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Environmental graduates abroad, what have your experiences been like?

  • 11-10-2013 8:36pm
    #1
    Silent Runner
    Registered Users Posts: 180 ✭✭


    Hi,

    I thought I'd start this thread to get first hand stories from graduates who made the move abroad. Plenty of my friends have moved to different parts of the globe but they have been involved in construction work.

    I am constantly job hunting; I see few opportunities here but see a lot of interesting ads in the UK. However whenever I search job sites in Canada, for example, I happen to find plenty of adds which meet my dream job.

    I'm an environmental graduate myself, working on short term contracts with a governmental department, I'm planning on going back to college to study a masters. The jobs market is just so competitive now days


    Anyhow, I'd love to hear from people who made the big move


Comments

  • #2
    NoCrackHaving
    Registered Users Posts: 535 ✭✭✭NoCrackHaving


    Just starting a new job as an environmental scientist in Scotland next week so I'll keep you posted as to how I get on. Literally nothing going for me in Ireland at the minute and that was with a Masters. I even offered to work for free for several consultancies to gain some experience and was turned down.


  • #3
    NoCrackHaving
    Registered Users Posts: 535 ✭✭✭NoCrackHaving


    Ok, been in my new environmental science job for the guts of a month now so any questions in particular that you're curious about OP?


  • #4
    splish
    Registered Users Posts: 538 ✭✭✭splish


    NoCrackHaving wrote: »
    Ok, been in my new environmental science job for the guts of a month now so any questions in particular that you're curious about OP?
    Hey NoCrackHaving, congratulations on the job. What kind of projects are you working on in Scotland? Did you move over first and look for jobs or did you apply from Ireland? Had you much work experience before getting this job?


  • #5
    NoCrackHaving
    Registered Users Posts: 535 ✭✭✭NoCrackHaving


    splish wrote: »
    Hey NoCrackHaving, congratulations on the job. What kind of projects are you working on in Scotland? Did you move over first and look for jobs or did you apply from Ireland? Had you much work experience before getting this job?

    Howiya,

    Currently working on a real mixture of projects really-landfill sites, road developments, brown field contaminated earth. The majority of our work involves surface and ground water monitoring and sampling and gas monitoring for Co2, methane, sulfurr etc. We also do a lot of report and permit writing. It's a rough split of 3 days en site and 3 in office. It involves a huge amount of travelling though so a drivers licence is essential in this field I reckon. I actually applied from Ireland, did some phone interviews and got it that way.

    I had about 2-3 months experience working in ground water monitoring and modelling but that was all college related rather than in industry.

    An other questions, just shout.


  • #6
    Youredeadright
    Registered Users Posts: 42 ✭Youredeadright


    Hi Silent Runner, I finished my environmental science degree in Ireland in 2006, did a masters in Scotland and then headed to New Zealand and afterwards Oz.

    First job was with a council in New Zealand and learnt a lot from working there-assessing environmental permit applications, doing compliance inspections for them and doing a bit of on call work for the pollution response team. Great exposure to a side of environmental science I had learnt very little about in college.

    In Australia I started out at a Council but have since moved to a gas company involved with one of the massive coal seam gas projects here. Its very different to the Council stuff but equally interesting. I've ended up working with the legislation related to where the gas project enters protected agricultural land and managing those impacts- soil quality, access to the land, etc. It seems a million miles from the stuff i learnt in college but the environment is the environment, the basics are always in common- water, air and soil quality, ecosystem conservation, etc.

    If you have any questions just ask.


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  • #7
    Minevah
    Registered Users Posts: 48 ✭Minevah


    An interesting thread....

    I am about to start a search for a placement for next summer with any environmental company in and around Dublin. It sounds like its a very tough market at the moment here in Ireland even for unpaid placements!

    Has anyone had any success recently? Would I be better searching abroad for a placement?


