Working on the coast, off shore, at sea or with marine plants and animals.

This is more an area of specialisation than a discrete area of the profession; many of the onshore / inland roles have a coastal or marine equivalent where the addition of marine specific knowledge being the only difference between the roles.

Jobs and employment

Some job titles may include Living Seas Project Officer, Marine Biodiversity Officer, Marine Engineer, Boat Manager, Sightings Co-ordinator, Oceanographer, Animal Care Worker, Zookeeper, Heritage Coast Officer, the National Careers Service has role profiles of some of these (click the links).

See current vacancies for coastal management work advertised with CJS here.

See current vacancies for coastal rights of way roles advertised with CJS here.

See current vacancies for marine ecology and biodiversity advertised with CJS here.

See current vacancies for marine wildlife work advertised with CJS here.

To gain the experience required volunteering is frequently a good start.

See current volunteering opportunities across all sectors advertised with CJS here.

You can practice your identification skills by taking part in one of the many citizen science projects and surveys, see more here.

Skills, training and CPD.

The skills and qualifications required to work on the coast are usually the same as those for working inland in countryside or land management or with wildlife and animals but with a water specialism, for example it's unlikely that you would need much knowledge of dolphins, seals and whales in an urban park but for a coastal post it might be essential.

Requirements will vary depending on which area you will be working, for example coastal land management will be similar to inland, likewise managing a section of coast path the knowledge needed will be the same as for all rights of way roles. However, there a few coast and marine specific skills which may be required and an ability to swim is always advantageous!

If you're thinking of a career focusing on coastal environments there are details of longer courses dealing specifically with Marine Ecology and Coastal Conservation on the Training Directory here. Some of these are also available as Distance Learning courses, see these here.