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Thulsi Prabakaran

Environment Officer
What employment sector do you work in?

Public Sector

How long have you had a green job for nature?

15 months

Salary Range

£25,001 – £30,000

Please describe the work that you do.

I work in the University of Leicester’s Sustainability Team, helping to engage staff and students with sustainability via digital campaigns and face-to-face events, as well as working on sustainability-related projects at the University. I manage the team’s social media and blog accounts, help staff and students develop and implement their sustainability projects and am also involved in carbon emissions calculations.

What do you most like about your job? Any dislikes?

I really enjoy the variety of sustainability tasks and projects that I get to work on as this helps to develop my skill set and experiences. Contributing towards reducing the University’s carbon footprint and increasing our carbon handprint brings me great satisfaction in knowing that I’m helping to make a positive difference.

What inspired you into this career? 

I have always loved the natural world and knew I wanted to pursue a career that enabled me to make a positive contribution. Sustainability seemed like the perfect fit as there are many different aspects to explore, and I have the opportunity to adapt my skills as I progress through my career whilst remaining in the same field.

Have you faced any challenges in progressing your career so far? 

Sustainability-related jobs are often not as highly paid as in other industries, and even more so in the public sector. As my team is quite small, each individual’s role differs greatly and there isn’t a clear pathway of progression within the organisation. Also, being a young female from a minority background means that I am sometimes not taken seriously by colleagues, but working in an all-female team is extremely empowering and supportive!

What education/training did you have?

After completing my BA in Geography and Chinese, I achieved GradIEMA status and am currently working towards the IEMA Practitioner Standard. I am also certified as Carbon Literate and help to deliver Carbon Literacy training to staff and students at the University of Leicester.

What advice would you give to someone coming into the profession? 

Don’t feel pressured to know which area you want to specialise in – I’m still figuring this out and have learnt so much from not closing any metaphorical doors 🙂

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Tags: England, Public sector, Sustainability adviser, Unrelated first degree, Diversity and inclusion

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