The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service Physics Careers You can download a copy of this presentation at

What can I do with my degree in Physics?

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 national intelligence and securitywww.gchq.gov.uk HM Government Communications Centre QinetiQ (an agency of the Ministry of Defence) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl) (explosives/weapons technology) Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG BAe Systems global aerospace and defence AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) Roke Manor Research communications research lab. of Siemens specialising in AEA Technology does contract researchwww.aeat.co.uk The Met Office

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 applications Computing without a computing degree For vacancies, see

Teaching £30,000 bursary with 1 st, £25,000 with 2:1 or 2:2 Three ways in: PGCE (1 year course) Schools Direct Teach First

Jobs outside Science Science graduates are attractive to many employers outside science because of their: Ability to analyse information in a logical way Investigative and problem solving skills. Numeracy IT skills FINANCE COMPUTING

CHOOSING A CAREER Prospects Planner: powerful career choice program Choosing a career web pages Information on many different careers

Physics Job Sources Lots of physics jobs and placements Kent University vacancy and internships database Science Recruitment Agencies Vacation Work Placements SEPNET

Careers Talks and Employer Presentations VACANCY AND WORK EXPERIENCE DATABASE Apply for jobs in the first term – vacancy s every Monday Graduate Employer Directories are available in Careers Service

EXAMPLE PHYSICS CV 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 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 interview

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

Careers Employability Award on Moodle Half the unemployment rate for students completing the award DP2650 if you have problems

Other points Check you campus s regularly as I send you careers s 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:

Telephone: Opening hours: Monday to Friday 9 to 5 including vacations Drop-in times (no appointment needed: 15 minutes): to and 2 to 4 pm Help given for up to 3 years after graduation Weekly careers s every Monday afternoon

The University of Kent Careers and Employability Service Physics Careers You can download a copy of this presentation at

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 Summer work in the USA, Canada, Australia, Jamaica and Ghanawww.bunac.org.uk Camp America Camp Counsellors USA and Work Experience USA CIEE work experience in the USA, Canada, Australia and NZwww.ciee.org