Employment and study
Supporting you with employment and career advice, working and studying, and financial help and grants.
Working life is full of twists and turns. The Chemists’ Community Fund is here to make sure that, whether you’re studying in the chemical sciences, managing a change in career direction or looking ahead to retirement, you are ready for anything that comes your way.
Whatever you are going through, we are here to help.
Contact us in confidence
Someone from the team is available to speak to on the phone every weekday (Monday – Friday).
Call 0800 084 3451 (UK Freephone) or +44 1223 853549 (International) between 9am and 5pm, UK time.
Or you can send us a message online and a member of the team will get back to you within 10 working days. If you would prefer us to contact you in a certain way, please let us know.
Don’t forget, we keep all of this strictly confidential.
On this page
Employment and career advice
- Careers service: The RSC Career and Professional Development Advisors are available to all RSC members, whether or not they use the Chemists’ Community Fund. You can access a range of guidance and resources via the careers web pages.
- Online career toolkit: we support a Career Toolkit which offers a range of interactive tools, designed to help you plan every step of your career with confidence.
- Retraining & Career Development grants: if you feel that your career would benefit from refreshing your knowledge, or from learning something that could lead to success in a new role, a retraining grant can cover any associated costs.
- Mentoring programme: the ongoing support of a mentor is worth it wherever you are in your career, and it can be especially beneficial if you are at a crossroads in your working life.
- Managing redundancy: while being made redundant is part of professional life, that doesn’t mean it is easy. We can guide you to tailored help and advice, including support from the RSC careers team and webinars.
Supporting work and study
- Specialist advice about autism: our partner, the National Autistic Society, has lots of advice and information for handling different aspects of professional life, including interview tips and understanding unspoken workplace rules.
- Funding for mobility aids: Funding for specialist technology or equipment: equipment that helps you work or study independently can be the difference between pursuing the career you want and having to rethink your plans. We can consider grants to fund, or contribute towards equipment and technology. Watch mobility and disability support video
- Business & employment rights: if you have any questions or concerns about your legal position as an employee, we can refer you to our legal advice partner, who provide telephone-based impartial legal advice.
- Accessibility grants: the opportunity to attend chemistry-related meetings, conferences and workshops should be open to everyone. The accessibility grant provides support towards equipment that means you can attend, additional travel expenses or to allow someone to travel with you.
- Carers’ grants: for those of you with caring responsibilities, we can offer grants to help you attend a scientific event, if attending means you will incur extra costs.
- Bullying & harassment helpline: calling 0800 520 0115 will connect you to impartial support for anyone affected or concerned by bullying or harassing behaviour in the chemical sciences.
Financial help
- Managing a budget: there are some excellent tools and guidance available to help you keep track of income and outgoings, including this budget tracker.
- Graduate support grant: it’s rare for someone to immediately find a job in their specialist field after graduating, and many people find themselves searching for longer than they hoped. The graduate support grant gives you the time you need to find a role or to relocate for a role you secure.
- Student support grants: if you are studying chemistry, completing vocational training or working as an apprentice in the chemical sciences, you can ask us for help with unexpected costs.
- Support while job hunting: we can help you work out which state benefits you can apply for and support you through the application process.