• About us
  • Contact us
  • Search

You are not logged in:

Careers

Between 2006 and 2009, 0.1% of doctoral graduates, or 15 employed doctoral graduates, are known to have been working as social or market researchers six months after graduation.

Job description

Market researchers are classified in the ‘other occupations' cluster of doctoral employment.

Market researchers are expected to apply for contracts to carry out research for private or public sector clients. They are often employed directly by organisations, but more often work for specialist research agencies, usually specialising in one sector such as social or consumer research. They design and manage research projects from beginning through to completion. This is often with the support of a team of researchers and/ or research assistants. Essential to the role is the collection, analysis and communication of qualitative and quantitative information. Findings of reports need to be presentable to a variety of audiences; therefore the presentation and writing experience that doctoral researchers bring can be extremely useful in these roles.

Typical work activities

Typical tasks involve:

  • Writing and presenting tenders/applications for new research projects
  • Liaising with clients, defining and refining research objectives, deciding research approach, the use of quantitative and/or qualitative methods, design of research tools
  • Designing survey and research tools to gather the appropriate data
  • Applying a variety of research techniques to gather relevant information

including document analysis, surveys, case studies and interviews (face-to-face, telephone and online)

  • Carrying out/managing literature reviews
  • Carrying out/managing fieldwork and data gathering procedures, quality control
  • Analysis and evaluation of research findings
  • Presenting and disseminating results, both orally and in writing
  • Advising clients on policy and strategy
  • Managing budgets
  • Maintaining, and managing client relationships
  • Self-employment/freelance work is sometimes possible, as are ‘client side' roles

Entry requirements

Although this occupation is open to doctoral graduates of all disciplines, certain subjects may be looked upon favorably depending on the research approach of the researcher.

For quantitative researchers:

  • Business/management.
  • Economics
  • Marketing
  • Mathematics
  • Psychology
  • Statistics
  • For qualitative researchers:
  • Anthropology
  • English
  • Languages
  • Psychology
  • Social sciences
  • Sociology

Most employers now expect prospective entrants to have a detailed knowledge of research techniques, therefore doctoral graduates are well placed to succeed in this area. Depending on the topic of the doctorate, this may mean someone new to the industry brings specialised knowledge of an area, potentially very valuable to employers.

A number of market research consultancies in the private sector conduct social research for clients such as government agencies, consumer goods producers and retailers, and media agencies. Try to find as much background information as possible about these firms to see if their portfolios fit your career aspirations.

Salary

  • Typical starting salaries are from £16,000 to £25,000, depending on the sector and level of extended study or experience.
  • The typical salary range after five years is £32,000 - £50,000, depending on whether the sector is public or private. Salaries at senior levels and with considerable experience can earn up to £100,000 in private sector posts.

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates from 2006-9 working in this occupation were known to be employed in the following profiled sectors six months after graduation:

Disciplinary background

The most common disciplinary backgrounds for doctoral graduates (2006-2009) entering social or market research were:

Career stories

Louise Sullivan
Research manager, Social Research Institute, Ipsos MORI

 "My job covers all aspects of the research process from proposal writing to job costing, project management, report writing and presenting. There is more client involvement than in my previous role and the breadth of projects and public sector clients makes it much more interesting. I have been able to draw on my writing skills and literature review skills developed during my doctorate. I have done some analysis but my job essentially involves project management and client liaison."

Useful links