2026 Summer Internships

This year we are looking to hire over 50 interns, to work across a variety of sectors. These include Tech & AI, Communications and Marketing, Project Management, and Media. You will be paid between £13.55 to £16.21 per hour (plus hourly holiday pay), depending on the position you apply for.

Our internships are being advertised between the 9^th February to the 1^st March (all adverts closing at 23:59pm on the 1^st). Internships will start from the 1^st June 2026. 

To apply for any of our summer internships you MUST be a current University of Edinburgh undergraduate student in your 1st, 2nd or 3rd Year of study. We will also accept applications from 4th year undergraduates in their penultimate year of study. We cannot accept applications from graduating students who will not be matriculated in Academic Year 2026/27. All applications will be screened before being shared to hiring managers.

ISG has a hybrid working policy, so you must also be based in Edinburgh for the summer; we also do not allow any work to be undertaken abroad. We allow students to take a short holiday during the summer, so you can still apply even if you will require time off.

To apply, please follow the link below which will take you to the Unitemps website. On an advert you’ll see

On each We require an up-to-date CV, and a cover letter. You must apply before the deadline of 23:59pm on Sunday 1^st March; any applications after the deadline will not be considered. 

We highly recommend you take your time when applying for our internships. They are highly competitive but by following the guidance available on this page, you will have a great chance of being asked to interview. You would be better to focus on a few internships that are well suited to your skillset and your future career plans, rather than applying to a large variety. For that reason, we advise that you apply for a maximum of 3 ISG internships.

Please see our Application Guidance document below for our best advice on how to write a quality CV, and a cover letter which will score highly when being assessed by our hiring managers. On the document, you will see a range of links we’ve provided, which we’d also recommend reviewing before starting your application. See the section below to book onto an online application guidance session ran by a member of the team. 

Unitemps are running 2 sessions designed to provide further information on our internship programme, and share useful guidance on how you can write an application that will give you the best chance of being invited to interview. There will also be allocated time for any questions you have too. You will only need to attend one session.

Book onto guidance session on 18^th February 2026 (15:00-15:45pm)

Book onto guidance session on 26^th February 2026 (15:30:16:15pm)

Alongside your position in ISG, we offer a variety of additional benefits, events, and opportunities to meet other interns and staff members. Please see below some examples of what you can expect whilst working in ISG this summer:

• Being part of a vibrant and diverse community of over 50 ISG Summer Interns, with a free ‘welcome lunch’ at the start of your internship.
• A broad programme of training and development opportunities, with sessions run across the summer by specialist managers across different sectors. Examples of previous sessions include: ‘An Introduction to Project Management’, ‘Coding from the Classroom to Your CV’ and ‘Neurodiversity and Adapting to the workplace’.
• Many chances to network with employees and fellow interns during a range of social and networking events which in the past have included: picnics in the Meadows; pub quizzes; guided tours across the University (St Cecilia’s Hall for example).
• Ability to participate in the prestigious Edinburgh Award for Work Experience.
• A supportive, nurturing work environment with a strong emphasis on work/life balance.
• As a staff member, you can join the University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion groups, including the Staff Pride Network, Disabled Staff Network, and the Staff BAME Network.
• Please see our Student Intern Blog, to discover what our 2025 interns achieved. 

Am I eligible for these Internships? 

Any undergraduate student at The University of Edinburgh who is not in their final year of study is eligible to apply. Postgraduate students and final year undergraduate students are not eligible for these summer internships. International students or UK students should all be eligible for these internships if you have the right to Work in the UK.

I’m out of Edinburgh or the UK this summer, are any internships remote? 

No, you must be commutable distance from Edinburgh; however, if you want to have some time off for a holiday, to visit family, or to move flats, we expect that in a 12-week internship you will have around 9 days off as holiday.

Can I take holidays during my internship? 

Yes - If you want to have some time off for holiday, to visit family, or to move flats, we expect that in a 12-week internship you will have around 9 days off as holiday. Every hour that you work, you are paid a bit extra, which is your holiday pay and is paid to you automatically each month with your hourly pay. This means that you are not paid again when you are on holiday. For example, most of our internships will be paid at £13.55 per hour, plus £2.45 holiday pay. So, every hour that you work, your gross pay will be £16 per hour.

How can I be successful in my application? 

View our 2-page guide to creating a great application! You can attend one of our Application Guidance Sessions, bookable via the section above called 'Application Guidance'. Additionally, the Careers Service at the UofE have excellent resources, and you can book an appointment with a career consultant to talk through your application. The Unitemps team cannot give personalised advice on applications.

What is the application process? 

You submit a CV and Cover Letter through the Unitemps website via the internship advert before the closing date (23:59pm, 1^st March 2026). Hiring managers will receive your application and assess it against the criteria specified in the advert. You will be notified if you are invited to interview, but also if your application is unsuccessful. You do not need to contact anyone if you haven’t heard anything – all applications will be updated regardless of the outcome.

I don’t have anyone to put as my referees? 

You need two referees to apply for a job with us; however, they don’t have to be previous employers. Always ask someone before putting them as a reference. We recommend you put a previous line manager in a previous job or a volunteering role. You can also use a student advisor at the university, a past teacher/lecturer, or a committee member from a society you may have volunteered for. We don’t accept references from family or friends. If you can’t find references in time to apply, then just put placeholder text in the compulsory boxes. As we only request references if you are successful in being offered a job with us, not as part of the selection process.

I can’t submit my application on the Unitemps website, or the system won’t accept my documents? 

• Check the size is below 4mb.
• Check it is a Word document ONLY and not a PDF. The file needs to be saved in .docx format. Resave the document, do not rename it and reupload it. This is not our decision; it is the way the national system has been set up, which will not be changed.
• Candidates can use Word online for free Word to make sure their CV is 100% a Word document that the website will accept. Word Online converter.

If you are trying to submit your application between 11pm and 6am, you may encounter issues as the system has an ‘overnight run’. Therefore, please submit your application outside of the overnight hours, and don’t wait till the last hour before closing time to submit! If this still isn’t working for you after considering the above, then please email us in advance of the deadline at Unitemps@ed.ac.uk we will reply in due course within Monday-Friday 9am – 5pm. Applications received after the deadline, will not be considered.

I need an adjustment to the application process. What should I do? 

For your written application, please email us (unitemps@ed.ac.uk) if you have any access requirements. For the interview process adjustments, please see below.