  • #8
    Timistry
    Registered Users Posts: 740 ✭✭✭Timistry


    I qualified in 2009 with a Degree (Chemistry) and masters (Geochemistry). I looked high and low for a job but no luck. I needed off to Australia where I eventually managed to get a job as a chemist in the waste industry. This involves chemical neutralization on industrial scales, remediation of contaminated soils, collection of samples, preparation of risk assessments and interpretation of lab results and MSDS's.

    With a few years experience now, I hope to head home next year but from what I can see, there are no jobs in the environmental sciences in Ireland. The EPA is a closed shop etc..


  • #9
    Mahogany Gaspipe
    Registered Users Posts: 334 ✭✭Mahogany Gaspipe


    Timistry wrote: »
    I qualified in 2009 with a Degree (Chemistry) and masters (Geochemistry). I looked high and low for a job but no luck. I needed off to Australia where I eventually managed to get a job as a chemist in the waste industry. This involves chemical neutralization on industrial scales, remediation of contaminated soils, collection of samples, preparation of risk assessments and interpretation of lab results and MSDS's.

    With a few years experience now, I hope to head home next year but from what I can see, there are no jobs in the environmental sciences in Ireland. The EPA is a closed shop etc..

    I really find these work experience threads a good informative read.

    Quick question for you Timistry; just wondering that with a Geochemistry Msc is a career in the petroleum industry not an option for someone with your qualifications?


  • #10
    Timistry
    Registered Users Posts: 740 ✭✭✭Timistry


    Mahogany Gaspipe wrote: »
    I really find these work experience threads a good informative read.very

    Quick question for you Timistry; just wondering that with a Geochemistry Msc is a career in the petroleum industry not an option for someone with your qualifications?

    Oh is it MGP, but it is a very hard industry to break into. Its a sector that holds many prospects and deeply interests me. I applied for a few such jobs in 2009 but i have no luck through their intern programs as I was a recent graduate with no experience

    I have applied for 1-2 jobs in the past month in the waste industry in the UK. Was not even dignified with an email response, which was very disheartening. I though after a few years under my belt, i would at least get some constructive feedback. So my dreams of moving back home have been put on hold once again.


  • #11
    NoCrackHaving
    Registered Users Posts: 535 ✭✭✭NoCrackHaving


    Timistry wrote: »
    Oh is it MGP, but it is a very hard industry to break into. Its a sector that holds many prospects and deeply interests me. I applied for a few such jobs in 2009 but i have no luck through their intern programs as I was a recent graduate with no experience

    I have applied for 1-2 jobs in the past month in the waste industry in the UK. Was not even dignified with an email response, which was very disheartening. I though after a few years under my belt, i would at least get some constructive feedback. So my dreams of moving back home have been put on hold once again.

    Have a look at waste company called FCC, they're recruiting quite heavily at the minute in northern England and around Bristol.


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  • #12
    The_Captain
    Registered Users Posts: 1,376 ✭✭✭The_Captain


    It's very hard to break into the market in Ireland, most positions aren't needed/advertised but you have to send CVs into the companies anyway and hope they call you.

    Unless you know someone in a company to put your name forward, your CV is probably getting binned

    I work in enviro in Ireland and there are jobs out there. Having a government contract should be a big help for getting a job here though


  • #13
    210
    Registered Users Posts: 186 ✭✭210


    Timistry wrote: »
    I qualified in 2009 with a Degree (Chemistry) and masters (Geochemistry). I looked high and low for a job but no luck. I needed off to Australia where I eventually managed to get a job as a chemist in the waste industry. This involves chemical neutralization on industrial scales, remediation of contaminated soils, collection of samples, preparation of risk assessments and interpretation of lab results and MSDS's.

    With a few years experience now, I hope to head home next year but from what I can see, there are no jobs in the environmental sciences in Ireland. The EPA is a closed shop etc..

    Many of the science jobs in ireland were government agency based and regretably the recruitment embargo has had a huge negative effect in preventing many of these essential jobs being filled. Hopefully this will change soon.


