The University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
Careers with a
Biodiversity/Wildlife Degree
You can download a copy of this presentation at
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
Destinations of Kent Conservation and Wildlife Graduates
Destinations of 2013/14 Wildlife Conservation graduates
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Grugeon Reynolds
Stanstead Airport
Cambridgeshire Council
University of Kent
Gaia Foundation
Atlantic Whale Foundation
Lang Tengah Turtle Watch
London Zoo
Field Studies Council
Venomtech
My Vet 24/7
The Conservation Volunteers
Royal Society of Protection of Birds
Mauritian Wildlife Foundation
National Centre for Biological Sciences
Imperial College London
University of Edinburgh
Imperial College, London
Bangor
University of East Anglia
Trainee Accountant
Terminal Security Officer
Wildlife Education Assistant
Facilities Coordinator - Recycling
Gaia Foundation Intern
Research Guide for Conservation Work
Co-Founder
Tour Guide
Trainee Tutor
Senior Animal Technician
Veterinary Nurse Assistant
Volunteer Officer
Wildlife Conservation Volunteer
Pink pigeon volunteer
Research Assistant
MSc Conservation Science
MSc Outdoor Education (+ Waitress)
MSc in Environmental Technology
MSc Agroforestry (+ HGV Driver)
MSc Ecology
Plus lots of shop assistants, waitresses and bar workers!
See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/destinations.htm for full details
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Environment.htm
Sources of Environmental Jobs
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Environment Post www.environmentpost.co.uk Major source of conservation
vacancies. Reference copies are in File R4 in the Careers Service.
ENDS www.ends.co.uk Environmental Data Services has listings of jobs.
Includes a Consultancy Directory.
The Guardian on Wednesdays.
Countryside Jobs Service www.countryside-jobs.com
The Green Directory www.greendirectory.net/home.cfm Ethical Careers
Service http://peopleandplanet.org/ethicalcareers
Nature Magazine www.nature.com/naturejobs/channels/graduate range of
postgrad, PHD and postdoc positions.
Growing Careers www.growing-careers.com vacancies in environment and
conservation, nurseries and garden centres,
Environmental Recruitment Agencies
Environment Job www.environmentjob.co.uk.
Ecological Recruitment Co. www.eco-uk.com
Green Technical Resourcing www.gtr.uk.com
ADC Environment Recruitment www.green4u.co.uk
Many jobs in the environment are not advertised - organisations get enough
CVs from people applying speculatively to be able to fill their vacancies from
these. You need to network and be persistent. See CVs and Covering Letters
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm and Creative Jobhunting
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/CJ.htm to learn how to do this.
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CHOOSING A CAREER
CHOOSING A CAREER BOOKLET
available from Careers Service.
Prospects Planner
powerful career choice program
www.prospects.ac.uk/links/Pplanner
Information on many
graduate careers
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm
One third of graduate jobs accept any degree
subject.
BECAUSE:
• Learn new skills
quickly
• Analyse & solve
problems
• Communicate well
• Open to new ideas,
adaptable and flexible
• “Managers of change”
• Marketing and
Sales
• Retailing
• Social Work
• Personnel
• Civil Service
• Accountancy
• Banking
• Computing
Postgraduate Study
• MA taught: 1 year
Sept to May – lectures,
June to Sept – dissertation.
• PhD – 3 years.
Must do an MA first
• PGCE (teacher training) 1 year
See www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm
Master's Courses
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Soils and Environmental Pollution, University of Reading
Coastal and Marine Resource Management, University of Portsmouth
Conservation and Tourism, University of Kent
Conservation Biology, University of Kent
Environmental Analysis and Assessment, Royal Holloway, University of
London
Environmental Diagnosis, Imperial College London
Environmental Impact Assessment, Oxford Brookes University
Environmental Policy, Planning and Regulation London School of
Economics and Political Science
Environmental Pollution Control, Middlesex University
Environmental Pollution Science, Brunel University
Environmental Technology, Imperial College London
Risk Management, Middlesex University
Rural Development, University of Sussex
Water and Environmental Engineering, University of Surrey
Environmental Law and Policy, University of Kent
New Postgraduate Loans
• New postgraduate loan scheme for English
-domiciled students and EU students studying
in English institutions from 2016.
