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Have a look at and  to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:  

Agriculture

Horticulture, forestry and fisheries

This is a large sector, so skills required will vary, but some common skills required include:

• a full driving licence
• willingness to be outside in all weathers and patience to undertake all sorts of practical, sometimes repetitive, jobs
• good attention to detail and accurate record keeping
• an awareness of customer demand, industry standards and sustainability
• the ability to work under pressure
• a good level of physical fitness
• good teamworking skills
• the aptitude to achieve commercial outcomes

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

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

• our  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  or 
• vacancy sites such as  and 

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit .

• Browse our NCL Graduate Employment and Work Experience directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed.
• Use LinkedIn’s  to find out what Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. ³§±ð±ð Ãå±±½ûµØ Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on  [3:13±Õ. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
• Attend alumni events, such as Ãå±±½ûµØ Develop, to hear directly from our graduates.  
• Sign up for mentoring support with  a²Ô»å . 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 events and  employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions.   

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:

• - placement year reviews written by students.
•  – graduate job reviews
•  – company reviews from employees

Read career guides for this sector, such as:  

• – environment and agriculture
• – animal, plant and land-related job profiles
• – graduate careers advice from Agri-Business recruitment specialists
• – horticulture careers information and news
• – websites related to agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and the outdoor world

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

See the professional bodies section below as well as these online magazines and sites:

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry. 

See our  recruitment events and employer & sector insights.  

Join specific student societies, such as the . This society may help you network and build connections in the industry.  

Use social media to find industry insights

Join  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  and subscribe to our sector Twitter list.

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: 

• – consortium of 15 English agricultural societies
• – a directory of consultants, news, events and a jobs board
• Farmers' Unions include the and .

Horticulture, forestry and fisheries

• – includes education, training and career profiles and videos
• – includes a job board and placements advertising
• – education, training and careers information

Sector skills and government departments

• – awarding body for land-based industries in the UK and the Republic of Ireland
• – includes a guide to
• – part of the United Nations agency for food and agriculture

Finding professional bodies worldwide 

³Ò´Ç¾±²Ô³Ò±ô´Ç²ú²¹±ô’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide. 

Advertised work experience in agriculture is generally advertised throughout the year. A good time to look would be in early spring, to secure a position before the harvest. 

Use our resources to get started: 

•  - 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 

Search the following external sites for more opportunities, including voluntary:

Horticulture, forestry and fisheries

• offer a variety of volunteering projects to Ãå±±½ûµØ students.
• – volunteering, work experience and placement opportunities for under 25s. Select the national park you are interested in working in to see opportunities.
• – voluntary opportunities
• – includes
• – volunteering opportunities
• – voluntary internships
• – work experience
• - placement years and other opportunities
• - volunteer on organic farms and learn about sustainable agriculture
• – includes potential dissertation projects
• – placements advertised
•  - includes a list of those offering volunteering opportunities

Agriculture

• local
• local
• posting an advert on

Off campus

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.

You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.

Search for these under Vacancies on . Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

On campus

Opportunities for internships on campus may be available. To find out more:

• Check with the school office for your academic school or speak to your academic adviser to see if they are advertising any roles.
• Register with Unitemps to be notified when roles become available.

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.  

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our Directories. 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. 

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. 

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:

• – search for agricultural jobs by employer type, category and region
• – vacancies in countryside, conservation and environment
• – includes jobs in agriculture, forestry, plant science and related subjects
• - for jobs with RFS and its corporate members
• (select relevant department under 'Organisation')
• Role profiles link to employers and vacancy sources for specific jobs

See â€¯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

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! 

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 

• find organisations on . Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
• use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
• search for companies on LinkedIn. The  tool shows you where Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are currently working
• browse our NCL Graduate Employment and Work Experience directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

•  - search employers by sector, eg software engineering or technology
• Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers. 
• - click ‘Search' then 'Organisations’ to find companies the Careers Service has worked with. Can filter by keyword, sector and region
• – includes a organisations
• – includes a useful for speculative applications
• – includes a (requires free registration)
• – includes a of agricultural contractors
• includes a list of soil scientist employers
• – offers a list of and

• find organisations on Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
• use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
• search for companies on LinkedIn. The  tool shows you where Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are currently working
• browse our  and  directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

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

North East organisations

 - member directory

³Ò´Ç¾±²Ô³Ò±ô´Ç²ú²¹±ô’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.