Insight Opportunities Spring 2025

Updated 15 January 2025.

Opportunities in italics are new since last update

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Whilst you are at university, it is important to make use of your available time to gain relevant experience in the sector. Some companies offer specific short-term opportunities for students in the second year of a four-year course or the first year of a three-year course. These usually take place in the spring of each year and are sometimes known as Spring Insight Weeks. These opportunities provide valuable experience, and we have ICAS Foundation students who have successfully participated in these and received both summer internship and graduate job offers as a result.

These opportunities for 2025 are now starting to be advertised. As has been common in recent years, we expect there will be a high demand for these roles - we would therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible, particularly if roles are scheduled to close soon. (Companies can also close opportunities before the advertised closing date if they receive sufficient applications, so please do not assume that vacancies will remain open until the advertised date.)

It is important to remember how important relevant experience can be to your future career prospects, and as  ICAS Foundation students, we do expect you to be proactive in making applications based on the information we provide.

We would also encourage you to apply to a wide range of opportunities, so you can keep your options open – we regularly see some students only submitting a small number of applications who are then unsuccessful in finding an opportunity. (As a guideline, most of our students had to submit at least 10-12 applications in order to achieve a role in 2024.)

  • If you have already secured a spring insight opportunity or work experience for spring 2025, please can you provide us with details (including your employer, the role title, the location and duration)
  • If you are still looking for a role for 2025, please let us know what applications you have submitted and if you have any specific areas of interest

Please remember though: standard internship opportunities are not generally open to students at your stage of studies (second year of a four-year course or first year of a three-year course). If you focus on speculative applications or programmes not designed for students at your level, then it's less likely you will be successful in your applications. The list below shows opportunities specifically for students at your stage of studies.

The ICAS Foundation Student Development Toolkit has a range of information and links to help you with job applications – it is available on our website at https://www.icasfoundation.org.uk/community/current-students. We would also encourage you to use any additional resources available through your university careers service, who can assist with application and interview preparation, and point you towards other helpful websites to find opportunities.

The ICAS Foundation wishes you the best of success in your search for work experience opportunities. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions about the application process.

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Now Open

EY -  Social Mobility in Business / Black Heritage in Business / Women in Leadership (Edinburgh / Birmingham / London / Manchester) - two day programme, one day virtual + one day in office for which EY will cover reasonable travel costs - apply as soon as possible. (Search Programmes / Discover EY - note some programmes now closed.)

PwC (offices across the UK, apply as soon as possible) - Advancing Social Mobility (Edinburgh / Birmingham and more),  Black Talent in Business (Glasgow / Birmingham and more) and Women in Business (Glasgow / Birmingham and more). Opportunities are open to everyone, although applicants meeting PwC diversity criteria are prioritised.

Morgan Stanley - see  Operations Spring Insight in Glasgow (closes 26 January, but apply early) - now closed: Investment / Banking Spring Insight in London (closed 27 Oct)

Barclays Discovery Programmes (Glasgow / London - Banking / Operations) - see https://search.jobs.barclays/ and filter by Category / Early Careers

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Now Open - Investment Banking Focused

No opportunities currently open

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Now Open - Virtual Work Experience Taster Courses

Leeds Building Society Banking and Finance - on demand until 6 December 2025, around 7 hours of content.

Barclays Virtual Taster Course - on demand, open 1 August to 8 April 2025

ICAEW Introduction to Accountancy - on demand, open 23 September to 24 April 2025, around 7 hours of content.

Forvis Mazars virtual work experience - on demand, open 14 October to 15 June 2025, around 7 hours of content.

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Opening Soon

Deloitte - Spring into Deloitte (Manchester, April 2025) - this two-day paid (+expenses) opportunity usually closes 1 December.  Opportunities are open to everyone, although applicants meeting Deloitte diversity criteria (black talent / women) are prioritised.

KPMG Insight Programmes

NatWest Insight Experiences - Black Talent and Women

Deutsche Bank - 'RISE' Black Heritage Programme, 'GROW' Women in Finance Programme, Spring into Banking programme and 'Advance' Social Mobility Programme.

RSM - Work Shadowing (various offices)

BrightNetwork Internship Experience UK - applications usually open May each year.

Armstrong Watson (Carlisle)

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Opening Soon - Investment Banking Focused

Goldman Sachs (Get Set for GS Spring Insight Event - one day event) - usually closes 19 November

Lazard (London) - usually closes 6 November

Citi (London) - search Pre-Internships

Investec

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Open All Year

HSBC Job Simulations, including Global Banking, Wealth Management and Commercial Banking

Personal Finance with the Personal Finance Society, open until April 2027

Springpod virtual experiences

Forage offers free access to online job simulations, working with major companies including KPMG, JP Morgan Chase & Co, Goldman Sachs and PwC. You can find groups of job simulations in areas such as:

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Now Closed

JP Morgan (London / Bournemouth for JP Morgan, Glasgow for Software Engineering only) - closes 3 November

HSBC - UK Insight Programme, UK Social Mobility Programme, UK Women in Business Programme and UK Black Heritage Programme - applications close 1 December.

BlackRock (Edinburgh / London) - Investments closes 15 November, all other opportunities close 6 December.

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Now Closed - Investment Banking Focused

UBS (Tomorrow's Talent programme - London)

Bank of America (Chester) - Global Technology and Operations

BNP Paribas (London)

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Now Closed - Virtual Work Experience Taster Courses

BDO Accountancy virtual work experience - only open 14 October to 17 November 2024, around 6 hours of content.