Graduate tech jobs in London
The old gas holders at King's Cross, now flats. Photograph: Alex Liivet, Wikimedia Commons, CC0, cropped
Big tech internships close in autumn, banks' technology roles follow the banking calendar, and some tech firms hire all year. Choose your kind of employer first.
London’s technology hiring is several markets, each with its own calendar. A big tech internship, a bank’s technology programme and a consultancy developer job are won at different times, in different ways.
This sector guide sits in Careers.
Four kinds of employer, four calendars
Decide which kind of employer you are applying to first, because that decides when you apply.
| Kind of employer | Example from its own page | When it hires |
|---|---|---|
| Big tech | Google, software engineering internships in London | Closes 23 October 2026 for 2027, reviewed on a rolling basis |
| Banks’ technology programmes | Investment banks’ internships and schemes | Most schemes open in August and close in October or November |
| Financial data and fintech | Bloomberg, engineering internships | Internships as the route to full-time roles |
| Consultancies and scale-ups | Softwire; Cambridge Consultants | Intakes through the year; some roles have no deadline |
The first two kinds recruit a year ahead, in a concentrated autumn window, much like the investment banking calendar. The last two recruit closer to the start date.
Aim at one kind first and keep a second in reserve, as this fictional student on a one-year master’s in computer science, starting in September 2026, does.
| When | The fictional student’s step |
|---|---|
| September 2026 | Sends a two-page CV to Google’s internship listing, early in its window |
| October 2026 | Applies to two banks’ technology programmes before they close |
| January 2027 | Applies to the last bank internships, whose deadlines can run to January |
| March 2027 | Applies to consultancies with spring and summer intakes |
| Spring and summer 2027 | Checks firms with rolling, no-deadline graduate roles each month |
More on why two kindsLess on why two kinds
The student is not applying to everything. Two kinds of employer, each at its own moment, is a plan one person can carry alongside a demanding course.
The kinds in the table account for the graduate tech roles this guide follows, with timing from the employers’ own pages.
Big tech internships close in October
The large platform companies hire graduates mainly through internships a year ahead. Google’s London 2027 software engineering internship asks for applications before 23 October 2026.
We encourage you to apply as early as possible as we review applications on a rolling basis.
So the practical deadline for big tech is the start of the autumn term, not the end.
More on rolling reviewLess on rolling review
Google’s listing covers software engineering and site reliability engineering internships, for students in their penultimate or final year.
Rolling review means the closing date is the last possible day, not the expected one. Applications read in September meet a full pool of places; applications read in late October meet what is left.
Have a CV ready in September, with projects, languages and frameworks stated plainly. Prepare for technical questions before the invitation arrives: work through problems aloud, because an interviewer is listening to how you think as much as to the answer.
More on what a tech CV should showLess on what a tech CV should show
Lead with what you built: the project, the language, the result, and a link to the code. LSE Careers is clear that a CV runs to two pages at most, so cut unrelated work before you cut projects. The UK CV guide has the conventions.
Banks' technology roles follow the banking calendar
If you want to engineer for a bank, apply on the bank’s timetable: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November, says LSE’s Department of Finance.
They are paid positions, and in many cases can lead to an offer of a full-time position by the employer.
The investment banking guide sets out the bank calendar in full, from spring weeks to summer internships. Read it alongside each bank’s own technology pages, which set the exact dates.
More on arriving in SeptemberLess on arriving in September
The banks’ window opens before a one-year master’s has started. If you arrive in September, their technology programmes may already be part-way through their round, which is why it pays to read each bank’s own page in the summer before your course.
The same LSE page says paid internships are offered by most investment banks, strategy consulting firms and other financial and tech institutions, with deadlines usually later in the autumn or in January. Goldman Sachs reviews its 2027 summer analyst applications on a rolling basis.
Some tech firms hire all year
Not every tech employer works to an autumn deadline. Some consultancies and growing companies hire when they have the work, all year.
| Firm | How it hires graduates | When graduates join |
|---|---|---|
| Softwire, a software consultancy | Entry-level developers join at various points through the year | Intakes expected in March, June, September and November 2027 |
| Cambridge Consultants | Rolling basis, no deadline; the advert closes once the position is filled | Between May and October 2027 |
The catch is visibility: these roles are advertised one at a time. Check a short list of firms’ careers pages each month, and keep a CV ready to send the same week.
Who hires tech graduates in London
-
Amazon Graduates in technology and business roles Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked -
Meta University graduates in engineering, tech and design Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked -
Google Early-career roles and student internships Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked -
Bloomberg Graduates in analytics and sales Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked -
Revolut Graduate engineers, product owners and strategy managers Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked -
Wise Graduates in engineering, data, finance and servicing Skilled Worker licence on the Home Office register, checked
Logos identify each employer. A listing here is a fact about the employer, not an endorsement, and implies no affiliation.
To see which of these firms have sponsored graduates, read the shortlist of tech employers that sponsor graduates (opens getavisasponsor.com) on getavisasponsor.com.
Specialist boards help. Gradcracker describes itself as the UK careers website for STEM students, where employers advertise placements and graduate roles; the job sites compared guide sets it beside the general graduate boards.
More on the second doorLess on the second door
For a graduate on a tight timetable, this tier is the second door. LSE Careers notes that outside schemes, recruitment often takes place closer to the time of hire, and targetjobs that some graduate roles are advertised year round.
These roles often come with little notice, so do not wait for a graduate fair.
Internships lead to full-time offers
At the larger employers, a summer internship leads to full-time engineering roles, as Bloomberg’s early careers page says.
There’s much for engineering students to gain from a valuable summer internship experience, most notably the opportunity to pursue a fulfilling, full-time career.
