Job Title: Cyber Insights Summer School (CISS) This is a 10 week ‘in person’ programme taking place from Monday 29th June to Friday 4th September 2026
Location: CISS 2026 will be classroom-based training in Lancashire. Receipted travel cost requests to support your attendance will be refunded for travel to the summer school, and at the end of your time with us. (up to £200)
Salary: Students will receive a weekly attendance payment of £300 per week. Your accommodation will be funded by GCHQ.
About Us
GCHQ is an intelligence, cyber and security agency with a mission to keep the UK safe. We use cutting-edge technology, ingenuity and partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats. Working with our intelligence partners MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from terrorism, cyber-attacks and espionage. At GCHQ you’ll do varied and fascinating work in a supportive and inclusive environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The Role
GCHQ is providing you with an opportunity to enhance your cyber skills by attending our Cyber Insights Summer School. You’ll have an opportunity to see how your passion for technology could help protect the UK by gaining exposure into how GCHQ uses cutting edge technologies.
During our Summer School, you’ll develop a wide range of skills relating to cyber security – both offensive and defensive. You’ll learn through structured teaching with extensive hands-on practical experience and experimentation, growing and developing your knowledge in Network Fundamentals, Malware Analysis, Pen Testing, Ethical Hacking and Forensics. And you’ll benefit from a unique and exciting opportunity to gain knowledge, understanding and an insight into the work of a world-leading team within GCHQ.
You’ll be part of a close-knit cohort, with access to a comprehensive training and development package that includes:
- support from world-class cyber experts delivering interactive lectures, workshops, and practical learning through application
- individual and group real-time exercises in a supportive learning environment
- organised social activities
- help to develop your skills in programming and computer networking which will support your STEM degree studies
You’ll benefit from a payment of £300 per week for the duration of the summer school, and free accommodation which we’ll provide while you learn at a Lancashire location. You’ll have your own ensuite room, with shared kitchen facilities. Travel expenses to support your attendance - at the start and end of the summer school only - are available.
About You
You’ll have a basic understanding of a programming language (Python, C, JavaScript, or similar) - for example you may have coded a simple programme in the past. You’ll also be able to tell us about your interest in cyber-focused areas such as on-line security or networking.
You’ll need to be studying a STEM subject, or a joint honours degree that includes a STEM subject, at university, and be graduating between the summers 2027 to 2030.
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered.
Our 10-week summer school will take place from Monday 29th June to Friday 4th September 2026. You’ll need to be able to commit to this whole period.
Training and Development
At GCHQ we’re proud of our inclusive and supportive working environment. As an organisation that values and nurtures people, we’re committed to helping you succeed. During our 10-week programme, you’ll develop your skills in programming, computer networking, and cyber security, to help support your future career aspirations.
The Cyber Insights Summer School will give you a unique opportunity to gain an insight into our ways of working. You’ll gain skills and experience through coaching and mentoring from our training partners and our world-class Subject Matter Experts. During the summer school, a pastoral care officer is available to support you throughout your time with us, more than just helping you to settle in.
On completion of the summer school, you may want to consider applying to some of our future opportunities (2027), such as an 11-week summer programme, or an industry year placement – which will involve working within our Computer Network Operations Teams. You could also consider joining us in full-time employment through one of our future recruitment opportunities. Availability of these opportunities will depend on where you are in relation to completing your degree. Cyber Insights Summer School is a unique opportunity for you to gain experience and understanding of where a career with us could take you.
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 everyone, 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 on our website https://www.GCHQ-careers.co.uk/life-at-GCHQ/diversity-inclusion.html
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ is 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. As a Disability Confident Leader we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. (This is known as Offer of an Interview.) To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:
- You will need to achieve a minimum pass mark in each of our 6 application questions
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:
- Application Form Sift
- Virtual Interview
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 4-6 months to process including vetting. Please don’t put your life on hold whilst your vetting is in progress.
Before You Apply
To be eligible to apply, you must be a British Citizen. If you hold dual nationality, of which one component is British, you will nonetheless be considered. You can apply at the age of 17 years. If successful, you will need to be 18 before 29th June 2026. There is no upper age limit to apply for a role with us. You’ll usually need to have been a resident in the UK for 4 out of the last 5 years when applying for this role with us at this level. This is particularly important if you were born outside the UK, but we do assess each case individually. There are some common exceptions like studying abroad, living overseas with parents or serving with HM Forces. We’ll just need references for the time you lived abroad.
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.
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 withhold 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.