Annual Salary
£28,000 to £58,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Maths or Science or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Swap to Maths or Science or go back to all job sectors or go to green jobs
Nuclear engineers design and build technology used in areas like power generation, healthcare and defence.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
2.4% more Nuclear engineer jobs in 2027.
As a nuclear engineer, you might:
Possible green job
This job could help the environment.
For a nuclear engineer to be a green job, you could:
Find out more about green careers
You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.
You could work at a power station, in a laboratory, in an office or in a control room.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree in a subject like:
You can find universities offering nuclear related courses through the Nuclear Institute.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to apply for a place on an apprenticeship, such as:
These take around 3 years to complete.
You'll usually need:
You can start on a 2-year graduate training scheme called Nuclear Graduates, which is run by nuclear industry employers.
On the scheme, you'll receive professional development training in different areas of the nuclear industry.
You'll normally need a degree in a science or engineering subject to apply for a place.
You'll need to:
You may need to relocate for work, as Britain's nuclear power stations are spread around the country. This includes ones in operation, those being decommissioned and proposed new sites.
You can find employers in each part of the country on the Nuclear Industry Association jobs map.
You can get details about working in the the nuclear industry through:Destination Nuclear; Not Just Labcoats; UK Atomic Energy Authority
With skills and experience, you could become:an operations engineer, managing a technical team during the building and running of a power plant; a nuclear inspector, regulating the storage and disposal of radioactive waste; a nuclear safety engineer, responsible for making sure all on-site safety requirements are met; a clinical engineer, researching ways to improve nuclear medicine used in the treatment of disease
You could also work as a freelance engineering consultant.
Nuclear Engineers are needed to work at Hinkley Point C on the generation on low carbon nuclear energy in the West of England.
Click here to find a local provider
Click here to search for a local apprenticeship
Click here to search for other university courses
For more information on the different routes you can take to get into working as a nuclear engineer, take a look at the 'Routes into this job' section above.
Click here for an explanation of the different course and apprenticeship levels.
For more local employment opportunities see the 'Live job vacancies by region' section above.
You'll need: