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harry potter - What jobs can wizards and witches do within the world of magic?


This Cracked article reminded me of the reason why I asked this question.


What jobs were open to wizards and witches in the world of magic?


From crowd scenes at Quidditch competitions it seems that there are many wizards and witches out there but not many occupations are listed [in the books]. So that leads me to think either there are many jobs not listed or no one actually needs to work after they graduate.


To clarify I am not asking what Muggle related jobs there may be or even what jobs the Ministry of Magic has available. The books pretty much divide it into teaching, government, shop owner, reporter, writer and Quidditch player.




Answer



Employment options we see or that can be inferred:



  • The Ministry. Employs a large percentage of witches and wizards in Britain.

  • Hogwarts. Employs a score, give or take, of teachers and a few other staff (Filch, Mme. Pomfrey, Mme. Pince, at least).

  • St. Mungo's. No idea how many they employ. I'd guess an absolute minimum of 50, probably closer to 100.

  • Gringotts. Sure, most of the workers there are goblins, but Bill Weasley works for Gringotts, so they have some employees, even if they're all off-site.

  • Shops. There are dozens, maybe hundreds of shops in Diagon Alley, and a dozen or two more in Hogsmeade. We only see the proprietors of most (except the twins' assistant), but there must be more.

  • Supply Chain. Just like in our world, most shop owners don't make all their products. Even those who do (e.g. It's implied Olivander makes all his wands, the Weasley twins enchant all their own products) have to get the raw materials somewhere. I really have no idea on this, but I'd have to guess at least twice as many people as work in shops.

  • The Service Industry. Somewhat surprisingly, we don't see this much in the books, but, e.g. caterers, personal assistants, whatever else people will pay another to do for them.


  • Entertainment. This is so big I'll break it down a bit.

    • Press. The Daily Prophet, The Quibbler, the various wizarding wireless (radio) stations.

    • Bands. We see/hear several bands/music groups.

    • Quidditch. There are 13 quidditch teams in Britain, so 91 on the field, who knows how many substitutes, coaches, managers, owners, greenskeepers, ushers, vendors, announcers, and probably more categories I overlooked.

    • Authors. Gilderoy Lockhart, the authors of all the kids' textbooks, and other books in, e.g. the Hogwarts Library and the bookstore in Diagon Alley.



  • Old Money. People, e.g. Lucius Malfoy, the Potters before they were killed, who have enough money they don't have to work.

  • Housewives. And househusbands if you insist on gender equality.



And I'm sure there are fairly large categories I've missed. I don't think there's any shortage of jobs in the Wizarding World.


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