Fine art degree: employment prospects

[EpsomSalted]

My child is predicted A in Art, A in history and A in Spanish at A-level. She is leaning towards doing a Fine Art degree but her other option is History with Spanish. Her heart is with the art option.

How employable is someone with a Fine Art degree nowadays? What can you do other than be an artist, an art teacher, an art therapist or a designer? I know nothing of the creative industries.

Also, do you wed to do an Art Foundation before the degree? Her school says she does but uni requirements seem mixed.

and finally where is good for fine art that’s NOT in London?

all advice very gratefully received.

If you've been obsessed by art from a young age, then why not do fine art? I know lots of youngish fine art graduates. Two teach parttime and make art and sell it. One is an art director in TV. One is a film editor. One is a children's book illustrator. They all make a living. The illustrator is actually super rich because the books are global best sellers. We do need artists. There were artists when we lived in caves and there will be artists until the bitter end.

@ChikinLikinWe need some artists but working part time snd a bit of selling on Etsy is not going to pay the bills in a meaningful way unless they have a higher earning partner. Tv and film work is very hard to access as people who study these vocations also find out.

Because Fine Art degrees don't just consist of sculpting or painting! If you go in to a Fine Art degree and do the same sort of work you have always done, you won't do very well! You have to push your practice, research, think very reflectively, attend a vast array of workshops and move on.
If a YP on a Fine Art degree wants to work in advertising then its perfectly possible.
And again its a massive sweeping generalisation to say 'Fine art grads don't want to sell their souls to corporations' does the average history grad want to then?
The OP asked about employment prospects not whether a bunch of you disregard art as a valuable resource in society.
In response to the OP there have been some valid posts about statistics, partially explained by the aspirations of some grads. And some real RECENT lived experiences. Both positive and negative. With grad jobs secured. Or not.
The original OP was also comparing history and art. So engineering etc is irrelevant.
And btw my DS has learnt how to use all the relevant graphic design software on his Fine Art course, both because he had to and because it was something he was interested in and it helps him with his presentations at assessment. He volunteered for a charity and designed all their marketing collateral.
In much the same way that to go into marketing you don't need a marketing degree, the same applies to advertising.

We have around 180,000 studying on art and creative courses at all levels in the uk. This is obviously over supply!

There are about 40,000 UG history students in the UK. This is obviously an over supply!

When I said peer group I did not mean her fellow theologians. I meant her “school year”. She works in a field completely unrelated to her degree.

I have a child who studied a ‘creative’ subject (not art, but similar principles apply) to degree level at a high level specialist institution. It is their passion; they loved it and did very well.

Are they rich? No. Are they employed solely doing things related to their passion? Yes. Does this look like a conventional 9-5 with 1 employer? Absolutely not.

Are they happy and fulfilled? Oh yes. Will their job be overtaken by AI? No.

I find the concept of ‘a good job’ / ‘good employment’ in monetary terms slightly odd in creative areas - the values such students have tend not to include ‘doing whatever it takes to make high secure salaries’. Can creative graduates make enough to live on, and is it worthwhile if it makes them happy, fulfilled and passionate about what they do?