Welcome to Adzuna’s ultimate guide to graduate schemes, where we cover everything you need to know about finding the right graduate programme, applying for them, and what graduate schemes to keep an eye out for.
We cover the following:
- What is a graduate scheme?
- How long does a graduate scheme last?
- Will I get paid during my graduate scheme?
- Will I be employed after the graduate scheme ends?
- Are graduate schemes available to international students?
- What’s the difference? Graduate schemes vs graduate jobs
- The pros of graduate schemes
- The cons of graduate schemes
- Where to find graduate schemes
- What you need to know before applying for a graduate scheme
- How to apply for a graduate scheme
- The top 20 graduate schemes for students in the UK
What is a graduate scheme?
A graduate scheme is a formalised programme where recent graduates learn on the job. Often, you’ll move between departments periodically during your placement. This is often referred to as a rotation.
Once completed, you should have a much wider understanding of your industry of choice.
Some graduate schemes include formalised study, where you work towards further postgraduate qualifications. Your continuation of the scheme is based on passing these exams.
Often graduate schemes are based at larger, multinational companies, so each year they’ll have a huge intake of graduates with whom you will build a lasting network of peers.
How long does a graduate scheme last?
This is very dependent on the industry, the company, and whether you are undertaking further study. In general, these schemes range from one to four years long.
Will I get paid during my graduate scheme?
As graduate schemes tend to attract the top tier of students, you’ll often receive a higher salary than you would if you went into an entry-level job. This can vary quite dramatically, with some schemes paying upwards of £70,000. However, the UK average is £27,000 for graduate schemes.
Will I be employed after the graduate scheme ends?
There is no guarantee of work after a graduate scheme ends. Often though, graduates who have succeeded throughout their graduate programme will receive an employment offer from the company. As the company will have spent substantial time and resources on the training of the successful graduate they will normally be keen to keep them.
However, like everything when it comes to employment, the choice is fifty-fifty. Should you wish to explore roles elsewhere once the scheme ends, you’ll be considered highly employable by a lot of top employers in your industry.
Are graduate schemes available to international students?
If you’re studying in the UK, but from overseas, you’ll often need a visa in order to remain in the UK as a graduate.
The UK’s Graduate Route welcomes international students to apply to stay in the UK and work, or look for work, once they have graduated. International students who have successfully completed an undergraduate or master’s degree can apply to stay in the UK for up to two years, whilst PhD graduates can apply to stay for up to three years.
As some graduate schemes last longer than two years, it can be more difficult to secure a role, even with a Graduate Route visa.
The other option is to get sponsored by an employer so you can receive a Tier 2 visa. These are for exceptional students from outside the EEA who are better than any of the home students applying. This again makes the already competitive process of securing a graduate scheme, even more competitive.
It’s worth remembering that graduate schemes are not just a UK phenomenon and that there are graduate schemes available globally.
If you’d like to live in the UK again in future, look for companies that hire in the UK as well as your home nation, as there might be the opportunity to move back later.
What’s the difference? Graduate schemes vs graduate jobs
The main difference between a graduate scheme and a graduate job is that graduate schemes are very structured. A graduate scheme will feel more like an extension of university with a mentor, teaching, and goals you must hit that are pre-determined. A graduate job will also include training but it will be “on the job”.
When you apply is different too. Graduate schemes have long application processes with applications opening as early as September in your final year of university. Meanwhile, entry-level graduate jobs tend to open a bit later, either around graduation or after you’ve graduated.
We’ve mentioned above that graduate schemes tend to be well paid. Graduate jobs still have the potential to be well paid, but they’ll often be less well paid than the schemes. This could be down to graduate schemes often being at larger companies in established industries such as FMCG, Law, Finance, and Business Consulting. In contrast, entry-level jobs will be available at a wider range of companies, some with much smaller company sizes.
The pros of graduate schemes
Having the opportunity to rotate between departments is a huge plus of graduate schemes. It helps you to get to know how businesses operate and understand the functions of each department. This can be a great way of exploring roles and departments you may not have previously considered.
You’ll also join a cohort of other graduates. If you’re moving to a new location to start your role, these peers can form the basis of your friendship groups as well as your business network.
Sometimes, you’ll also get additional certificates or postgraduate qualifications during your graduate schemes which could be really costly if you were to pay for these yourselves.
As graduate schemes are designed as a stepping stone from university, the shock to the system that comes when entering the world of work is far less extreme. You’ll be supported throughout the transition and won’t be working all day every day as a lot of your time will be taken up with training and studying.
You should also expect a good wage and job stability for the duration of your graduate scheme. Even if there is not a role at the end of your scheme, you’ll leave with a great reference from a recognisable company.
The cons of graduate schemes
It’s always worth remembering that graduate schemes are not the be-all and end-all. They’re really competitive which means that your application and experience really need to stand out in order to gain a place.
