As summer holidays approach in July each year, there is a noticeable increase in job advertisements and detailed information about summer placements and job opportunities, particularly aimed at students and early-career professionals. Whether you're seeking a work placement program, summer internship, or part-time job in 2025 for different needs, you can gain valuable skills and insights through your work experience.
Let's review some of the top opportunities for 2025 summer work experience across the following sectors:
✨ Summer Work Experience 2025
- Work experiences in Engineering and IT
- Work opportunities in Business and Finance
- Work experiences in Pharmacy
- Work opportunities in Law
- Essential application steps for summer placements
🧪 Engineering & IT Summer Work Placements
To start, we’ll review some of the summer work placements currently available in the engineering and IT sectors. It's worth noting that summer work placements can have different age eligibility depending on the size of the organisation and the organisation's needs. For example, some IT startups offer summer work placements to students in Year 12 or even younger, as long as they demonstrate promising skills and passion in the field.
🧬 Highlight 1: AstraZeneca Summer Work Experience
AstraZeneca is one of the few biopharmaceutical corporations in the UK that offer a wide range of engaging and fun working experiences for different learning levels and different majors (like engineering and IT), ranging from high school students, undergraduate students, to even postgraduate students in the UK.
So even if you are not majoring in pharmacy, you can still apply for their summer work programmes. Here are three of the most popular early talent programmes for applicants to participate in during the summer holidays:
Year 10 work experience
- 5-day virtual programme (3 intakes)
- February, June and July 2025 online applications
- Learning scope involved: Procurement, Clinical Trials, Engineering, Data Science and AI, and many more
Year 12 work experience
- On-site work experiences at Cambridge, Macclesfield and Luton
- Applications closed for 2025
Summer Internships
- 10–12-week program
- Applicants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of application
- Recruitment begins in February every year
- Learning scope involved: Research & Development, Operations, and Enabling Units
Important tip: If you are currently a Year 12 student who may have missed the application for the work experience this year, you can start preparing for the summer internship applications as a future first-year undergraduate student ahead of the recruitment period for 2026! The summer internship programme at AstraZeneca has a very structured recruitment process as shown below:
February
Launching of advertisements for applications (website)
March-April
Beginning of recruiters' and managers' interview (screening)
April
Official announcement of offer, drafting of contracts
May
Briefing on onboarding activities
May to September
Summer internships take place
🔧Highlight 2: In2STEM Summer Programme
Every year, In2STEM, a STEM-based charity in the UK, organises a free summer programme for students from 16 to 19 years old, and more specifically, students who are from low-socioeconomic family backgrounds. Though the 2025 application of this programme is over, it will be great to look at what this programme has to offer for future applicants.
The summer programme encompasses in-person work experience placements ranging from 1-2 weeks, live online workshops, as well as competitions and events.
Successful applicants will be matched based on your area of interest (STEM), and also host availability, and locations. Some examples of placements (sectors) include biomedical engineering, computer sciences, chemical engineering, computer-aided design and many more.
💼 Business & Finance Summer Programmes
Now, let's look at some of the amazing summer work opportunities in the business and finance industry. Many corporations and organisations will indicate various summer work placement opportunities under the Early Careers sections. One clear example is Deloitte UK, a globally renowned company which offers audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and legal services.
🏢 Highlight 1: Deloitte Summer Vacation Scheme
Deloitte's summer work placement is targeted towards students in the penultimate year of their degrees (second or third year of their studies). The length of the programme is from 4 to 6 weeks, and requires applicants to have at least a predicted graduation track to achieve an overall grade of 2:1 (second-class honours).
Deloitte also organises this two-day, paid programme as a career insight activity for first-year undergraduates.
Career focus: Audit & Tax or Strategy, Risk & Technology
After completing Spring Into Deloitte, students can choose to continue with the Summer Vacation Scheme or the industrial placement programme for their upcoming years.
Though the placement schemes usually take place at multiple locations like Liverpool, Cardiff, and Bristol, hybrid working is also possible. Successful applicants can choose one of the following areas of interest under this scheme:
- Audit & Assurance
- Cyber, Data and Digital
- Legal
- Tax Consulting
- Risk Advisory
- Consulting
- Actuarial
- Real Estate
- Technology
💰 Highlight 2: HSBC Insight Programmes
HSBC has a different approach when it comes to offering summer work experiences for students. The company, which is one of the leading names in global finance, offers a four-day insight programme for successful applicants to understand the industry better in the following areas: Commercial Banking, Digital Business Services, Global Banking & Markets or Wealth and Personal Banking. It is open to first-year and second-year undergraduate students.
Similar to Deloitte, work placements and internships at HSBC are only offered to students in their penultimate year of their degrees and even PhD candidates, depending on their field of study.
