Careers support - frequently asked questions

Email the careers team using the contact form on this page. This is currently the best way of reaching the team who are operating a near normal service. We'll aim to reply to your message in five working days. If your query is urgent, please flag it accordingly.

Anyone can contact us, however, the career and professional development team’s advice and information services are only available to members of the Royal Society of Chemistry. If you are currently a member, please include your membership number when contacting us. Learn more about our careers services.

For members of the Royal Society of Chemistry, we provide all aspects of careers and professional development advice and information. Find out more about becoming a member and the different types of membership.

Our support includes:

• One-to-one careers advice tailored to your professional needs whether that be job searching, developing leadership skills, networking, redundancy support, starting a business, career change or something else.
• Careers information delivered through webinars, talks and online articles.
• Employment trends for chemical scientists published through in the biennial Pay and Reward report. Members can sign in and download this report.  

If you're a member and you’re unsure about whether we can help then please send us an email using the form on this page. Our experienced careers and professional development advisers specialise in supporting professionals in the chemical sciences.

Yes, we offer appointments early morning and evenings on specific days via Zoom/Skype or on the phone. Please email the team to book, using the form on this page.

We’d recommend contacting the careers team to discuss your options. We regularly support members at this transition point so we are very experienced in supporting individuals to make successful career choices.

We recommend that students contact their university career service in the first instance as they are best placed to advise them. We also recommend logging into the member only area to access our career toolkit and other content. See the full list of student membership benefits.

You can find some useful advice on our member only facing redundancy page and through the Chemists’ Community Fund. In addition we’d also recommend speaking to one of our career and professional development advisers to explore your options and be supported during this time.

Email the careers team using the contact form on this page to book. If there are several members at risk at your place of employment, please let us know as we can offer redundancy workshops to support any employer provided support.

We cannot provide legal or employment law advice but members can access the Chemists’ Community Fund who can refer you to sources of legal advice.

We can put you in touch with experienced legal advisors for free, impartial advice on a range of subjects.

Over the phone, Law Express will be able to explain your legal position in any of these areas, and give you the information you need to take a positive step toward addressing the situation.

If you need help regarding your new role, please contact the Fund team detailing your situation.

Find out more about the Chemists’ Community Fund.

We would recommend starting with our ‘transitioning from academia’ webinar which outlines some initial ideas to support your thinking. We’d also encourage you to talk to one of our careers and professional development advisers who can support you in exploring ideas and in your job search strategies.

Yes, we regularly support members in this way. To start, we’d recommend visiting the member only area which contains a CV-builder, our top tips and advice. The careers team also provide CV reviews for members in person, remotely or via email so please get in touch, using the contact details on this page, to arrange.

We can support members through short- and long-term unemployment. We’d recommend booking an appointment with one of our career and professional development advisers using the contact details on this page. We’d also recommend visiting our job seeking pages which provide advice, webinars and suggest job search websites.

We provide interview advice and mock interview practice for Associate Members (AMRSC), Members (MRSC) and Fellows (FRSC). Please email the team to arrange an appointment using the contact form on this page or you can book online.

Joining our mentoring scheme is very simple and the scheme is open to Associate, Members and Fellows of all backgrounds and experiences. We also run a scheme for teachers. Read more about our scheme and if it’s right for you on our mentoring pages.

Take a look at the following:

• the Chemistry World Internships board
• how to find an internship and make your application stand out webinar with advice from employers
• a summary of our advice about finding work experience on our careers website, A Future in Chemistry.

Read through our teaching pages which outline what is involved. The process varies by UK nation so you will need to read about what funding and training options are available regionally. The Royal Society of Chemistry also runs a teacher training scholarship scheme which may be suitable.

We can answer any questions you may have so please get in touch using the contact details on this page.

If you're a member, we’d recommend contacting one of our career and professional development advisers who will work with you to understand what you would like out of your career and identify suitable professional development. Contact the team to speak with one of our advisers. We also curate a database of approved training courses which might be of interest.

Becoming registered or chartered is an excellent way to highlight your commitment to continuing professional development to both your current and any future employers. You can explore your options on our professional development pages. If you're a member, we’d also recommend speaking with of our career and professional development advisers to discuss your continuing professional development.

If you are considering becoming an apprentice then visit our A Future in Chemistry website which provides an overview of current vocational options within the chemical sciences. If you are an employer looking to potentially hire apprentices, please get in touch using the contact details on this page.

Our career and professional development advisers can support you in anticipation of your retirement and how to successfully make this transition. You can find some information on our approaching retirement pages but we’d also recommend speaking with an adviser to fully explore your options and plan for your retirement.

Some initial information is detailed on our consultancy page which outlines professional resources to support you. These include webinars, websites and information about our consultancy interest group which all RSC members can join and gives you access to support from other consultants. We also publish a Guide to Consultancy for members (available on request) and you can speak with one of our advisers to discuss your options.

We publish various resources for parents and guardians, teachers and career leaders and STEM ambassadors including handouts, games, presentations and booklets. These are freely available on A Future in Chemistry along with other up to date information to support and inspire young adults into a career in chemistry.