Updated 27 March 2026.
Opportunities in italics are new since last update
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 2026 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 2025.)
- If you have already secured a spring insight opportunity or work experience for spring 2026, 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 2026, 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.
You can also find a helpful list of spring insight weeks at https://app.the-trackr.com/uk-finance/spring-weeks.
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.
Now Open
EY - Social Mobility in Business / Black Heritage in Business / Women in Business (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 programmes close as soon as places are filled.)
KPMG Insight Programmes (UK Wide)
Now Open - Investment Banking Focused
Now Open - Virtual Work Experience Taster Courses
Barclays Virtual Taster Course - on demand
BDO Accountancy virtual work experience - open to 11 April 2026, around 6 hours of content.
Forvis Mazars virtual work experience - on demand, open to 15 June 2026, around 7 hours of content.
ICAEW Introduction to Accountancy - on demand, open to 1 May 2026, around 7 hours of content.
Opening Soon
Armstrong Watson (Carlisle)
BrightNetwork Internship Experience UK - applications usually open May each year.
NatWest Insight Experiences - Black Talent and Women - Due to open early 2026
Opening Soon - Investment Banking Focused
Goldman Sachs (Get Set for GS Spring Insight Event - one day event)
Investec
Open All Year
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:
Events
BCG (London) - 2 day insight course. Closing 15 March
Morgan Stanley (Glasgow) Insight event for first and second year students on finance, risk, and audit. Closing 30 March. Event on 8th April.
ICAS Webinar: CA Training, A Global Qualification
Now Closed
Bank of America (Chester/ London) - Global Operations and Banking/Markets. Closing 23 November
Barclays Discovery Programmes (Glasgow / London - Banking / Operations) - see https://search.jobs.barclays/ and filter by Category / Early Careers
BlackRock (Edinburgh / London) - Closing 5 December
Blackstone (London) - Closing October 26
Deloitte - Spring into Deloitte (Manchester, March 2026) - 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.
Deutsche Bank - 'RISE' Black Heritage Programme, 'GROW' Women in Finance Programme, Spring into Banking programme and 'Advance' Social Mobility Programme. Some closing 9 November, others 30 November.
Forvis Mazars (Edinburgh) - Accelerating Inclusion in Professional Services. 9 April 2026
HSBC - UK Insight Programme, UK Social Mobility Programme, UK Women in Business Programme and UK Black Heritage Programme. Spring insights listed here. Opening 4 November, Closing 30 November
HSBC (Online) - Career pathways event. 6pm 12 Feb.
JP Morgan -London available here, or Bournmouth available here Closing 2 November
Macquarie (London) - Closing 30 November
Point72 (London) - Closing 16 November
PwC (offices across the UK, apply as soon as possible) - Advancing Social Mobility, Black Talent in Business, and Women in Business. Opportunities are open to everyone, although applicants meeting PwC diversity criteria are prioritised. Apply here
Rothschild & Co (London) - Global Advisory and Women's Horizon. Closing 30 October
RSM - Work Shadowing (various offices)
Scotiabank (London) - Women in Finance Development Programme
Now Closed - Investment Banking Focused
BNP Paribas (London) - Global Banking and Global Markets. Apply to one programme only.
Citi (London) - Banking, Markets, and Global Wealth. Closing 9 November
Evercore (London) - Investment banking
Houlihan Lokey (London) - Corporate Finance. Closing 1 December
Lazard(London) - Financial Advisory Programme
Nomura (London) - Women's Immersion Programme. Deadline 10 January but may close earlier
Santander (London) - Corporate and Investment Bank. Closing 15 December.
UBS (London) - Tomorrow's Talent & Spring Insight Programme - navigate from here to apply. Closing 16 November.
Wells Fargo (London) - Register interest.
Now Closed - Virtual Work Experience Taster Courses
HSBC Job Simulations, including Global Banking, Wealth Management and Commercial Banking
Leeds Building Society Banking and Finance - on demand, open to 6 December 2025, around 7 hours of content.
Now Closed - Events
Lazard (virtual) - Meet our Spring Interns virtual experiences. 14 November
RSM (Edinburgh) - Hear about recruitment and opportunities. 25 November
ICAS Webinar: CA Training: Gateway to a Career in Accountancy, Business and Finance: virtual, Tuesday 17 March
RSM Careers Event: Glasgow, Wednesday 18 March
