How competitive are graduate jobs/schemes in London?

The graduate job/scheme market is competitive in London. But that doesn’t mean you won’t get into a graduate programme! If you take the right steps, you can boost your chances of getting a graduate job or getting on to a scheme. You’ll want to apply in your final year of university and start looking as early as possible to boost your chances. We’re also here to help. If you want to boost your skills further and make your applications stand out, try our free online learning tools – Pathways and GradSims .

Which companies offer graduate schemes/jobs in London?

Heaps of companies offer graduate programmes in London. Some of these include PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, BBC, and NHS. Discover employers - with our dedicated guides you’ll learn more about the companies offering graduate roles, how to apply, and more.

What type of graduate job/scheme can you get in London?

There are different types of graduate programmes you can get on to in London when you have a university degree. You could get a graduate job - which is a full-time role within a company and usually unstructured with a shorter application process. Or you could get on to a graduate scheme – a structured training programme that typically would run between one to three years. Sectors include – but aren’t limited to – marketing, law, engineering, finance, IT, HR, and healthcare. For example, a marketing graduate scheme would include rotations across different teams, so you’d gain experience in different marketing roles including digital, product, content, social media marketing, brand management, and market research. Whereas a marketing graduate job would likely be for a specific role within a sector – for example: graduate digital marketing executive.

What’s the average graduate salary in London?

There has been some research into average graduate salaries in London, but we’d take the findings with a pinch of salt. It really does depend on things like the company, sector and role. For example, sectors like finance and law may offer larger salaries and bonuses across their graduate jobs and schemes. To help give you an idea, UK-wide, the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) found the average UK salary was £35,170 in 2023. Bear in mind graduate salaries in London are often higher than other cities, largely due to the higher cost of living.

How expensive is it to live and work in London?

Living in London can be expensive compared to other towns and cities in the UK. According to Finder , in 2024 a single person in a studio or flat share would need a salary of £37,000 to be ‘financially stable’ in London, and utilities, council tax, subscriptions and transport would make up 21% of the budget. However, it really does depend on your own spending habits and living preferences. For example, you could rent a room in a house share or buddy up with friends further out of the city instead of renting a whole house in central London. According to Spare Room, the average monthly room rent in London was £983 in the second quarter of 2024. According to Zoopla, average monthly rent for a whole home was £2,121 in February 2024.