Guides
Guides to UK spring weeks and internships
Short, direct answers to the questions behind every UK internship search: when spring weeks and summer internships open, who can apply, why firms close early, and how the programmes fit together.
When do spring weeks open? UK dates and deadlines
Most UK spring week applications open between late August and early October in the autumn before the programme, and the deadlines fall between October and January. The weeks themselves run in late March and April. Many banks and consultancies close applications before the published deadline once they have enough strong candidates, so the opening date matters more than the deadline.
Read the guideWhat is a spring week? The UK first-year programme explained
A spring week is a short insight programme, usually one week and sometimes two, run by banks, consultancies, law firms and some tech firms during the Easter vacation for first-year undergraduates. It mixes talks, shadowing and group work with an assessment at the end, and strong attendees are fast-tracked to, or directly offered, the firm's summer internship the following year.
Read the guideCan first-year students get summer internships in the UK?
Yes, but mostly not through the main summer internship programmes, which at large firms are reserved for penultimate-year students. First years get a summer through spring weeks that convert into the next year's internship, through the first-year summer programmes some firms run, and through off-cycle roles, smaller firms and startups that set their own eligibility.
Read the guideWhen do summer internship applications open in the UK?
For the following summer, most UK summer internship applications open between July and October. Banks open earliest, typically August to September, with deadlines in October and November. Consulting, the Big Four and tech open through September and October, and law firms' vacation schemes mostly close in January. Many firms review applications as they arrive, so the first weeks after opening are when most places go.
Read the guideSpring week vs summer internship: what is the difference?
A spring week is a one-week insight programme for first-year students, run at Easter, that leads to a summer internship. A summer internship is an eight-to-twelve-week paid placement for penultimate-year students that leads to a graduate offer. First years apply for spring weeks; penultimate years apply for summer internships; the spring week is the usual way to secure the internship a year early.
Read the guideWhy do internship applications close early? Rolling recruitment explained
Many UK firms review internship and spring week applications as they arrive, sending online tests and interviews on a rolling basis and filling places as they go. Once a programme has enough strong candidates the form closes, whatever deadline the careers page showed. Applying in the first days after a programme opens is the biggest advantage a candidate controls.
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Every guide reads the live tracker for the programmes it is about, so the counts on it are current.