Getting experience in sustainability and CSR

Opportunities at The University of Manchester

There are many opportunities to show your commitment to the environment and to gain relevant experience during your degree. This could be as part of your degree programme or as an extra-curricular activity.

  • The Environmental Sustainability Team at the university has a brilliant list of suggestions, including becoming an environmental rep for your hall and engaging with sustainability via the Student Union.
  • Join a relevant student society or start your own. Engage with like-minded people but also seek ways to engage others with environmental issues.
  • Explore opportunities on the Volunteer Hub and discover sustainability initiatives, which will also contribute towards the Stellify Award and the UCIL unit ‘Leadership in Action’. UCIL also offers a unit called ‘Creating a Sustainable World: Applying the Sustainable Development Goals’.
  • Complete a formal placement as part of your course (if this is an option for your degree).
  • Alternatively, look for summer and other short term internships in relevant organisations.
  • Use coursework as an opportunity to build relevant knowledge and skills e.g. module choices and linking a project or dissertation to your interests. Information interviews and surveys present a great opportunity to meet with relevant environmental professionals and policy makers. You could link it to a specific employer or environmental organisation - what better way to demonstrate your potential employability than undertaking a viable and relevant piece of research?
  • Look for events organised by the Environmental Sustainability team at The University of Manchester. Attend events in your academic school too e.g. the Zoology and Plant Sciences Symposia in Biological Sciences, Meet the Graduates events organised in collaboration with the Alumni Development team.
  • Use LinkedIn to explore the career paths of Manchester graduates. The university has one of the largest alumni populations on LinkedIn (around .25 million). Create a profile and connect to people you already know, as well as those you meet at Manchester and at events. Follow organisations and join groups to interact with like-minded people.

Getting experience and finding jobs

Spread your wings and engage with organisations in the wider Northwest area or even further afield.

NB. It is important to differentiate between volunteering and unpaid work experience – check out our advice to help you consider some of the issues and understand your rights.

Groups like these below often have local opportunities to get practical experience, and some outdoor activities have resumed following lockdown. Some wildlife jobs require the holder to have a license to work with protected species or require field skills; as an active volunteer you may be able to access training.

A number of UK organisations offer internships and experience (and some are paid):

Tip: Being an active member of organisations and supporting their events and initiatives can make you stand out if they later have paid opportunities.

Look for seasonal ecological surveying jobs if you are interested in conservation or consultancy. Find them on sites like environmentjob, but also consider approaching consultancies speculatively. Entry-level jobs in this sector are not always widely advertised so going direct to relevant organisations is a good tactic.

Check out these other jobs sites too:

Tip: You can use the contact information in job ads to make a speculative approach and the person specification to confirm what experience you need for your target career area. Find out more about job hunting strategies

Online options

This will demonstrate active interest but could also be a taster for further study.

International experience

Numerous organisations offer international environmental or conservation experience (e.g. Coral Cay and Frontier). They often require you to “pay your own way” and so can be expensive. If you are considering getting experience abroad, check out the information provided by the university’s Volunteering and Community Engagement Team.