Graduate careers in the North East

In and around the North East | Drink at... | Dance at... | Eat at... | Shop at... | The cost of living in the North East | Getting work in the North East area

Whether you're a culture vulture or a nature lover, you should find plenty to enjoy in Newcastle and the surrounding area. The north east officially consists of four distinct regions: Northumberland, County Durham, Newcastle Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Tees Valley.

Between them, they offer something for everyone, from stunning landscapes and beautiful beaches to stylish urban centres and laid-back market towns.

Only three hours from London by train and a mere 40 minutes by air, and less than two hours from Edinburgh by train, the north east is easily accessible from Scotland as well as England. Thanks to its location on the east coast, it has great connections to continental Europe, too, with regular ferries to Holland and two international airports - Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley.

Newcastle is arguably the capital of the north east. Big enough to have everything you could want from a city, yet not so large as to be overwhelming, it has dazzling nightlife, vibrant culture and great shopping, and is within easy reach of the coast. It offers the perfect blend of old and new, with 60 per cent of its buildings listed and a growing number of 21st century landmarks.

Find out more about graduate careers in Newcastle

In and around the North East

There's plenty to see and do, from art, theatre and cutting-edge architecture to fantastic shopping. Check out the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, stroll across the award-winning Gateshead Millennium Bridge or enjoy a West End show at the Sunderland Empire.

If you take your retail therapy seriously, then north-east England is the place to be; it's home to one of Europe's largest shopping centres. Alternatively, browse the elegant boutiques of Yarm or head to Darlington, Jesmond or Corbridge for designer labels, antiques and original art.

Football is followed with passionate enthusiasm across the region, and Newcastle United and their neighbours, Sunderland, have one of the fiercest rivalries in the country. You'll also find world-class cricket at Durham County Cricket Ground and four racecourses.

If you're looking for a night out there’s a wealth of places to go across the region. Newcastle in particular is well known for its buzzing nightlife and Osbourne Road is renowned for its uber-trendiness and student-friendly prices, while Jesmond, where many students live, also has a good choice of bars.

If you've just received your first month's wages and feel like splashing out, head over to the Quayside or Durham's riverfront. Look out for the local brews too: Wylam Rapper, Prince Bishop and Byker Pale are all worth a try. If you're eating out the options cover every corner of the globe, from Mongolian and Japanese (plus Newcastle's Chinatown) to Italian and Mexican, and there's always plenty of traditional bar and pub food on offer too.

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Drink at...

• Osbournes, Newcastle: The heart of Newcastle's café society, a vibrant bar catering for students and professionals alike. Happy hours every day of the week, bar food and heated terraces for those sultry northern summer nights.
• Bar Size, Darlington: Modern, cheap and relaxed bar with a small dance floor - a great place to meet friends for a few drinks.
• Chase Bar & Lounge, Durham: Free entry and a lovely setting, though it's not the cheapest place to drink.

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Dance at...

• Studio Nightclub, Durham: A favourite among students. Two floors of fun and the music changes most nights.
• Club M at Tall Trees, Yarm: Located at the luxurious Tall Trees Hotel, this is one of the region's biggest clubs, with bars scattered all over and an outside area which opens in the summer. Retro night once a month.
• Fannys Nightclub, Newcastle: Loads of live entertainment and events with local and international bands frequently on the calendar. Get down on a Friday or Saturday night for anything from hip hop, r'n'b and top 40 to house and dance.

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Eat at...

• The Pump House, Durham: Dress up and enjoy stylish cuisine served in a relaxed, elegant environment. It will set you back a penny or two but NUS card holders get a 15 per cent discount.
• Starters and Puds, Newcastle: New restaurant with self-explanatory name - great if you fancy trying a range of different sweet and savoury choices.
• Eliano's Italian Brasserie, Middlesborough: Hearth-baked pizzas, homemade pastas, house specialities, as well as tasty desserts and a well-chosen wine list. Timbered walls and beams add to its old-fashioned charm.

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Shop at...

• MetroCentre, Gateshead: Leading European shopping centre offering more than 300 shops under one roof, including major department stores.
• Royal Quays Outlet Centre, North Shields: A treasure trove of well known names at hugely discounted prices.
• The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle: Massive original art store, selling paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture, photography, ceramics and glass by artists from all over the world. It's a fun and relaxed place to buy original contemporary art.

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The cost of living in the North East

Recent reports put the average cost of living in the north east at roughly half that of south-east England, and the ratio of average UK wages to affordability is better here than elsewhere.

In the urban centres of Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland, the average price for a flat ranges from around £90,000 to £150,000, and terraced homes cost from £130,000 to £165,000. Property is cheaper in Hartlepool, Darlington, and Middlesbrough, where the average terraced home costs £75,000.

Largely deprived areas around the Middlesbrough and Darlington region are deterring investment, but some developers have been moving into the area, buying up and improving property for the lower end of the rental market. Average rents in the region are around £350 per month.

If you're looking to rent check out the UK Letting Agents Directory where you'll find a useful list of letting agents organised by area.

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Getting work in the North East

Historically, the economy in the north east was dependent on shipbuilding and coal mining - hence the phrase 'taking coals to Newcastle', which refers to something supplied to a place where it is already plentiful. These days, easy access to and from the north east has helped to transform it into a region full of varied working opportunities for graduates looking for their first job.

It's worth having a look at the university careers service websites (Newcastle and Durham) for current student and graduate vacancies, as well as searching the web and looking at local papers.

Local newspapers in the north east

• Newcastle's The Journal
• Newcastle's Evening Chronicle
• Darlington's The Northern Echo
• Darlington's Darlington and Stockton Times
• Sunderland's Sunderland Echo
• South Shields' Shields Gazette

The following graduate employers have offices in the north east. We have listed examples of the types of roles available across these organisations. Please note that these companies may not be actively recruiting in this area at the moment and their names have been provided to give examples of the type of work available.

Find out more about graduate employers in Newcastle

• Nestlé: (food and consumer goods, Fawdon Newcastle) Opportunities may include roles in: human resources, finance, sales, marketing performance, supply chain and quality. Famous for Nescafé and KitKat, Nestlé is not only a coffee and chocolate company, although every packet of Nestlé Rolos is made in the north east. Nestlé is an international food and nutrition company, with research headquarters in Switzerland.
• GlaxoSmithKline: (pharmaceuticals and healthcare, Barnard Castle Durham) Opportunities may include roles in: clinical research and development, commercial strategy, communications, engineering, procurement, manufacturing and logistics, finance, health outcomes, human resources, information technology, legal roles, medical affairs, regulatory affairs, sales and marketing and scientific research and development. GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading healthcare companies, with an estimated seven per cent of the world's pharmaceutical market.
• Deloitte: (audit, consulting, financial advisory, Newcastle) Opportunities may include roles in: audit, consulting, corporate finance, tax. Deloitte is the UK member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT). DTT is an international organisation with tens of thousands of dedicated professionals in independent firms throughout the world providing audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management and tax services to selected clients. 
• Arriva: (transport services, Sunderland) Opportunities may include roles in: general management, engineering management. Arriva plc is one of the leading transport services organisations in Europe. It operates a fleet of over 14,500 vehicles, employs over 38,000 people and provides more than one billion passenger journeys each year. 
• Scottish & Newcastle UK: (brewer, Dunston) Opportunities may include roles in: commercial, production, distribution. Scottish & Newcastle UK has grown from being a regional brewer in Scotland and the north of England to become the UK's largest brewer. It became part of Heineken NV (Netherlands) in April 2008 and its brands include Newcastle Brown Ale. 

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