Government Economic Service Summer Placement Scheme 2026

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 431306

**Salary**:

- £25,089
- National Minimum £25,089 / London Minimum £27,811. Please see attached job description pack for specific departmental salary information

GBP

**Job grade**:

- Administrative Officer
Executive Officer

**Contract type**:

- Temporary
Fixed term

**Length of employment**:

- 6-12 weeks

**Business area**:

- Economics

**Type of role**:

- Analytical
Economist

**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time

**Number of jobs available**:

- 33

**Contents**:

- Location
- About the job
- Benefits
- Things you need to know

**Location**:

- Birmingham, Bristol, Darlington, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Pontypridd, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, York

**About the job**:
**Job summary**:
Are you an economics undergraduate in your penultimate year on track for a 2:1 or above? Do you want to gain practical professional experience and use your economics skills to make a difference? Join the UK Government for a paid summer placement.

**Job description**:
Placements take place in a variety of UK Government departments across the UK. You will dive straight into the work that shapes policy. You'll crunch data that informs government direction, compare policy trade-offs, and brief the people making choices that affect millions.

What's in it for you? Work that actually makes a difference, hands-on economics experience in the real world, a supportive and inclusive team, and the flexibility to balance work with your studies.

Interested in finding out more about the scheme?

Attend our** Q&A Session**:
**Date: Thursday 9 October 2025**

**Time: 16:30 - 17:30**

**Place: Virtual, on Microsoft Teams.**Join the meeting here

This will be a chance for you to learn about the Government Economic Service, to hear from those who have recently completed the scheme, to get an overview of the recruitment process, and ask any questions you may have.

**Person specification**:
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.

**Nationality requirements**

**Applicants must also**:

- Meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules: this means you must be a UK or Irish citizen, a citizen of a Commonwealth country, or a European Union (EU) / European Economic Area (EEA) citizen eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme.
- Have the right to live and work in the UK, without the need for employer sponsorship.
- If a holder of a student visa - be allowed under the conditions of the visa to undertake a full-time paid sandwich placement in the UK without a work permit.

If successful, you may be required to undergo security vetting. You therefore must hold, or be willing to obtain, security clearance to CTC/SC level depending on the department you are allocated to. More information about the vetting process can be found at: United Kingdom Security Vetting - GOV.UK

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

- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions

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

- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics

**Benefits**:

- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

**Things you need to know**:
**Selection process details**:

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

**The selection process comprises the following stages**:
**Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)**

**Recruitment timeline**
- ** 1**st** - 19**th** December 2025** - Interviews are held, virtually.

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

- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together

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

**Security**:

- 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
- national