what is a researcher?
As a researcher, you will work for businesses or academic institutions to improve their decision-making process or enrich scholarly literature. If you work in a marketing company, your job is to collect information throughout the project life cycle.
Gathering data is only the beginning since you have to analyse the information and report the findings to relevant decision-makers. In scientific research, your work may include field surveys and laboratory work to test your findings.
Researchers pursue their preferred field of study using specialised skills to learn new things and solve problems. For example, scientific researchers assist in developing medical products through scientific experiments, while television researchers help entertainers determine favourite shows.
As a researcher, your skills, expertise, and specialism can boost your career prospects.
Would working as a researcher suit your natural curiosity and analytical skills? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a researcher role.
average salary of a researcher
Becoming a researcher provides unlimited opportunities for growing your career and earnings. According to ONS, the average researcher salary is £44,691 per year in the UK, with entry-level positions earning as low as £32,280 annually.
As you gain more experience and prowess in data collection and analysis, your benefits will increase. Senior-level researchers earn an average salary of £54,968, and the benefits can include unlimited research budgets, transport allowances and healthcare benefits.
what factors affect the salary of a researcher?
Your salary as a researcher depends on your responsibilities and level of experience. Your salary will reflect the workload if your job entails securing funding, administrative duties and supervisory roles. Sometimes, researchers in academic institutions also take up teaching positions.
Aside from your responsibilities, the employer type also determines your benefits package. For example, private companies pay more than public institutions, and research institutions with unlimited grants for projects also provide better benefits and salaries.
Your specialism and skillset also determine your salary; for instance, experts in statistical models are likely to earn more due to the mastery of the craft.
types of researchers
If you want to be a successful researcher, explore jobs in various specialisms, including the following:
- academic researcher: when you are an academic researcher, your job is to conduct high-level research in educational institutions. Most of your work is published in peer-reviewed journals or books in your field of study. You are likely to teach university students, supervise students' projects and speak in conferences concerning your research papers.
- social researcher: as a social researcher, you will use data to examine behaviours, experiences and gauge opinions of specific focus groups. Your findings influence policy or evaluate the effectiveness of particular decisions within a company or government institution.
- scientific researcher: if you enjoy conducting experiments and testing hypotheses, scientific research can be an exciting career. You will study the relationship between living things and the environment or develop new production processes or products.
- medical researcher: if you are passionate about medicine and developing treatments for terminal illnesses, you should become a medical researcher. Your job will entail researching medical diagnosis, developing drugs and testing the effectiveness of treatment plans.
working as a researcher
Are you wondering how a day in the life of a researcher looks? Let's explore the daily tasks, responsibilities and work schedule of a researcher.
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researcher job description
Your daily tasks depend on the nature of your work, specialism and level of seniority. Whether you work in an academic or industrial setting, you are likely to undertake the following responsibilities:
- determining research topics: as a researcher, your job is to coordinate with the management team to identify the problems they face. From the issues, you can formulate the topics and prioritise the research projects to tackle.
- conducting research: your primary role is to collect relevant data for your employers using various methodologies and sources. How you conduct the research will depend on your field of study. For instance, a market researcher uses sales numbers and internet traffic while a medical researcher conducts laboratory experiments to obtain data.
- formulating surveys and questionnaires: your role as a researcher includes designing surveys and preparing questionnaires to help you gather data from your focus groups. If the project requires interviews, your job will involve interviewing the target population and compiling their responses for data analysis.
- interpreting data: after collecting data, researchers spend time collating the information to make sense of it. You can use statistical tools to analyse the data and come up with findings and conclusions on the study subject.
- creating research proposals and reports: after collecting, organising and interpreting data, you need to build a research proposal or develop a detailed report. Sometimes, researchers are invited by senior management to present their findings and explain the conclusions of the research.
- administrative duties: in some companies, you have to supervise research teams, including managing budgets and preparing work schedules. Occasionally, researchers create proposals for securing funds or finding sponsors for research projects. When looking for research sponsors, you will make presentations, attend conferences and meet with potential donors to discuss project plans.
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work environment
As a researcher, your work environment depends on your specialism. If you work in colleges or universities, your work environment will be in the laboratory or office.
Scientific researchers typically work in lab settings doing experiments using specialised tools and machines.
Social researchers spend most of their time in the field interviewing focus groups and administering questionnaires. After data collection, social researchers spend hours in the office interpreting data or reviewing past research papers in the library.
Regardless of your specialism, you will enjoy a flexible work environment.
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work schedule
Your working hours are approximately 37 to 40 hours a week in government and academic institutions. When supervising student projects, you will work evenings and weekends to assist them in field research. In the private sector, many employers offer flexible work arrangements, including part-time and full-time schedules. Prefer to work from home or remotely? More and more employers are offering this option too.
