Early careers

Interested in gaining experience or starting a career with us? Read more below about our early career opportunities, or find out information on the ISIS PhD programme on our studentship page.

A young woman standing in the ISIS target station

Work experience

Each year, STFC welcomes Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 students from schools across the UK (S4, S5 and S6 in Scotland) to explore the diverse careers and projects that support pioneering science and technology.

Whether you’re interested in science, engineering, computing, technology, communications, business services or other professional fields, our placements offer the chance to work alongside experts and gain hands-on experience in a world-leading research environment.

Find out more about our work experience opportunities and discover where your interests could take you.

A young woman looking excited standing next to the Tosca beamline

Apprenticeships

If you want to play a key part in ensuring our world-class projects and facilities keep driving forward, have you considered our Gold-accredited, award-winning apprenticeship scheme? Through STFC, we recruit apprentices in roles as diverse as engineering (level 3; mechanical, electrical and electronic), computing (level 4 and 6; DevOps and software engineering), project management, IT, and laboratory technician.

Find out more about our apprenticeships.

A woman smiling from behind some radiation monitoring equipment

Industrial placements

Industrial placements usually last for 12 months as part of a sandwich degree course. Projects in roles from computing to communications are announced in September, the year before the placement is due to start. Applications are accepted in the Autumn, and interviews are held during December and January.

For more information about this scheme, visit the STFC placements page.

Graduates

STFC recruits over twenty graduates a year into a development programme designed to bridge the gap between academic and professional qualifications. Our graduates join us in a permanent position, starting a real job from day one. They then enjoy two years of formal soft skills training, technical training and development, as well as on the job experience.

For more information, please visit the STFC Graduate scheme page.

Summer placements

The ISIS summer student placement scheme allows undergraduate students studying for a degree to gain experience working in the scientific environment. The 6 to 12-week placements are paid positions and will provide successful students with an opportunity to work on a research or development project within ISIS. They are available to students eligible to work in the UK, who are registered as undergraduate students at the time of the placements – typically during the summer of their penultimate year.

For more information about our summer student placements, visit the STFC placements page.