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Applications are now closedopen from 10 October 2025 – 24 October 2025 (13:55pm).

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Are you a social science undergraduate in your penultimate year? Do you want to gain practical experience and use your research skills to make a difference? Join the UK Government for a paid student placement.    

You would spend a year working alongside social researchers and policy officials before returning to your studies. The job could involve analysing research data to help government decision making, evaluating the impact of policies, and providing social research advice to help shape government strategy.   

Placement students may also get aan priorityearly-access interview for a government role upon graduation and many return to work for us.  We offer: offer:

• Meaningful work that benefits society 

• Chance to gain professional social research experience 

• Offerexperience,  ofapply anyour interviewknowledge forand asharpen graduateyour role skills

• Diverse and inclusive workplace 

• Flexible working 

For further information, please refer to the to the job descriptions and the application guidance notes.  

Salary 

London:Minimum £25,000salaries: minimum Nationwide:£27,800 £20,281for minimum London and £23,800 nationally  

Salaries vary according to department and location. Please refer to the job descriptions pack for full details.  details.

Locations 

Birmingham, Bristol, Darlington, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,Newcastle Upon Tyne, Sheffield, York York  

About Government Social Research (GSR)  

WeLocations arevary theaccording professionalto bodygovernment fordepartment. socialPlease researchersrefer into the Civiljob Service.descriptions Ourfor Socialfull Researchersdetails study and analyselearn variousmore aspectsabout of society, like people’s behaviour, opinions, and needs. This then helps the governmentGovernment makeSocial informedResearch decisions. Weprofession recruit students, graduates, and apprentices to work in over 30 departments across the UK. here.

Eligibility Requirements 

ThisThe Sandwich Student scheme is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study (i.e. the year before their final year) and who are on track to achieve a minimum of a 2:2 in their honours degree as indicated by their first-yearresults results.so “Penultimate’ means that you have one more year at university to complete your undergraduate degree after this placement. far.  

To avoid disappointment please do not apply if you are due to graduate in the Summersummer of 2025,2026, but plan to continue your studies with a post undergraduate degree, such as a Masters.Masters. 

To be eligible you must meet the following academic requirements: requirements: 

• Be on course for aa. 2:2 or above outcome. This is indicated by your exam results ofso your first year.  far. 

• Be studying aan honours degree which contains a minimum of 30% course credits in social research methods training in your overall degree content. content.  

• Your degree must include quantitative research methods (i.e., research design, data collection [i.e., questionnaire design, sampling, weighting], data analysis [e.g., statistical analysis,analysis]) interpretation]) as well as at least three of the following areas: 

• Qualitative methods, including research design, data collection (e.g., interviewing, focus groups, ethnographic), data analysis (e.g.,(e.g. thematic analysis) analysis)  

• Study design, hypothesis formation, testing and evaluation, application of ethics to research  research   

• Systematic/literature review reviews  

• Interpretation of data (qualitative & quantitative), presentation of results, provision of recommendations/ conclusions conclusions

• Students are not required to have undertaken research themselves as part of their degree course at time of application, but they should have gained an understanding of the principles and skills needed to design and conduct social research and to be able to critically evaluate research methods, strategies and data used by social scientists. 

IndividualsYou will also need to demonstrate that theyyou meet the relevant immigration requirements and theirthat eligibilityyou are eligible under the Civil Service Nationality Rules.   

Applicants (CSNRs).who Nationalityhave requirementsvisa arestatus explainedmust inensure morethey detailinclude onall the Civilthe Servicedetails nationalityof rulestheir webpage. 

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1. recruitmentShort and application processForm for(part this scheme.1)

Date: WednesdayThe 9short Octoberapplication 2024form (part 1) only captures your personal and contact details. 

Time: 12:30pm-13:30pm

Place: Virtual,2. onCivil MicrosoftService Teams. Numerical Test

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If you have recently taken and passed the same Civil Service test when applying for a role at the same grade, you will benot conductedhave virtually. to re-take this test.   

Re-join GSR after

3. yourFull placement 

application form (part 2)

AsIn partthe offull the(part scheme,2) application form we have includedasked anfor enhancementdetails of your degree. Please note: You do not need to thelist alreadyyour successfulGCSEs sandwichor placementA-Level schemequalifications byunder makingthe anCV offerand of‘Your aQualifications’ permanentsection. contractYou (subjectalso securitydo clearance)not need to thoseupload studentsor toattach takea upseparate uponCV graduationdocument.   

In (inQuestion their3 placementof departmentthe where‘Additional possibleQuestions’ orsection anotherof governmentthe department)full and(part who: 2) application form, please include the following information:   

• areThe onfull tracksubject fortitle aof minimumyour 2:2undergraduate honours degree containingand atits leaststart 30%date 

• Your infirst-year socialdegree researchgrade methods training(plus second-year degree grade for 4-year Scottish degrees).  

• areAll assessedmodules tostudied haveas successfullypart completedof theiryour placementhonours degree by theiryear, lineincluding managers grades achieved thus far.  

