Summer Internship

Gchq; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 3,300 - 5,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free university accommodation

Travel reimbursement

Up to 5 days paid leave

Job summary

GCHQ invites university students in their penultimate or final year to join a summer 2027 internship in Cheltenham. You will participate in a structured programme, receive induction and IT training, then join an intelligence mission team to gain hands-on experience in data analysis and cyber security.

Training and support are provided, with accommodation and travel paid where applicable. The internship is office-based in Cheltenham and pays up to £5,530, plus travel and accommodation allowances.

Qualifications

• OSJT online test minimum pass mark
• Assessment sift - minimum pass mark in both questions
• Analytical exercise online test minimum pass mark

Responsibilities

• Gain exposure to intelligence data analysis and related training
• Work within a supportive internship group and dedicated internship manager

Job description

Internship Details

Internship Payment: Up to £5,530 (depending on the duration of the internship), plus accommodation and reimbursement of travel expenses for travel to the internship at the start of the placement and return travel at its conclusion, Hours of internship: full-time (37 hours a week, Monday-Friday). For the first two weeks, you'll need to attend between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm for training. You'll also be required to attend on the last day of the internship. Flexitime arrangements may be available by prior agreement. Interns will receive either four or five days of paid leave, depending on the length of the internship and the organisation hosting the placement. You'll be office-based for the duration of the internship, you cannot intern from home,

We're Disability Confident

We are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP's Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. Being Disability Confident, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that best meet the minimum criteria for this internship will be offered an interview where practicable; this is known as 'Offer of an Interview'. To secure an interview for this internship, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

• You'll be required to reach the minimum pass mark for the online Situational Judgement Test (OSJT), which assesses criteria important for all roles in our organization.


• Full application form - you must meet the minimum pass mark in both of our application questions at assessment sift.


• Online test - you must meet the minimum pass mark in our analytical exercise.

GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Collaborating with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage.

About the Internship

On an internship at GCHQ you'll be involved in varied and fascinating activities in a supportive and inclusive environment. This internship, taking place in the summer of 2027, is an opportunity to find out if a career in intelligence is something you'd like to pursue. As part of a cohort of fellow interns, you'll gain unique insights into our organization, along with access to specialist training and lots of support from a dedicated internship manager, mentors and the wider team. It's a great way to build new skills, develop your abilities, and gain valuable experience in the world of intelligence. You'll have an initial induction and IT training prior to moving into one of our intelligence mission teams where you'll experience what life as an Intelligence Data Analyst is like. Our teams operate in a rapidly changing technological environment, problem-solving every day. We use bespoke technology, finding information from different places, including a high volume of data generated by many internet-connected devices. If you do have specialist skills such as cyber, data science, or coding experience, you may get the opportunity to use and develop these skills on the internship. If you don't have these skills, don't worry – they're not essential and there will be lots to get involved in that won't require them.

We look for naturally inquisitive people who thrive in a team and bring real enthusiasm. People who enjoy making sense of unique information to solve complex challenges, who like collaborating with others and are passionate about contributing to keeping the country safe. Our operations are hugely varied, which is why increasing diversity in our agencies is needed more than ever before. Having a diverse organization is vital to ensure we have diverse insights, perspectives, innovative ideas and different skills to keep the country safe. And you could be exactly who we need to help us achieve our mission.

Time off and other benefits

We'll provide you with free university-based accommodation for the duration of your internship. We'll pay for your travel to Cheltenham at the start of your internship and your return travel at the end. We'll also pay for your travel to us for a familiarisation visit prior to the start of your internship. Up to five days' paid leave, depending on the duration of the internship, will be available and can be taken during the internship. Everyone will need to attend the first two weeks for training, and the final day, so make sure you take note of these dates when applying. While you're with us, you'll also have access to organization-wide events where you can network with people from other teams, learning even more about what we do, and where you could take your career.

Equal opportunities

At GCHQ diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse organization that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. Find out more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

To work or take part in internships at the agencies, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read more about our eligibility criteria. This internship requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It's something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process. Please note we have a strict drugs policy. So, once you start your application, you can't take any recreational drugs and you'll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage. Previous drug usage doesn't make you ineligible to apply and you won't be penalised for it – but you must be honest. Remember, these internships are only open to university students in their penultimate or final year of study, who are also from an ethnic minority and socially or economically disadvantaged background. If you aren't eligible for this internship, we'd encourage you to visit our jobs page to explore the many other opportunities we have available throughout the year.

Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely. We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full details will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation. Reimbursement is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel, using the most economical option, and provide original hard copy receipts for reimbursement.