Attendance payment: students will receive a weekly attendance payment of £350 per week. Your accommodation will be funded by GCHQ. Receipted travel cost requests to support your attendance will be refunded for travel to the Insights Programme, and at the end of your time with us (up to a total of £250).
Dates of Insight Programmes: this year, we’re running two, two-week programmes, one for people from ethnic minority backgrounds and one for people who identify as women. Those identifying as women from an ethnic minority background may apply for either programme.
- Monday 29th June to Friday 10th July 2026: Our programme for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
- Monday 13th July to Friday 24th July 2026: Our programme for people who identify as women.
Hours of Insight Programme: 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. The Insight Programme comprises classroom-based training in Cheltenham. Applicants must be able to attend this two-week taught course in person - remote or home working is not available. (Those who can’t make one or two days should still be able to participate.)
About Us
At GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of data and communications to keep the UK and its citizens safe, both in the real world and online. Working closely with our British Intelligence partners in MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from threats including serious organised crime, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. A role in GCHQ means you’ll have varied and fascinating work in a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The Role
The Maths and Cryptography Insight Programme represents one of the many things that GCHQ is doing to increase diversity within our organisation. People from ethnic minority backgrounds and those who identify as women are currently under-represented in our teams. We’d therefore like to encourage people from these backgrounds who might not necessarily see GCHQ as a potential employer, to join us for our two-week summer programme and see what life with us is really like.
This year we’re running two programmes. Both programmes run for two weeks, 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, and have an introductory session at the provided accommodation on the Sunday evening before they begin.
During the programme, we’ll introduce you to GCHQ and you’ll meet our mathematicians to learn about the work they do. We’ll cover topics on different forms of cryptography and how they’re used in practice (including symmetric and asymmetric cryptography, hashing, digital signatures, networks and historical cryptography). Once you’ve learnt the theory, we’ll ask you to apply this knowledge to a series of challenges, both as a team and independently.
What you’ll learn about maths and cryptography will complement your degree studies and you’ll also be able explore your future with us, from our internships to our maths and cryptography careers.
About You
This opportunity is open to people from an ethnic minority background, or those identifying as women (from any ethnic background).
You’ll have an ‘A’ in A-level maths (or equivalent) and be in the first year or above of an undergraduate mathematics degree, or a degree where mathematics is the main component (for example, Maths with Philosophy or Maths with Physics). We’ll assess your mathematical aptitude as part of the application process, and we’ll be looking for a real interest in the subject. We also want to see that you’re willing to learn new things.
Training and Development
At GCHQ, we’re proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment. As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you succeed.
The Maths and Cryptography Insight Programme will help you understand our ways of working. You’ll gain skills and experience through training from our expert partners and world-class subject matter experts. We’ll also develop your skills around writing job applications, and preparing for interviews and presentations.
This is a unique opportunity to learn where a career with us could take you, and explore our full-time roles (depending on where you are in relation to completing your degree).
Equal Opportunities
At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from those who are eligible for this opportunity, including those from groups that are under-represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. Find out more about our culture, working environment and diversity.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ are proud to have achieved Leader status within the DWP’s Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people.
There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, see our website for information on reasonable adjustments we can offer.
What to Expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:
- Initial application
- Full application
- Application sift, looking at your motivation for joining the programme.
- On-line test, assessing how you approach a technical problem.
- If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of a place on the programme.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 4 to 6 months to process including vetting.
Before You Apply
To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality. Read about our eligibility criteria on our website.
This role requires security clearance. It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes. Find out more about the vetting process on our website.
Please note we have a strict drugs policy, so once you start your application, you can’t take any recreational drugs and you’ll need to declare your previous drug usage at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid having identifying features in your email address, such as your first and/or surname and date of birth. This is good practice and will help you to manage your application with us more securely.
The programme is based in Cheltenham. Accommodation will be arranged for you and funded by GCHQ.
Please note, you should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are based overseas, you should wait until you visit the UK to launch an application. Applying from outside the UK will impact on our ability to progress your application. You should not discuss your application, other than with your partner or a close family member.
Right to Withdraw Statement
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for this role from the original closing date once a certain number of applications have been received. Please be mindful of this and submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.