Testimonials

Careers

Testimonials

Jim, Environmental Consultant

After completing a BSc in Geography at Bristol l knew l wanted a follow a career in the environmental sector. Working as a consultant for Bureau Veritas seemed like an ideal opportunity and the graduate programme has offered me the chance to gain experience in all of the fields l was interested in, and a clear structure upon which to build my knowledge and skills. I joined Bureau Veritas in February 2009 as an Assistant Consultant with the Industrial Permitting Team in Birmingham. From the beginning l was made to feel valued and welcome, and received plenty of guidance and support. In particular l was impressed by the level of input by senior staff into the graduate programme, and their interest in seeing assistant consultants learn and develop.

Although I’m based in Birmingham, my role extends across all areas of the consulting division. Assistant Consultants work as part of a ‘pooled resource’ - meaning l go where my interests and the availability of work takes me. So far I’ve been able to enjoy a real variety of work, from air quality monitoring near the M1, to environmental audits of factories in Liverpool. The flexibility and breadth of the programme has allowed me to learn a great deal and see all the different types of environmental consulting that Bureau Veritas does. While the range of work is challenging, l am accumulating new skills all the time becoming more confident in my ability.

Already I’ve been given opportunities to work on large projects in areas that l have a special interest in. This summer l was able to travel to Brazil as part of a global project auditing Nestle with the corporate assurance team. The experience allowed me to learn a huge amount and take on a new level of responsibility.

Spending time with experienced consultants has also helped me to appreciate what a dynamic sector environmental consulting is. Seeing their interest and expertise (and how it continually develops) has inspired me keep learning and helped me to recognise what it takes to be successful.

Overall my experience of Bureau Veritas has been a positive one. I have been able to increase many different areas of technical knowledge and gain a strong understanding of the business principles behind consultancy work. There is a clearly defined career structure, regular support from mentors, and a huge variety of work on offer. It’s a great opportunity that l hope to realise fully.

Sarah, Environmental Consultant

I graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in Environmental Biology in 2008. After spending several months gaining work experience in the environmental field, I sought to progress my career through a structured graduate programme. Bureau Veritas has offered me an exciting opportunity to gain valuable experience within a professional and dynamic consultancy, developing technical knowledge and gaining exposure to the commercial side of the business. Since joining Bureau Veritas in early 2009, I have assisted with a variety of projects within the disciplines of Ecology, Energy, Air Quality, Industrial Performance and Contaminated Land. My role as an Assistant Consultant is flexible and filled with variety. I have supported on business proposals, research-based studies, on-site environmental audits and surveys, and technical report writing within an array of industry sectors.

I have been encouraged to develop my own interests within a supportive working environment. Mentoring and appraisals have enabled me to operate within a defined set of objectives and set targets to ensure continued personal and professional development. Bureau Veritas has supported me in gaining Associate Membership with the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment and I am looking to continue my progression towards Chartered Environmentalist status. My time at Bureau Veritas is confirming my belief that the skills, experiences and opportunities I have been given are invaluable for my future career in consultancy.

Phil, Environmental Consultant

I graduated with a Geography degree from the University of Birmingham in 2007 and at that time I was still unsure of the type of career I wanted. After a period of working for an insurance company in flood risk assessment I realised it wasn’t exactly what I was after and moved to Bureau Veritas in September 2008. I was attracted to environmental consultancy by the opportunity to further my knowledge on environmental issues, by the fact that I wouldn’t be tied to a desk all day everyday, and by the variety of work on offer. I was specifically drawn to the Bureau Veritas graduate scheme for several reasons. Most importantly, it offers the opportunity to experience working in a number of fields within the environmental sector including Energy, Corporate Responsibility, Ecology and Flood Development amongst others.

There is the training and assistance available in order for me to further my professional development and the structure that will allow me to move upwards through the organisation. There is also the chance to work and travel around the country and to meet and work with people from many different areas of the business.

The graduate programme is very flexible and is different for every graduate depending on areas of interest and available work. For me this is one of the biggest attractions; it is not a set programme of work and experience as some graduate schemes are. Instead, it is an opportunity for each graduate to develop their knowledge and skills in the areas that are of most interest to them.

I started in Birmingham with the Industrial Performance and Permitting Team and assisted on a number of projects. I was involved with the assessment of buildings’ environmental performance and have continued to work on this since leaving Birmingham. I am now in London working predominantly with the Energy and Carbon Team where I have been carrying out energy performance assessments on buildings all over the country. The variety of work we do is expanding rapidly at the moment and over the next few months I expect to be working on projects related to The Carbon Reduction Commitment, Carbon Footprinting and Energy Auditing. Although I am based with the Energy and Carbon Team, I am able to work across the business and as such have experienced work ranging from the delivery of an online management system with the Health and Safety Team to reptile capture and translocation with the Ecology Team. I have also been given the responsibility of coordinating our UK Environmental Management System; this has not only been an excellent learning experience but also a good opportunity to get to know colleagues from the various offices around the country.