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Community, Advice and Guidance

Research careers and find opportunities in community, advice and guidance

About

There are a huge range of companies you could work for, including public and private bodies.

Sectors you could give advice in could include:

  • Housing
  • Benefits
  • Careers
  • Social care
  • Youth
  • Addiction

Some examples of places you could work includes:

  • Local councils
  • Community centres
  • Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Universities
  • Job centres
  • Prisons or probation centres

Roles, skills and salaries

The range of companies and sectors you can work in is huge and can suit graduates with a variety of skills. You can find opportunities in various roles, including youth or social work. Other roles include opportunities in prisons, community centres or working for charities.

 

Job profiles
Skills employers look for
  • excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to relate to people from diverse backgrounds
  • empathy, diplomacy, sensitivity and a non-judgmental manner as well as a respect for confidentiality
  • flexibility, with the ability to work on your own initiative as well as part of a team
  • resourcefulness, problem-solving skills and attention to detail
  • the capacity to cope with pressure
  • the ability to liaise with other professionals and organisations
Salaries

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on the position.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.


Be inspired

It’s not always easy to know which roles to apply for. The resources in this section can help you find inspiration from previous students and know where to get further support.

Inspiration from people working in the industry
Online reviews

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

Not sure what you want to do?

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, we can help. You can book a guidance appointment via MyCareer. Our careers consultants can help you explore your options or plan your career.


Sector and industry insights

Researching the industry is essential, whether it’s to:

  • help you decide which area to work in
  • identify who to apply to
  • tailor your application
  • impress an interviewer with your knowledge of the sector

Here are some resources to help you get started:

Career guides
Industry news

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

Attend events

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Student societies

Join specific student societies such as the 93% club Newcastle and the British Sign Language Society.

You could also join the committee of any society you are passionate about as the Welfare Officer, to gain experience with welfare issues.

Social media

Use social media to find industry insights

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career.

Professional bodies

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

  • run networking events
  • have specialist groups you could join
  • post vacancies on behalf of their members
  • have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include:

Government bodies

Youth

Community and welfare professional bodies

Relationships and Mediation

Educational and careers guidance

The following external websites provide information about careers and educational guidance:

Finding professional bodies worldwide

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.


Guide to finding opportunities

You can find opportunities within local government agencies and public bodies, such as local councils and the Civil Service

There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.

  • search for advertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
  • look at the careers sections of university and employer websites for student and graduate opportunities. Use Researching Employers to help you gain insights into companies
  • attend events such as recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights
  • contact employers speculatively – see non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs to help you find organisations to approach
  • follow companies on social media for latest news and updates
  • consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs
  • register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners
  • consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
  • ask family and friends if they have any useful contacts who may be able to offer you work experience
  • create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance

Advertised work experience

Placements and internships aren’t common in community, advice and guidance. Instead, volunteering or part time work is more common to gain experience.

Search for work experience

Use our resources to get started:

  • MyCareer - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
  • Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
  • Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad
  • For volunteering opportunities see Volunteering section of the Careers Service website for resources
NCL internships

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage and often include work advising or supporting students.

  • Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.
  • You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.
Worldwide experience

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • Advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.
Looking for ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.


Advertised graduate opportunities

When to apply

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.

For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible.

UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.

Graduate schemes are less common in this sector. Instead graduate jobs are more common, and then working your way up in the industry to your desired role.

Examples of graduate schemes in this sector include:

  • CharityWorks offer a one-year, full-time graduate programme in a non-profit organisation. Positions include operations, business development, fundraising, campaigns, research, or a combination of these.
  • IntoUniversity recruits graduate trainee education workers.

Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.

Vacancy sites

Use our resources to get started:

  • MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
  • Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites

Search the external sites below for more opportunities:

Educational and Careers Guidance

Area specific

  • Sector1.net (North East and Yorkshire)
  • The Herald (Scotland)
  • Goodmoves – recruitment for the civil society, charity and voluntary sector (Scotland)
Worldwide vacancy sites

See International jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites.

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs

Not all work experience and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, many people create opportunities through:

A speculative approach is common for finding work experience and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available.

How to access hidden opportunities

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:

  1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
  2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
  3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
  4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
When to contact organisations

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you:

  • start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts
  • contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin
How to find organisations
UK organisations
Worldwide organisations

Search GoinGlobal's employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world.


Specialist recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs in community, advice and guidance. These tend to be for immediate start positions. It's worth registering with one or two agencies towards the end of your course.

See recruitment agencies to find more agencies.

Finding overseas recruitment agencies

GoinGlobal's country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:

  • staffing agencies and temporary help firms
  • executive recruiters and search firms

Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.


Other ways to gain relevant experience

We've added some suggestions to help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience.

  • Apply for an advisory role on campus. Examples include working as a FutureMe tutor working with secondary school age students or CV Adviser in the Careers Service to gain experience in the advice sector - see Opportunities on Campus for more information.
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections
  • enter a related competition - prizes can often include internships.

Work for yourself

Self-employment in this sector is uncommon, and usually more appropriate for those with substantial experience. However, it is possible to work on a self-employed basis for some roles, for example as a sign language interpreter.

However, our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help:

  • support with idea generation
  • provide tailored advice
  • help you develop your skills
  • introduce you to like-minded peers
  • refer you to further support from mentors
  • award grant funding up to £3,000

Related Sectors

You may also be interested in:

For more options, see Occupations