How to get a job in patents

The Patent Office offers graduates and postgrads a long-term career in a 'semi-academic' environment

You may not be the next James Dyson, but you could have a career in invention in the United Kingdom Patent Office. It will not actually take you to a shed at the bottom of the garden, but rather to UKPO's new building in Newport.

The UKPO seeks graduates and postgraduates for the job of patent examiner. The basic requirement is a second-class degree in science, engineering and mathematics, but plenty of MScs and PhDs are taken on. Because the boom in telecommunications has led to many innovations and a large number of patents being filed, the UKPO has been keen to recruit qualified people with backgrounds in electronics, electrical engineering and telecommunications.

Postgraduates in the job are paid more than graduates, and the environment is thought to be well suited to those from academia. The role is to consider applications for patents and decide if they meet the legal requirements for patent protection. To do that an examiner must understand the technology, search through previous published patents to decide if the invention is genuinely new, and assess the application for clarity and concision.

Not only must patent examiners have a good grasp of technology, they will need to learn the job's substantial legal aspects. New arrivals join on two years' probation, during which they receive intensive training. Even after training, it takes a few years before they are fully versed in the job. But there is a good promotion structure with corresponding salary rewards. Entry-level salaries are Pounds 15,500-Pounds 18,500 a year, and they rise to Pounds 47,000 for a senior patent examiner.

"We really want people who are looking for a long-term career," says Peter Back, who has been at the UKPO since 1970. PhD graduates will normally start on Pounds 17,500 a year. UKPO has a lot of competition from patent agents, who seek the same skills as the UKPO and who offer more money.

David Keston, who has a PhD in plasma physics, has been with the UKPO for just over a year. He says he is enjoying himself because he has always been interested in intellectual property and the environment has "a semi-academic feel". Although he does not use a great deal of his PhD science, he finds his research background helpful.

Most average science graduates will probably have technical skills UKPO seeks, but a PhD is very helpful in some specialist areas such as biotechnology and electronics. Dr Back explains that being a patent examiner involves a lot of reading and technical documentation. "There are certain skills of perception an examiner needs, such as looking at a technical drawing and understanding quickly what is going on. Some people would find (the job) extraordinarily boring but other people find it very challenging and interesting. Given that there is a strong demand for these skills in the private sector - where more money can be earned - the fact that a significant number choose to stay with us and make a career suggests that it is an interesting and rewarding job."

The UKPO has 200 patent examiners, and with the amount of patenting generally on the rise, this is a growth area. There is a European Patent Office, and virtually every country has a national office.

Dr Keston says that working as a patent examiner can be fascinating. "You get to see some clever ideas and that can be exciting. Some people get bitten by the bug. You get people who go through retirement and then come back."