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Civil engineering, geomatics and construction

Research careers and discover opportunities in civil engineering, geomatics and construction.

About

There are a variety of opportunities in civil engineering, geomatics and construction. You could work in a technical role or in management or engineering.

Civil engineering involves the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure, such as bridges, flood defences, wind turbines and tunnels.

Geomatics, or GIS, centres around technology and methods surrounding geographic data. This includes geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS).

Watch the video to meet Saffron, a Newcastle University graduate working as a Civil Engineer to learn more about her experience in the industry. 

Roles and skills

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:

Civil engineering and construction

Geomatics

For roles relating to building and property surveying, see Property & Surveying.

Skills employers look for

Employers in this sector look for skills including:

  • excellent problem-solving, maths and IT skills
  • strong technical knowledge and skill with specialist software
  • good communication skills
  • the ability to convey complex information to non-technical colleagues
  • the ability to plan, prioritise and manage projects
  • a commitment to keeping up-to-date with new developments and relevant legislation
  • leadership skills
  • the ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams
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.

Explore career planning advice
Making career choices
Exploring your options

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

Read career guides for this sector, such as:

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. Find events at ICE: North East branch events.

See also our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Student societies

Join specific student societies. Examples include the Civil Engineering And Geospatial Society and the Engineering Projects Society. These societies are a great way to learn new skills and network.

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 Twitter 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 and subscribe to our sector Twitter list.

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:

Construction

Engineering

Geomatics

Cartography

Research councils and research centres

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

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 on company 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 Finding Hidden Opportunities 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.
  • ask family and friends if they have any useful contacts who may be able to offer you work experience
  • consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
  • create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance

Advertised work experience

Placements and summer internships are usually aimed at undergraduate students in and above their second or penultimate year of study. Some companies will also consider first and final year students.

When to apply

Apply for advertised opportunities 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.

Search for internships and placement years

Large recruiters, such as Arup and Balfour Beatty, advertise summer or year placements. These are usually aimed at students in and above their second year of study. Applications open early in autumn and closing dates are usually between December and February.

The Environment Agency offer geomatics placements to undergraduate students in their penultimate year.

Work experience opportunities with smaller companies are not always advertised. You may need to contact the employer with a speculative approach.

Professional bodies and research councils also advertise opportunities. See Sector and Industry Insights for more information.

Read TARGETjobs Construction work experience: what you need and how to get it.

Use our resources to get started:

Search the following external sites:

  • Gradcracker - includes work placement search facility
  • Year in Industry (YINI) - opportunities in the technology, science and engineering sectors
  • IAESTE eight to 12-week technical summer placements overseas open to undergraduates in the second year and above
  • RISE - summer internship for undergraduate science or engineering students to research in Germany
  • CareerStructure.com - specialist recruitment site with a dedicated Graduate Zone
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.

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 October-November. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.

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:

Geomatics

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP). This is a three-way partnership. It involves a business, a graduate and an academic institution. Graduates work on research projects while gaining industrial experience with an employer. Projects are competitively paid. There is funding for personal development, and typically last 1-3 years. View current opportunities

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 internships, placements and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, many people create opportunities through:

A speculative approach is common for finding internships and placements 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

Use the resources below to find organisations in the North East, UK and worldwide.

UK organisations

You can also search for members in the directories. This includes the Survey Assocation and the British Cartography Society.

Check out LinkedIn: Find Alumni to see which companies Newcastle graduates are working in.

Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.

Worldwide organisations

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

Other ways to gain relevant experience

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

  • find a part-time job, such as labourer on a construction site
  • complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships in engineering
  • build a portfolio of work to demonstrate your skills and interest
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections, eg through the professional bodies listed above
  • enter an engineering related competition - prizes can often include internships
  • volunteer for a charity or organisation. See Volunteering for more opportunities

Specialist recruitment agencies

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

Specialist recruitment agencies include:

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.

Work for yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is possible in the civil engineering sector.

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
Find out about Start Up

Related sectors

You may also be interested in Engineering, Energy and utilities or Property and surveying

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