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Job Vacancies

This page will help you to understand how you can use the information in job vacancies to your benefit, what types of vacancies you might find and where to look for them.

Overview

Looking at job vacancies and reading job descriptions can help you in several ways. Of course, if you’re ready to apply and know what you’re looking for, you can get started!

Otherwise, if you’re not quite ready to apply or feel unsure what you really want to do, job vacancies can still help you to:

  • discover the employers that are out there, including the work that they do and the people that they work with
  • discover roles that may interest you and the skills that employers are looking for when recruiting for these roles

Types of vacancies

  • Permanent contract jobs – which may be full-time or part-time.
  • Short-term/ temporary/ seasonal contract jobs – ecologist roles for example are occasionally offered as seasonal roles over the summer which is a particularly busy time for ecological surveys.
  • Freelance jobs – for example, freelance ecologists; these roles sometimes require a couple of years of prior experience.
  • Internships – usually a form of paid work experience placement lasting weeks or months.
  • Graduate schemes – a structured placement, often 1-4 years long, which is open to those who have already graduated from a degree, or are soon to graduate.
  • Graduate jobs – less structured than graduate schemes; these are entry-level jobs that are normally aimed at those with a relevant degree.
  • Junior/ assistant/ entry-level roles – often open to a wide range of applicants and may offer on-the-job training.
  • Apprenticeships – a way to learn practical skills on the job whilst earning money and a qualification.
  • Traineeships – structured work placements offering a chance to learn practical skills on the job. Opportunities vary – placements can last from a few weeks to a year. Unlike apprenticeships, traineeships can be unpaid although sometimes a bursary is offered. Some include a formal qualification and/or a budget to spend on further work-related training.
  • Volunteer placements/schemes – volunteering can be another option if you want to gain experience and build your CV. Structured placements are sometimes advertised on job boards. Since voluntary roles are unpaid, it’s important to get an idea of how you will support yourself financially in the meantime and what skills you want to develop. See the page on work experience for more places to look for volunteering opportunities.

Find opportunities

Ecology and Environmental Management Job Boards

Other Professional Bodies’ Job Boards

Job Boards of other professional bodies:

Anywhere else?

  • For jobs in environmental NGOs in the UK, try the ‘environment’ section of CharityJobs.co.uk. For public sector jobs, you can also try filtering for ‘environment’ jobs on job boards from your national government or your local authority.
  • If you are at college or university, then speak with your careers service team about opportunities available.   
  • You could also reach out to family, friends, and previous work colleagues to see if they have any connections or are aware of any opportunities.
  • You could contact companies directly to see if they have any upcoming opportunities that may suit you.
  • Follow environmental sector employers on LinkedIn, or join environmental LinkedIn groups to receive updates which may include job vacancy alerts.

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