Palaeontologist

Entry Requirements:

You can get into this job through:

• a university course

University

You could do a degree in:

• botany
• Earth sciences
• geology
• palaeontology
• zoology

Some employers, like museums or oil and gas companies, may ask for a postgraduate qualification like a MGeol, MBiol or MSci.

Other employers, like universities or research institutions, will expect you to have completed, or be working towards, a PhD in your specialist area of interest.

Entry requirements:

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including a science, for a degree
• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Entry requirements:

Entry requirements:

Required Skills:

Digital skills : to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Skills:

• maths knowledge
• knowledge of geography
• analytical thinking skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• science skills
• excellent written communication skills
• knowledge of physics
• knowledge of chemistry including the safe use and disposal of chemicals
• thinking and reasoning skills
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• knowledge of English language
• the ability to use your initiative
• the ability to read English
• the ability to think clearly using logic and reasoning
• persistence and determination
• active listening skills
• knowledge of engineering science and technology
• the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
• ambition and a desire to succeed
• concentration skills

What you'll do:

Palaeontologists study the history of life on Earth through fossils.

Your tasks will depend on the sector you work in.

Typically you could expect to:

• collect data and samples on field trips
• manage volunteers on dig sites
• examine and test samples in the lab using simple tools and technology like CT scans
• do research and publish your findings
• plan and deliver lectures
• develop courses and workshops
• record and classify samples and collections
• give talks and manage displays and exhibitions
• write articles for scientific websites and magazines
• provide expert advice for broadcasters on programmes

Location : You could work in a laboratory, in a museum, at a university, visit sites or in an office.
Environment : Your working environment may be physically demanding and you may spend nights away from home.

Salary:

Starter : £20,000
Experienced : £60,000

These figures are a guide

Working hours:

39 - 41 hours a week

Working Pattern is evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

Career Path:

You could work as a geological surveyor, a consultant in mining and mineral exploration, or the oil and gas industry.

You could move into university teaching and research.

The skills you gain are also valued in the scientific media, TV and the financial sector.