Q. Can I apply for the Summer Internship Programme if in my 1st or 2nd year of study?
A. No. Applicants must be in the final year of their undergraduate or postgraduate degree, and must have completed their studies by the time the internship begins. The Summer Internship Programme is designed as a stepping‑stone into the organisation, giving participants insight into our work and helping them explore whether they may want to pursue a longer‑term opportunity with us afterwards.
Q. What is a sandwich year, and who is eligible to apply for Industry Placements?
A. A sandwich year (also known as a placement year or year in industry) is a structured part of some undergraduate degrees where students spend a full year in work before returning to university to complete their final year. For the Industry Placement scheme:
This approach ensures that both current students and recent graduates can take part, as long as you meet the timing requirements, and can commit to the full 12‑month placement.
Q. As someone who is going to graduate soon, can I apply to jobs that are available, but outside of Early Careers or are those opportunities unlikely for me?
Yes, you can apply for any job advertised on the Environment Agency jobs board. Many recent graduates start out in our entry level roles, which are typically at Grade 2 or Grade 3. However, if you feel you have the skills and experience for a different role, we would encourage you to apply for those too.
Q. Who is eligible to apply in terms of nationality and right to work?
A. Applicants from the UK, EEA, or Commonwealth are welcome to apply, as long as they already have the legal right to work in the UK for the full duration of their placement. If you hold the right to work and do not require sponsorship, you are eligible. We’re unable to provide visa sponsorship for the Industry Placement or Internship programmes, so applicants must be able to work in the UK without it.
Q. Can I still apply for the internship if my student visa limits me to 20 hours of work per week?
A. We’re not able to provide individual visa or immigration advice, so it’s important to check the latest guidance from UKVI to understand how your specific visa conditions apply. In general, the 20-hour work limit for Student visas usually applies during term time. Many students are able to work full-time outside of their official university term dates. Whether you can complete the internship will therefore depend on your university’s confirmed term dates and whether you would be classed as outside term time for the full duration of the placement.
We strongly recommend reviewing UKVI’s official rules, and, if needed, speaking with your university’s international student support team to confirm what your visa allows. You can also find details of each team’s working patterns in the Additional Candidate Packs, as some teams are able to accommodate part-time working.
Q. Would you recommend applying for the Environment & Science schemes even if I don't have an environmental science background?
A. Yes. We recommend reading the role descriptions in the Additional Candidate Packs and applying for the scheme that interests you most. Some roles in the Environment & Science advert are open to degrees, such as human geography. You're also welcome to apply for the Business & Communications schemes if those roles feel like a better fit.
Q. What is the success rate of undergraduates vs. recent graduates for the Process Engineering placements?
A. It varies each year. For example, one year all successful candidates were undergraduates, while last year we had four graduates and two undergraduates. We encourage you to apply regardless of whether you’re an undergraduate or a recent graduate, your status shouldn’t put you off.
Q. Do we need to apply to a specific role within the Internship or Industry Placement schemes, or do we apply to the scheme in general and get matched to a role?
A. You apply to the Internship and Industry Placement schemes as a whole, not to individual roles. After you apply, we review several factors to match you to the most suitable placement. This includes your Behavioural Based Assessment results, your location preferences, the areas of work or roles you mention in your two 500-word motivational answers, and your academic background. Together, these help us identify the roles you’re best suited for.
We make every effort to match candidates to roles that align with their interests and background, but this isn’t always possible due to the number of applicants and the variety of teams we place people into. It’s therefore important to be aware that you may be matched to a role outside your stated preferences. Many previous participants have found that gaining experience in a different area opened up new interests and opportunities they hadn’t considered before on experience, exposure to real-world work, and the chance to build skills that are valued across the sector, even if it’s in a team you didn’t initially have in mind.
Q. Can I apply to multiple schemes and how are they reviewed?
A. Yes, you can apply to multiple schemes. Each application is reviewed separately, but we use the same core information to understand which opportunities you may be best suited to. This includes your Behavioural Based Assessment scores, your motivational question answers, your academic background, and your location preferences. Together, these help us understand your strengths and interests, and where you might be the best match within our early careers programmes.
Q. If I want to apply for both the Environment & Science and Business & Communications adverts, are they two separate applications?
A. Yes, they are two separate applications. However, the system is designed so that the information from your first application automatically carries over into the second, so you’ll only need to update anything that’s different. If you apply for any of the three Industry Placements or either of the two Internships, the Behavioural Based Assessment (BBA) measures the same core behavioural criteria. This means you can reuse your BBA score for each application, you only need to complete the assessment once.
If you apply for both an Internship and an Industry Placement, the schemes look for slightly different things, so there is some variation in the assessment tasks. Where tasks overlap, the system will give you the option to reuse your existing score, and you’ll only need to complete any tasks that are new or different for the second application.
Q. What to include in my application?
Please make sure your application includes the qualification you’re currently studying, along with your predicted grade and, where available, your final grade. In your two motivational questions, focus on showing your interests, passions, and motivations, as well as the types of roles or areas of work you’re most excited about.
When selecting your location preferences, think realistically about where you could commute to. We’re not able to provide financial support for travel to your base office or for relocation costs. We don’t assess CVs, cover letters, portfolios, or publications, so these won’t be reviewed. Instead, we use your Behavioural Based Assessment (BBA) results to understand your potential and how you demonstrate the behaviours we’re looking for in our early careers roles. Your answers to the motivational questions then help us identify your interests, strengths, and the schemes or roles that might suit you best.
Q. If you miss out on this opportunity, do you have any other schemes or pathways into the EA that would be suitable for a recent graduate?
