Uptree

Placement details

Overview

Location: Cheltenham (GCHQ) or Central London (MI5 or MI6)

Ever wondered if a career in intelligence could be right for you? Or is it something you’ve never considered, but could get curious about? Their Summer Intelligence Internships are a great opportunity to spend some time exploring the day-to-day activities of the UK’s Intelligence Services. Discover how they keep the UK safe. And find out if you could see yourself building a career with them. 

Start Date: 

• GCHQ: 29 June to 4 September 2026 (10 weeks)
• MI5: 15 June to 28 August 2026 (11 weeks)
• MI6: 11 June to 28 August 2026 (11 weeks and two days)

Full-time (36 or 37 hours per week) and office-based for the duration of internship plus five days’ off.

Application Criteria: 

• British National from a Black, Asian, mixed-heritage or other ethnic minority background and from a socially or economically disadvantaged background
• University student in your penultimate or final year of study (for the 2025/2026 academic year)

*For more details about the eligibility criteria, visit the Summer Intelligence Internship page on the MI6 website.

To work or take part in internships at the agencies, you need to be a British National or hold dual British nationality. You can read more about the eligibility criteria on the GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 ‘how to apply’ pages.

These internships require the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Learn more about the vetting process at GCHQ, MI5, and MI6. 

Key Skills: 

GCHQ (Cheltenham): If you’ve got a passion for data and analysing information to see what it can reveal, GCHQ might be the right agency for you.

MI5 (Central London): If you’re an enthusiastic problem solver who’s interested in looking after the UK’s security at home, you might want to consider joining the team at MI5.

MI6 (Central London): If you’re passionate about world events, curious about different cultures and work that’s focussed overseas, you’ll be fascinated by what they do at MI6.

Application deadine: applications will close when enough applications have been received, so we advise that you apply early!

How to apply: click 'Apply' at the top of this page! Make sure to select Uptree as your 'application source' when applying!

 

About the Summer Intelligence Internships

We’re running three internships in our intelligence teams at GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 during the summer of 2026. Whichever agency you choose to spend the summer with, you’ll have the opportunity to find out if a career in intelligence is something you’d like to pursue after your degree.

As part of a cohort of fellow interns, you’ll gain unique insights into your chosen organisation, along with access to specialist training and lots of support from a dedicated internship manager, mentors and the wider team. It’s a great way to build new skills and develop your abilities, as well as figure out if a career in intelligence is something you want to pursue after your degree.

If it is, you’ll have the opportunity to apply for employment with your chosen agency once the internship is over. Please note, should you choose to apply, you will still need to go through the usual competitive application and selection process to secure a place.

 

About the UK’s Intelligence Agencies

The UK Intelligence Agencies, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ, work together to keep the country safe. Their highly trained staff use cutting edge techniques to uncover and stop plans to harm our people, buildings and computer systems, both in the UK and around the world.

Whilst all three Agencies have the same mission, each Agency has a different set of tools they can use and each one focuses on a slightly different area. MI5 stops threats from inside the UK, MI6 protects our people overseas and GCHQ looks after our Cyber security. It’s incredibly important work, although most people will never know what they do.

You can find out more about the UK's Intelligence Agencies by visiting their Company Profile page.

 

Next Steps

Click ‘Apply’ at the top of this page! Make sure to select Uptree as your 'application source' when applying!