Graduate into a community-focussed job

Local government employees provide quality public services to their town, city or district – everything from transport and roads to education and libraries. You’ll be making a real contribution to your local community in whichever field you choose to go into, making a graduate career with a council a very rewarding one.

Each council is involved in so many different types of work that the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has grouped roles into the following six categories.

Building your community

Property services look after community housing requirements such as architecture, building control, construction, maintenance and surveying (building, quantity and valuation). Architects, building surveyors and engineers are employed to build and maintain public buildings, while housing officers allocate housing to those in need in the community. Construction roles generally require a related degree, while roles in housing, benefits or council tax are open to all.

Graduate views

• Town and planning graduate, Kate Brocklebank, describes a day in her job as a senior planning officer
• Graduate Luke Smith chose local government as a start point for his real-estate career

Careers advice

• How do I get a graduate job in construction and building services?
• How do I get a graduate job in quantity surveying and building surveying?

Caring for your community

Social care and community work involves working with vulnerable, disadvantaged or socially excluded people in the local area. It spans the entire community, including care of the elderly, working with people who have learning and physical disabilities, fostering and adoption, help for people who have problems with substance misuse, youth work and occupational therapy. Most social care positions require a qualification in social work, while many other jobs need additional relevant training.

Careers advice

• How do I get a graduate job in social care?

Educating your community

Education is the largest part of local government – it provides local learning facilities such as schools, colleges, libraries and special needs centres. It covers teaching, careers advice, counselling, educational psychology, educational support, libraries and information centres. Several jobs in this area require specific training: teachers need a teaching qualification, counsellors and therapists require training, and librarians might need a postgraduate diploma. However, many roles are open to all and on-the-job training is provided to give you the relevant expertise.

Careers advice

• How do I get a job in teaching?

Entertaining your community

Leisure services look after the leisure and recreational amenities in the area. These include leisure centres, parks, museums and arts venues such as theatres and galleries. Roles include facilities management and operations, as well as more customer-facing positions such as museum curator or events co-ordinator. The sector also covers tourism and sports development. Most roles do not require specific qualifications but, again, a relevant degree might put you ahead of the crowd.

Careers advice

• How do I get a graduate job in hospitality, leisure and tourism?

Protecting your community

Environmental services looks after the environment in the local authority. Its remit includes everything from environmental health, environmental conservation and waste management to civil engineering, transport planning and management, highways and maintenance, trading standards, and town and country planning. Again, some roles are open to graduates from any discipline, while others require specific qualifications. Highways engineers, for example, will need a civil engineering degree, while an environmental monitoring officer might benefit from a background in environmental science.

Graduate views

• Graduate Scott Wilding describes his work sourcing funding for transport initiatives in the capital

Supporting your community

Corporate services supports a council in its everyday work. It’s what keeps the organisation running so that it can perform all the rest of the work. There are jobs available in administration and clerical work, finance, human resources and training, legal services, IT, customer service, marketing and public relations, economic development, and policy and research. Many positions don’t require a specific qualification but certain backgrounds may be useful for some roles – such as a numerate degree for a financial position.

Graduate views

• Accounting graduate Amy Crowson explains why she chose to do her professional training at a county council
• Graduate Suzanne Kenner lobbies for change at a London council