FAQs - Intern and Placement year
Intern enquiries
What areas of the business do you recruit interns in to?
Roles vary year on year depending on where the business needs you most. We generally recruit interns into all areas of the business across Wealth Management, Corporate Functions (e.g, Finance, Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance), Public Markets (Fixed-Income, Multi-Asset, Equities), to Client Group (including Sales, Marketing, Product) and Private Markets (Schroders Capital).
When does the internship programme start?
Our internships are paid at a competitive rate, and are typically ten weeks long, usually taking place between June and August, although timings may vary by region.
Am I eligible for an internship?
Our internships are for penultimate-year undergraduate students. This means you should be in the year before your final year of study when you apply.
You must also have the relevant right to work in the country you are applying for, without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
Students enrolled on an integrated Master's degree who will return to their final year of study after completing the internship are also eligible to apply.
We cannot accept final-year students, including those planning to undertake a separate Master's degree after graduation, as the internship is designed to lead into our graduate programme the following year. We are also unable to defer places.
What degree disciplines do you accept for the internship programme?
For most of our internship roles, we welcome applications regardless of the degree subject you’ve chosen to study. For more technical roles, such as our Quant Public Markets internship programme, a STEM degree is preferred but not essential.
What training and development opportunities will I receive as an intern?
Throughout the ten-week internship, you’ll have access to a range of training and development opportunities designed to help you build your commercial awareness, develop key technical and behavioural skills, and form meaningful relationships with colleagues across Schroders.
These development events will help you adapt to the world of work, hit the ground running and make an impact during your time with us. Our aim is to give you every chance of success during your internship and maximise your opportunity to return to Schroders as a graduate the following year.
Do you offer off-cycle internships?
We do not offer off-cycle internships. However we do have a number of fixed term contracts (FTC) / contract roles available throughout the year, these can be found in the experienced hires section on our website.
Placement Year enquiries
Do you offer placement year/year in industry programmes, and when do they start?
Yes. We have a small number of openings each year. The business area may vary depending on business requirements. Applications for these roles open at the same time as our graduate and intern programmes. Our placement year programmes start at the same time as the intern programme in June and last for one year.
Schroders also have a number of FTC (fixed term contract)/contract roles available throughout the year, these can be found in the experienced hires section on our website.
Am I eligible for the placement year programme?
Our placement year programmes are for undergraduate students studying a degree course where there is a requirement for a year in industry (usually the third year of a four-year course). You must also have the relevant right to work in the country you are applying for, without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
What degree disciplines do you accept for the placement year programme?
For placement year opportunities, we typically require students to be studying a degree discipline that is relevant to the role they are applying for, as the placement forms part of their academic programme. For internships and graduate roles, we welcome applications from students of all degree disciplines unless a specific subject is required for the position.
Does completing the Placement Year programme provide a route into the Graduate Programme?
We use our placement year programmes as a feeder to our graduate programme. A place on the graduate programme isn’t guaranteed and will be based on your performance, our requirements and feedback you receive during the placement year.
What training and development opportunities will I receive as a placement year student?
As a placement year student, you’ll join the intern training programme for the first ten weeks of your year with us. You’ll have the chance to pick up skills you need in the world of work, hit the ground running and make an impact during your time at Schroders.
Beyond the first ten weeks, you’ll have a chance to book on to further training courses focused on continual personal development and strengthening your skill set.
General Intern/Placement Year enquiries
When and how can I apply for an internship/placement year at Schroders?
Applications open in August/September each year. Sometimes we close this recruitment round early, so you should 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 to later in the recruitment process. If the application window is open, please apply here.
In line with our commitment to a fair and transparent recruitment process, we are unable to accept or review applications submitted via email. All applications must be submitted through our website.
If you are not a university student, or have withdrawn from your studies, you may be suitable for our school leaver programmes. You can find out more about our school leaver programmes here.
What do you look for in candidates for the internship/placement year programme?
We look for open-minded, hard-working and intellectually curious people. We’re not expecting you to be an expert, but like to see your motivation and drive, what experience you have (whether this is within the Asset Management or Wealth Management industry or in part-time jobs/volunteering work), a level of commercial awareness and a passion for the industry. For example, you might show this by talking about a recent market trend or industry news story that interested you, and explaining why it is relevant to the role or business area you have applied to.
