GSS Summer Student Placements 2026

Details
Reference number

432787

Salary

£23,538

National min £23,538 , London min £24,200per annum (will vary by department)

GBP

Job grade

Administrative Officer

Summer Placement

Contract type

Temporary

Fixed term

Length of employment

up to 3 months

Business area

GSS - Statistical and Analytical - Positions across Government Departments

Type of role

Analytical

Information Technology

Science

Statistics

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time

Number of jobs available

10

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Fareham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newport (Gwent), Pontypridd, Salford, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, York

About the job
Job summary

Are you studying a numerate degree and seeking a summer placement?

Are you interested in pursuing a career in statistics?

Are you excited by challenge that will put your statistical skills to the test?

If the answer is yes, we have an exciting opportunity for you in the Government Statistical Service.

You could be spending your university summer placement in one of our departments across the UK, working at the heart of government, in roles that really make a difference, including;

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Supporting the transport network and infrastructure to keep the UK on the move

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Safeguarding our natural environment to sustain a thriving rural economy

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Supporting immigration and passports, drugs policy, crime, fire, counter-terrorism and police

Job description

The work is high profile and you might find yourself working with requests from Ministers and other senior officials. You will work with existing team members focusing on research work which will form part of larger projects. This role may also include:

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Being exposed to multiple arms of government such as central policy, delivery of frontline services, finance and long term strategy;

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Working with a variety of professions including analysts, policy, delivery and IT specialists

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Working in a government environment which promotes a healthy work-life balance and encourages learning and development

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Joining a community of placement students and network across the GSS

The summer placement will for a continuous period of up to 3 months, between June - August 2026

Person specification

These placements are an opportunity for you to put into practice the techniques you have learnt during your studies within a working environment. You will work with others, including Data Scientists to learn new techniques and understand how the work across the GSS influences and shapes policy decision making.

You will have the opportunity to learn the skills required for professional life whilst working for the GSS which has been ranked as one of the top 100 graduate employers in the country (rated by the graduates themselves).

If you enjoy your time with us as a summer placement we would love you to make this a full-time career. As part of your placement you will be fully supported in your development to help you apply for any related external recruitment campaigns in the future. Many successful students secure a

job offer during their placement ready for when they have graduated- a fantastic opportunity not to be missed.

For details of longer term career development opportunities -

Person Specification

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Experience in collection, manipulation and analysis of data and presenting research results (theoretical or practical understanding of basic statistics).

•

IT literate, with experience of working with a variety of software, especially Excel, including experience of or aptitude for statistical software.

•

Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate analysis to non-specialists

•

Ability to work as part of a team to deliver quality statistical advice and analysis, often to tight deadline

Qualifications

You must be currently studying for a highly numerate degree (e.g. mathematics, engineering, chemistry, physics) and expecting to achieve a 2:2 or above.

Please note this vacancy is open to those returning to their Undergraduate Degree following their placement. Please do not apply if you are in your final year

In the qualifications section, please ensure you include details of;

1. The degree you are studying

2. Your current year of study,

3. Your expect graduation year

4. Predicted grade.

Failure to provide this information may result in your application being sifted out.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Presenting and Disseminating Data
• Data Analysis

Benefits

The Government Statistical Service is a community for all civil servants working in the collection, production and communication of official statistics. Our statisticians work across a range of government departments, agencies and other public bodies playing a pivotal role in government decision making.

Working in the GSS means you

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Contribute to society with a unique chance to work on a breadth of projects and issues that make a real difference for the public good.

•

Challenge and stretch yourself to develop your career and reach your full potential

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Have opportunities to maintain your Continuous Professional Development (CPD) through a statistical learning and development programme

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Earn a competitive salary

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Flexible working hours

We take the well-being of employees seriously and we consider everyone, in whatever department or location in the country to be part of a diverse and inclusive GSS family.

Inclusion & Accessibility

In GSS we're always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

If you need help with any part of the application process or completing your CV or personal statement please contact our Recruitment Team at one of the team will be happy to help you.

Things you need to know
Selection process details

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

Please make sure that you fully complete the qualifications section in the application form. Applications submitted without details of degree studied, predicted grades and year of graduation will be discounted. Failure to provide this information will result in your application being sifted out of the process

Please provide a personal statement of up to 500 words to evidence your competence against the person specification.

Candidates that pass the sift will be invited to interview.

The interview will test candidate's knowledge and experience against two technical competencies as well as two Civil Service Behaviours.

These are;

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

You will be asked to prepare a short presentation. If required details will be included with the invite to interview.

Sifting will take place from W/C 17th November 2025

Interviews start from from W/C 1st December 2025

Dates are subject to change.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

A reserve list may be held for period of up to 6 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates should note this is a multi-location campaign and therefore the reserve list is recorded by location in merit order.

• Please note some government departments entry grade is AA rather than AO as advertised

• Please also note that some government departments and locations including London may require additional security clearance in addition to the basic personnel security standard checks.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

• Name : GSS Recruitment team
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission

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