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Biologist
Biologists study living things, including people, animals and plants, along with the environments they live in.
Average salary (a year)
£24000
Starter
£40000
Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
38.0 to 40.0 hours
a week
Work Hours
evenings / weekends / bank holidays
occasionally
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You can get into this job through:a university course; an apprenticeship; working towards this role
University
You'll usually need a relevant degree and often a postgraduate master's qualification in a life science subject like
biology, biological science, ecology, marine biology
biology, biological science, ecology, marine biology
Employers may also want you to have experience in your area of interest and possibly a PhD.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 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 biology for a degree
- a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
Apprenticeship
You could begin by doing a degree apprenticeship.
For example
Laboratory Scientist Level 6, Research Scientist Level 7, Bioinformatics Scientist Level 7
Laboratory Scientist Level 6, Research Scientist Level 7, Bioinformatics Scientist Level 7
The Level 6 apprenticeship takes around 5 years to complete.
The Level 7 apprenticeships are likely to have a higher entry criteria and typically take 2 to 3 years.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
More Information
equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work
You could start as a laboratory technician and train as a biologist by working and studying for a relevant qualification at the same time.
More Information
Career Tips
You can learn more about the latest biological research projects from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
This can be useful to talk about when it comes to course and job interviews.
Professional And Industry Bodies
You could join the Royal Society of Biology for your professional development.
Further Information
You can find more details about careers, courses and training in biology from the Royal Society of Biology.
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
Knowledge of biology
To be thorough and pay attention to detail
Maths knowledge
Excellent written communication skills
Analytical thinking skills
Excellent verbal communication skills
Persistence and determination
The ability to use your initiative
Digital Skills Level
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
Day to day tasks
Your tasks will depend on your specialism but you could
plan trials and analyse data, for example in crop production or medicine research, study and protect endangered land and marine plants and animals, develop new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease, make observations, write reports and publish scientific papers, teach students at a university or in a teaching hospital
plan trials and analyse data, for example in crop production or medicine research, study and protect endangered land and marine plants and animals, develop new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease, make observations, write reports and publish scientific papers, teach students at a university or in a teaching hospital
Possible green job
This job could help the environment.
For a biologist to be a green job, you could
find new ways to clean up soil, air and water pollution, research sustainable food production methods, develop biofuels from non-food crops and waste biomass materials
find new ways to clean up soil, air and water pollution, research sustainable food production methods, develop biofuels from non-food crops and waste biomass materials
Working environment
You could work in a laboratory, at a research facility or at a university.
You may need to wear protective clothing.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
With experience you could
become a commercial research project manager, teach in schools, colleges or universities, work in science licensing, patent and trademark rights, advise organisations on policy as a freelance scientific consultant, go into science communication, such as media and scientific journalism
become a commercial research project manager, teach in schools, colleges or universities, work in science licensing, patent and trademark rights, advise organisations on policy as a freelance scientific consultant, go into science communication, such as media and scientific journalism
If you work in academic research, you could also lead projects and become a senior research fellow or professor.
Job profile data provided by The National Careers Service.
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