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
Have a look at Prospects and targetjobs to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:
- Advice worker
- British Sign Language Interpreter
- Communication Support Worker
- Community arts worker
- Community development worker
- Community education officer
- Drug and alcohol worker
- Family mediator
- Family support worker
- Housing manager/officer
- Housing policy officer
- Mediator
- Money adviser/debt counsellor
- Playworker
- Substance misuse outreach worker
- Welfare rights officer
- Youth offending team officer
- Youth and Community worker
Educational and careers advice and guidance
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:
- our Discover your Earning Potential Pathway offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
- job profiles, such as those listed on Prospects or targetjobs
- vacancy sites such as Glassdoor and LinkedIn
For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.
Inspiration from people working in the industry
- browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
- use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
- attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
- sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
- attend recruitment events and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions
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:
- RateMyPlacement - placement year reviews written by students.
- The Job Crowd – graduate job reviews
- Glassdoor – company reviews from employees
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.
Career guides
Read career guides for this sector, such as:
- Prospects: Social care
- TARGETjobs: Public Service, charity and social work
- National Youth Agency: Careers in youth work
- Children's Workforce Guide to Qualifications and Training 2023/24 | CYP Now
- How do you become a mediator? – The Family Mediators Association (thefma.co.uk)
- A day in the life of a social worker: Child protection - Children’s social care (blog.gov.uk)
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:
- Children and Young People Now
- DiversityLink.co.uk
- Civil Society
- Inside Housing lists housing news.
- Drink and Drugs News and DrugWise
Attend events
Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.
See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.
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
- National Association for Voluntary and Community Action
- National Housing Federation
- Addiction Professionals
- Equality and Human Rights Commission
Relationships and Mediation
Educational and careers guidance
The following external websites provide information about careers and educational guidance:
- Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)
- National Careers Service
- Careers Service Northern Ireland
- Careers Wales
- Career Development Institute
- Inspiring the Future
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
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.
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:
- CharityJob.co.uk
- Jobstoday.co.uk
- Charities Jobs, vacancies | Charity Sector | Guardian Jobs (theguardian.com)
- LG Jobs
- Community Care: Jobs
- Jobs – AdviceJobs
- Citizens Advice Bureau – jobs and voluntary opportunities
- Drink and Drugs News: Jobs section
- Inside Housing: jobs
Educational and Careers Guidance
- Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)
- jobs.ac.uk
- LG Jobs
- Times Educational Supplement (TES)
- Portico - Institute of Career Guidance job site
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:
- networking and making contacts
- developing their own business ideas
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:
- 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.
- Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
- Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
- If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
How to find organisations
- find organisations on MyCareer. Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
- use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
- search for companies on LinkedIn. The Find Alumni tool shows you where Newcastle graduates are currently working
- browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
UK organisations
- Citizen's Advice Bureau
- Ofsted registered nurseries
- Probation services
- family refuge centres eg those run by groups like Refuge and Women's Aid
- Your local council website can be useful for finding youth groups or community centres you could volunteer or work at
- Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.
- ReThink for links to mental health 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