• About us
  • Contact us
  • Search

You are not logged in:

Careers

Between 2006 and 2009, 0.7% of doctoral graduates or 100 doctoral graduates in total are known to have been working as civil servants six months after graduation.

Job description and background

Civil servants are classified in the ‘other common occupations' cluster of doctoral employment.

There are 23 main Whitehall departments and over 60 executive agencies that make up the civil service in the United Kingdom (UK). In addition there are also a large number of related posts within local and regional government. The function of individual departments and agencies of the civil service varies greatly and the role of civil servants varies within them.

Important sub-divisions exist within the civil service. Many doctoral graduates are recruited into the civil service fast stream. The precise nature of the job changes from placement to placement but generally roles include the following:

  • Policy adviser
  • Project leader
  • Consultant
  • Researcher

Typical work activities

Civil servants who are recruited through the Fast Stream are expected to become skilled negotiators and good managers. After three to five years' training, those with an aptitude for the work might be managing a multimillion-pound budget or taking the lead in drafting a government White Paper.

Typical work activities include:

  • Rapidly developing an in-depth knowledge of a particular subject or issue, to be consulted as a topic expert
  • Representing your department's interests and negotiating with others to reach a position of mutual satisfaction
  • Contributing constructively to issues where many interests are involved
  • Formulating and implementing policy
  • Communicating complex ideas clearly and rapidly, both orally and in writing (e.g. summarising a 1,000 page report into a page of A4 for a busy minister with a very short deadline)
  • Adapting to different jobs, possibly in different departments on a regular basis
  • Working quickly and under pressure, often within complex rules and procedures
  • Leading and managing projects, resources and people
  • Achieving and delivering results to deadline.

Entry requirements

Recruitment is segregated into the following streams:

    • central departments
    • the Diplomatic Service
    • the Science and Engineering Fast Stream
    • Clerkships in Parliament

While the majority of recruits are high achieving graduates the Civil Service Fast Stream also regularly recruits postgraduates and doctoral candidates. The majority of fast streamers are recruited from any degree discipline (the exceptions being those entering the streams for statisticians, economists, and science and engineering). The recruitment process is extremely thorough and places greater emphasis on future potential than past achievement.

Competition is very keen, with thousands of applications for just 500 vacancies. In 2007, there were over 13,500 applicants across the general and specialist Fast Stream programmes.

Salary

  • The average starting salary is £24,500 though this varies slightly between departments (salary data collected December 2008).
  • Typical salary after promotion, usually after four to five years: around £39,000, eventually rising to around £51,000 (salary data collected December 2008).
  • These salary ranges apply to London-based posts. Most entry-level posts are based in London. Starting salaries can vary across departments and sometimes departments offer pay above the minimum to reflect certain experience or qualifications (e.g. a relevant postgraduate degree).

Sector and disciplinary information

Sector information

Doctoral graduates in this occupation were known to be working in:

Disciplinary background

Doctoral graduates from any subject can enter the civil service. Subjects from which doctoral graduates entered the civil service between 2006 and 2009 included:

Career stories

Anna Bee undertook a PhD focusing on agricultural development in Chile at the University of Birmingham. She was a geography lecturer and a research project manager before becoming a researcher for the Department for Work and Pensions.

"I have worked on a wide range of issues since I've moved into government research and with a wide range of research contractors, academics, policy makers and lobby groups"

Other career profiles:

Amanda

Useful links