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Aerospace engineer

Aerospace engineer

Alternative titles for this job include Aeronautical engineer

Aerospace engineers design, build and maintain planes, spacecraft and satellites.

Average salary (a year)

£20,000 Starter

£60,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

39 to 41 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends occasionally

How to become an aerospace engineer

You can get into this job through:

a university course
a college course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
applying directly

University

You can do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in aerospace engineering, avionics, or a related subject like:

electrical or electronic engineering
mechanical engineering
manufacturing or product engineering
physics or applied physics
software engineering or mathematics

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

1 or 2 A levels for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
2 or 3 A levels, including maths for a degree

More information

College

You can do a higher national certificate (HNC) or diploma (HND) in engineering before applying for a job with an aerospace company. Subjects include:

Level 4 HNC Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
Level 5 HND Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering
Level 5 HND Diploma in Electrical Engineering

Entry requirements

You may need:

1 or 2 A levels, a level 3 diploma or relevant experience for a level 4 or level 5 course

More information

Apprenticeship

You can do a degree apprenticeship as an aerospace engineer.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and college qualifications like A levels for a higher or a degree apprenticeship

More information

Work

You can join a company as an engineering technician and do training on the job to qualify as an engineer.

Direct application

You can apply for jobs directly if you've got qualifications and experience, for example from working in electrical or electronics engineering.

More information

Further information

You can find out more about careers in aerospace engineering from Careers in Aerospace.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

knowledge of engineering science and technology
maths knowledge
design skills and knowledge
to be thorough and pay attention to detail
excellent verbal communication skills
science skills
analytical thinking skills
the ability to read English
you will be expected to use a computer confidently as part of this job.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Your day-to-day duties will depend on your role but may include:

developing navigation, communications or weapons systems
researching ways to make fuel-efficient parts, such as wings, fuselage and engines
using CAD software for design
testing prototypes
collecting and analysing test data
planning and supervising the fitting of aircraft and components
signing off projects under strict industry regulations
scheduling and supervising maintenance

Working environment

You could work on an aircraft, at a client's business, in a factory or in an office.

Your working environment may be cramped.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could specialise in a particular field like:

aerodynamics
fuel efficiency
space technology
investigating air accidents

You could also move up to become a project manager or consultant aerospace engineer.

Training opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for an aerospace engineer right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England