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Have a look at and to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them.

Examples of the type of technical roles found across most sectors of the energy industry include:

You can find more examples of specialist technical roles below.

Renewable energy

Nuclear

Oil and gas

• - also see a from The Geological Society
• - also see a from The Geological Society
• - also see different from a training provider

Utilities

• - for more information on this role see Engineering

Have a look at and to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. Examples of commercial careers include:

• marketing and communications
• IT and data science/analysis
• finance and trading
• logistics and supply chain management
• human resources
• sales
• consultancy

You can also find opportunities in policy, law and regulation.

Employers in this sector are looking for skills including:

• an ability to project manage, prioritise tasks, meet deadlines and work with minimum supervision
• leadership and the ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams
• a logical and methodical approach to problem-solving
• an ability to research, analyse and communicate complex technical data to others
• flexibility and willingness to work outdoors, offshore, or overseas

For some roles, such as geochemist and hydrologist, a relevant postgraduate qualification may be preferred. See our Further Study for information on finding, choosing and funding further study.

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:

• (Prospects)
• - information on the range of industries in the sector, including gas, power, water and waste management
• – from the Energy Institute

Renewable energy

• (Prospects)

Nuclear

• (Prospects)
•  gives examples of the different roles within the industry
• also gives insight into the industry

Oil and gas

• (Prospects)
• (targetjobs)

Utilities

• (targetjobs)

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

Examples include:

• has global news and articles on renewable energy, including wind, solar, wave and tidal. See also .

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

Ãå±±½ûµØ students can access free membership to the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC), which includes access to sustainability events and networking opportunities

Attend events including our recruitment events and employer & sector insights.

Join relevant student societies, such as 

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 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

See key organisations below.

Professional societies/institutes

• - includes link to their

Research councils and research centres

Sector skills councils/industry associations

• - sector skills council for a range of industries including nuclear
• - business development organisation for UK oil, gas, nuclear and offshore wind sectors
• - trade association, includes the
• - trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries
• - North East England's Offshore Wind Cluster
• - includes information on the
• - represents refining industry in Europe and includes links to member companies and national associations
• - information on the UK water industry, including water and sewerage companies

Intergovernmental and not-for-profit organisations

• - not-for-profit organisation which promotes sustainable development

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.

Many large engineering companies, particularly in the power and oil and gas sectors, advertise summer or year-long placements early in the first semester.

These are usually aimed at students in and above their second year of study. Applications open early in the autumn and closing dates are usually between November and March.

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

• - advertises placements and internships, including in nuclear and renewables
• - work placements for engineering and science students (England is a non-member country, but it's still possible for students studying in non-member countries to apply)
• - summer internship program for undergraduate science or engineering students to undertake research in Germany.
• - summer research internships in Germany for Master’s and PhD students at companies and research institutions. Depending on the internship, recent graduates may also be eligible.

Professional bodies and research councils also advertise opportunities. See Sector and industry insights for a list of organisations.

For more advice, read targetjobs' .

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 . 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.

The Sustainability Team at Ãå±±½ûµØ sometimes offer NCL internships to current students. They have also offered support for sustainability dissertations and funding for relevant projects.

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 the following 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
• - includes jobs in renewables and power and nuclear
• - work on research projects while gaining industrial experience with an employer. Projects are competitively paid, with funding for personal development (often including a higher degree qualification), and typically last 1-3 years

Professional bodies and research councils also advertise graduate positions. See sector and industry insights for a list of organisations.

• - includes vacancies relating to
• - includes jobs in renewable and wind energy
• – includes jobs in renewable energy

• - two-year graduate scheme with placements in more than 20 companies
• , based at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, offer a
• - opportunities for graduates in chemistry, chemical engineering, physics and materials

• (water services regulation authority)
•  (Office of Gas and Electricity)
• - engineering, commercial and technology graduate programmes, based in London, the South East or East of England

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

See International jobs for details of more overseas vacancy sites.

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 directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

North East Organisations

• - North East England's Offshore Wind Cluster, includes list of related organisations under and

UK Organisations

All sectors

• - for areas of specialism in a particular country/area
•  - lists of companies in a range of sectors including energy consultancy, petroleum, environment, electricity and renewables
• - list of suppliers and contractors in the power industry
• - search for companies

Renewables

• - includes a list of renewable energy consultancies
• - member directory

Nuclear

• - company members

Oil and gas

• - members range from multi-national oil and gas companies to companies with alternative fuels interests
• - member directory and links to professional bodies/associations who work in the subsea industry, including marine renewables and oil and gas

Utilities

• - list of UK water and wastewater service suppliers

Professional bodies and research councils often include member directories. See Sector and industry insights for a list of organisations.

• - list of global environmental industry companies
•  includes a company A-Z of buyers and suppliers to the industry
• (WANO)
• search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world