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Environmental consultant Green Job

Environmental consultants advise on sustainability, including waste management, recycling, flood risk and the effects of climate change.

Annual Salary

£25,000 to £50,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: evenings; occasionally

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Environmental consultant jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As an environmental consultant, you could:

  • assess potential impacts from industrial, commercial and environmental development projects
  • collect and analyse survey data from sites
  • write scientific reports and present findings
  • respond to environmental accidents and manage clean-up operations
  • provide policy advice to businesses, landowners and the government
  • advise organisations on environmental laws and sustainability

Working environment

You could work in an office or at a client's business.

Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time and you'll travel often.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
University

You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification in environmental science, environmental studies or environmental sustainability.

You might also be able to take a related subject like:

  • biology
  • chemistry
  • geoscience
  • ecology
  • agricultural science

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could start by doing an Environmental Practitioner Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

This can take up to 5 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
Volunteering and work experience

Volunteering is a great way of getting experience and a taste of environmental work. It will also give you the opportunity to develop your skills and make contacts.

Organisations who offer volunteering opportunities include:

You can find more opportunities through the Countryside Jobs Service.

More information

Career tips

As a graduate you could look for environmental postgraduate training positions offered through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP).

In a KTP, you get the opportunity to run a research project together with an organisation and a university or research body. You may also work towards postgraduate qualifications.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Society for the Environment for professional development and making contacts.

Further information

You can discover more about environmental work and training through the:Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management; Green Careers Hub

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With experience, you could:move into a senior or principal consultant position; apply for chartered environmentalist status; work as a lecturer in education; run your own consultancy business; get involved in environmental research

How does this job help to address the impacts of climate change and protect wildlife and nature in the West of England?

Environmental consultants are needed to advise local authorities, landowners and businesses in the West of England on sustainability, including waste management, recycling, flood risk and the effects of climate change.

There are several different routes you can take to get into working as an Environmental Scientist which you can explore further in the 'Routes into this job' section above. 

Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.

Examples of post-16 courses you could study at local schools or colleges

  • Biology, Geography or Environmental Science A-levels
  • Level 2-3 Countryside Management at Bridgwater and Taunton College

Click here to find a local provider

Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers

  • Level 2-4 Countryside Management  
  • Level 6 Environmental Practitioner  
  • Level 7 Ecologist (degree apprenticeship) 

Click here to search for a local apprenticeship

Examples of post-18 courses you could study at local higher education providers

Click here to search for other university courses

Local employers 

  • The Environment Agency
  • Amey
  • RSK Biocensus

For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.

Volunteering is a great way to build experience in ecology and environmental studies and may improve your chances of finding paid work. You can also build up contacts within conservation, which will be useful when looking for jobs. You can find local volunteering opportunities with: Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and Avon Wildlife Trust.

Click here for a profile of Helena Preston, a Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer at Cole Easdon Consultants in Swindon.

Environmental Consultants use space data as a tool to understand the quality of a habitat, respond to environmental accidents and monitor biodiversity. 

Examples of post-16 courses you could study at a local school or college

A-level Geography, Biology or Environmental Science

Find a local provider

Examples of post-18 courses you could study at a local provider in the South West

BSc (Hons) Environmental Geography at Plymouth University

BSc (Hons) Conservation Biology and Ecology at University of Exeter

Search for a degree course

Apprenticeships you may be able to take with local employers

Level 6 Environmental Practitioner  
Level 7 Ecologist (degree apprenticeship) 

Search for apprenticeship vacancies

Employers in the South West 

  • Environment Agency
  • Atkins
  • Jacobs

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of geography
  • maths knowledge
  • analytical thinking skills
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • excellent written communication skills
  • the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
  • ambition and a desire to succeed
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
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