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Public relations

Research careers and find opportunities in public relations.

About public relations

Public relations (PR) practitioners work across a wide range of sectors and industries – from finance and fashion to government and charities. You can work in-house for a company or as part of a consultancy.

According to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), PR teams are experiencing significant growth. They are also struggling to fill vacancies with candidates who have the right skills.

Gaining relevant experience and proactive networking is vital to getting a graduate level job in PR. You will need to be resilient and self-reliant, with strong commercial awareness.

Experience in this field tends to come through speculative applications.

Roles, skills and salaries

PR consultants need to:

  • keep up-to-date with current trends and issues
  • stay informed and react quickly to developments that could affect their clients

The job may involve a lot of writing (press releases or newsletters) as well as emailing clients. It may also require travelling to conferences and events to build networks.

At entry level, work may involve research and monitoring. This would likely move to more client-focused work as your career progresses.

As an in-house PR officer, you could be promoted to PR manager or head of communications. In agencies, you could progress to senior account executive and account manager.

You could also choose to become freelance, or move into advertising, marketing or journalism.

Talk to people in the sector, eg through an informational interview, to get insight into what a PR role entails.

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:

Skills employers look for

Employers look for skills including:

  • strong writing skills – for example, gained through writing for a student newspaper or blog
  • a keen interest in the world around you and a passion for current affairs and the media
  • communications skills - people who can listen, are articulate and persuasive
  • excellent research and analytical skills

You also need to be able to think on your feet and thrive in a fast-paced, pressured working environment.

Salaries

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector usually range between £18,000 – £24,000, depending on location and organisation type.

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
  • 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 events, such as recruitment fairs 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:

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.

Look out for the Careers Service's Creative Careers which takes place around March each year. It includes with speakers from a range of roles in the creative sector.

For more information see our events.

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:

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

Getting into public relations is extremely competitive.

A postgraduate qualification may improve chances of securing a PR position, but is not essential. Work experience can be invaluable in developing relevant skills and demonstrating commitment to recruiters.

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 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
  • 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

Several large PR consultancies, such as Hanover, offer internships.

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. Some PR companies may recruit at different times.

Smaller consultancies often don’t advertise opportunities. You may need to contact them with a speculative approach. Do this early, as it can be competitive.

Follow companies and accounts on X and Facebook and set up alerts on LinkedIn, so you don't miss out on any opportunities.

Search for internships and placement years

Use our resources to get started:

Search the following external sites for more opportunities:

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 communication related projects.

  • 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

Competition is strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies.

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 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 in PR:

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 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!

For more advice on how to approach companies, see Motive PR Agency: Golden rules for getting work experience in a PR agency.

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

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

Worldwide organisations

Search for global PR firms using:

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 PR. 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 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.

Other ways to gain relevant experience

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

  • gain an insight into PR departments and consultancies through shadowing or part-time work in a different role, eg admin/reception
  • get involved in student media at Newcastle, writing for the Courier, or with student TV or radio
  • get active in student societies, organising events and balls or in a promotional capacity
  • create a blog or podcast and be active on social media, eg X and join relevant discussion groups on LinkedIn. Read and comment on PR blogs
  • 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 like copywriting, or SEO
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections
  • enter a PR-related competition - prizes can sometimes include internships
  • volunteer for charities and voluntary organisations. See Volunteering for more opportunities

Work for yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is quite common in the PR sector.

The US-based site, PR Couture, has a useful article: 5 things I learned my first year as a freelance publicist.

See also the Rise of freelancing within digital PR

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

Our occupational guides can help you explore and consider your options. If you’re interested in public relations you may also be interested in:

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