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 2026 will close on October 26th 2025.

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.

Click to download the 2026 brochure

Internship Benefits:

Alongside a fantastic industry placement where you’ll gain hands-on experience, you’ll receive:

AmplifyMe professional training – gain technical investment skills and build confidence before you even set foot in the office.
Soft‑skills sessions – develop communication, teamwork and resilience - tools you need to succeed beyond the internship.
Exclusive access to networking events – connect with peers, mentors and industry leaders at a dedicated evening designed to forge meaningful relationships.
Membership of the GAIN community – join a strong network of fellow interns, alumni and mentors for ongoing support, peer learning and collaboration.
Priority access to events – get early invites to GAIN’s webinars, panels and workshops throughout the year.

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.

A pink and navy blue award badge from Mentorloop for the 2024 Most Impactful Mentoring Program, part of the Mentoring Awards.

Two women smiling and standing close together at a formal event, with conference badges on their clothing.

Winner of the GAIN Intern of the Year Award 2025

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!”

The application and hiring process

1. Applications open

The student application window for internships in Summer 2026 is open from the 8th September 2025 and closes on 26th October 2025.
2. Screening

The GAIN team screens all applications for programme eligibility & candidate suitability, looking for curiosity, intelligence, and a passion for learning about investment management.
3. 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.
4. Prepare

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

If hired by a firm, congratulations! You are now enrolled in the GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme 2026.
6. Pre-Internship training

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

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

A timeline infographic for students' internship program, showing key dates from September 2025 to September 2026, including application review, internship placements, training, and celebrations, with icons representing magnifying glass, calendar, briefcase, computer, party popper, group of people, and a heart.

Application 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.
51% of our students studied economics 2025.
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.
The average salary paid by our internship firms in summer 2025 varies depending on location and investment management area.

London:
Average weekly salary of £700 - 799 p/w was paid to Private Equity and Venture Capital interns.
Average weekly salary of £400-499 p/w was paid to interns in any other area of investment management (asset management, family office, hedge fund etc.)
Other UK locations:
Average weekly salary of £600 - 699 p/w was paid to Private Equity and Venture Capital interns.
Average weekly salary of £500-599 p/w was paid to interns in any other area of investment management (asset management, family office, hedge fund etc.)
The average salaries are lower outside of London, but reflective of the cost of living in those cities. You may wish to consider internships in other locations (Leeds, Edinburgh, Birmingham etc.) but you should only apply to cities you can commit to living in.
The GAIN Bursary can support with associated costs. For student eligible for our Low-Income Household Bursary we can support you with:
- Contribution of £150 for the first four weeks of travel for your internship
- Contribution of £150 for office attire
To check eligibility for the GAIN Bursary and submit a Bursary request, please visit here.

Congratulations on completing your application! Whilst the Programmes team screens your application we have some things we suggest you do.
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 2025, one in every six 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.
You are very welcome to apply directly to our internship host firms in addition to the GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme. In our application form, we ask whether you have applied to internships elsewhere and with which firms. This has no negative impact on your application, but helps us ensure we send your application to different firms, maximising your chances of securing an interview.
All we ask is that if you are interviewing with multiple firms, you remain respectful to all parties: reply to emails, attend interviews that you have accepted and keep us up to date if you secure an internship outside of the GAIN Empower Investment Internship Programme

Candidate FAQs

We will contact all applicants to the programme from 30 October 2025. In this communication we will let you know if:
· You have successfully passed GAIN’s internship programme screening and will be allocated to one of the partner firms in our programme for review.
Or
· You have been unsuccessful with your application to the programme. Please note due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to provide feedback on why your application has been unsuccessful.
You will shortly receive two invites from GAIN for online events which will help you prepare for an interview if a GAIN partner firm invites you to meet with them. These events are:
- A 60 minute virtual introduction to Smart Works with general interview advice taking place at 5.30pm on 10 November 2025.
- A mandatory 75 minute virtual interview skills workshop with investment professionals from the GAIN network. You will be allocated to one of 2 dates. These are taking place with our team: 11 or 13 November 2025 at 5.30pm.
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.
51% of our students studied economics 2025.
Internship programme firms will receive their allocated candidates to review on 10 November 2025. If a firm would like to invite you to take part in their assessment process, you could hear from them at any point from this date. Please check your emails (both primary and secondary provided in your application form) including your junk folder as well as your voicemail for any missed calls.
We have a range of firm sizes participating in our programme from boutique to global investment firms and their candidate review process can differ, with some taking longer than others, so please don’t worry if you are aware of another candidate receiving an invite to an interview but you haven’t yet heard from anyone.
Please also be assured that GAIN are following up with participating firms regularly to check the candidate review process is moving forward.
Due to the number of candidates in the programme, we are unable to let you know which firm we have allocated you to. If a firm would like to take you forward in their assessment process, you will hear from them directly.
The firm will introduce themselves to you and provide a summary of who they are and what internships they have available in 2026. Remember to research your firm and understand what they do as part of your interview preparation.
Please note we make every effort to take into consideration any firm or investment area preferences you have stated on your application but it is not always possible to meet these requests if a) your profile does not match the criteria provided by the firm and or b) there is high demand amongst the GAIN candidate pool for the same firm.
Every firm has their own assessment process however we ask firms not to make their process any longer than 3 rounds. Examples of assessments experienced by former intern candidates include:
· Virtual interview (this could be with an HR team first then the investment team)
· In-person interview (this could be with an HR team first then the investment team)
· Case study
· Numerical test
· Verbal reasoning test
· Presentation
· Assessment Centre
- Attend the GAIN interview skills workshops and work on your own answers to the commonly asked interview questions covered in the sessions
- Research your own additional interview questions and practice answers to them
- Practice numerical reasoning tests (you can find these free online)
- Review the free ‘get assessment ready’ resources on the GAIN website
You will only be allocated to one GAIN partner firm at a time within the GAIN programm
If a firm doesn’t take you forward in their assessment process, we will look to allocate you to another firm in the programme.* If you have completed part of the firm’s assessment
process but they tell you they are not taking you forward, we have asked the firm to provide you with some brief feedback. If you are not provided with this feedback, please request it from your contact at the firm.
*Subject to feedback from the firm you were last allocated to. For example, if you fail to attend an interview with a firm we will not reallocate you to another firm in the programme

Unfortunately, we are unable to update your CV or make any amendments to your internship programme application. If there is something significantly different about your CV when you interview with a firm from when you submitted your application to GAIN, please highlight this in your interview where appropriate to do so.
Your details will be shared with Smart Works shortly after applications close on 26 October, provided your application has successfully passed GAIN’s screening. They will send your details to the centre you have informed us is closest to you and they will be in touch over the coming weeks. They will most likely phone you so please check your voicemail.
Please contact paige@gainuk.org who will discuss this with Smart Work
Firms must make internship offers by cob on 21 January 2026
The firm will send you an internship offer by email. Some firms may choose to call you before they send the offer email. The firm will then send you a contract to review and sign with the terms of your internship. GAIN will also contact you to welcome you to the GAIN Internship Programme 2026 and provide you with a copy of our Internship Programme Agreement to review and agree to.
GAIN will notify unsuccessful candidates when the programme is officially closed in January 2026.
One in every six candidates who were allocated to a GAIN partner firm secured an internship offer in 2025.
If you have a question that has not been covered here, direct your questions to the question box in our Instagram story @gainuk_org and a member of the programmes team will answer them on Thursday.