Hydrographic surveyor : Employers and vacancy sources

Types of employers may be differentiated according to survey activity:

• National charting agencies concerned with the production of nautical charts. They are usually part of the Royal Navy or civilian companies under contract to the navy.
• Port and harbour authorities. Most major ports and harbours have a self-contained survey department (which may consist of only one person). Others may rely on bringing in expertise from a contracting company.
• Contract survey companies who rely on winning contracts by competitive tendering to client companies. Some contract companies cover a wide range of expertise through their employees; others may limit themselves to a particular specialism, such as offshore geophysical work or onshore work associated with coastal engineering projects.
• Client survey companies that require survey work to be carried out and contract it to a contract survey company. They range from small port authorities and local government authorities to huge international oil companies and national government authorities.
• Equipment and software companies. Numerous service companies, including equipment development companies and software houses, employ hydrographic surveyors. Usually a minimum of four to five years' experience is required. There is a particular demand for software developers.
• Freelance surveyors and consultancies. Those with considerable experience and confidence in the field generally obtain work by networking or through specialised consultancies. Contract survey companies largely recruit via agencies.

Some hydrographic surveyors, mostly those who are self-employed, undertake contract work in England during the UK's summer months and then work in the southern hemisphere during the UK's winter months.

Sources of vacancies

• Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (ImarEST)
• Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES)
• Royal Navy Careers
• Guardian Jobs  
• The Hydrographic Society UK (THS UK)
• International Federation of Hydrographic Societies

Specialist recruitment agencies such as Goss Consultants Ltd rarely handle first vacancies but may prove useful once experience has been gained.

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