  • #14
    EastTyrone
    Registered Users Posts: 362 ✭✭EastTyrone


    sorry for bringing up this thread again guys, but i was just wondering what the current prospects are atm globally?

    I have a degree in Land Use and Environmental management (2.2) and i find the job market here very slow.

    Where do you all think the areas are for ork? im looking a bit at england and scotland and see alot of work of interest to me.

    However I am also keeping my options open, ie looking at Oz, New Zealand Dubai, Canada etc.

    Did any one here emigrate with a 2.2? How difficult is it to find environmental work in the likes of oz or New Zealand? If I leave will i be sitting around for months trying to find any sort of environmental work? or could it be possible to find work before leaving Ireland ( I know this may be difficult in regards to passports, visas etc.)

    Any help will be greatly appreciated.

    Many Thanks
    E.T.


  • #15
    NoCrackHaving
    Registered Users Posts: 535 ✭✭✭NoCrackHaving


    EastTyrone wrote: »
    sorry for bringing up this thread again guys, but i was just wondering what the current prospects are atm globally?

    I have a degree in Land Use and Environmental management (2.2) and i find the job market here very slow.

    Where do you all think the areas are for ork? im looking a bit at england and scotland and see alot of work of interest to me.

    However I am also keeping my options open, ie looking at Oz, New Zealand Dubai, Canada etc.

    Did any one here emigrate with a 2.2? How difficult is it to find environmental work in the likes of oz or New Zealand? If I leave will i be sitting around for months trying to find any sort of environmental work? or could it be possible to find work before leaving Ireland ( I know this may be difficult in regards to passports, visas etc.)

    Any help will be greatly appreciated.

    Many Thanks
    E.T.

    England and Scotland are fine for jobs but there's a lot of competition. Basically a lot more jobs but a lot more applicants. No idea on other countries but regularly see jobs advertised in Qatar rather than the UAE.


  • #16
    aaronosiochain
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭aaronosiochain


    Agree with NoCrack, UK is rife with jobs but very competitive as well. Back home, the smaller consultancies are struggling to be competitive with the likes of Aecom and RPS dominating the market and they even undercut just to keep winning the work. I spent 2 years with a small consultancy in the west and we were constantly swimming against the tide when it came to winning work. Eventually it was a case of no more incoming work stream so a few of us were made redundant. I didn't waste any of my time looking in Ireland for another job as I knew what it was like and even if they will promise you the work, as soon as it stops they wont hesitate to let you go.

    Now in London, working for one of the big players and its a lot different, we have offices in all those places you mentioned and they are quiet (bar Saudi) compared to here. The UK is leading the way in environmental awareness so experience here is great and after a few years on this side and you'll be in a much better position when you decide to go back to Ireland.


  • #17
    EastTyrone
    Registered Users Posts: 362 ✭✭EastTyrone


    aaronosiochain wrote: »
    Agree with NoCrack, UK is rife with jobs but very competitive as well. Back home, the smaller consultancies are struggling to be competitive with the likes of Aecom and RPS dominating the market and they even undercut just to keep winning the work. I spent 2 years with a small consultancy in the west and we were constantly swimming against the tide when it came to winning work. Eventually it was a case of no more incoming work stream so a few of us were made redundant. I didn't waste any of my time looking in Ireland for another job as I knew what it was like and even if they will promise you the work, as soon as it stops they wont hesitate to let you go.

    Now in London, working for one of the big players and its a lot different, we have offices in all those places you mentioned and they are quiet (bar Saudi) compared to here. The UK is leading the way in environmental awareness so experience here is great and after a few years on this side and you'll be in a much better position when you decide to go back to Ireland.

    Did it take you long before you found work in England?
    What sort of work are you doing over there?
    And what do you think of the wages compared to living standards, like are you making enough to have a reasonably high quality of life? Are you able to come home often?


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