GCHQ
Cyber security, data science and engineering in the UK intelligence community.
Cyber Security & GovernmentApprenticeshipDegree ApprenticeshipGraduate SchemeSummer Placement
View live opportunities →About GCHQ
GCHQ is the UK's signals intelligence and cyber security agency. Beyond intelligence work, it hires software engineers, data scientists, mathematicians and analysts in large numbers.
Its degree apprenticeship in digital and technology solutions is one of the few routes into national security work straight from school.
Security clearance is required, takes months, and involves detailed background checks — start applications early and be scrupulously honest on the forms.
Roles in Manchester have grown quickly, so Cheltenham is no longer the only option.
Why work here
- Problems you cannot work on anywhere else, with strong internal training in cryptography and reverse engineering.
- Very clear ethical and legal framework around what the work can and cannot be.
- Excellent civil service pension and genuine work-life balance — the culture is not 'always on'.
- You will rarely be able to talk about what you do, and pay lags the private tech sector.
STEM roles they hire
Software engineeringCyber security analysisData scienceMathematics & cryptographyHardware & RF engineeringIntelligence analysis
Entry routes
Digital & Technology Degree Apprenticeship
- Starts
- September
- Duration
- 4 years
- Degree needed
- No
- Salary
- £20,000+ with degree funded
Cyber Security Apprenticeship (L4)
- Starts
- September
- Duration
- 2 years
- Degree needed
- No
- Salary
- £20,000+
Graduate Technology Scheme
- Starts
- September
- Duration
- 2 years
- Degree needed
- Yes
- Salary
- £33,000+
Salary and benefits
Apprentice£20,000 – £24,000
Graduate technologist£33,000 – £36,000
Post-scheme specialist£40,000 – £50,000
- Civil service pension (alpha scheme)
- Funded degree and professional certifications
- Flexible hours and no expectation of out-of-hours work
- Sports and social facilities on the Cheltenham site
- Structured internal mobility between technical disciplines
Application tips
- 1.You must be a British citizen and normally have lived in the UK for the last 10 years — check eligibility before investing time.
- 2.Do not discuss your application publicly, including on social media. They notice.
- 3.Do CyberFirst, TryHackMe or a CTF and mention what you learned, not just that you took part.
- 4.Their tests focus on pattern recognition and logic. Practise abstract reasoning specifically.
- 5.Be completely accurate on the vetting forms — omissions cause more failures than the facts themselves.