Undergraduate cadetship program

The Brisbane City Council cadetship program is for university students studying selected disciplines, who are entering the final two years of their degree. It offers part-time employment in your field of study, with flexible rosters and study leave to help you complete your course.

You’ll be gaining on-the-job experience, learning from professionals in your field and working on real-life projects. You can network with other cadets, graduates and senior staff and participate in professional and personal development to enhance your career prospects even further. Plus you get paid to do it.

Register your interest in our Undergraduate Cadetship program.

Program structure

Our cadets need to:

• work a minimum of two days per week while completing studies, and more over the vacation periods
• achieve a pass or pass conceded in all your university subjects. Any failed subjects may result in termination of your cadetship. You can request additional study leave during exam and assessment times
• commit to meeting performance standards and goals throughout your employment

The program runs for two years – so you need to be entering your second year of a three-year degree, or third year of a four-year degree to apply. Your two final years are then split into four six-month rotations in different Council project areas. All the rotations are designed to fit with your career goals and to encourage new skills related to your study. You’ll be working on real Council projects from day one.

Type of cadetships

We usually offer cadetships in the following disciplines:

• civil engineering
• urban and town planning
• environmental health
• landscape architecture
• human resources
• workplace health and safety

Actual numbers and disciplines will vary from year to year – check the website closer to the cadetship intake for more information.

Benefits

As well as the fantastic on the job experience you’ll be gaining at Council, you’ll also benefit from:

• no HECS fees. Council will reimburse you each semester during the time you are employed with us. There’s also a book subsidy and reimbursements for compulsory institution fees (excluding onsite campus and guild/student unions)
• the security of employment for the duration of your degree
• opportunity to work full time during university breaks (up to six weeks annually) - easily completing 200 hours of work experience during your degree
• flexible working hours that suit your university schedule to balance work and study commitments
• great hourly pay rate (plus superannuation and leave benefits), depending on your year of study
• a mentor in your field plus development days to network with other cadets around the organisation
• a safe, supportive work environment with a Zero Harm policy
• access to our wellness centre and free gym membership

You may also be eligible to apply for Council’s award winning Graduate Development Program when you have finished your degree and cadetship.

Application process

Council advertises available positions around August each year on our Careers website, the university Career Hubs and some of the online graduate career services.

You will need to submit your application online, including a resume, a cover letter outlining your interest in one of our cadet disciplines and a transcript of your academic results.

Appropriate working visas that entitle you to work in Australia for the duration of your degree are required for cadetship positions.

What to expect

The recruitment process can take up to three months and may involve an online questionnaire, one or more interviews, a medical assessment (for some roles) and reference checks. Successful candidates will be offered positions in November, and will begin work at Council in January the following year.

Our recruitment process focuses on finding the right person to work at Council. If you have a perfect GPA or have just passed all of your subjects, as long as you’re passionate about working somewhere you can make a difference, we welcome your application.

Make sure your application tells us who you are – what you want to achieve in your career and what you love to do. We get hundred of applications and you need to stand out from the crowd if you really want to help us shape Brisbane into a world-class city.

More information

We encourage you to register for job alerts to be notified of all cadet vacancies.

For more information on our cadetships phone our Recruitment Centre on 07 3403 4998 or email Brisbane City Council Careers.