While you’re studying, it can be a hard balancing act to fit in applications for graduate schemes. The applications are long and laborious and you need to spend a lot of time on each and every one. If you’re only on the cusp of achieving a 2:1, the time spent applying may be better spent on further study. Or if you just want to enjoy your time at university, applying for schemes and going along to assessment days can really hinder that. You’re only a university student once!
Graduate schemes aren’t just competitive at the application stage, it’s dog-eat-dog throughout the duration of the scheme with everyone competing to secure employment at the end. This means it is not uncommon for graduate scheme participants to work late, start early, and even work on weekends.
If you don’t like the scheme you’re on, it can be hard to leave midway through. Some employers will actually ask you to pay them back for the training you’ve received so far. So that can be a huge worry if you’re not 100% sure a graduate scheme is for you.
Finally, a graduate scheme might not be for you if you’re set on moving back home or staying in your university town or city after university. You may be asked to relocate for the duration of your scheme, or maybe even move location every time you switch departments.
Where to find graduate schemes
There is a range of specific graduate scheme sites and recruitment companies that specialise in helping you to find graduate roles and graduate schemes. It’s worth registering for plenty of these. Some recruitment companies may even offer some coaching and support for your application.
Job boards that cover all roles and industries also tend to have their own specialised job boards for graduates. At Adzuna, you can find all graduate jobs, including graduate schemes here. Only interested in graduate schemes? You can look at all graduate schemes on the Adzuna website here, and even sign up for job alerts as new roles are advertised.
Use your university as a resource. Throughout your studies, there will be numerous careers fairs organised by your in-house university careers service. These are often attended by graduates who are already on graduate schemes, and it can be a fantastic opportunity to ask them all about the application process and what the role itself is like.
If you’re looking to enter a specific industry, look out for fairs that are subject-specific. It’s worth remembering that, unless you’re on a subject-specific programme you may not get the advert, so you need to be proactive. For example, if you’re currently studying for a humanities degree but would like to enter advertising and PR, ask your careers service if you can join fairs that are organised for their marketing, advertising, and communications students.
What you need to know before applying for a graduate scheme
Know your deadlines. As a rule of thumb, most graduate schemes open for applications during the September of your final year and close during January. You’d then be expected to start your job the September after you graduate. However, make sure you know your deadlines. Some application processes have a variety of stages, each with its own deadline. There’s nothing more frustrating than working on applications, only for you to miss out by not submitting them on time.
Budget your time. Graduate scheme applications take a long time, and remember, you need to get good grades in your degree too. It’s better to put the effort into applying to your top five schemes, rather than spreading your efforts too thinly across 50.
Consider applying for less competitive schemes. Just because an employer is not a household name, doesn’t mean that their graduate scheme isn’t still of high quality. Consider thinking outside the box and applying for roles at organisations that receive fewer applications. Also, look at the size of the company, and if you can, find out the number of graduates that they employ. If a company has more placements available, you’ll have a higher chance of being successful.
How to apply for a graduate scheme
Generic applications are a big no-no. With your application, your ultimate goal should be to tailor your application to show genuine interest in the company and the particular scheme you are applying to.
Here’s a seven-step guide to the application process.
1. Make a stand-out CV.
Your CV is your tool for job applications. You should make changes to your CV and adapt it for specific roles, but it’s great to get a good template sorted.
First and foremost, as a student, your experience will be limited, so steer clear of waffle. Look to build your CV throughout your studies with extracurricular activities, volunteering work, internships, and paid work. Highlight the transferable skills you’ve gained from all of these, be clear and concise, and stick to a template.
2. Create a summary of all your achievements
Keep a working document where you store all the great answers you give on application forms. It will become your one-stop reference point while filling out applications.
3. Submit your initial application.
This will normally include your CV (or information from your CV put into an application form), a covering letter, and some questions. It’s best to work on these offline first. Normally you can go in and find out all the questions you’re going to be asked and can work on these in a document.
This is great, as it means you can ask friends and family to read through your application.
4. Complete psychometric testing
These are normally carried out online and will include a variety of tests. You’ll be asked to complete some basic English and mathematics tests, and for more technical roles something subject-based too.
It’s worth practising before you commit to doing the one you need to do to apply for the job. If you struggle with practice tests, then spend some time revising before doing more practice tests.
You may also be asked to conduct some personality tests too. These will be used to assess how you might work as part of a team. Don’t overthink these. There is no wrong answer. If the personality tests show that you wouldn’t be a particularly good fit for an organisation, you probably wouldn’t enjoy it anyway.
5. First stage interviews
More and more, these are conducted online over a video call. For 20-30 minutes a recruiter will ask for you to take them through your application. The great thing about conducting an online interview is that you can have notes with you. Think about putting some post-it notes on the edge of your screen with any key points you need to cover.
