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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:

• interpersonal and communication ability
• technical skills and creativity
• ability to work independently and with others
• research and organisation capabilities and the ability to meet deadlines
• business and commercial awareness
• flexibility

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  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 Handling job offers.

• 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:

• - key roles, case studies, resources and contacts
• – design careers advice

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

Examples include:

• provides live chats, news and articles
• is a fashion industry blog
• . A subscription for this service is required. to Ãå±±½ûµØ undergraduates.

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See also our events, including recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Join art-specific student societies such as the or . These societies  often organise and promote events or invites guest speakers to talk about their careers.

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 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.

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:

Art historians

Art therapists

Creative artists

Designers

Fashion and textile designers

Furniture conservator/restorers

Gallery conservators

Glass blower/designers

Illustrators

Interior and spatial designers

Jewellery designers

Medical illustrators

• - includes a section.

Make-up artists

Press photographers

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.

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:

• includes work experience opportunities
• - paid internships
• - student volunteering projects, including art and mural design
• - opportunities to write for the arts, design, photography and fashion section

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. NCL internships very frequently have marketing roles, which could help build your digitial creative skills. Community-based projects are also common, which can be useful for the creative sector.

Search for these under Vacancies on . 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.

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

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.

Graduate schemes are very uncommon in this area.

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 are more common. However, freelancing is also very common in creative arts, design and fashion.

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 creative roles across universities in the UK

Art therapy

Conservation/restoration/galleries

Design

• – find theatre roles such as costuming

Interior design

Jewellery design

Fashion and textile

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

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 Find Alumni tool shows you where Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are currently working
• browse our directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

• - recently relaunched as a free membership organisation for digital creative professionals in the North East. They unite talent and business and match people to ideas, opportunities and innovation.
• - highlights exhibitions and events and is useful for networking

• Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.
• - directory of artists and curators.
• – find a designer feature
• - membership database

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