Networking Event: Careers and Partnership Opportunities in Global Environmental Law and Governance

On 3 May 2017, SCELG hosted a networking event on ‘Careers and Partnership Opportunities in Global Environmental Law and Governance’, to provide students from our undergraduate, Masters and PhD programmes with an opportunity to meet alumni from a broad range of professional backgrounds, from international institutions and academia to non-governmental organizations and independent consultancies. The event was attended by alumni that now work at the:

• European Parliament
• European Commission
• European Investment Bank
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
• Scottish Government
• Clinton Foundation
• International Institute for Environment and Development
• As well as alumni currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Bremen Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy. 

The event served as a platform for participants to share information on their current projects in environmental law and governance at the international, EU and national levels, and explore areas of common interest as well as ideas for future collaborations. In addition, participants, discussed challenges and lessons learned in their transition from completing their postgraduate studies to entering their professional lives. They also highlighted elements of their postgraduate studies that made them particularly competitive in the international environmental law job market, and provided tips to students on employment opportunities.

The networking event built upon a career event that was held by SCELG on 28 April 2017, where students had the opportunity to meet and receive career advice from three distinguished international environmental lawyers: Maria Manguiat, head of UN Environment’s National Environmental Law Unit; Tomme Young, an independent consultant on international and national environmental law and managing editor of the journal Environmental Law and Policy; and Harry Jonas, founding director of the non-governmental organisation ‘Natural Justice – Lawyers for Local Communities’.

Below are some key pieces of advice that emerged from the two events:

• Sharpen your skills: Once you know what type of career you would like to pursue, identify the skills that are needed to succeed in your chosen field (check, for instance, the specifications of available job vacancies in an institution you’d like to work at) and spend time in an environment that enables you to hone them. 
• No such thing as a bad experience: All jobs provide you with knowledge and skills that strengthen your CV and provide assets for future work. Going outside your comfort zone is rewarding in the long-run and will contribute to building a distinctive professional profile. Even jobs that may not match your ideal career may provide transferable skills that will come in handy when your dream job comes along. It is up to you to explain their relevance for your next job in your application and in you CV.
• No such thing as a closed door: International organizations, national institutions, NGOs and universities are no longer separate sectors. Increasingly they collaborate, so working for one may provide invaluable experience and precious contacts for moving on to another. Even if your career goal is clear and you wish, for instance, to pursue a career with the United Nations, do not discard the opportunity to work for a think tank or an NGO, or a PhD in an institution that regularly works with the UN. 
• Work on the ground: Internships involving field work can provide invaluable practical experience and teach you how to adapt your work to the needs of the people on the ground. Even though field work sometimes comes at a personal cost, having some short-term contracts at the beginning of your career can provide a unique opportunity for self-discovery and unique perspectives into career options.
• Be creative: In “finding” your ideal job, you may have to be creative. There may be opportunities to ‘invent’ a job, by creating a new NGO, for instance. Or you may seize an opportunity to carry out given tasks in an innovative way and create space for your particular interests within an organization, as long as you can prove that this contributes to the organization’s objectives.  

We welcome feedback on how we can best keep in touch and cultivate ties among alumni, with a view to exploring synergies and opportunities for working together. Please contact miranda.geelhoed@strath.ac.uk.