FAQ / Tips / Resources
In this page, you can find some general information and tips related to space careers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Scroll down to see information related to ESA.
More Q&A soon.
Scroll down to see information related to ESA.
- How to become an astrophysicist?
I recommend reading through this page with lots of advice by Katie Mack: https://www.astrokatie.com/solicited-advice
This Reddit post is also very insightful, including thoughts on questions like "I'm in high school, what do I have to do now?", "I'm bad at math/ have bad grades. Do I have a chance?", and "What's after college?". - My field/major is x. Can I work with space?
The good news is that many fields connect to space.
Here are some examples of STEM fields besides astronomy and astrophysics:
Chemistry -> Astrochemistry
Study of chemical processes in interstellar space, and study of elements in objects such as comets.
Biology -> Astrobiology
Study of the origins of life and the search for life beyond Earth.
Geology -> Planetary science
Study of the geology of objects such as planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, meteorites.
Medicine -> Space medicine
Includes studying the challenges of the space environment and the physiological consequences it has on the human body.
Psychology
Research on human behavior in space, behavioral effects of high-stress conditions, conducting relevant experiments.
Computer science/software engineering
Essential to technical aspects of space missions.
Aerospace engineering
Includes many subfields of engineering related to aircraft, and spacecraft. See Wiki's List of aerospace engineering topics.
You could also look up space law, and space architecture.
It can be useful to search [your field] + space applications, e.g. Google “engineering space applications”.
- How can I do something at ESA?
To learn about ESA’s opportunities, go to esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA, plus see their LinkedIn page.
See more information on ESA below.
Note that applying to opportunities on ESA’s homepage requires to be of one of ESA’s member state nationality.
However, any nationality can apply to contractor jobs, which are listed on LinkedIn. - Is coding necessary to know as an astrophysicist?
I do think so, since projects where coding is not used is rather an exception. I recommend taking coding courses during your university studies, or learning with online courses.
See Astroniz YouTube channel for Python and Machine Learning tutorials with a link to space science: these videos give a good idea of problems that benefit from coding. - Jobs/salaries
If you want to learn about opportunities in astrophysics in general/see examples of jobs and their salary, I recommend browsing positions on this page: jobregister.aas.org
- Universities in Europe
University admissions and applications are specific for each university in a different country. Universities have pages for international students on their websites with explanations.
More Q&A soon.
ESA
Opportunities at ESA start from the master's level:
Anyone from ESA member states and cooperating members can apply.
Member states: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Associate Members: Latvia, Lithuania.
Cooperation Agreements: Canada, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia.
You can read more about the opportunities at ESA’s career page.
My experience
In October 2019, I joined ESA as part of their YGT (Young Graduate Trainee) program. YGTs are employed by ESA generally for one year, with a salary higher than that of PhD students; YGTs are not interns. In some cases, the contract can be extended for another year. Two years is the maximum duration for a YGT.
I was based at the ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) facility in the Netherlands. ESTEC is ESA’s largest establishment where missions are designed and tested at.
The YGT position gave me professional experience working at an intergovernmental organization for two years. During that time, I carried out research within the Gaia science team, collaborated with other ESA research groups, planned the project, presented my work at seminars, and participated in conferences. It was very useful to experience the work culture outside universities.
It was exciting to see the immense effort that goes into space missions: feeling the buzz of new missions coming online (for example the exoplanet satellite CHEOPS was launched and started its work in 2019), and getting a glimpse of the work behind new missions being planned and prepared.
The YGT community is lively, welcoming, and it’s easy to make friends.
My advice for applicants
Opportunities at ESA start from the master's level:
- Internships can be carried out during master’s studies. Students work on projects for 3-6 months (duration depends on the project).
- For master’s graduates, there are the YGT positions (see below).
- For those with PhDs, there are research fellowships.
Anyone from ESA member states and cooperating members can apply.
Member states: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Associate Members: Latvia, Lithuania.
Cooperation Agreements: Canada, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Slovakia.
You can read more about the opportunities at ESA’s career page.
My experience
In October 2019, I joined ESA as part of their YGT (Young Graduate Trainee) program. YGTs are employed by ESA generally for one year, with a salary higher than that of PhD students; YGTs are not interns. In some cases, the contract can be extended for another year. Two years is the maximum duration for a YGT.
I was based at the ESTEC (European Space Research and Technology Centre) facility in the Netherlands. ESTEC is ESA’s largest establishment where missions are designed and tested at.
The YGT position gave me professional experience working at an intergovernmental organization for two years. During that time, I carried out research within the Gaia science team, collaborated with other ESA research groups, planned the project, presented my work at seminars, and participated in conferences. It was very useful to experience the work culture outside universities.
It was exciting to see the immense effort that goes into space missions: feeling the buzz of new missions coming online (for example the exoplanet satellite CHEOPS was launched and started its work in 2019), and getting a glimpse of the work behind new missions being planned and prepared.
The YGT community is lively, welcoming, and it’s easy to make friends.
My advice for applicants
- When applying to a project, it helps to have some sort of prior connection with the project’s topic. For example, I applied to a position about micrometeoroids impacting the Gaia space telescope and my master's research project was related to Gaia's astrometry.
- Check the requirements in the advertisement, and give examples of how you meet these requirements in the cover letter.
- Try to get prior international experience that proves you are capable of working in such an environment (int'l summer schools and workshops, semester abroad/studies abroad, working on a project within an int'l team).