In your final year or on a master’s, check that a listing takes final-year students; Google’s does.
If a firm’s process uses a recorded interview, the video interview guide covers set-up and timing.
More on the internship itselfLess on the internship itself
A strong internship ends with a conversation about coming back. Treat the internship itself as the long interview: ship the project you are given, ask for feedback halfway through, and say plainly that you want to return.
In your penultimate year, aim at the internship: the graduate job often follows from it.
More on final-year and master's studentsLess on final-year and master's students
If the internship window has passed for you, the graduate role is the target instead.
LSE Careers puts both graduate schemes and formal internship schemes in the same August to January window; the consultancies and scale-ups in the previous chapter take graduates through the year.
On a one-year master’s, do both at once in the first term: the internship listings that take final-year students, and the graduate roles that start after your course ends.
Tech pay, set against the visa rules
£35,200 median starting salary in technology at leading graduate employers, 2026
That median sits below the general Skilled Worker threshold of £41,700 and above the new-entrant floor of £33,400.
For a particular job, though, the salary must meet both the threshold and the going rate for the job’s occupation code. The graduate pay table sets technology beside the other sectors, with the code used for software developer roles.
More on new entrants and codesLess on new entrants and codes
If you are on a Graduate visa, or were in the last 2 years, you count as a new entrant for the salary rules.
Graduate technology salaries at the leading employers sit close to the overall graduate median, well below banking and law. For a particular job, the going rate for the role’s own code decides it, not the sector median.
Two software roles at the same salary can sit differently against the rules if they carry different codes. The gap between a tech salary and a banking one is felt most in where you can live.
£2,332 average monthly rent in London, August 2026, the highest of any region
A median is only half of a budget. For what a graduate salary means month to month, read London on a graduate salary.
This week
- Decide which of the four kinds of employer you are aiming at first
- Check whether any big tech internship you want closes this month
- Push one finished project to a public repository with a clear README
- Bookmark two firms that hire all year and check their pages monthly
Sources
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker general salary threshold You’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £41,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher. Checked
- GOV.UK: Skilled Worker new-entrant salary floor You can be paid 70% of your job’s standard going rate if your salary will be at least £33,400 per year and one of the following applies: Checked
- GOV.UK: The going-rate rule Going rates in Table 1 are per year and based on a 37.5-hour working week. They must be pro-rated for other working patterns, based on the weekly working hours stated by the applicant’s sponsor. Checked
- GOV.UK: Who counts as a new entrant you’re currently in the UK on a Graduate visa (or you have been in the last 2 years, and a Graduate or visit visa was your most recent visa) Checked
- High Fliers Research: The Graduate Market in 2026 Chart 9 Graduate Salaries at the UK's Top Employers in 2026, by Sector or Industry. Median starting salaries. Technology: £35,200. Source, The Graduate Market in 2026 Read
- Office for National Statistics: Private rent and house prices, UK: September 2026 (released 16 September 2026) Average rent was highest in London (£2,332) and lowest in the North East (£788) in August 2026. Read
- Gradcracker: About us Gradcracker is the UK's careers website for STEM students. It is where employers attract candidates for their degree apprenticeship, placement and graduate roles. Read
- LSE Careers: Looking ahead: careers and professional development (offer holder presentation, 4 June 2025) Recruitment Timeframes August to January Graduate schemes open, some fixed date, some rolling Formal internship schemes open including parliamentary internships October to April Assessments & offers Traineeship applications June to September Internships, grad schemes begin Smaller organisations in public and private sector hire throughout the year Read
- Google: Software Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering BS/MS Intern, 2027 (London) Please complete your application before 23rd October 2026. We encourage you to apply as early as possible as we review applications on a rolling basis. ... Currently enrolled in your penultimate/final year of education. Read
- Goldman Sachs: 2027 Summer Analyst Programme (EMEA) The Summer Analyst role is for candidates currently pursuing a Bachelors or Masters university degree and in their penultimate or final year of study. We review applications on a rolling basis and encourage you to apply as soon as you are ready. Read
- LSE Careers: CVs, cover letters and application forms (guide, 2021) your CV still needs to be on a maximum of two pages, so you may have to be more selective depending on the organisation’s needs. Read
- LSE Department of Finance: Careers advice (MSc Finance and Economics offer holders) Prepare early: most schemes open as early as August and close in October or November (your course begins in early September).They are paid positions, and in many cases can lead to an offer of a full-time position by the employer. These are offered by most investment banks, strategy consulting firms, and other financial and tech institutions. The application process is similar to that for full time positions, although deadlines are usually later in the autumn or January Read
- Bloomberg: Early careers There’s much for engineering students to gain from a valuable summer internship experience, most notably the opportunity to pursue a fulfilling, full-time career. Read
- Softwire: Graduate Consultant Software Engineer 2027 Entry-level developers may join at various points throughout the year, please see our open role pages for details. ... Start dates: We are anticipating intakes in March, June, September and November 2027. Read
- Cambridge Consultants (advert on Gradcracker): Graduate Software Engineer (2027 start) There is no deadline for this role, as we recruit on a rolling basis. Once the position is filled, we will close the advert. ... Successful candidates can join us between May to October 2027. Read
- targetjobs: When to apply for graduate jobs For graduate roles that recruit annually to start the following autumn, the best time to apply is generally the autumn of your final year, though some roles are advertised year round Read
- LSE Careers: Graduate job market You will also find there is more flexibility on when to apply for graduate jobs; opportunities will tend to be advertised throughout the year, recruitment will often take place closer to the time of hire Read
This page is about the UK job hunt and is not immigration advice. For your own situation, speak to a regulated immigration adviser or an immigration solicitor, and check the current rules on gov.uk.
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