6. Attend a face-to-face interview
This will be a more formal assessment of shortlisted candidates. You’ll normally be expected to travel to the offices and will meet a recruiter as well as a panel of relevant people, including potential line managers.
Rather than talking through your experience, at this stage, the questions tend to be competency-based. For example, “tell us about a time that you overcame barriers. What did you learn?”
For these kinds of questions, it’s worth considering the STAR method.
Situation – describe the situation. This is about contextualising your answer.
Task – what did you have to do? What challenges did you encounter?
Action – what you did and how you did it.
Result – what happened and how was this a good result? Think about ways you can use numbers here. For example, you increase something by X%.
7. Attend an assessment centre
This is a process that is relatively unique to a graduate scheme process. You’ll usually be invited for one or two days where you must undertake a variety of tasks. This could include activities that demonstrate your problem-solving skills, teamwork, presentation, pitching etc. Often, there might be more interviews integrated into the day.
These can be intimidating days, surrounded by other graduates. It’s worth noting that employees who are just a year or two ahead of you, might be part of this process. It’s a great opportunity to ask any questions that you have.
After these stages are all completed, which can go on over a period of months, you should find out whether or not you’ve been successful. If you haven’t been appointed, always ask for as much feedback as possible. Some employers will let you book a short call to discuss your application, especially if you got as far as the final round.
The top 20 graduate schemes for students in the UK
Each year, The Times publishes the Top 100 graduate employers. Below, we’ve listed the graduate schemes in the top 20 covering what roles are available and where these roles are based. We’ve also given you an idea of what a graduate scheme at each of these companies might look like. For each entry, we’ve linked to all of the current roles advertised at these organisations on the Adzuna site, to give you an idea of what jobs you might progress into.
PwC
Roles available: Finance, legal, technology, operations, etc.
Locations: Across the UK, head office is in London
PwC (PricewaterhouseCooper) is a Big Four professional services firm so advertises a range of roles across its UK offices each year. As a multinational business, you may even have the opportunity to travel overseas as part of your scheme.
The NHS
Roles available: Management, finance, healthcare, HR, policy
Locations: Nationwide
The NHS graduate scheme is one of the less well-paid graduate scheme opportunities. Graduates will earn £26,382 with the opportunity for a 5% increase after 12 months. Despite these lower graduate earnings, this scheme was recently named number three in the country by The Times.
If you’re interested in a public sector role, this can be a great scheme to get your foot in the door.
Deloitte
Roles available: Finance, legal, technology, operations, etc.
Locations: Across the UK, including offshore in Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Gibraltar.
Another Big Four professional services firm with a wide range of graduate opportunities.
As Deloitte has offshore offices, you may be able to work in British overseas territory or work overseas in one of their international offices.
Aldi
Roles available: Area Manager
Locations: Nationwide
Aldi’s Graduate Area Manager is very popular and extremely competitive. And it’s not a surprise. The retailer offers a generous package which includes an Audi A4 or a BMW3 series.
It’s known for providing world-class training and graduates could be managing four stores within just 12 months. What’s more, the pay is pretty appealing too, with a starting salary of £44,000 rising to £77,500 on average.
EY
Roles available: Finance. For example, tax, actuarial, and consulting
Locations: Nationwide, excluding Wales
EY operates in over 700 locations in 150 countries. As well as offering graduate schemes, the company also offers summer internship programmes which could be a great opportunity to try things out before you commit to a full graduate programme.
Roles available: Technology, commerce, business, engineering, marketing, and natural sciences.
Locations: London.
Google offers a variety of roles, as you might expect from a huge multinational technology company. Although roles are only available in London, there’s the potential to travel to Google offices overseas as your career progresses.
Google is all about the perks, with office-based campuses that have free food, sports facilities, and even places to take a nap.
The BBC
Roles available: Journalism, business, natural sciences, law, humanities, engineering, design.
Locations: London, Birmingham, MediaCityUK in Salford, Manchester, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow.
If you’ve always dreamed of a career in television, then a graduate scheme at the BBC is the ultimate dream.
You’ll gain vital hands-on experience in the area of your choice and be part of a team that champions equity and diversity across all aspects of the business.
Teach First
Roles available: Trainee teachers
Locations: Nationwide.
If you’re interested in a career in teaching, Teach First is a great alternative to completing a PGCE.
You’ll get hands-on training while teaching in classrooms, often in deprived areas in the UK, and in two years you’ll be a qualified teacher.
Like the NHS, these schemes are on the lower side of salaries, but we think it has the potential to be really rewarding.
KPMG
Roles available: Business, commerce, technology, and engineering.
Locations: Nationwide, excluding Northern Ireland.
