Career Advice
Advice for school leavers
Are you thinking of planning as a career?
It is recommended that you would avail of any opportunities to become familiar with the areas that planners work within either through work placement during transition year or summer work placements during undergraduate degree courses. For example, the following work experience or placements would be of benefit:
- Local authority summer student placement programmes preferably in planning departments.
- Private planning practice.
- Participate and engage in university research projects such as undertaking survey work that contributes to PhD research.
- Work experience in affiliate professional practices e.g. architectural practices, engineering practices.
- Engage and participate in local community development sector e.g. tidy towns.
- Engage and participate in environmental and conservation volunteer work.
Advice for graduates
Are you already on the path to becoming a planner?
Provided that graduates complete an accredited course it is possible to enter the workforce straight away without the need to further specialise. Alternatively, if graduates have identified a particular area of interest there are usually opportunities to participate in third level research or undertake further higher level masters or PhD programmes.
The local government system offers graduate planners an opportunity to experience how core planning functions i.e. plan-making, development management and enforcement, are implemented. As a graduate planner working within a planning and environmental consultancy (i.e. the private sector) there will usually be opportunities to assist senior staff in preparing planning applications; coordinating the collation and lodgement of applications; and, managing client correspondence.
Once graduate planners have gained some practical experience they may identify an area of special interest and there are usually opportunities to train on the job and/or to undertake further specialist higher level courses in areas such as: urban design, environmental planning/biodiversity, marine, project management, transport planning, housing, climate action etc.
Engage and join the planning institutes to build networks and enhanced understanding of the planning system.
Advice for career changers
Are you thinking of making a career change?
Build experience and competencies in the following areas:
- Specialist knowledge, expertise and continued profession development
- Analysis and decision-making
- Management and delivery of results
- Leadership
Advice for experienced hires
How can I further advance my career as a planner?
Experienced hires should monitor the various employment networks (local authority websites, the Public Appointments Service, the planning institutes websites, etc.)
Demonstrating strong understanding of the core planning functions (development plan, development management and enforcement) and having experience across these core areas is desirable for career progression, before specialising in niche areas. However, that does not preclude those that wish to specialise early in their career if they identify a particular area of interest.