• Offers students up to £10,000 to help with costs
of a masters degree.
• Students are eligible for the loans if under the age
of 30 and studying for a full-time masters, or part-time at 50%
intensity or above. There are no subject restrictions.
• Like undergraduate loans, graduates will only pay them back if
they earn over a certain amount - probably the same as
undergraduate loans (£21,000), and repay at a rate of 9% of income
above this sum.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm#Funding
Application Process
The smaller company process is much simpler and you can apply much
later (often after final exams) but salaries are usually lower and they offer less
training and less chance to specialise.
EXAMPLE CVs
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/environmental-cv.htm
Check you campus emails regularly as I will send
you many careers emails
Get voluntary experience for your CV:
Kent Wildlife Trust www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk
conservation work in Kent including West Blean
Woods. Needs volunteers. Run excellent and cheap
wildlife study days on, for example, small mammal
and bat identification
Applications and Interviews
• Covering Letters www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/cvexamples.htm
• Practice Interviews: journalism, teaching, marketing, HR,
postgrad study etc.
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/mockivs.htm
• Application, interview and selection centre videos
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/IntVid.htm
• Applications and interviews
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm
• University of Kent Vacancy Database
www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html
BRUCE WOODCOCK
• A Duty Careers Adviser is available for
short (15 minute) consultations:
MORNINGS (10.30 am - 12.30 pm) and
AFTERNOONS (2 to 4 pm). Don’t need to book
an appointment just ask at reception in the
Careers Service (Keynes College Driveway)
• If you need longer ring our reception on
01227 823299 to make an appointment for
interview with me.
• Email: bw@kent.ac.uk
www.kent.ac.uk/careers Telephone: 01227 823299 Email:
careerhelp@kent.ac.uk
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 to 5 including vacations
Drop-in times (no appointment needed: 15 minutes): 10.30 to 12.30 and 2
to 4 pm
Help given for up to 3 years after graduation
Weekly careers emails every Monday afternoon
Careers Employability Award on Moodle
• Half the unemployment rate for students completing the award
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm
• DP2650
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Email bw@kent.ac.uk if you have problems enrolling
The University of Kent
Careers and Employability Service
Careers with a
Biodiversity/Wildlife Degree
You can download a copy of this presentation at
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm
Moodle Careers Employability Award
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14 Quizzes: need 75% to pass but allowed
unlimited attempts
•Employability skills quiz
•Employability skills quiz: drag
& drop
•How to develop the skills
employers want?
•Test your spelling and
grammar!
•What makes you happy at
work?
•How commercially aware are
you?
Complete 3 of the
following seven
assignments
•Special interests topic •Analyse your skills and learn
lesson
how to make top quality
•Interview preparation applications
•Practice interview
•What are the most
•Do you want to live to work
common interview
or work to live?
questions?
•Aptitude tests and
•Researching careers
assessment centres
•CV quiz
•Choosing a career
•CVs and covering
letters: drag & drop
•Submit a CV
quiz
•Career planning drag •Social media
and drop quiz
•Action planning
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm#subject
I enjoyed the depth of the module. It went
The amount of time put into this
far beyond some general tips on how to
write a good CV and prepare for an
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The module
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my graduate employment prospects.
It would be mad to apply
for a job or attend an
interview without doing it!
I recently had a very
successful interview largely
because I put the advice on
the module into practice.
learned a lot.
Without realising, you have
finished the course and
have already put together
It has made me feel a lot more
a very
good
CV and
confident
when
it comes
to
covering
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applications
and interviews
has also made me think about
skills that I didn't think I had
before.
Before the course
I had only a vague idea
of my career path and opportunities.
Now I am applying for summer
internships and know how to effectively
sell my skills to a prospective employer
and have a much more focused plan for
my future.