Another one of the much admired-by-graduates Big Four.
KPMG focuses a lot of their efforts on innovation. They invest in cutting-edge tech and value employees who are keen to problem solve and think outside the box.
GSK
Roles available: Pharmaceuticals, natural sciences, medicine and healthcare.
Locations: 18 sites across the UK.
GSK is a British multinational pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company. You’ll need a strong background in science or engineering, although some roles are open to graduates from other disciplines.
As a graduate, you can expect best-in-class support from mentors and managers and the opportunity to try different things.
J.P. Morgan
Roles available: IT, business, finance
Locations: Technology programmes are based in Glasgow. Business and finance programmes are also available in London and Bournemouth.
J.P. Morgan is one of the largest banking institutions. Although business and finance programmes are available as you’d expect, the bank also offers a graduate-level Software Engineering Apprenticeship where graduates gain experience across the business while also working towards a BSc in Software Development.
Gaining an additional degree can be fantastic for your future career prospects, and there are plenty of opportunities to progress in-house.
HSBC
Roles available: Banking and digital business services.
Locations: Nationwide and global.
Students can apply for local and global graduate schemes across HSBC’s banking network. This could be a fantastic opportunity to live and work overseas at one of the world’s largest and most connected banks.
Schemes are quite granular, breaking banking down to commercial, global, wealth and personal, global asset management, and private banking, so you’ll need to know what area you’re interested in before you apply.
Amazon
Roles available: Regional management, operations, logistics
Locations: Nationwide
From day one, Amazon graduates are given significant opportunities to take on responsibilities. This can include managing teams and leading areas of the business.
Amazon prides itself in hiring the brightest minds, so it’s a great opportunity to mix with other creative thinkers.
Barclays
Roles available: Finance, technology, innovation
Locations: London
Barclays has two graduate programmes. Its “expert” programme is a tailored fast-track focused on developing specific expertise. Its “explorer” is a perfect option for those who want to keep their options open. Over two years, graduates participate in three rotations including one outside of their area of interest.
With both tracks, expect a highly organised experience with plenty of time to learn and develop.
Unilever
Roles available: Finance, marketing, HR, research and development, supply chain, technology.
Locations: Near Liverpool, Central London, Dublin, and Leatherhead.
Unilever is home to a number of household brands, from Lynx to Hellman’s. Graduates who join the Future Leaders Programme will have three years of on-the-job training to bring them to a management level within a short time frame.
Depending on the role and function, graduates will also be supported through additional qualifications and chartership.
Goldman Sachs
Roles available: Financial Analyst, Associate.
Locations: London.
Goldman Sachs’ roles are highly competitive due to the global nature of the financial services firm.
Deadlines close really early, with some programmes for 2023 closing as early as late November 2022.
You can expect digital learning, leadership development training, and on-the-job training throughout the graduate scheme.
P&G
Roles available: Sales, marketing, HR, finance, operations, research & development, and more.
Locations: Nationwide.
One of the world’s largest consumer goods companies Procter and Gamble welcomes around 120 graduates per year.
P&G steer away from a rotational model and instead throws graduates into the deep end so that they can get stuck in with meaningful work from day one. Great if you already know where you want your career to go!
Linklaters
Roles available: Law training contract.
Locations: Nationwide and global.
The only law training contract on this list, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t loads of other places to apply.
Across two years, graduates have four six-month seats (placements) in different practice areas. Often you won’t be based in the same office throughout the scheme, and some graduates spend one seat overseas.
With starting salaries of over £50,000 it’s easy to see why this Magic Circle law firm is appealing to future solicitors, lawyers, and barristers.
AstraZeneca
Roles available: Science, HR, pharmaceuticals, research and development, operations and supply chain.
Locations: Macclesfield, Cambridge, London.
AstraZeneca is a global BioPharmaceuticals company. They have a range of schemes across science, research, pharmaceuticals and operations based in offices across the UK.
You can expect a patient and science-led, fast-paced environment with both personal and professional development as part of your programme.
Salaries start at £31,000 and graduates can expect regular incremental pay rises, bonuses and a relocation package if applicable.
A note on the Civil Service Fast Stream
For decades, the fast stream has been a mainstay for British graduates who are seeking a career in the public sector.
However, this year, the Civil Service announced that its flagship scheme would be on pause as part of the government’s plan to reduce its workforce by 20%. This means that graduates who had their hearts set on the fast stream will have to wait and see. The scheme may reopen in 2024 so graduates could wait a year or take an entry-level role within the Civil Service instead of joining the Fast Stream.
Did nothing in the top 20 catch your eye? Remember, there are loads of other large and small companies that run graduate schemes, even local councils or local authorities. You can check out all the graduate schemes available on our site here.
Read more: The best summer jobs for students
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