Employer profile: Met Office, the UK's meteorological service

The Met Office is the UK’s national meteorological service and you'll probably know them best for producing the weather forecasts that you read on your phone. But what's it like to work for them? In this guide, you’ll learn all about working at the Met Office, what apprenticeship opportunities are available, and how to apply.

The Met Office at a glance:

Tess Clegg, who is an Early Careers Lead, tells us what it’s really like to work for the company.

What does the Met Office do?

The Met Office is the UK’s national meteorological service and you probably know us best for the weather that you read on your phone.

Through world-leading science and technology, we’re responsible for forecasting the weather and examining how the climate may change over the coming decades. 

A cool fact about the Met Office is that we work with global partners like NASA, and our IT projects reach as far as space. In fact our supercomputing system is one of the most powerful in the world dedicated to weather and climate.

Our teams support government, business and industry, emergency responders, the military, and the public to make informed decisions to keep people safe. For example, the RNLI lifeguards use the Met Office forecast for wind speed and offshore wave conditions to make the necessary precautions to keep our beaches safe. It even provides weather briefings to air traffic controllers and airlines to help pilots navigate extreme weather conditions, and re-route where necessary.

Where is the Met Office based?

Most employees are based at our headquarters in Exeter, but we have 60 locations around the UK and the world, including Antarctica! 

Our employees are also able to combine working from home and the office. This usually means coming into the office for one or two days a week and working from home, communicating via emails and video calls, for the remainder. Many roles are desk-based, but we do have some that require travel and outside work. Our apprenticeships and industrial placements are normally based full-time at our headquarters in Exeter.

Tess, an electrical engineer at the Met Office, talks about how varied her working week is:

“It’s hard to explain what I do day-to-day because every day is different! I can go from building a weather station in our workshop with sensors, to visiting a Royal Navy ship to install vital pressure sensors before they return to sea. When I’m working in the office or from home, my time is often spent in meetings discussing how engineering practices could improve the accuracy of the weather forecasts that the Met Office produces, and then how we can begin to implement these improvements across the network.”

What are some of the most common roles at the Met Office?

The most common roles at the Met Office include meteorologists, scientists, and IT professionals. 

Our meteorologists study data to make weather forecasts, our scientists conduct weather and climate-related research, and our IT experts design, build, and support the systems needed by the organisation and our customers. 

Christopher, a scientific software engineer at the Met Office, talks about the importance of technology-based jobs to support the work that scientists carry out:

“Scientists at the Met Office create models that help collect information, and predict weather and climate conditions around the world. As a scientific software engineer, my job is to look at the software and code that’s been developed by scientists for these projects, and find out how to better optimise it. As an organisation, the Met Office has been investing a lot in technology, and it’s really helped to advance the scale of scientific research we do. Because of this, the UK’s Met Office is known as one of the best meteorological services in the world.”

What are some of the most common entry-level roles at the Met Office?

We employ apprentices in various professions across the organisation including technology, human resources, engineering, legal services, project management, and finance. These range from Level 2 to Level 6 programmes.

Some examples of recent apprenticeships are our Level 3 Paralegal, and Level 4 Project Management programmes. 

We also offer graduate-level jobs like our Foundation Scientist role. If you’re interested in forecasting, then you could apply to join our four-week Operational Meteorologist Foundation Course, which may lead to a job with us.

Check our website for the most up-to-date information.

Tess explained how she joined the Met Office as an apprentice, and is now working as a fully qualified electrical engineer:

“I started in this job 7 years ago after finishing my A levels and I’ve spent the time progressing through the many levels within my profession. I discovered this apprenticeship while attending an engineering expo at my local college and was immediately sold on the career. I made the most of meeting the Met Office staff at the expo, asking them for tips on how to complete my application, and fortunately I was successful in the recruitment.” 

What are the entry requirements for these roles? 

For an apprenticeship, ideally you’ll have already achieved your English and Maths GCSE at Grade 9-4/A*-C (or equivalent).  However, there are alternative ways to meet English and Maths requirements that can be undertaken alongside an apprenticeship, in the form of Functional Skills. 

Often, we also ask for other entry criteria.  For an apprenticeship in IT, for example, you might be asked to demonstrate your passion for IT, or that you have a basic understanding of a programming language.

What skills does the Met Office look for in applicants?

We look for applicants who identify with our values and who have good team-working, problem-solving, time management and communication skills.

Our application forms link to our values – each part  requires you to demonstrate how you align with these values. 

If you’re shortlisted, you may be asked to complete a selection exercise, which could include a presentation, written test, or a scenario-based activity, such as a group assessment to explore team working and problem-solving skills. This may also be followed by an interview.

What is one top tip to help an entry-level applicant succeed at getting into the Met Office?

Remember that the person reviewing your application doesn’t know you or what you’re good at, so your application form is where you need to let us know about your skills, interests, and passions.

We provide an application tips document on all our early careers programmes, and we strongly recommend you read through this before submitting an application!

What work experience or internship opportunities are there at the Met Office?

We run a two-tier work experience programme. Students first need to complete our virtual work experience before applying for an in-person work experience.

We also offer placements of either 10 weeks or 12 months, for those already studying for an undergraduate degree.

What opportunities for progression are there at the Met Office?

There are many opportunities to progress at the Met Office. Progression isn’t always a step up with more responsibility or more money.  Sometimes it’s an opportunity to change what area of the organisation you are working in, to gain new skills and a wider understanding of our work, or a temporary move to a different team to support your longer-term career development. 

If you join us on an apprenticeship, we’re keen for you to progress with us into a permanent role upon successful completion of your programme, where possible, and if you join us on an industrial placement, to return to us on our graduate scheme when you graduate.

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