Annual Salary
£20,000 to £60,000
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Maths or STEM or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Maths or STEM or go back to all job sectors
Palaeontologists study the history of life on Earth through fossils.
Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; away from home
There will be
2.4% more Palaeontologist jobs in 2027.
Your tasks will depend on the sector you work in.
Typically you could expect to:
You could work in a laboratory, in a museum, at a university, visit sites or in an office.
Your working environment may be physically demanding and you may spend nights away from home.
You can get into this job through:
You could do a degree in:
Some employers, like museums or oil and gas companies, may ask for a postgraduate qualification like a MGeol, MBiol or MSci.
Other employers, like universities or research institutions, will expect you to have completed, or be working towards, a PhD in your specialist area of interest.
You'll usually need:
You may find it helpful if you can speak a second language because you'll often be working with colleagues from around the world.
You'll find more on palaeontology training through The Palaeontological Association.
You could work as a geological surveyor, a consultant in mining and mineral exploration, or the oil and gas industry.
You could move into university teaching and research.
The skills you gain are also valued in the scientific media, TV and the financial sector.
You'll need: