Internships
Who offers them, at what age, paid vs unpaid and the law, how to find them, and how to convert one into a full-time offer.
Salary figures and programme details reflect UK market data as of 2026. Always verify specifics directly with employers before making decisions.
An internship is the closest thing available to a free trial of a career. Done right, it gives you real evidence of performance in a professional environment, a network of contacts, and often a direct route to a full-time offer. This guide covers everything from your first insight day at 17 to converting a summer internship into a graduate job.
Many large employers offer 1–3 day insight or taster programmes specifically for Year 12 and Year 13 students. These are not full internships — but they are the gateway to them. Banks, law firms, and consultancies use these programmes to identify talent early and fast-track participants into summer internship applications.
Examples: Goldman Sachs Diversity Insight, J.P. Morgan Winning Women, Clifford Chance Open Day, Linklaters Spark, Deloitte Bright Futures. Most are free, some cover travel costs, and the application process is lighter than a full internship. Apply to as many as you can in Year 12.
Some firms offer week-long or two-week spring internships for first-year university students or gap year students. These are competitive but achievable and typically lead directly to a summer internship offer if you perform well. They are shorter than summer programmes but structured around the same evaluation criteria.
The main event. Summer internships at top employers typically run 6–10 weeks, are paid, and are explicitly designed as conversion programmes — the firm evaluates you for a graduate offer throughout. At top US investment banks in strong hiring years, 70–80% of summer interns convert to a full-time offer; rates at UK banks and in weaker markets are typically closer to 50%.
Timing: applications open September–November for the following summer. For elite programmes at bulge-bracket banks and Magic Circle law firms, applications operate on a rolling basis and effectively close in October–November — January is too late. Smaller and mid-tier firms have later deadlines, often January–March.
The legal position is clear but frequently ignored. If you are doing work of real economic value to the employer, you are entitled to the National Minimum Wage regardless of whether they call it an internship, work experience, or a placement. "Expenses only" arrangements for substantive work are unlawful.
Genuine exceptions: truly voluntary work for charities, pure work shadowing (where you observe rather than contribute), and some specific educational placements.
Practical reality: many unpaid internships in smaller companies continue to exist in legally grey territory. The enforcement risk falls on the employer, not you — but the financial reality is that an unpaid internship has a real cost. Factor this in when evaluating opportunities.
Investment banking summer interns earn £900–£1,200 per week.
Law firm summer interns earn £500–£750 per week.
Top-tier consulting (MBB) interns earn £800–£900+ per week. Tier 2 consulting firms pay £500–£700 per week.
The internship is not a holiday from job-hunting. It is job-hunting, with the added opportunity to prove your case in person. The people who convert internships into offers are not necessarily the most impressive on paper — they are the most deliberate about how they show up every day.
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