Meteorologist

Meteorologist job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Typical responsibilities of the job include:

• recording and analysing data from world-wide weather stations, satellites, radars and remote sensors
• interpreting observations from the land, sea and upper atmosphere
• providing customers (such as civil aviation companies, broadcast companies and military units) with weather reports/forecasts
• employing mathematical and physical formulae and using specialist computer modelling applications to help make long and short range weather predictions
• researching and predicting climate change such as global warming
• helping to improve weather prediction models
• writing research papers, reports, reviews and summaries
• keeping up to date with relevant scientific and technical developments.

Typical employers of meteorologists

• the Met Office
• BBC
• environmental consultancies
• Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC)
• research centres
• British Antarctic Survey
• the armed forces.

Vacancies are advertised via the internet, by careers services, in national newspapers and in relevant scientific publications such as New Scientist, Science and Nature. Speculative applications are recommended, since roles can receive only minimal advertising. Practical work experience can be beneficial: the Met Office provides a few gap year and summer placements each year, although these attract competition.

Qualifications and training required

At the minimum you will need a good degree (2.1 or higher) in an appropriate subject (for example, meteorology, mathematics, physical sciences, computer science or environmental science). A relevant postgraduate qualification (PhD or research-based MSc) is also beneficial, particularly for research positions.

Key skills for meteorologists

• analytical skills
• team-working skills
• interpersonal skills
• written and oral communication skills
• problem solving skills
• computer literacy
• mathematical abilities

Employers seek individuals who can display a genuine interest in weather forecasting.