Careers and employability

We know that it can be daunting to start thinking about your future. So, our team of experienced careers professionals are here to give you the support and help you need to plan your next steps.

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Highly rated careers services and prospects

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Top 15 for Work Experience 2024-25

Lancaster University has been ranked 14th among UK universities for the quality of work experience opportunities available to its students. High-quality work experiences are one of the many ways Lancaster supports its students in achieving their career goals. This award was based on student feedback on Rate My Placement.

One of the top 30 most targeted universities by employers

Lancaster University is among the top 30 most targeted universities by the UK's leading graduate employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report. The UK Graduate Careers Survey, conducted by High Fliers Research in association with The Times, is the largest and most authoritative annual survey.

Help for entrepreneurs

We encourage you to prepare for the professional world as early as possible. You can get involved in activities to help you create and make the most of your own opportunities. Our Work in Progress Centre offers a wealth of expertise, support and contacts to help you turn your business ideas into a reality.

Work in Progress
Three students write on post-it notes in the Work In Progress centre.

Our careers support

As a Lancaster Student, you'll have access to career help and support throughout your university and beyond.

Careers events and workshops

There are careers events to welcome you as soon as you’re unpacked and settled. As a Lancaster student, you can book a wide variety of workshops - from building your CV to practising assessment centre tests.

Our mentoring programme

You can take part in our Career Mentoring Programme, where you can be matched with a mentor who will help you manage your career.

The Lancaster Award

The Lancaster Award formally recognises the activities you do alongside your studies that enhance your employability. Add it to your CV to help you stand out from the crowd.

24/7 resources

Our online resources offer 24/7 careers help, from videos and other interactive learning activities to help you develop workplace skills and practise psychometric tests to tips and insights from top employers on their recruitment and selection methods. With thousands of graduate opportunities listed every year on our job search portal, we’ll help you discover a world of possibilities for your career.

Volunteering opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to develop your skills and CV and make a positive contribution to the community. Lancaster has a thriving volunteering community. Our Students’ Union also works with a number of charities, schools, and local organisations to arrange a variety of volunteering opportunities.

Support after you've graduated

You may not need us after graduation - most of our students go straight into work or continue their studies. But careers aren’t straight lines on a straightforward track. Your aims can shift over time, and your circumstances may change. When that happens, we’ll be here to help. We give our graduates free lifetime access to our services. Put simply, we’re here for as long as you need us.

How Lancaster helped me

Watch interviews with students and graduates who have benefited from our careers service. Our short video will give you an idea of the opportunities open to you as a Lancaster student.

My placement experience

Fourth-year Marketing Management student Caitlin describes her placement year working at Adobe. She explains how she found her placement, the support she received from the Lancaster careers team, what she enjoyed and the challenges of taking a placement year.

Alumna Kelsey Robb laughing with a colleague

Securing my career - an alumna's story

Kelsey made the most of opportunities on offer at Lancaster, undertaking internships and leading societies, which helped her build her skills ready to start her career.

She graduated with a degree in Marketing in 2018 and now works for Google as an Associate Account Strategist.

Securing a career after graduation
Alumni Sophie Au

A career for Sophie

Sophia Au is a Wealth Management Director at FTLife, one of the largest life insurance companies in Hong Kong.

“Being at Lancaster means that you have lots of opportunities open to you, both as part of your studies and outside of your academic career. I worked for a manufacturing company in my third year, helping to conduct market research on their new product launch. This was a great experience of working in western culture, which is so different from Asian culture, and learned about the core values of professionalism and work-life balance.”

Toby Connell-Cooke at the Dukes Theatre

Toby's arts marketing internship

Toby is a third year BSc Sociology student. He has a great interest in the Arts and is an editor for the student newspaper, SCAN, but had never considered a role in Marketing. At the end of his second year, Toby completed a 14-week summer internship in the Marketing team at the Dukes, a professional producing theatre in Lancaster. This helped him explore the field of marketing within the Arts, and has opened his eyes to a career path he wouldn't have otherwise considered.

Toby's arts marketing internship
A student works part time in a bar

Part time work and internships

Digital Content Ambassador Maddy is in her third year of an English Language degree. In this blog she shares her experience of finding part-time work to support her studies and taking part in internships and work experience to prepare her for a career after graduation.

Finding a job at Lancaster

Globally employable

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Lancaster's extensive careers activities, opportunities and programmes, whether embedded within your course or done outside of your studies, support you to become an attractive candidate in the global job market.

Alongside the vast careers offering and support available to all our students, we also offer specialist career programmes and resources for our international students, to ensure they are job-ready for the UK, in their home country or anywhere else in the world.

Opportunities in the UK

Many students choose to return to their home country or work in other parts of the world and we are proud to have an alumni network in more than 150 countries. Some of our students also choose to stay in the UK after they graduate.

Most of our international students are eligible to apply for a fantastic visa option that allows graduates to work or look for work in the UK for two years after successfully completing a bachelor's degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible courses, or three years with a PhD or other doctoral degree.

An international perspective

We asked some of our international community to tell us what they think about the careers service at Lancaster. Check out this video to find out what they had to say.

Why Lancaster?

We believe that Lancaster is everything a university should be. We support you through your studies, research and career.

Discover more about Lancaster
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