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Environment and sustainability

Research careers and find opportunities in environment and sustainability.

About

Careers in environment and sustainability are highly varied. They can range from recycling and waste management to environmental management and conservation, tackling climate change. Jobs in green energy and corporate responsibility are also in demand.

"With the government planning to increase the number of green jobs, the demand for graduates with the skills and passion to protect and preserve the environment has never been higher"

Prospects

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, from countryside rangers and conservation officers to consultancy and policy work.

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:  

 Environmental protection and control

Environmental management and conservation

Engineering, energy and scientist

Recycling and waste management

Skills employers look for
  • an ability to project-manage, prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and work with minimum supervision
  • leadership and the ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams
  • attention to detail and a logical and methodical approach to problem-solving
  • an ability to research, analyse and communicate complex technical data to others
  • numerical and IT skills
  • commercial awareness and an understanding of local, national and global environmental issues
  • a desire to work outside in all weathers may be needed
  • a full driving licence and willingness to travel are often required
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.   

Get started by exploring our advice on Career planning, including our guides to:   

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:

  • EAUC Sustainability Exchange - career guide and webinars on sustainability, including understanding job roles, developing key skills and standing out to employers
Industry news

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

  • ENDS Europe provides an environmental news and information service.
  • edie.net is an environment and sustainability news centre.
Attend events

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry. Regular events for this sector include the British Ecological Society's Student Futures and Research Conference.

See also our recruitment events.

Professional bodies may also often organise networking events.

 

Student societies

Join an environment-specific student societiey. These include the Earth and Environmental Science Society and the Ecological Society.

 

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 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:

Professional societies

Research councils/institutes

Government departments and agencies

Sector skills councils/industry groups

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

For environmental and sustainability sector roles, there are various ways to find opportunities. These include voluntary, 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 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
  • create your own opportunity by starting your own business or working freelance 

Advertised work experience

Placements and internships can be quite common in the environment sector, especially for larger companies. 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. 

For smaller charities, especially in conservation, speculative work experience may be more common. 

When to apply

Apply for advertised opportunities as early as possible.  

For advertised work experience with larger companies, 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. 

Some work experience or volunteering, which will be common in smaller environment charities and organisations, advertise throughout the year, or closer to the start date.

Search for internships and placement years

Use our resources to get started: 

Search the following external sites:

  • Countryside Jobs Service (countryside-jobs.com)
  • E.ON - find year-long placements. Past opportunities have been related to carbon capture and pollution control
  • Regen SW - have offered internships in the past for graduates relating to sustainable energy, based in Devon
  • Balfour Beatty
  • Lichfields - planning consultancy, accepts speculative applications for internships and placements. Has offices across the UK including Newcastle, London, Leeds, Manchester, Reading and Cardiff
  • Royal Haskoning DHV
  • Carbon Trust - offer paid 3 or 6 month internships in London or Edinburgh. Opportunities cover areas such as policy, technology, business analytics, accreditation and marketing
  • Field Studies Council – offer placement years related to environmental education
  • Bright Green Placements place students within Scottish businesses. You would undertake paid projects with an environmental focus
  • UKELA: Students - events, competitions and internship opportunities

 

NCL Internships

The Careers Service runs flexible summer and part-time 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. 

Advertised voluntary experience

In the North East

In the UK

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.  

Finding experience overseas

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 vacancies

Typical employers for this sector

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 or November. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled. These are more common with large companies in industries like sustanability or green energy. 

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. These may be more common with smaller environment charities.  

Vacancy sites

Vacancy sites (All sectors)

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 

Vacancy sites for environment and sustainability

Environmental management and conservation

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. 

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. 

Other ways to gain relevant experience

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

  • complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find virtual internships.
  • sign up for free online courses to develop new skills such as
  • 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 above.
  • enter an energy and environment related competition - prizes can often include internships.
  • volunteer. See Volunteering for more opportunities, and the above voluntary experiences.

Specialist recruitment agencies

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

Specialist agencies for the environment sector include:

  • letsrecycle.com - recruitment agency for the recycling and waste management industries
  • Amida – includes health and safety and sustainability positions

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 common in the environment and sustainability sector, especially later in your career.

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 Agriculture,  or 

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