London internship after Brexit - Experiences with application process?

Question

Hi all,

I'm a EU citizen without a valid working visa for the UK. I'd like to apply for internships in 2022, in consulting (focus on MBB) or alternatively in the financial sector.

Is there someone with experience of the application processes for student applicants with no UK visa? Does the Brexit situation significantly reduce the number of options, or do firms tend to sponsor interns? If so, at which point in the application process would this be addressed?

Grateful for any experiences you might have to share. Thanks a lot in advance!

Answer 1

You will need sponsorship from the company. So please check this directly first thing with them whether they are willing to sponsor visas for internships. Given this will be a short-term visa, it would be slightly easier admin wise compared to a full-work visa sponsorship. Certainly wont be easy, so factor this into your planning as typically for internship positions they tend to fill this locally in UK.

Check out the UK gov website for details on different visa categories. All details are there.

Answer 2

Hi there,

It may not come as a surprise that, yes, working in the UK without a visa/citizenship is now harder due to both brexit AND covid.

London is generally viewed as one of the international applicant offices (alongside UAE and Singapore), but yes, you are at a disadvantage here.

How do get around it? Network extensively! Test the waters and build a good impression so as to get support from your target companies.

Answer 3

For London MBB internships, if you are not studying in the UK and require a visa, it will be a big issue. It's already a super competitive programme where it will be extremely difficult to justify an exception. Your best alternative is to do an internship in a location where you already have the right to work and then try to join London full-time.