Paid EY Foundation Smart Futures Programme
- Organization: EY Foundation
- Type: Internship
- Location: United Kingdom
- Deadline: October 12, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
The EY Foundation, a UK charity set up by EY, runs Smart Futures for Year 12 students in England and S5 students in Scotland from low-income backgrounds. You get paid work experience with an employer partner during the school holidays or term time, up to two weeks of employability skills training, and a business mentor who stays with you for ten months afterwards. Programmes run in more than a dozen UK cities across sectors from professional services and banking to technology, STEM, real estate and the charity sector, and applications for 2026/27 are open now. **What you get:** - Paid work experience with one of the EY Foundation's employer partners, paid into your bank account through PAYE - Up to two weeks of employability skills training and interactive workshops, accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management - A business mentor who supports you throughout the programme and for ten months afterwards, advising on your first steps into work or university - Lunch provided during the classroom and office-based weeks, and a laptop to use for the duration of the programme - Invitations to alumni events in the Limitless Series throughout your final year at school or college - A limited number of travel bursaries for those who would otherwise struggle with the cost of travel **What you'll do:** - Start with a team-building induction, then spend up to a week in interactive workshops including a business challenge, building communication, planning and teamwork skills - Spend up to a week working with a team at an employer partner, getting hands-on experience of a real workplace and finishing with a graduation event - Choose a sector programme near you, such as Business and Finance, Business and Technology, Banking and Finance, Tech Futures, STEM Futures, Impactful Futures, Real Estate Futures, Data Driven Futures or Private Equity Futures - Work 09:30 to 16:30 with 45 minutes for lunch, in the office, online or a mix, with Microsoft Teams used for any virtual parts - Practise networking with professionals and learn about different industries and working environments **Key dates:** - Applications for 2026/27 open now; each programme is marked Open or Closed on the how-to-apply page and places go on a first come, first served basis - Earliest programme: Smart Futures Business and Technology, Aberdeen, 12 to 21 October 2026 (term time) - November to December 2026 programmes: North West (Manchester/Liverpool) 23 November to 2 December; Birmingham and London 30 November to 9 December - February 2027 half term programmes (15 to 24 February): Bradford, North West, Birmingham and London - Easter 2027 programmes: London 30 March to 8 April; North West, Newcastle and the North virtual programme 5 to 14 April - June 2027 programmes: Glasgow 7 to 16 June; Edinburgh 21 to 30 June; split STEM, Tech, Real Estate, Data Driven and Luton programmes start 1 to 4 June - Summer 2027 programmes: 26 July to 4 August (London, Reading, the North virtual programme, Private Equity Futures) and 9 to 19 August (London and Birmingham Business and Finance) **More information:** - Two-step application: a short online form on the EY careers portal, then a telephone interview of 20 to 30 minutes for shortlisted applicants - Successful applicants must complete documentation and a parental consent form before starting - Accommodation is not provided; you must live within about one hour's travel of the programme office - Full programme list, dates and locations: the how-to-apply page on eyfoundation.com - Questions: smartfutures@eyfoundation.ey.com or eyfoundationrecruitment@uk.ey.com