• have3 passedyears aif Civilstudying Servicein SocialEngland, ResearchWales Assessmentand CentreNorthern (SRAC)Ireland towardsand the4 endyears if studying in Scotland 

• The number of theircredits placement per module per year 

• haveClearly mark which modules are relevant to social research, with a clear description of the rightresearch methods training studied or to workbe instudied next to the UK  modules.  

• Your degree’s total number of credits.  

ThisIn meansyour application, please ensure that you provide full details about the placementresearch schememethod istraining nowcomponents aof gatewayyour todegree. aWe careercan only sift based on the information you provide on the application so please ensure you complete the form as afully governmentas socialpossible. researcher.Once Candidatessubmitted wishingapplicants will be unable to applyamend their application.

4. Pre-sift - Online test review and pass mark set

Once applications for the Researchscheme Officerhave Schemeclosed, orwe will set a pass mark for the Fastnumerical Streamtest. afterAt theythis havepoint completedyou theirwill degree,receive shouldyour reviewresult thevia relevantCivil schemesService fullJobs. eligibilityIf criteriawe toreceive ensurea theylarge achievevolume of applications, we may set our pass mark higher than the necessaryCivil modules/qualifications. Service online test minimum (benchmark) standard. 

Please5. note:Sift

If Someyou departmentspass maythe notnumerical test, your application will be ablesent toanonymously offerfor asifting permanent(assessing). contractSifters ifwill decide which applications will be progressed to interview. 

Candidates who are successful at SRAC andat youthe sift stage will be informedconsidered for interview at any of this,the shouldparticipating thisdepartments. beCandidates who are unsuccessful at the case. 

Contactsift pointstage forwill applicants  

not be given any feedback or comments.  

GESR Recruitment6. Team: GESRRecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.ukInterview

Social media 

PleaseCandidates followwho ourare socialsuccessful mediaat accountsthe tosift keepstage upfor tothe date2026 scheme will be invited for an online interview with relevantone information. of the participating departments. 

Twitter

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Equal

You Opportunities 

will be asked to provide a reference from your university tutor, confirming your suitability for a social researcher placement at the ‘invitation to interview’ stage. 

TheAt the interview you will be asked questions regarding social research methods and the Civil Service isbehaviour an‘Working EqualTogether’. OpportunitiesThere employer.is guidance Candidatesto withhelp disabilitiesyou (asunderstand definedhow into theanswer 1995behaviour Disabilityquestions so Discriminationplease Act)do canuse chooseit to tohelp declareyou!  

Artificial onIntelligence theircan applicationbe forma thatuseful theytool requireto adjustmentssupport your application and performance at interview, forhowever, whichall weexamples canand makestatements aprovided rangemust be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of provisions.others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.  Please contactsee usour shouldcandidate youguidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. 

Candidates will be notified by the Civil Service Jobs portal whether they have anybeen questionssuccessful regardingor thisunsuccessful. –All wecandidates wouldwho attend an interview, successful or otherwise, will be happygiven feedback by the interview panel. 

7. Offer and allocation to help. a government department.

WeIf you are interestedsuccessful at interview, you will be allocated to one of the government departments participating in yourthe skillsscheme. andAllocations aptitudes.will Webe havemade noin preferencesmerit fororder particularbased backgroundson orinterview universities.score. We wantwill endeavour to reflectplace theyou diversityinto one of theyour countrytop wethree serve. 

Complaintslocations, procedure 

Forhowever detailsdue onto ourlarge complaintsnumbers procedure,of pleaseapplications click herethis is not always possible.  

Working

Occasionally, fora department may withdraw from the Civilscheme Service 

before placements are offered, or we have more successful candidates than available placements. In such cases, applicants will be placed on a reserve list. The reserve list is open for 6 months.  

The CivilIf Serviceyou code setsare outoffered a role with a government department, you will be sent an email with the standardscontact details of behaviouryour expecteddepartment. ofYour civildepartment servants. will then be in touch to commission pre-appointment checks. You cannot start your placement until all the pre-appointment checks have been completed. 

The GSR Code isYou anshould addendumaddress any questions regarding your role and contract to the Civildepartment Servicein code.the first instance.

Recruitment timetable 

The purposeexpected oftimetable the GSR Codefor this scheme is tooutlined setbelow. outPlease the GSR’snote additionalthat professionaldates standardsfor ofsifting, behaviour. interviews and offers are subject to change.     

We

Online recruitapplications byopen

10 meritOctober – 24 October 2025 (13.55pm)

Numerical test

Complete before deadline on the24 basisOctober of2025

Sift	03 fairNovember and– open30 competition,November as2025

Interviews

From outlined01 inDecember the2025

Offer

By Civilearly ServiceFebruary

Contact Commission’s recruitmentpoint principles.for applicants  

GESR Recruitment Team: GESRRecruitment@hmtreasury.gov.uk The

Social Civilmedia 

Please Servicefollow embracesour diversitysocial andmedia promotesaccounts equalityto ofkeep opportunity.up to date with relevant information. 

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

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