Does the intern/placement year programme lead to the graduate programme, and do I have to complete one to be considered?
We use our internship/placement year programme as the key feeder to our graduate programme. A place on the graduate programme isn’t guaranteed and will be based on performance, business requirements and feedback you receive during the internship/placement year programme. However, you do not need to complete a Schroders internship or placement year to be considered for the graduate programme, as we open a number of graduate roles externally each year depending on business demand.
Can I apply for more than one internship/placement year programme?
We can only accept one application at a time per candidate, per region. You may apply to more than one role if the programmes are located in different regions. We may also re‑route strong candidates to a different team or programme if there’s clear fit- without requiring a second application.
What is the intern/placement year application process?
Stage | Assessment | What is tested? | Why are we testing this? | Format | How long is it? | ||||||
Stage 1 | Cognitive Assessment | Numerical, critical and diagrammatic reasoning, including how you work with numbers, interpret information and spot patterns. No specialist knowledge is needed. | How you analyse information, solve problems and make decisions. | Short online multiple-choice test. | Around 20 minutes |
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Stage 2 | Motivation & Behavioural Assessment | What motivates you, how you like to work and what matters to you. | What drives you, how you work with others, and how your strengths align to the role and our values. | Short online multiple-choice questionnaire. | Around 20 minutes |
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Stage 3 | Workplace Scenarios & Video Intro | Realistic workplace situations and a short recorded video answer. | How you think, communicate and respond to practical workplace scenarios. It is not about being polished. | Online workplace scenario questions plus a short recorded video answer. | Around 30 minutes |
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Stage 4 | Assessment Centre | A group activity, short presentation and interview. | How you work with others, communicate and approach tasks in practice. | Usually in-person at one of our offices, or virtually depending on location. | Around 4–5 hours |
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Can I re-apply if I am unsuccessful?
If you are in your penultimate year of a three-year course and are unsuccessful this time round, we would encourage you to apply to one of the graduate programmes for the following year.
General enquiries
When can I expect to receive updates on my application, and can I request feedback?
We receive many applications each year and process them as quickly as possible. We will notify you of any updates or decisions regarding your progression to the next stage. If you are not successful, we will also let you know.
Due to high application volumes, processing takes time. We aim for timely communication at each stage via email:
- Online assessments: An automated email invites you to complete online assessments. A bespoke feedback report after all three stages of the online assessments will follow within 24 hours, with further communication from the recruitment team. You may wait for outcomes as we consider all applications and shortlist candidates for the next stages.
- Interviews and assessment days: Expect a minimum of one-week notice before an assessment centre. We will do our best to be flexible, especially for those with examinations to complete.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide additional individual feedback due to the high volume of applications we receive. However, you will receive an individual and bespoke feedback report after each of the three online assessment stages, usually within 24 hours of completion. These reports provide details of your strengths, as well as recommendations on areas where you can develop.
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.
What if I have access requirements or special needs?
Online assessment Stages 1 and 2 are not timed, so you can complete them at a pace that works for you. If you progress to Stage 3 onwards and would benefit from any adjustments or support, please contact us as early as possible at earlycareers@schroders.com so we can help.
What do I need to wear to the assessment centre?
We recommend dressing smartly and comfortably in a way that helps you feel confident. This aligns with both the assessment centre dress code and our day-to-day working environment.
Smart business wear is recommended and may include a smart suit, plain shirt or blouse, smart knit top, smart trousers, a skirt or dress, and clean, smart shoes. You do not need to buy anything new or expensive; what matters most is that you look neat, presentable and professional.
We recommend avoiding trainers, ripped jeans, hoodies, caps and clothing with slogans.
For the stage 3 video interview, please dress as you would for an interview or assessment centre, as your camera will be on. This does not need to be anything fancy or expensive, but we recommend choosing something neat, comfortable and professional.
Why do you collect information about me and how do you use it?
At Schroders, our vision is for our workforce to represent the diversity of the communities in which we operate globally. We invite candidates to complete a short set of diversity questions as part of the recruitment process. This helps us understand the diversity of our applicant pool and identify any areas where representation may be lacking.
Providing this information is entirely voluntary; however, we strongly encourage 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:
Further questions?
If you have further questions about the internship or placement year programme, please email earlycareers@schroders.com.
What student programmes are available?
Visit our Early careers | Schroders global site to learn about available programs, eligibility requirements and upcoming events.