# Jobs.ac.uk Search Scraper (`jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper`) Actor

Scrape job listings from Jobs.ac.uk, the leading UK job board for academic, research, and higher education positions. Extract job titles, institutions, locations, salary ranges, contract types, and descriptions for academic recruitment.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Jobs API](https://apify.com/jobsapi) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.99 / 1,000 jobs.ac.uk job records

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Jobs.ac.uk Jobs Search Scraper

This Actor performs bounded extraction of public [Jobs.ac.uk](https://www.jobs.ac.uk/) academic job pages locally or on Apify Cloud. It uses ordinary HTTPS requests with a browser-compatible user agent and Cheerio parsing. It does not sign in, use fingerprinting or stealth plugins, submit applications, or fetch external application destinations.

### Modes

- `search` discovers public Jobs.ac.uk vacancies through the official search page, then fetches each detail page.
- `single` fetches one URL from `jobUrl`, `directUrl`, or `startUrl`.
- `multiple` fetches URLs from `jobUrls`, `directUrls`, or `startUrls`.

Every emitted row is buffered until its detail page, canonical URL, job identity, description, and required fields are verified. Incomplete or mismatched jobs are skipped in search mode; transport, access, and source-integrity failures write structured diagnostics to the key-value store and emit no misleading row.

### Output

Rows preserve the public academic vacancy data available on the page: title, institution, department, full text and HTML description, sectioned responsibilities/qualifications/benefits, locations, salary, hours, contract type, posting and closing dates, job reference, structured JobPosting data, description links, contact emails, explicit external application links, source listings, request receipts, field coverage, and dynamic execution-quality evidence.

`applicationUrl` is emitted only when Jobs.ac.uk publishes an explicit application action. The canonical Jobs.ac.uk vacancy URL is never presented as an application link.

### Local run

```powershell
npm ci
apify run --purge --input-file INPUT.json
npm run validate
```

The reproducible fixtures `INPUT.json`, `INPUT-single.json`, and `INPUT-multiple.json` exercise all three modes. The dataset is stored in `storage/datasets/default`; run state and diagnostics are stored under `storage/key_value_stores/default`.

On Apify Cloud, deploy with `apify push` and use a bounded 512 MB, 300-second smoke input. `OUTPUT_SUMMARY`, `RUN_HEALTH`, `RUN_DIAGNOSTICS`, `RUN_SKIPS`, and `SOURCE_RECEIPTS` provide dynamic run/build/storage provenance and safe response evidence.

The validator rejects nulls, blank strings, placeholders, empty arrays/objects, duplicate IDs/URLs, non-Jobs.ac.uk URLs, inconsistent URL identity, and unverifiable records. A zero-row run is accepted only when `OUTPUT_SUMMARY` records a structured failure diagnostic.

### Bounded settings

`maxItems` is limited to 10, `maxPages` to 3, detail concurrency to 3, request timeout to 30 seconds, retries to 2, and optional delay to one second. The default fixtures complete well under four minutes. A target-site timeout or security response is reported honestly; proxy escalation is considered only when direct cloud evidence justifies it.

# Changelog

This Actor's version history is a separate document: https://apify.com/jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper/changelog.md

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

Use search for discovery, single for one public job URL, or multiple for several public job URLs.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Academic job title, skill, or keyword for search mode.

## `location` (type: `string`):

Optional Jobs.ac.uk location filter.

## `jobUrl` (type: `string`):

One official public Jobs.ac.uk /job/<reference>/<slug> URL for single mode.

## `directUrl` (type: `string`):

Alias for jobUrl.

## `jobUrls` (type: `array`):

Official public Jobs.ac.uk job URLs for multiple mode.

## `directUrls` (type: `array`):

Alias for jobUrls.

## `startUrl` (type: `string`):

Alias for one direct public Jobs.ac.uk job URL.

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Aliases for direct public Jobs.ac.uk job URLs.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum complete records to emit.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Bounded number of public search pages.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Maximum simultaneous detail requests.

## `requestTimeoutSecs` (type: `integer`):

Timeout per public request.

## `retries` (type: `integer`):

Bounded retries for retryable transport failures.

## `delayMillis` (type: `integer`):

Optional delay between starting detail requests.

## `salaryMin` (type: `number`):

Optional minimum salary filter in GBP.

## `salaryMax` (type: `number`):

Optional maximum salary filter in GBP.

## `jobType` (type: `string`):

Optional contract or employment-type filter.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "query": "lecturer",
  "location": "",
  "maxItems": 3,
  "maxPages": 1,
  "maxConcurrency": 3,
  "requestTimeoutSecs": 15,
  "retries": 1,
  "delayMillis": 0,
  "jobType": ""
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `dataset` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

## `health` (type: `string`):

No description

## `diagnostics` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,jobsapi/jobs-ac-uk-jobs-search-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/4bFdBIUfcP1YEeh9O/builds/yBA43Qly3JDEuEggK/openapi.json