A. Yes. Opportunities are advertised on our Gradcracker Hub.
Q. Are disabilities considered in the Behavioural Based Assessment results?
Yes - if you have declared this to us. Arctic Shores offers a range of reasonable adjustments to ensure candidates with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions can complete the Behavioural Based Assessment fairly. Adjustments are designed to reduce barriers and create a more inclusive and equitable experience and are based on scientific research and best practice standards. Depending on your needs, this can include additional time and/or scoring adjustments to ensure the assessment reflects your potential rather than the impact of your condition. Candidates are encouraged to declare any adjustment needs before starting the assessment so the appropriate support can be applied. Once adjustments are added, they help ensure you can demonstrate your natural strengths on an equal footing with others.
Q. Do all roles within the Environment and Science schemes involve fieldwork?
A. No. Not all roles in the Environment & Science stream involve fieldwork. The work across this stream is diverse: some positions include hands‑on field activities, while many are primarily office‑based or offer a mix of the two. You can find more detail about how each team is structured in the Additional Candidate Packs. Many of the roles available this year are largely desk‑based.
Q. How many days am I expected to be in the office a week?
A. Working arrangements vary depending on the specific role and the team you join. Different teams have different operational needs. For example, roles based in a particular local area may require more in‑person work, while roles in dispersed or national teams may offer greater flexibility. The level of flexibility for each role is outlined in the role description within the Additional Candidate Packs. This is the best place to check the expectations for the roles you’re interested in. Where the pack indicates that working arrangements are flexible, this means they can be discussed and agreed between you and the hiring team.
Q. For remote/dispersed team placements, should I select the “various locations” option on the application form?
A. Not necessarily. If you’re applying for a placement that offers hybrid working, you don’t need to choose “various locations” by default. If there are specific locations on the list that are close to where you live, or that you could realistically commute to for occasional in person meetings, it’s better to select those. Choosing particular locations helps us place Interns and Industry Placements into geographical hubs, which supports networking, team cohesion, and access to local resources. So if you’re comfortable being linked to one or more of the listed locations, select those first rather than choosing “various locations” automatically.
Q. There is only one location I could work in. Do I have to offer more than one location?
A. No, you should only select the location(s) you can genuinely work in. We don’t require you to choose more than one. The application form allows you to state your preferences using the dropdown options. If you only have one suitable location, simply list that. We do take these preferences into account when matching candidates to roles.
Q. Can a full‑time role be offered on a part‑time basis?
A. If a role is advertised as full-time, it means the team has identified that full-time hours are needed to deliver the work. In most cases, these roles can’t be reduced to part-time because the placement requirements or team commitments wouldn’t be met with fewer hours. However, we are committed to being a flexible employer. If you have specific circumstances you’d like us to consider, you’re welcome to discuss them with the hiring team if you progress to the interview stage. Any flexibility will depend on the needs of the role and the team you would be joining.
Q. Does the Internship or Industry Placement fast track you to the graduate scheme?
A. No. The Internship and Industry Placement programmes do not provide a fast track route into the graduate scheme. They are designed to give you insight into the organisation and experience across different areas of the business, which can help you understand what type of role you may want to pursue. You would still need to apply for the Graduate Training Scheme in the same way as all other candidates.
Q. Can you explain the possibility of undertaking a Masters (and whether this opportunity is strictly available to certain business areas)?
A. My masters was undertaken through the Defra apprenticeship scheme. I am currently doing a Level 7 apprenticeship, but there are many different apprenticeship levels available. Opportunities for apprenticeships are always context‑dependent, they need to align with your role and the work you’re doing, so they aren’t guaranteed. If you’re interested in an apprenticeship at any level, it’s worth discussing this with your manager. There are lots of different subjects available to support different business needs. You would need to show that the content of the apprenticeship is relevant to your job role, and the apprenticeship must be longer than your remaining contract length (for example, if you were on a one‑year placement, your apprenticeship would need to be under 12 months).
Q. For the Internship/Industry Placement/Graduate Scheme, is there training for technologies like GIS and R Coding?
A. There are online GIS training courses available that anyone can access. They are self-led, so you can work through them at your own pace. You can complete these during an internship, industry placement, or the graduate scheme, as long as your line manager agrees that the training supports your role. Within the Environment Agency, you also have dedicated development time, typically around 20% of your working hours, which you can use for personal skills development. This means you can undertake training courses and upskill yourself in any area that is relevant to your work or your professional growth.
Q. What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of navigating a workspace coming from a student environment? What advice would you give?
A. Having the discipline to manage your working hours, stay productive even when you’re not feeling motivated, and consistently challenge yourself can be tiring at times. However, it’s also incredibly valuable for personal growth. The Environment Agency is very supportive, offering flexibility with working times and working arrangements, which really helps with maintaining balance.
Q. If it's only possible to be offered one placement, can I ask how Govind managed to do the summer internship and then immediately after the 12-month placement?
A. I started on the Internship Programme without knowing about the existence of the Industry Placement. Towards the end of the Internship, I came across the placement advert, applied, had the interview and switched to the Industry Placement with 1 week left on my internship! This Industry Placement was advertised later than the ones being advertised now, this sometimes happens, but not always.
Q. What is your least favourite part of the job/working within the Environment Agency?
A. Remote working or people not working from the office as frequently as they used to pre-Covid. This has made it harder to meet new people and network in the office. Can feel a bit isolating sometimes. Not every day is as exciting and fun as our slides make them out to be. Some days are spent doing less interesting, mundane work.
Q. Is there an Early Careers email we can contact for additional questions?
A. Yes. You can get in touch with the Early Careers team at eacareerentry@environment-agency.gov.uk.
