Dietitian : Employers and vacancy sources

The National Health Service (NHS) is the major employer of dietitians who work either in hospitals for acute NHS trusts or in the community for Primary Care Trusts. There are also increasing openings in the private health care sector.

Dietitians also work for:

• local authorities;
• the food industry and food and drink manufacturers;
• supermarket chains;
• trade associations and promotional groups;
• education and research establishments;
• pharmaceutical companies;
• the media;
• professional sports clubs;
• Olympic camps.

Other opportunities exist in the voluntary sector and with international relief agencies. Additional qualifications may be necessary for working abroad, as British dietetic qualifications are not necessarily globally recognised.

Some dietitians work freelance and are listed on Dietitians Unlimited , which is run by the Freelance Dietitians specialist group of the British Dietetic Association (BDA) .

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• British Dietitic Association (BDA) Career Choices    
• NHS Jobs    
• NHS trusts' websites - for a list, go to NHS Authorities and Trusts  
• Health Jobs UK   
• Health Service Journal   
• Jobs.ac.uk    
• Labmed Recruitment   
• National press, for example Guardian Jobs  - Wednesdays.
• Local press.

There are a number of recruitment agencies that recruit for dietitian posts. See the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)  for specialist agencies.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.