to consult and defend clients worldwide. Some of their responsibilities are to create economic ties and multinational deals, study and evaluate regulations and laws in other nations and educate clients on situations. International lawyers can specialise in various areas, such as investment and trade legislation, international environmental legislation and human rights.

15. Regulatory affairs manager

National average salary: £53,695 per year

Primary duties: These experts supervise a company's production operations to verify that it meets government regulations. They keep licences and certificates up to date and oversee critical audits of corporate operations. Regulatory affairs managers act as a link connecting regulatory authorities and their company's operations team. They have an in-depth understanding of their business and applicable government legislation.

The importance of international relations jobs

There are several reasons to choose or have an international relations job. Here are some of them:

International communication is essential

Negotiating and closing deals with companies all over the world has become common. For this reason, it's important that you know how to communicate with people from different cultures. International relations can teach you how other people perceive the world around and beyond them, which may be completely different from yours. You can apply this to your work to allow businesses, governments and other organisations to communicate effectively.

Opens up many international opportunities

International relations is a vast subject, and you may choose one area to specialise into progress your career. The versatility has a significant benefit: you can use an international relations degree in nearly any speciality sector. The competencies you gain are transferrable, making them extremely desirable to companies and opening up a wide range of employment opportunities for you all over the world.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at the time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

Related:

• Foundation degree guide (plus universities offering them)

• A guide to graduate international development careers