The GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme

Get hands on investment management experience and set yourself up for future job opportunities

The student application window for internships in Summer 2025 has now closed.

In partnership with Level 20

Are you looking for an internship opportunity next summer to open doors to an exciting, impactful, and fulfilling career?

Would you like to receive technical pre-internship training and dedicated one to one mentoring?

Are you keen to grow your professional network?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then GAIN’s Empower Investment Internship Programme could be for you!

If you are an intellectually curious young woman or non-binary person, passionate about making a difference in the world and interested in investment management experience with a top UK-based firm, we’d love to hear from you.

To find out more about the programme, key benefits and important dates, view our Programme Brochure here.

Interested?

The programme is open to:

Young women and non-binary individuals.
Students in their penultimate or final year of undergraduate study, Master’s and MBA students.
Students of any degree discipline.
Students with or without previous experience (show us your passion for investment management!).
Students who have the right to work full time in the UK during the internship period.

Winner of the GAIN Intern of the Year Award 2024

What do our former interns say?

“I could not have asked for a more welcoming team. I was pleased with the level of responsibility they gave me at such an early stage, and I felt that my hard work was appreciated.”
“I gained more confidence during my internship and met many strong women who were very inspirational.”
“I experienced a very smooth and comfortable application process, during my interview I discussed my active participation in GAIN programmes & events. I’d like to express my heartfelt thanks to the GAIN team for their invaluable support & resources.”
"It’s a great programme and I was very lucky to be matched with a firm that is working on things that match my background (biomedical sciences). I don’t think I would ever have encountered my firm without GAIN’s help :).”
“I absolutely love the programme and GAIN team. I personally benefitted so much from the programme and it opened a door for me for future opportunities!”

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The application and hiring process

1. Meet the firms taking part

Over the summer we begin to highlight the investment firms taking part in the programme. Check out the videos here.
2. Applications open

The student application window for internships in Summer 2025 is open from the 9th September 2024 and closes on 27th October 2024.
3. Screening

The GAIN team screens all applications for programme eligibility & candidate suitability, looking for curiosity, intelligence, and a passion for learning about investment management.
4. Interview

If you pass our screening stage, we'll allocate your application to a partner firm, who will contact you directly if they would like to interview you.
5. Prepare

We have lots of resources to help you prepare for your interview here.
6. Hiring

If hired by a firm, congratulations! You are now enrolled in the GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme 2025.
7. Pre-Internship training

Join our programme of pre-internship training & get matched with an industry mentor
8. Go take on the world!

You’re ready for your internship & to take the first steps in your investment management career. Go get ‘em!

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FAQs

If you’ve submitted an application and have questions about what’s next please click here for a full document of frequently asked questions.

FAQs

Programme applications are welcomed from intellectually curious young women and non-binary students who are interested in the industry, regardless of your previous experience.
We welcome applications from all degree disciplines. Everyone’s degree and individual background offer different skills and ways of thinking – this is very important in business as research shows that diverse teams make better decisions.
When applying to the programme think about highlighting skills you have which are relevant to the role.
The technical and soft skills training included in the programme is designed so that all interns enter the workplace on an equal footing, no matter what degree they are studying.
48% of our 2024 interns studied subjects other than Economics, Finance or Accounting.
Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be able to prove they hold a visa that gives them the right to work full-time during the internship period. Participating firms are unable to provide visa sponsorship.
Applicants need to have, or be predicted, a minimum of a 2:1 university grade.
Internships run over summer for a minimum of 4 weeks but could run up to 12 weeks, depending on the firm. Many firms offer flexibility with the internship duration and start date. Please note all internships are full time positions.
The purpose of the internship is to equip students with knowledge, industry experience and an expanded network to support them in applying to graduate and entry level roles. While many of our intern alumni have been fast tracked onto graduate programmes, please note there is no guarantee of a job offer at the end of the internship from the firm you are interning with.
We welcome applications from penultimate and final year undergraduate students, Masters and MBA students. The programme is open to talented and dedicated young women and non-binary students studying any academic discipline who have the right to work full time in the UK during the internship period. UK citizens studying abroad will also be eligible to apply provided they will be in the UK at the time of the internship.

Congratulations on completing your application! Whilst the Programmes team screens your application we have some things we suggest you do.
Familiarise yourself with the firms on the programme.
Read our guide on getting assessment ready.
Check your digital footprint. Firms will often run background searches on their employee’s (and interns) social media accounts, so consider how you are presenting yourself online and if necessary, adjust your privacy settings and profile pictures.
Read our guide on preparing for an interview.
Yes! Granted that you still meet the eligibility criteria for the programme, please submit an application and highlight what you have learnt from your previous internship.
In 2024, one in every five candidates allocated to a participating GAIN internship programme firm was offered an internship.
We understand that candidates may also want to apply for internships outside of the GAIN programme. If you accept an offer outside of the GAIN programme, please contact programmes@gainuk.org as soon as possible to let us know. If you are already interviewing with a GAIN firm and have a contact at the firm, please notify them too.
If you are in the fortunate position of being offered an internship via the GAIN programme and externally, please do take into consideration the additional benefits the GAIN programme provides as you make your offer acceptance decision.
Every firm in the programme follows their own assessment process. Some firms conduct interviews only, while others may ask you to complete a numerical test, case study, presentation or in some instances, an assessment centre. Please visit the GAIN ‘Get Assessment Ready’ page on our website where you will find some useful resources to support you.
We are unable to let candidates know which firm is currently reviewing their CV as this could change within the space of a few days if the firm decides not to take a candidate forward and is then reallocated to another firm.
Unfortunately, we don’t have the capacity within the team to keep candidates informed of who their application is with.
All firms in the programme have been asked to give you reasonable notice if inviting you to an interview so you have time to prepare.
Once we have received your application, applicants will be reviewed by GAIN and if they successfully pass this screening, will be allocated to one of the participating firms. The firms will then select the candidates that they would like to take through to their assessment process. Each firm will have their own assessment process, which may include interviews (virtually or in person) as well as online testing and they will be looking for smart, hard-working and intellectually curious individuals. The following skills are considered advantageous: ability to collaborate and build strong relationships, differentiated thinking and independent initiative, strong work ethic, curiosity, self-motivation, maturity, analytical and problem-solving skills. Click here for Interview preparation resources.