The University of KentCareers and Employability Service

Physics Careers

You can download a copy of this presentation atwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

What can I do with my degree in Physics?

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/physics.htm

Physics Employers

Industry BAe Systems, Thales, Rolls Royce, Roke Manor Research

Nuclear Power - AEA Technology, BNFL, British Energy, Powergen, National Radiological Protection Board

Hospitals – Medical physics Defence - Qinetiq, DESG, GCHQ, AWE Space - Astrium, European Space Agency Computing - FDM, IBM, Tessella, Aligent Geophysics - Western Geophysical, Gardline

Surveys Other - British Antarctic Survey, CERN, Met.

Office

TRY TO GET A GOOD DEGREE. Many employers require an Upper Second degree (2:1 / 60%)

More Physics Employers• Defence industry and other science and engineering companies:

The work is often research orientated and can be intellectually stimulating• GCHQ www.gchq.gov.uk national intelligence and security • HM Government Communications Centre www.hmgcc.gov.uk • QinetiQ (an agency of the Ministry of Defence) • Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl) (explosives/weapons

technology) www.dstl.gov.uk/careers/index.php • Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG www.desg.mod.uk • BAe Systems global aerospace and defence • AWE www.awe.co.uk   (Atomic Weapons Establishment) • Roke Manor Research communications research lab. of Siemens specialising

in AEA Technology www.aeat.co.uk does contract research • The Met Office• www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/defence-careers.htm

Physics Jobs

• Research & Development• Engineering!• Medical Physics• Science Teaching• Information Scientist• Patent Examiner• Patent Agent• Scientific Administrator• Technical Author, Science

Journalist & Medical Writer

You may be called an engineer, not a physicist!

• Many physicists jobs don’t have the job title “physicist”.

• You may be called a development engineer, systems engineer, materials scientist, support analyst, clinical scientist, meteorologist etc.

Computing• Many well paid jobs and many firms willl take

maths graduates: Accenture, IBM, CGI, FDM etc.

• Jobs in programming, systems analysis, consultancy, web development

• Sell Matlab, Latex etc. in your applicationsComputing without a computing degreewww.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin/computing.htm For vacancies, see www.gradcracker.com

Teaching • £30,000 bursary with 1st, £25,000 with 2:1 or 2:2Three ways in:• PGCE (1 year course)• Schools Direct• Teach Firstwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/siteach.htm

Jobs outside Science

Science graduates are attractive to many employers outside science because of their: Ability to analyse information in a logical wayInvestigative and problem solving skills. NumeracyIT skills

FINANCECOMPUTING

CHOOSING A CAREER

Prospects Planner: powerful career choice programwww.prospects.ac.uk/plannerChoosing a career web pages www.kent.ac.uk/careers/Choosing/ChoosingCareer.htmInformation on many different careers www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm

Physics Job Sources• www.gradcracker.com Lots of physics jobs and placements• Kent University vacancy and internships

database www.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html• Science Recruitment Agencies

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitephar.htm#agencies• Vacation Work

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/ScienceJobs.htm• Placements

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/placements.htm• SEPNET www.sepnet.ac.uk

Careers Talks and Employer Presentations www.kent.ac.uk/ces/events/index.html

VACANCY AND WORK EXPERIENCE DATABASEwww.kent.ac.uk/ces/vacancies.html Apply for jobs in the first term – vacancy emails every Monday Graduate Employer Directories are available in Careers Service

EXAMPLE PHYSICS CV

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/cv/physics-cv.htm Prepare a high quality CV. Get it checked by the Duty Adviser:An adviser is on duty for short (15 minute) consultations in the Careers and Employability Service any weekday morning 10.30-12.30 or afternoon from 2 pm to 4 pm. You don't need an appointment to see the duty adviser at these times. Just ask at Careers Reception to see them.Science practice interviewwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/interviews/ivscience.htm

Postgraduate Study TAUGHT Higher degrees by taught course &

dissertation. MSc. Length: one calendar year (Sept. – Sept.). New £10,000 loans scheme.

RESEARCH PhD. Length: at least three years for PhD. Work independently to prepare a thesis. Research council funding from STFC and EPSRC

FUNDING Normally need 2:1 for research council bursary – fees paid, plus about £15,000 grant

www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm

Careers Employability Award on Moodle

• Half the unemployment rate for students completing the award www.kent.ac.uk/careers/moodle.htm

• DP2650 • Email bw@kent.ac.uk if you have problems enrolling

Other points

• Check you campus emails regularly as I send you careers emails every Monday

• Get actively involved in university life so you have evidence of teamwork, organising, leadership etc. skills for your CV.

• Apply early in your final year – closing dates are often in the first term.

• Bruce Woodcock: email bw@kent.ac.uk

www.kent.ac.uk/careers Telephone: 01227 823299 Email: careerhelp@kent.ac.ukOpening 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 pmHelp given for up to 3 years after graduationWeekly careers emails every Monday afternoon

The University of KentCareers and Employability Service

Physics Careers

You can download a copy of this presentation atwww.kent.ac.uk/careers/slides.htm

Comments from students who have completed the award

You get a really nice certificate!

It was so easy, quick and I learned a lot.

Without realising, you have finished the course

and have already put together a very good CV

and covering letter.

It really blew my mind with some ideas I’ve never known

before, such as portfolio working and working from

home. I never thought about obtaining happiness from my

work before.

It would be mad to apply for a job or attend an

interview without doing it! 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.

The module is very, very useful! I really love how it makes you to think about your personality and helps you to identify your

strengths and weaknesses.I found the module to be highly thought-provoking as it really

encouraged me to consider how my degree will benefit my future and what I can be doing now to

improve my graduate employment prospects.

I enjoyed the depth of the module. It went far beyond some general tips on

how to write a good CV and prepare for an interview. Rather it went in to detail

about the whole process of graduate job search from the beginning to the end. It

was very instructive .

The amount of time put into this is astounding! I actually spoke to friends from other universities who said they

wished they had something like this.

It has made me feel a lot more confident when it comes to

applications and interviews and has also made me think about skills that I didn't think I had

before. I recently had a very successful interview

largely because I put the advice on the module into

practice.

If you can’t get a science placement ………

• Do something outside science that develops your teamworking/organising/ problem-solving skills

• BUNAC www.bunac.org.uk Summer work in the USA, Canada, Australia, Jamaica and Ghana

• Camp America www.campamerica.co.uk • Camp Counsellors USA and Work

Experience USA www.ccusa.com• CIEE www.ciee.org work experience in the

USA, Canada, Australia and NZ