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Lexicographer: Typical employers/vacancy sources

Typical employers

There are very few publishers of dictionaries in the UK, and not all companies that publish dictionaries employ lexicographers. The main publishers that have in-house teams of lexicographers are:

• Oxford University Press (OUP) (located in Oxford), produces the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and many other English language, bilingual and reference titles. OUP is the largest employer of all types of lexicographers in the UK. Academic positions in specialisms such as etymology tend to be limited to the OED.
• Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd (located in Edinburgh), produces the Chambers English dictionaries and Harrap bilingual dictionaries.
• HarperCollins (dictionary department located in Glasgow) produces the Collins series of English and bilingual dictionaries and the Collins COBUILD brand of English dictionaries for learners of the language.
• Cambridge University Press (located in Cambridge) specialises in English language teaching dictionaries and has a small team of lexicographers on staff. When they need to employ a new lexicographer they seek candidates with experience of teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL).
• MacmillanEnglish  and Pearsonlongman  both produce dictionaries for English language learners.

Other publishers may employ lexicographers on short-term contracts or on a freelance basis, but they often produce titles using information from other publications.

Sources of vacancies

Search graduate jobs on this site.

• publishing company websites
• national press, e.g. Guardian Jobs (http://jobs.guardian.co.uk)  
• The Bookseller  
• Inspired Selection  
• Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies  
• Jobs.ac.uk  

Although vacancies are advertised using the above sources, if you are looking for an entry-level position, it is a good idea to send speculative applications to individual publishing companies.

See also job hunting tips and applications, CVs and interviews.

AGCAS

Written by Mark Turnbull, AGCAS

Last updated:

February 2009

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