On the other hand, someone entering this sector is not going to be motivated solely by money. As a public body we have to rely on people being keen to work on behalf of improving the environment. But the agency is going to have plenty of competition for environmentally-minded people, says Ted Neild, the science and communications officer at the Geological Society. This might have something to do with the society offering members the chance to become chartered geologists. Ian Penn, coordinator of training and career management at the BGS, believes the growing interest among geoscientists in becoming chartered is being driven by government policies on such things as brownfield sites.
All sites have to be examined, for example, and any pollution identified and removed.
The companies that undertake this work, usually civil engineers and environmental consultancies, are eager to employ chartered engineers and scientists. Hazard assessment, including that associated with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, is an area for which the BGS employs specialist geoscientists. Projects such as national geological surveys may include all the above. Out of a total staff of more than 700, some two-thirds of BGS employees are geoscientists, says John Powell, head of geology, geotechnics and palaeontology. Salaries start at between 14,500 and 21,600, depending on qualification and expertise, and rise to more than 42,000 for senior management posts.