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Understanding Graduate Schemes
There isn’t a strict definition, but graduate schemes tend to be defined by the following criteria:
- Operated by large organisations e.g. Civil Service, NHS, Deloitte, HSBC
- Fixed term – usually 18 months – 2 years. Most people are offered permanent jobs with the organisation at the end of the fixed term. These are jobs with some additional study/support elements. Many operate a rotational system so that graduates spend some time working in different departments.
- Well paid – they usually have better pay and benefits than other graduate options.
- Competitive – when you hear in the media c.80 people applying for every graduate job, it’s generally graduate schemes they are talking about. Some organisations set entry requirements of 2.1 or above and some set UCAS requirements. There is also usually a long recruitment process.
- Timeline – most (but not all) are open for applications in autumn and many (but not all) close by December.
- You’re unlikely to find many graduate schemes specifically mentioning History and Anthropology in their role titles but many are open to graduates of any degree discipline.
- Graduate schemes are not the only route to a graduate job! Most graduates find graduate level work outside of graduate schemes.
General graduate opportunities
- Museum/Heritage Roles
- Charity and Voluntary Sector
- Civil Service, Public Sector Roles and EU opportunities
- Social and Market Research
- Centre for Effective Services (NI organisation connecting research, policy and practice to improve outcomes for communities, children and young people across the island of Ireland). They run a Graduate Intern Programme.
- Government Social Research service- apply through Civil Service Jobs (NI, GB) and the Civil Service Fast Stream
- Jobs.ac.uk- jobs in higher and further education
- Office for National Statistics
- NatCen- National Centre for Social Research
- Ipsos MORI - offer a 15 month graduate scheme
- Mintel
- Human Resource Management
- Management Consultancy
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International companies hiring graduates of any degree discipline to work in a range of areas including Accounting and business consultancy:
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- Retail Management
- Purchasing, Logistics and Supply Chain
- Teaching