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Career Advice - A career in Geotechnical Engineering - ICErecruit

Geotechnical engineering is one of the specialisations within civil engineering that involves investigating and understanding what lies beneath the ground's surface.

Read on to learn more about the opportunities offered by a career in geotechnical engineering…

A career in geotechnical engineering - What's it all about?
Geotechnical engineers design and build foundations, excavations and slopes. One very important concern of geotechnical engineers is the safety of soil and the ability of the land to support the underlying structures.

The work of a geotechnical engineer includes five key activities: desk study or research into existing information, ground investigation (gathering new data), interpretation (understanding new data), analysis and design, and finally construction (or remediation).

The prospects are very good because every construction project involves foundation work. With development land at a premium may projects involve the challenge of building on difficult ground such as swamps, or hills, which are more complicated. In these areas, specialists like geotechnical engineers and consultants are needed.

A career in geotechnical engineering – what would I do?
Because all construction takes place in or on the ground, geotechnical engineering plays a crucial role in all civil engineering projects. The need to investigate the ground is of vital importance before any construction work takes place. The failure to carry out adequate site investigations often has had dramatic and expensive consequences on construction projects.

Geotechnical engineers require a wide variety of skills and, in general, need to be smarter than other kinds of engineer. Whereas most engineers have the luxury of specifying the materials they use, the geotechnical engineer has no choice but to work with the natural soil and rock as he or she finds it.

In a geotechnical consulting firm, everyone works in a team to complete a project. A team usually comprises a project director who oversees the whole project; a senior engineer, assisted by one or more engineers and geologists; a checker or checkers to make sure everything is done correctly; followed by an internal and an external reviewer. The geotechnical engineers in my firm are usually civil engineers who specialise in geotechnical engineering.

In a geotechnical consulting firm, engineers learn to apply most of what they’ve learned theoretically at university. They will learn the critical issues involving analysis and design work, think innovatively about options and alternative designs and also address safety and environmental issues in their design.

A career in geotechnical engineering – Salary potential?
As a graduate, starting salaries compare well with other professions. Graduate trainees currently command salaries in the region of £18,000 to £22,000, but with a few years’ experience, you can expect to earn around £25,000. Senior engineers’ salaries generally range from £37,000 to £45,000.

What you earn as you work your way up the ladder depends on the route your career takes. Those serious about a career in geotechnical engineering will gain appropriate professional qualifications which will see a significant rise in salary.

During your career, many jobs, particularly with site-based work, will have extra benefits which will push up the value of your package. This could include a bonus, a company car, life insurance, overtime pay and medical cover.

A career in geotechnical engineering – Would I travel?
There is huge opportunity and choice for young engineers starting out in a career in geotechnical engineering. Even when working for a UK based company you may have opportunities to go overseas to work on individual projects. Click here to see current overseas career opportunities.

A career in geotechnical engineering – Further information
If a career in geotechnical engineering is your chosen career path then you should find some of these sources of further information helpful:

Note: ICErecruit is not responsible for the content of the 3rd party Web sites listed on any page of ICErecruit. All of the above links open in a new window.