Graduate careers in Belfast
On the River Lagan, surrounded by mountains and located right next to Belfast Lough and the Irish Sea, lies Northern Ireland's capital and largest city, Belfast.
A Victorian city founded largely on the linen and shipbuilding industries (the Titanic was built here) Belfast has, with recent political developments, become a trendy city with lots of new shops, restaurants and bars. Although some evidence of the troubles remains, Belfast is pretty much like any other small city in the UK offering plenty to do but without feeling too big and impersonal. It is also close to the Republic of Ireland with the capital Dublin only 100 miles away. Belfast's employment is dominated by the public sector, which employs 31 per cent of people. However, there has been growth in the private sector in recent years, which has seen many multinationals setting up offices in Northern Ireland.
In and around Belfast | Drink at... | Dance at... | Eat at... | Shop at... | The cost of living in Belfast | Getting work in the Belfast area
In and around Belfast
Belfast is regarded as a great location for a weekend break, which means there are plenty of leisure pursuits available, including a wide range of sports such as gaelic football, hurling and the ever-popular rugby union (also popular for the famed Friday nights at Ravenhill, the home of Ulster Rugby.) The fantastic scenery of the countryside around Belfast is also worthy of a mention. Many locals take advantage of the nearby mountains for hiking, the sea for surfing and sailing, and the rivers for rowing, as well as enjoying the more traditional tourist attractions at weekends.
Shopping in Belfast used to be fairly poor but with the regeneration of the city centre and out-of-town shopping centres springing up, it's now looked upon as one of the UK's top shopping cities. Including most of the high street classics, the new Victoria Square Shopping Complex also soon promises good retail prospects. As for more exclusive boutique stores, south Belfast's leafy streets are well renowned as Northern Ireland's version of London’s Sloane Street and boast some of the most expensive shops in the country. Dotted with classy bars and restaurants, it's also where a lot of the city's young professionals choose to live. One of Belfast's advantages is its size - everything is manageable on foot, which makes for easy commutes and nights out on the town and goes some way to make up for the poor public transport system.
Drink at...
- Cutter's Wharf: Lovely views down the Lagan and an impressive food menu make this a popular after-work destination. Especially busy in the summer with people enjoying long evenings by the river.
- Cafe Vaudeville: An impressively decorated bar/restaurant in the city centre with a wide range of cocktails and champagnes, as well as a very good food menu at surprisingly reasonable prices.
- The Crown: As Belfast's oldest pub, The Crown should be on every visitor's list of destinations and is well-worth a visit by Belfast's residents too.
Dance at...
- Empire: On Botanic Avenue, this pub/music venue has jazz and blues nights, as well as the famous Friday night 70s themed Glamorama. Many local artists start out with gigs here.
- The Potthouse: Although predominantly a pre-club bar and restaurant, this is also a great late-night spot down in the Cathedral Quarter.
- Odyssey complex: This entertainment centre has a wide range of clubs such as Bar Seven, Budda, the Beach Club, and Box, so those out for a boogie have plenty of options.
Eat at...
- Villa Italia: This Italian restaurant in the university area is so popular they had to build a veranda outside to keep the queues of customers dry while they waited to get in.
- Shu: On the Lisburn Road this is a very popular restaurant with great reviews.
- Ginger: A brilliant restaurant using local produce and recipes, which is especially good for seafood.
Shop at...
- Victoria Square: House of Fraser will has already opened its doors and the rest of this world-class shopping centre in the heart of Belfast is due to open in spring 2008.
- Junction One/The Outlet: Out-of-town outlet shopping centres that are both within half an hour's travelling of Belfast and well worth the journey to find a bargain or two.
- Lisburn Road: If you're a fan of the more exclusive item, come here for rows of clothing boutiques, fancy furniture stores and craft shops.
The cost of living in Belfast
Belfast was a relatively cheap city for housing with low rental prices but as with elsewhere in the country, house prices have doubled in little over a year in some places. The average price of a house is now well above the national average - despite Belfast and Northern Ireland having some of the lowest salaries in the country. The overall average price of a house for the second quarter of 2007 was £207,543: a rise of 43 per cent in a year. In neighbouring towns, such as Lisburn and Bangor, growth has also been up around the 37 per cent mark, so this is not peculiar to Belfast.
Rental prices in Belfast had stayed pretty low but are now creeping up. Young professionals live in areas clustered in the south and east of the city, though some live near the city centre or in the north of the city.
Here are a few pointers to guide your search for property in Belfast:
- Check out the estate and rental agents along Lisburn Road. They have the most information on rental properties for young professionals.