When research deadlines are looming, you have to put in extra hours to complete the projects, including evenings and weekends. Permanent positions are common in the private sector, but most government institutions provide fixed-term contracts due to finite funding.
Your work might also involve travelling to collect data and sometimes overseas trips for conferences and seminars. Want to build an international network of experts that are valuable for your field of expertise? A job as a researcher offers you the opportunity to do so.
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job outlook
Do you like a clear career path? Then a job as a researcher might be right for you. The career progression from research associate to senior-level researcher and project manager is well defined, offering a logical route to achieving your long-term career goals.
Research careers cover various sectors, from higher education to manufacturing, business and IT. The range of specialisms also gives you endless opportunities to specialise and become an expert researcher in a particular field.
The increased investment in innovation is boosting the demand for researchers in the UK. With the 6% projected growth rate of research jobs in the UK, becoming a researcher is a promising career with good prospects.
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advantages of finding a researcher job through randstad
Finding your researcher job through Randstad provides benefits such as:
- variety of development and training opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a researcher is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers every year thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
Having an inquisitive mind is not enough to land you a job as a researcher; you need educational qualifications and certifications including:
- bachelor's degree: as an aspiring researcher, you should pursue a degree course relevant to the field of study you are interested in undertaking. If you want to focus on scientific research, a degree in biochemistry, pharmacology, and chemistry is a great start. If you are interested in social research, a degree in sociology, economics and psychology will be useful. A degree in any subject can get you started, but you need knowledge in a specific field of study to branch out into different specialisms.
- master's and PhD: a bachelor's degree will get you an entry-level position in research, and to progress to senior roles, you need a master's or doctorate. A master's degree equips you with knowledge in data analysis and writing research papers or proposals for grants. To become the lead researcher in your field, you need a doctorate that often involves completing an original research project.
- apprenticeship: some research specialisms provide apprentice opportunities for aspiring researchers. For instance, research scientists can start with a level 7 degree apprenticeship, which takes 30 months. The apprenticeship equips you with the entry requirements to become a chartered research scientist.
skills and competencies
Aside from educational qualifications, you need a number of technical skills and soft skills to help you excel in your career as a researcher. Some of these skills include:
- data analysis: as a researcher, you need analytical skills to help you utilise the tools available for data analysis. That means you should be proficient in data analysis using excel or other data visualisation techniques to aid interpretation and decision-making.
- critical thinking: in research, your job involves solving specific problems. Therefore, it is important to have critical thinking abilities to help you identify the best research methods to gather relevant data. Your problem-solving ability also enables you to recommend solutions to clients from your findings and research conclusions.
- communication skills: you need strong communications skills to write research papers and articulate your observations to other researchers or clients. Exceptional communication skills will help you secure funding and gain recognition from journals.
- project management skills: every research project requires high-quality planning for efficient management of resources and achievement of milestones. If you have project management skills, you can organise your resources and achieve your objectives within the stipulated budget.
- accounting and budgeting skills: if you are a senior researcher or manage your project, you need to keep track of cash flow. Budgeting skills help you match your research goals to the funding, and accounting skills are crucial in keeping accurate records of the transactions through the project.
FAQs
FAQs about working as a researcher.
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is being a researcher a job?
Researchers are information experts who collect data, analyse information and present their findings. They use discoveries to solve problems or predict trends in their field of study. If you become a researcher, you can work in government laboratories, environmental agencies and private companies. Want to learn more about working as a researcher? Then check out this article.
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what is the role of a researcher?
As a researcher, your primary role is to gather relevant data from focus groups, organise and analyse the data to come up with findings. From the data, you provide recommendations on ways to solve problems or assist companies in predicting sales trends and the viability of business ideas. Want to learn more about working as a researcher? Then check out this article.
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is being a researcher a good job?
If you love making discoveries and understanding the relationships between things, becoming a researcher can be a fulfilling career. You will assist companies in solving problems and identifying new trends to remain competitive in the market. Becoming a researcher is also an intellectually stimulating job with promising career prospects. Want to learn more about working as a researcher? Then check out this article.
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what skills does a researcher need?
Researchers need exceptional planning and management skills to help them achieve research objectives within the stipulated timeline. Aside from leadership skills, you also need interpersonal skills to work with other researchers on team projects. IT and data handling skills will also come in handy during the analysis and interpretation of data. Want to learn more about working as a researcher? Then check out this article.
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is being a researcher stressful?
Becoming a researcher is an exciting career, but sometimes the pressure to deliver tangible results leads to stress and long working hours. You can avoid the stress by creating a realistic timeline for projects and ensuring the milestones are achieved. Want to learn more about working as a researcher? Then check out this article.
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how do I apply for a researcher vacancy?
Applying for a job as a researcher is easy: create a randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
