GES Sandwich Student Placement Scheme: Student Economist

Are you an economics undergraduate in your penultimate year of study? Do you want to gain practical professional experience and apply your economic skills to things that matter? Join the UK Government for a salaried 12-month sandwich placement in 2025/26!

Spend a year working on government policy alongside economists and policy officials. The job could involve analysing data, providing advice on policy options, and preparing briefings for officials and ministers . You will return to the final year of your degree with the benefit of real-world experience of economics and being an economist. Sandwich students also get a guaranteed interview for a government role upon graduation and many return to work for us. Opportunities are available across the UK .

This scheme is a great way to kick-start your career in economics. We offer:

• Meaningful work that benefits society
• Chance to gain professional economics experience
• Guaranteed interview for a graduate role
• Diverse and inclusive workplace
• Flexible working

This scheme is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study (i.e. year before the final year of study).

You must be on course for a 2:1 or 1st class outcome. This is indicated by your exam results of your first year*.

You must be studying for:

• An undergraduate degree in economics
• An economics undergraduate joint degree, economics must comprise at least 50% of the total course studied so far (year 1 and 2); or
• A joint economics honours undergraduate degree at a Scottish university, where at least 50% of the modules studied or to be studied during the final two years of the course must be in economics; or
• Philosophy Politics and Economics (PPE) degree where at least 50% of the modules studied or to be studied during the final two years of the course must be in economics.

Please note: All degrees must include Macro and Microeconomics.

*If you do not have official exam results for your previous year(s) due to staff boycotts, you can provide provisional grades. If you are successful at interview, before we can make an offer, we will need to receive a copy of your official transcript with exam results confirming you are on course to get a 2.1 or 1st class outcome.

Individuals will also need to demonstrate that they meet the relevant immigration requirements and their eligibility under the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs). Nationality requirements are explained in more detail on the Civil Service nationality rules webpage.

More information on the eligibility criteria can be found in the Application Guidance Notes on the application page.

Applications close 18 October. We will be holding an online Q&A for students on Thursday 10 October at 12:30pm. Joining details are on the application page.

For further information, please refer to the job descriptions and the application guidance notes. Please refer to the full eligibility criteria in the application guidance notes.

"My placement year was life changing. Not only did I gain technical and analytical skills, but the life skills I developed have shaped me as a person.” Eliza, Sandwich Placement Student, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities