FAQs - Graduates
Recruitment enquiries
When should I apply?
Applications open in September each year. We recruit on a rolling basis so you are advised to apply sooner rather than later. Check the job descriptions on the website for full details and we advise saving a copy of the job description to refer back to later in the recruitment process.
What areas of the business do you recruit graduates in to?
We typically recruit graduates into all areas of the business including Investment (including Real Estate and Data Insights), Distribution, Product, Solutions, Technology, Group Change, Finance, Risk, Compliance, Tax and Wealth Management.
When does the graduate programme start?
Our graduate programme usually starts on the third Thursday of September. There is one intake of graduates per year.
Am I eligible for the programme?
If you are in your final year of study (degree or masters qualifications) or recently graduated, you are eligible to apply for the programme.
Can I apply for more that one graduate programme?
We can accept one application per candidate, per region. You may apply to more than one role if the programmes are located in different regions.
What degree disciplines do you accept?
For the majority of our graduate programmes we look forward to receiving your application regardless of the degree subject you’ve chosen to study. For our Data Insights programme we ask for experience in a programming language(s) and preferably studying a STEM degree. For our Technology Graduate programme, a Computer Science or STEM degree is preferred and experience and/or interest in a programming language is encouraged.
What do you look for in candidates?
We look for open-minded, hard-working and intellectually curious individuals. We’re not expecting you to be experts, however in your application, we like to see your motivation and drive, what experience you have (whether this is within the Asset Management industry or in part time jobs/volunteering work) and a level of commercial awareness and a passion for the industry.
Why do you collect information about me and how do you use it?
At Schroders, our vision is for out workforce to represent the diversity of the communities in which we operate globally. We ask you to complete a diversity questionnaire as part of the recruitment process to help us understand the diversity of our applicants and whether there are any representational gaps. While it is voluntary to disclose this information, we strongly encourage our applicants and employees to complete the diversity questionnaire. This allows us to continually monitor and improve our process, ensuring it is inclusive to everyone regardless of background.
This data is not used to make decisions on who we progress through the recruitment process and the recruitment team has no access to your diversity data. Your data will be used for statistical and monitoring purposes only, informing our Inclusion and Diversity strategy.
Your answers will be treated in the strictest confidence, and all data is held in line with legal data privacy requirements, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our Job Applicant Privacy Policy can be found here:
https://www.schroders.com/en/working-here/applicant-privacy-notice/
What qualifications will I gain?
The majority of our graduates are supported to study for and sit the CFA qualification (Level 1). Graduates in Finance, Tax, Global Technology & Group Change will be supported to sit an alternative professional qualification relevant to the role. Finance and Tax graduates typically complete either the CIMA or the ACCA qualification.
What is the graduate application process?
- Online application form
Tell us a bit about yourself, your key skills and why you are interested in the graduate role you’ve applied to. - Online assessments
An opportunity for you to showcase your skills. You’ll be asked to complete three assessments; Gamified Situational Judgment Test (chatAssess, Deductive-logical Thinking
(switchChallenge) and a Personality questionnaire (ADEPT-15® Workstyles).
Take a look here to learn more from Aon (our online assessments provider) about the online assessments and how you can best prepare. - Video interview
If successful in completing the online tests, you'll be invited to complete a short competency-based video interview so that we can get to know you better. - Assessment centre
If you've made it to this stage, you'll be invited along to an assessment centre. This is your time to shine in front of some of our employees and meet our current apprentices. - Final round Interview
The final stage of the process gives you an opportunity to meet a member of our senior leadership team for a final stage interview. - Offer
If successful following the final round interview, you will be offered a role on our graduate programme here at Schroders.
When do the assessment centres take place for graduate programmes?
Assessment centre for the graduates take place between November – February.
Can I re-apply if I am unsuccessful?
Yes, we would welcome you to re-apply the following year if you are unsuccessful this year.
My circumstances have changed. How do I remove myself from the application process?
You can withdraw your application at any time with the account details that you used to apply for the role. If you have any difficulties in doing so, please email earlycareers@schroders.com.
When can I expect to receive updates on the progress of my application?
We receive large volumes of applications each year and work hard to process all applications as quickly as possible. We aim to provide you with the outcome of each stage as quickly as we can via email:
Online assessments: you’ll receive an automated email if your application is progressed to the online assessment stage with an invite to complete the online assessments. Once this is complete, you’ll receive an automated feedback report with your strengths and areas for development. Upon completion, the early careers recruitment team will follow up with you, this could be up to three weeks, while we continue to screen all applications. If you haven’t received communication from us, your application is still under consideration at this time.
Video interviews: we value the time and effort you’ve put in to your application so far. We review all completed video interviews nearer to the time of the assessment centre for the role to ensure that all candidates have an opportunity to complete a video interview. This may mean you could wait some time before receiving an outcome as we provide hiring managers with a shortlist before inviting individuals to the next stage. If you haven’t received communication from us, your application is still under consideration at this time.
Assessment days: we aim to give you at least one weeks’ notice ahead of the assessment centre stages. We aim to be flexible and will try to work around your availability if you have exams.
Technical issues
If you are having any technical issues please email earlycareers@schroders.com.