Undergraduate Work Experience Open Now

Work experience as an undergraduate: internships, spring weeks, and insight days

Work experience for undergraduate students in the UK takes several distinct forms, and understanding which is appropriate for your year of study is important. First-year students: insight days and first-year programmes are the primary route. These are short events (one day to one week) run by employers specifically for first-year undergraduates. They serve as a pipeline into spring weeks and summer internships. Many firms across law, finance, and consulting run formal first-year programmes — apply early as they fill quickly. Second-year students: the spring week (or spring insight) is the key opportunity for second-year undergraduates. Spring weeks typically run in March or April, last one to two weeks, and are the main route into competitive summer internships. Applications open in September and October — earlier than most students expect. Penultimate-year students: the summer internship is the most important work experience for final-year employment. Most graduate employers in finance, law (via vacation schemes), and consulting recruit the majority of their graduate intake from their intern cohort. Apply in September of your penultimate year at the latest. For university students outside these structured programmes, arranging relevant experience in any industry — even informally — is valuable. The key is engaging early, applying to multiple programmes, and treating every application seriously.

Frequently asked questions