For instance, HSBC has previously advertised a Quantitative Finance Associate Internship (three months, starting in May 2025) targeted at PhD students majoring in Quantitative Finance.
💊 Pharmacy Summer Work Placements
If you are interested in exploring a career in pharmacy, you can consider the following summer work placement opportunities in the future. One of the most popular platforms to search for pharmacy summer placements and internship opportunities in the UK is to visit the official website of the British Pharmacological Society and browse the "Jobs and Opportunities" section. We'll highlight two examples in this section.
🧫 Highlight 1: The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR)
The ICR runs a 6 to 8-week undergraduate summer scholarship scheme for undergraduate students (penultimate year) who are studying in the UK. This summer scholarship programme enables successful applicants to work on an actual cancer project under the supervision of an experienced cancer researcher. The application usually opens in January each year, and some of the common areas of cancer research include:
🌍Highlight 2: Nuffield Research Placements
These research placements are offered by the Nuffield Foundation, a well-established charitable trust in the UK. together with STEM Learning. According to the applicant's age and interest, they can choose to opt for research placements or experience placements.
Research Placements
- Duration: 2 weeks +
- Offers a real opportunity to contribute to the host's projects
- Outcome: Produce a scientific report and poster
Experience Placements
- Duration: 5 days
- Offers insights into a career in STEM and pharmacy
- Outcome: Produce a reflective report and workbook
Students will be paid £135 per week to cover their basic expenses (like travelling and meals) and can be placed at different institutions like hospitals, universities or research labs according to their major. In the case of those who want to learn more about pharmacy, they might even do their research placement at the Department of Pharmacy of a local university, for instance.
⚖️ Law Summer Work Placements
Finally, let's look at the law-related work opportunities for students to explore during the summer holidays. An interesting angle to look at summer work ideas these days is to explore the flexibility of having virtual internships besides on-site work placements. That way, you can go through the modules and projects at your own pace without having to travel to a physical office to learn about the industry.
🧑⚖️ Highlight 1: Summer work experience at Pinsent Masons
But first, let's look at an example of a physical summer work placement for students aged 16 to 19 years old. Pinsent Masons is a well-known international law firm with its headquarters in London. This 5-day summer work experience is targeted towards students who are preparing for their A-Levels and have previously scored decent grades in 5 GCSE subjects, including English and Mathematics.
Most physical summer work placements at companies are paid, alongside costs for travelling and meals (reimbursements). Some are paid according to hours, weeks, or months, according to a fixed rate (indicated on the job advert). However, there are also unpaid summer work experiences at NGOs or smaller organisations. So be sure to double-check.
Students will be guided to shadow experienced professionals and engage in the daily operations of a legal firm alongside many social events and career-related discussions about the legal field in general.
💻 Highlight 2: Virtual internships at Herbert Smith Freehills
Next, let's explore the prospects of completing a virtual internship with one of the big legal names in the UK, Herbert Smith Freehills. Through a partnership with Forage (a platform which offers virtual job simulations), the company enables students to complete a virtual internship on global litigation, digital law group, solicitor apprentice, financial services regulation, and international mergers.
Each virtual internship requires about 7 to 9 hours to complete, and students will receive a certificate upon completion. This will come in handy as you can include these achievements in your CV for future job applications.
📌Application Procedures: What You Need to Know
Finally, let's look at some key information to take note of to have a seamless application process for summer work placements or internships.
👉 Tip 1: Identify the right programme and eligibility
It's important to start your research early. Some companies start posting their job adverts in January or even end of the year, so be sure to check the official websites of your desired companies (based on your areas of interest). Make sure that your current education level matches the programmes that you intend to apply to, whether it's Year 10, Year 12, first-year student or postgraduate student.
👉 Tip 2: Mark down the important dates and deadlines
As soon as you narrow down a few companies that you want to apply to, you should start writing down their application or registration dates as well as their timeline for shortlisting and interviews. This helps you to be well prepared in terms of getting the right documentation, or even transportation or accommodation plans if you need to travel for interviews.
Deadlines aren't bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it.
Harvey Mackay
👉Tip 3: Prepare the application materials ahead
Last but not least, you should start preparing the essential documents that may be required during the online application or shortlisting interview, such as:
- Certified GCSE results
- Curriculum vitae
- Letter of recommendation (from educators or former employer, if any)
- Certified achievement certificates
- Cover letter
If you need help to craft the perfect CV or cover letter, you can always connect with an experienced Superprof tutor to guide you throughout the application process. Most Superprof tutors offer their first lesson for free, so be sure to seize this amazing opportunity!
We hope this article will be a great help in your future summer work applications, regardless of your areas of interest. You got this!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
