Nature conservation officer : Salary and conditions

Typical starting salaries may range from £15,000 to 18,000.
Range of typical salaries at senior level/with experience (e.g. after 10-15 years in the role): £17,000 - £29,000. Experienced managers may earn over £30,000, with regional manager salaries reaching £50,000.
Salaries are generally higher in the private/consultancy sector.
Working hours typically include unsocial hours, such as evening meetings and early starts. It may be necessary to work some weekends and public holidays.
At entry level in particular, the work can be rough and extremely demanding, often outdoors in all weathers.
The balance between field work and office-based work varies considerably, with more administration, statistical analysis and report writing associated with senior positions.
There may be a large amount of administration, normally requiring IT skills. Individual officers are often responsible for their own clerical work.
The work requires considerable contact with the public and, increasingly, with the media.
Consultancy work (freelance or self-employment) has increased in recent years. Developers will often call in environmental experts to assist with their planning applications.
Jobs are available in a wide range of settings encompassing both rural and urban.
As environmental work is often developed from international policy or good practice, travel abroad to conferences and meetings may be common in some posts.

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AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date:

July 2010