Cartographer : Salary and conditions

Range of typical starting salaries: £15,000 - £18,000.
Range of salaries with three to five years' experience: £20,000 - £25,000.
Range of typical salaries at senior levels: £30,000 - £45,000.
Salaries and conditions vary between employers and between the public and private sectors.
Working hours are mainly nine to five, usually based in an office, at a workstation. Flexi-time is common. While many of the more junior roles in cartography are information or desk-based, at senior levels there may be more interaction with other departments or clients.
The level of pressure varies according to role, though it is likely to rise when meeting publication or project completion deadlines.
Short-term contracts are increasingly common in the private sector.
Consultancy work is possible with considerable experience. Academic opportunities are scarce.
A small number of cartographers with experience go on to run their own companies or work on a self-employed basis.
Jobs are mainly available in south and southeast England, for example, in government departments, especially those involved in cartographical publishing.
Geographical mobility, in order to move laterally across the job market, may be necessary in your early career.
Travel within the working day is sometimes needed, but overnight absences and overseas travel are uncommon.

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AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date:

October 2010