The Government Economic Service Sandwich Student Placement Scheme

This scheme is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study and who are on track for a 2:1 or 1st class degree.

Documents

Application Guidance

MS Word Document, 103KB

Department job descriptions

MS Word Document, 300KB

Example interview questions

PDF, 97.2KB, 1 page

Numeracy test examples

PDF, 95.2KB, 2 pages

Details

The GES Sandwich Student Placement Scheme 2019-20 is now closed.

Eligibility Requirements

This scheme is only open to students in their penultimate year of undergraduate study and who are on track for a 2:1 or 1st class degree.

To be eligible applicants must be studying for a degree in economics or a joint degree where economics comprises at least 50% of the total course. They must also be on course for a 2:1 or 1st class degree. More information on the eligibility criteria can be found in the Application guidance.

How to Apply

Please read the Application Guidance carefully before you apply.

The application form and details of the participating Departments are available above.

Please email your completed application form to [email protected] within the 10-day time frame, ensuring you put ‘GES Sandwich student 2019-20 application’ in the subject field of your email. Please note any applications received before 10.00am on Monday 24 September and after 10.00am on Wednesday 03 October will not be accepted.

Candidates who are successful at the sift stage are advised that you will be randomly allocated to any of the participating departments.

Please note that some departments require candidates to have a UK footprint for 3 years in order to get security clearance i.e. HO, HMT, MHCLG, MoJ and some other departments.

Interviews

Candidates who are successful at the sift stage will be invited for interview at one of the participating Departments. Interviews are likely to take place between November-December (dates differ between departments) and are done on a face-to-face basis. Sample interview questions can be found above.

Re-join GES after your placement

Last year we announced an enhancement to the already successful sandwich placement scheme by making an offer of a permanent contract (subject to security clearance and graduating with a 2:1 or 1st degree) to those students to take up upon graduation (in the department they do a placement) and who:

• Are on track for 2:1 degree in Economics

• Are assessed to have successfully completed their placement by their line managers

• Have passed a Civil Service Economic Assessment Centre towards the end of their placement

This means that the placement scheme is now a gateway to a career as a government economist.

Equal Opportunities

The Civil Service is an Equal Opportunities employer. Candidates with disabilities (as defined in the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act) can choose to declare on their application form that they require adjustments at interview, for which we can make a range of provisions. Please contact us should you have any questions regarding this – we would be happy to help.

We are interested in your skills and aptitudes. We have no preferences for particular backgrounds or universities. We want to reflect the diversity of the country we serve.

Published 4 September 2015
Last updated 24 October 2018 + show all updates

1. 24 October 2018 The GES Sandwich Scheme is now closed and the application form has been removed.
2. 20 September 2018 Details of new scheme now available
3. 6 October 2017 application form in word format added
4. 5 October 2017 open date added
5. 30 August 2017 2018/19 application added in PDF format
6. 20 October 2016 The Government Economic Service 2017-18 sandwich student placement scheme is now closed.
7. 10 October 2016 OBR job description has been added
8. 5 August 2016 Updated with details on how to apply for a 2017/18 Government Economic Service sandwich student placement.
9. 23 September 2015 New example interview questions and numeracy examples published
10. 4 September 2015 First published.