How to get an internship in….The Environmental Sector
Amy Townsend
Placement and Internship Officer
Contents
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An Introduction to the Environmental Sector
Types of Roles
Sectors to look for vacancies and some
examples of current internships
Top tips & insider info
Where to find advertised opportunities
Hidden opportunities.. and how to find them
A note on unpaid internships
An Introduction to the Environmental Sector
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Very broad and growing! Why?
• Increase in environmental legislation
• The Energy Act 2013
• The Energy Act 2011 – ‘Green Deal’
• The Climate Change Act 2008
• Greater public awareness
• Employers wanting to develop more efficient
processes
• Rising cost of energy
• Rising scarcity of natural resources
• Extreme weather
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High level of competition
Lack of low-level jobs
Types of Roles
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Environmental
Conservation
Climate Change
Renewable Energy
Carbon Management
Environmental Protection
and Control
Environmental Scientists
and Engineers
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Eco-Tourism
Environmental Law &
Litigation
International Environmental
Cooperation
Organic Agriculture
Pressure Groups
Sustainability advice
Typical Employers and examples of Internships
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Voluntary & Charity Sector
Public Sector
Intergovernmental & International Sector
Private Sector
Voluntary and Charity Employers
Carbon disclosure project
• Environmental NGOs
• Wildlife & Habitat Conservation
Charities
• Pressure Groups
• Trusts
• Expeditions
Charity Internships available…. Charity Insights
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Careers Service internship scheme for
undergraduates
A chance to experience work in the UK nonprofit sector
Bursary of £245 per week for a four week
internship
You choose the charity and project
Applications open very soon, deadline 16 May
• www.imperial.ac.uk/careers/internships/
charityinsights
Charity Internships available….
Charity Internships available….
Charity Internships available….
Find Voluntary and Charity Employers
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www.charitychoice.co.uk
www.do-it.org
Volunteering is also a great way to get experience!
Intergovernmental and International Employers
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United Nations
Environmental research institutes and think tanks
Commissions
Consultative bodies
Environment Directorate
Find Intergovernmental & International Employers
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Policy Library list of world think tanks - www.policylibrary.com/
Another list of world think tanks - bit.ly/ttanks14
Public Sector Employers
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Local Authorities
Regulatory Bodies
The Environment Agency
Met office
Research Institutes
Education
National parks
MPs - www.w4mpjobs.org/
Public Sector Internships available….
Public Sector Internships available….
31 Jan
deadline
Find Public Sector Employers
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http://www.jobsgopublic.com/
http://www.lgjobs.com/
Private Sector Employers
• Multinational Companies
• Resource management (water, forestry,
gas, chemical, nuclear, electricity, oil,
mining)
• Environmental or low energy
consultancies
• Research
• Eco-Tourism
• Alternative Energy
Private Sector Internships available….
24 Feb
deadline
Private Sector Internships available….
All in Reykjavik, Iceland, 2 March deadline
Private Sector Internships available….
Find Private Sector Employers
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Low energy consultants directory - www.crc-compliance.co.uk/directory/
ENDS Directory (environmental consultancies) – www.endsdirectory.com
Top Tips - Getting Started
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Keep up to date with the New Scientist and The Guardian’s Environment
section.
http://careers.theguardian.com/environment-careers
http://www.iema.net/access-environment-careers-advice
Join a relevant society
Volunteer part-time
Choose relevant modules
Use social media
Top Tips – Insider Info 1
“Be flexible. You are unlikely to get your ideal job straight away, but most employers
will allow you to mould your workload to a certain extent (especially if you're taking on
extra projects), and you can build up your work experience that way.
Build up good relationships with contacts. I found being known in the area incredibly
helpful in getting both my internships.
Think in terms of human impact of your work/expertise. There is an increasing
recognition that for environmental projects to succeed, they need not only to be
beneficial to the natural environment, but also have to be workable culturally,
economically, and in terms of local impact.
If you can't get the work you want in a paid manner, think about working in a paid parttime job and volunteering part-time on relevant projects. Even if you have to make do
with less money now, you'll probably be glad you did in a few years.”
Susan McNaughton
Activity Project Officer – Rouken Glen Park Environment Department
Top Tips - Insider Info 2
“As a conservation charity, conservation experience is obviously important,
but it depends on the position. We recently recruited for an Events Manager
and in this case conservation interest was an added bonus rather than a
requirement – we would always hire someone with events experience over
someone just with a huge conservation interest.”
Cath Lawson, Save the Rhino International
How to find advertised opportunities
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JobsLive
www.environmentjob.co.uk
Stopdodo – www.environmentjobs.com
Organisation/ Council Websites
College emails or departmental noticeboards/intranet
Many more resources on hand-out
Finding hidden opportunities
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Who do you know?
Networking
Some organisations may
advertise internally (amongst
current employees and
volunteers) before advertising
a vacancy more widely.
Social Media
Finding hidden opportunities – speculative applications
5 steps to making a speculative
application:
1. Find a company
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Use your network of contacts
LinkedIn
JobsLive organisation search
Trade shows/Events
ENDS Directory and other resources
mentioned today & on hand-out
Research the company
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Google news
Annual report
Finding hidden opportunities – speculative applications
3. Find a contact name
• HR team on careers website
• Lots of recruiters are on LinkedIn
4. Prepare a targeted CV and
covering letter
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Use your research to specify the
department you wish to work in and
what you have to offer
5. Send your application
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Keep records!
A note on unpaid internships…
A note on unpaid internships…
Think about:
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Do you need the experience?
How much time will it take?
Can you afford it?
Will it lead to paid work? When?
Summary
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An Introduction to the Environmental Sector
Types of Roles
Sectors to look for vacancies and some
examples of current internships
Top tips & insider info
Where to find advertised opportunities
Hidden opportunities.. and how to find them
A note on unpaid internships
Summary
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Competitive but rewarding
If you’re interested in an environmental career it may well be worth doing
a post-graduate qualification in a relevant subject
Keep on thinking about gaining experience as early as possible – one
internship may not be enough
Other events this
week