Graduate careers in Belfast

Career city: Belfast | Postgraduate study | Local graduate employers | Moving to Belfast | Useful links

As Northern Ireland’s largest city and capital, Belfast is the most likely place for graduates to find work in the country.

Belfast’s jobs market is dominated largely by the public sector and this is reflected in the availability of graduate roles in health and social care, education, government and not-for-profit organisations. For instance, charity workers, nurses, trainee dentists and teachers are in high demand.

In recent years, growth has also taken place in a number of private sectors (eg IT, retail, financial services and construction) with multinational firms choosing to base their offices in Belfast. Ongoing opportunities also exist with many household names such as the BBC, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and the Big Lottery Fund.

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Postgraduate study in and around Belfast

Queen’s University is a Russell Group member and one of the UK’s twenty leading research intensive institutions. Postgraduate study is offered across the twenty academic schools at Queen’s with notable achievement in chemistry, environmental research, palaeoecology and law.

The University of Ulster is known for its excellent Celtic studies, nursing and midwifery departments.

For aspiring teachers, St Mary’s or Stranmillis University Colleges are highly regarded institutions for study.

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10 local graduate employers in Belfast

1. Youth Link, Belfast (Public sector; Social work)
2. PwC, Belfast (Accounting and finance; Business consulting)
3. Northern Ireland Civil Service, Belfast (Government; Public sector; Healthcare)
4. BBC Northern Ireland, Belfast (Media)
5. Carbon Trust, Belfast (Public sector; Environmental)
6. University of Ulster, Belfast (Teaching)
7. Citigroup, Belfast (IT; Legal compliance)
8. McNicholas Construction, Belfast (Engineering; Quantity surveying; Construction; Logistics)
9. Ulster Bank (RBS), Belfast (Banking and Finance)
10. Big Lottery Fund, Belfast (Administration and secretarial; Finance)

(Note: these companies may not be currently recruiting. Their names have been provided as a guideline to the type of work available and what areas to look in.)

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Moving to Belfast

It’s on the map for…

• One of the UK’s top shopping locations
• The gorgeous scenery of the nearby countryside, rivers, sea and mountains
• Plenty of sporting and leisure activities

It’s within commuting distance of…

• Lisburn – 9 miles
• Londonderry/Derry – 71 miles
• Dublin – 104 miles

Monthly lettings costs in Belfast

• Single room: £100–£240
• Double room: £164–£368
• Bedsit: £276–£375
• One-bed flat: £320–£460
• Two-bed flat: £412–£608

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