Struggling to get your students to choose history at GCSE or A-Level? This free downloadable poster is for you!
Encourage more of your students to continue history to GCSE and A-Level by showing them how the subject will help them to develop key skills that will be beneficial to them in their future careers – even if they have no interest in being a historian!
This free downloadable poster sets out just a few of these.
So, how can history help in your career?
History makes you a better presenter
History often requires students to present information in some form or another, whether that’s in a presentation to the class or perhaps in an essay. The more they have to present information, the better they will become at it.
Being able to confidently and clearly present information, whether orally or in written form, is really important for many different jobs and is definitely a skill that employers are looking for.
History helps you to think objectively
Studying history will show students that there are many different ways to approach problems and that thinking about the problem objectively, rather than emotionally, often leads to better outcomes. This will teach them to approach new situations with an open mind and could help them to come up with better solutions to problems.
This is a skill that employers are looking for, because for many jobs, the ability to think objectively is the key to finding the best solutions.
History makes you a better communicator
History is an essay-based subject and so there are plenty of opportunities for students to develop their written communication. They will learn to present information clearly, set out reasoned arguments and communicate their point in a succinct and impactful way.
History also requires students to take part in debates. This offers the opportunity to develop their oral communication, making sure that they clearly communicate their thoughts.
History turns you into a culture vulture
Understanding historical events requires students to have some understanding of the background against which it happened – part of this is the cultural context. By spending time exploring the culture of other peoples and countries, students will often develop an interest in other cultures and will be keen to develop their understanding of other cultures.
History develops your arguing skills
Whether taking part in a debate or writing an essay, history students are often asked to construct a reasoned argument and the more often they do this, the better they get at it, which is an invaluable skill for many jobs.
They’ll also have to learn to listen to the other side of the debate, to question points made, discuss ideas in group, negotiate with others and summarise conclusions.
Being able to rationally argue their own point and listen carefully to points argued by others will make them fantastic team players, who are able to work collaboratively to reach the best solutions – highly valuable as a skill in many different jobs.
History improves your critical thinking
By studying history, students will learn that you cannot automatically believe everything, or take things at face value, and that you have to examine the evidence and come to your own conclusions. This is hugely important in all aspects of life, but particularly when it comes to the world of work. Employers will look at your student as a former student of history and will know that they have excellent critical thinking skills.
History gives you perspective
History gives students the opportunity to learn about a variety of historical events, the context in which they happened and the consequences. This teaches them to think about the ‘bigger picture’ – in essence, giving them a balanced perspective.
This is a really useful skill to carry into their future careers. Having perspective will allow them to remain calm in stressful situations, thinking clearly and in a level-headed way to reach the best solution.
History develops time management skills
As an essay-based subject, studying history at school will require students to meet several deadlines. This will help them to develop their time management skills and this is really important for their future careers. Whatever job they choose to do, they will need to manage their time effectively, work independently and prioritise effectively – if they already have these skills, they will find the world of work much easier to navigate.
History makes you more decisive
History teaches students to gather and evaluate evidence before coming to a conclusion. By having gathered and evaluated the evidence, your students should be pretty confident in the conclusions that they come to.
They can carry these skills into their careers. They will instinctively know that to make a decision, they will need to gather and evaluate evidence and once they’ve followed that process they can be confident in the decision they make.
History could help you earn a higher salary!
All of these skills and attributes are highly sought after in almost all fields of work and so being able to demonstrate these will set your students apart. In fact, having these skills and attributes could help them to climb the ladder quickly, accessing higher salaries!
Still struggling to get students to sign up to GCSE or A-Level history?
You may like to download our ‘Where Will History Take You?’ poster!
And remember, the opportunity to travel abroad and experience history for themselves could be the incentive your students need to choose history over another subject.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.