GES Summer Placement Scheme

How much will I earn?  

·   Salaries vary according to government department and location. These are the minimum salaries offered for the 2027 scheme: London min: £27,490 / National min: £25,089

Where will I work?  

Roles are available across the UK in the following locations: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Manchester, Salford, Sheffield, Treforest (Pontypridd), Wolverhampton and York.

What departments are recruiting?

Here are the job descriptions from the departments participating in this year’s GES Summer Scheme. They give you an insight into the work of the department, and the role of economists within that department.   

What is the job grade for these roles?

You will be employed as either an Administrative Officer (AO) or Executive Assistant (EO), depending on the department. 

How long will I be employed?

Placements last 6-12 weeks over the summer period and are paid.

How many placements are available this year?

36

Candidate Online Q&A Session

Date: Tuesday 6 October 2026

Time: 16:30 – 17:30

Place: Virtual, on Microsoft Teams Join the meeting here 

This scheme is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study (i.e. the year before their final year).

You must be on course for a 2:1 or 1st class outcome, as indicated by your results so far.

You must be studying one of the following: 

• An undergraduate honours degree in economics 
   
• An undergraduate economics joint honours degree, where economics must comprise at least 50% of the credit value of modules studied and to be studied over the full course of your degree (typically 3 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 4 years in Scotland).   
  
  
• An undergraduate Philosophy Politics and Economics (PPE) honours degree where at least 50% of the credit value of modules studied and to be studied over the full course of your degree must be in economics.  
  
  

All candidates must have studied both macro and microeconomics to qualify.

Nationality requirements

You will also need to demonstrate that you meet the relevant right to work and immigration requirements.

You must also be eligible under the Civil Service Nationality Rules - check these carefully as they differ to the right to work requirements.

Please also note:

• You will not be eligible if you are due to graduate in Summer 2027, but plan to continue your studies with a post undergraduate degree, such as a Masters.
  
  
• If you wish to apply for GES Assistant Economist Graduate Scheme or the GES Fast Stream after you have completed your degree, please review the relevant schemes’ eligibility criteria to ensure that you achieve the necessary modules / qualifications. 

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Ability, Behaviours and Technical skills. 

We’ll assess you against these Civil Service behaviours during the selection process:  

We ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form and at the interview stage.

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:  

Q: Can I do the job part time? 

A: These are advertised as full-time roles. However, as your contract of employment will be with your government department, if you wish to request a different working pattern you would need to negotiate this with them directly.  

Q: How often would I need to be in the office? 

A: The expectation across the Civil Service is that civil servants will be in the office at least 60% of the time. This can vary by team and government department. People with a disability or who have a caring responsibility for someone with a long-term health condition or disability that may have difficulty in meeting this attendance requirement, may apply for adjustments via a disability or carer's passport.

Q: Do you offer sponsorship? 

A: We do not offer visa sponsorship. To be eligible for this scheme, you need to meet the nationality requirements and have the right to work in the UK. 

Q: Is there an age limit for your schemes? 

A: No, there is no age limit. 

Q: Is security clearance required? 

A: Yes. If successful you must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to CTC/SC/DV level. Certain departments require a 3-year footprint in the UK. Read more information about the vetting process. More information can be found in the departmental job descriptions.  

Q: Can I retake the test? 

No, you can only take the test once during the application period. Any subsequent test attempts made will not be considered.

Q: How do I apply and complete the assessment stages?

A: We use the recruitment platform, VidCruiter, to manage the whole application and assessment process for this scheme, for which you will need access to a laptop/desktop/tablet with camera functionality to be able to take part. We provide full guidance to candidates on using the platform at each stage of the process.

Q: How can I track my application?

A: You will be kept informed via emails from the VidCruiter platform at each stage of the application. You can also contact the GESR recruitment team (at gesrrecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk) with any queries.

Q: Can I get feedback on my application? 

Due to the volume of applications, we are only able to offer feedback on applications for candidates who reach the interview stage of the recruitment process.