- Accommodation around the university is very student-orientated but cheaper than other areas. By moving out into Stranmillis, Lisburn Road or along the Ormeau Road it is possible to get a decent room for just over £200 a month in a shared house.
- www.propertynews.com is the best local website.
Getting work in the Belfast area
Belfast itself is probably the best place for graduates to find work in Northern Ireland. The public sector plays a far bigger role here than in the rest of the UK with almost 70 per cent of economic activity in Northern Ireland revolving around this area, in comparison to the Republic of Ireland's figure of 37 per cent and 40 per cent for Great Britain. As the manufacturing industry declines, most recent growth has taken place in the IT, financial services and construction sectors with many multinationals choosing to base their new offices in Belfast.
Accounting jobs are as prominent in Belfast as they are in any other area of the country, with many graduates working for the big firms. However, the 'Big 4' aren't as evenly matched here with PricewaterhouseCoopers being the biggest by far. Audit departments are dominated by public sector work, which often means that external audit clients are influenced by the UK office winning a contract rather than by work coming directly to the Belfast office.
Law jobs operate differently in Belfast. Northern Irish law is similar but not identical to English law so you will need to have studied evidence and have a law degree to get into the institute here. Places are gained by sitting an entrance exam in December.
Below is listed a brief suggestion of some of the graduate recruiters that are accessible from Belfast. (Note: these companies may not be currently recruiting. Their names have been provided as a guideline to the type of work available and areas to look in.)
- PricewaterhouseCoopers: (accounting and finance, business consulting, Belfast)
This firm needs no introduction although it should be noted that it is far bigger in Belfast than any of the other accounting firms and also has offices in other Northern Irish towns. KPMG operates here as part of the Irish firm, the rest of the Big 4 operates as part of the British firm. Tel: +44 (0)28 9024 5454. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Waterfront Plaza, 8 Laganbank Road, Belfast BT1 3LR
- BBC Northern Ireland: (media, Belfast)
The BBC in Northern Ireland has the usual local media jobs and does produce quite a few of its own programmes. Local knowledge of politics and culture is necessary for most positions. Tel: +44 (0)28 9033 8000. BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster, Broadcasting House, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast BT2 8HQ
- Citigroup: (IT, legal compliance, Belfast)
Citigroup is a global financial services company with around 200 million customer accounts, which operates in over 100 countries. Jobs in Belfast offer support to the London and New York offices. Tel: +44 (0)2890 409044. Citigroup, Belfast Centre of Excellence Operations & Technology, White Star House, Northern Ireland Science Park, Queens Road, Belfast BT3 9DT
- McNicholas Construction: (mechanical and civil engineering, quantity surveying, construction, transportation and supply chain, Belfast)
McNicholas works with clients such as Phoenix Natural Gas, Firmus Energy, NI Water and Virgin Media. Tel: +44 (0)28 9083 4100. McNichols Construction, Unit 7 Wilson Business Park, 23 Hyde Park Road, Mallusk BT36 4PY
- Farrans (Construction) Ltd: (engineering, Belfast)
A major contractor in Northern Ireland with turnover in construction related activities in 2006 of £130 million. The firm is part of the Northstone (NI) Limited group, which employs over 60,000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of €14 billion. Tel: +44 (0)28 9055 1300. Farrans Construction, 99 Kingsway, Dunmurry, Belfast BT17 9NU
- Ulster Bank (RBS): (banking and finance, Belfast)
Part of the RBS group, Ulster Bank is the largest bank in Northern Ireland and third largest in the Republic of Ireland with over 6,000 staff and 1.6 million customers. Positions in corporate markets, retail markets, operations management and risk are often available. Tel: +44 (0)28 9027 6001. Ulster Bank Group Head Office, 11-16 Donegall Square East, Belfast BT1 5UB
- L'Estrange & Brett: (law, Belfast)
One of Northern Ireland's biggest law firms, L'Estrange & Brett has a number of graduate trainee positions each year for those who gain a place at the Institute. Tel: + 44 (0)28 9023 0426. L'Estrange & Brett Solicitors, Arnott House, 12/16 Bridge Street, Belfast, BT1 1LS
- Civil Service: (public sector, Belfast)
The Northern Ireland Civil Service recruits a large number of graduates each year as staff officers but the recently devolved government places even more importance on this area as a career choice. Tel: +44 (0)28 9052 0700. Northern Ireland Office (NIO), Massey House, Stormont Estate, Belfast BT4 3SX
Do you want to write about living and working in your local area? If you've got good local knowledge, you can get yourself published and get paid! Simply contact us at editorial and if we like your suggestion we'll get back to you with a brief.