Find your way into advertising
Explore opportunities designed to help you discover the advertising industry, gain experience and start your career.
Browse programmes from agencies and industry organisations across the UK.
Start your advertising career
Discover pathways, programmes and opportunities available across the advertising industry.
Advertising is all around us, making it a dynamic, creative and rewarding career choice. As well as making a significant contribution to the UK economy, advertising has the power to drive positive change in society. It can help encourage healthier, safer and more sustainable behaviours, while also challenging harmful attitudes and influencing change for the better.
Not sure which advertising job is right for you?
Take our quiz to discover roles that match your personality, interests and skills. Nineteen quick questions.
Discover Advertising
Advertising Association and Media Smart
Virtual Work Experience
Develop your knowledge, gain practical skills, and explore a range of advertising roles through these interactive career simulations. You’ll also build experience to add to your CV and kickstart your advertising career.
- Age: 13+
- Location: Online
- Time: 7 hours
- Free
Generation Media
Graduate Open Day
Generation Media is opening its doors every June to aspiring media professionals. Gain first-hand insight into agency life, with the opportunity to progress into a role at the agency.
- Age: 13+
- Location: Online
- Time: 1 day
- Free
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
Advertising Unlocked
Every November, the IPA runs the industry’s largest open day, recently recognised with the Discover Creative Careers Leader badge. The initiative gives school students the opportunity to visit a local advertising agency and gain first-hand insight into careers in advertising.
- Age: 13+
- Location: Multi
- Time: 1 day
- Free
M&C Saatchi
Open House
M&C Saatchi’s Open House programme offers a seven-week introduction to careers in advertising. You can apply for summer internships and entry-level roles, with opportunities to move into permanent positions.
- Age: 16+
- Location: Online
- Time: 7 weeks
- Free
McCann
Summers School/Mentoring
McCann partners with The Comino Foundation to offer a two-day Summer School. You'll gain insight into different agency roles, complete a team pitch project, and can apply for ongoing mentoring from advertising professionals.
- Age: 13+
- Location: Multi
- Time: 2 days
- Free
Media Smart & Omnicom Media
Careers Workshop
The session introduces the many kinds of roles that exist in the industry, lets you experience first-hand what it’s like to work in an agency, and asks about how we experience ads.
- Age: 13+
- Location: Online
- Time: 3 hours
- Free downloadable resources to support classroom teaching
Publicis Groupe UK
Publicis Showcase
Discover the opportunities and possibilities within Publicis Groupe with Showcase, a program designed to help you navigate the many entry points into the company.
- Age: 16+
- Location: Multi
- Time: 1 hour - 1 day
- Free
Hear from people at the advertising agency VCCP London what they enjoy about their work.
Work experience and agency tasters
Bicycle
Work experience
Placements embed students directly within key agency disciplines, including Strategy (focusing on research and insights), Paid Search, Paid Social, or the Studio team.
- Age: 14+ (school and uni students)
- Location: London
- Time: 1 - 4 weeks
- Unpaid, but expenses covered
Drummond Central
School of DC
Two-week paid placement in Newcastle, across creative, strategy and client services teams. You'll work on live briefs and present your ideas to the agency and potentially clients.
- Age: 18+
- Location: Newcastle
- Time: 2 weeks in late July, applications open in spring
- Paid placement
Ogilvy
Work experience
There are no work experience opportunities open for applications at the moment, but you're welcome to get in touch using the button below to learn more about careers at Ogilvy and upcoming opportunities.
- Age: 16+
- Location: Multi
- Time: varies
- Unpaid
Talon
Work experience
You'll gain a well-rounded insight into Out-of-Home advertising, covering planning and marketing, valuable media experience, on-the-job learning and training from industry experts.
- Age: 14+ (school, college or sixth form)
- Location: London
- Time: 1 - 2 weeks
- Unpaid
T&P Group
Work experience
Hands-on experience in a client service team with real client briefs, introductory sessions across different departments, and a project-based assignment.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 2 weeks in July and August, applications open in spring
- Unpaid
WAA Chosen
Work experience
You'll work alongside teams across creative, strategy, finance, client services and digital, contributing to live briefs and real projects. There is also the opportunity to progress to a paid 6-8 week internship.
- Age: 16+
- Location: Birmingham
- Time: 1 week
- Unpaid
Hear from people at the advertising agency Publicis what they enjoy about their work.
Paid internships
BBH
Barn
BBH Barn is a 8-months paid creative course for starters without any industry experience and a gateway opportunity for a career in advertising.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 8 months from September, applications open in spring
- Paid
BBH
Homegrown
BBH Homegrown is a 6-months paid placement for starters. You are fully integrated into agency life and receive a comprehensive introduction to how BBH works.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 6 months from September, applications open in spring
- Paid
Havas
Havas Platform
Six-month paid programme for underrepresented talent, offering hands-on client work, industry training and real experience within agency teams.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 6 months
- London Living Wage in London and National Living Wage in Manchester.
Publicis Groupe UK
Ignite Summer Internship
Want to learn how ads end up on TikTok, TV, YouTube, Instagram, and beyond? Publicis Ignite gives you real exposure to teams, briefs and clients, helping you build skills, confidence and professional networks early in your careers.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 10 weeks, July - September
- Paid
Talon
Talon Outdoor’s annual internship
Kick-start your media career with Talon. Recruited through Creative Access each autumn, join Talon in February for a paid rotation across key teams, gaining hands-on experience and industry insight.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 12 months
- Paid
WAA Chosen
Internship
You'll work alongside teams across creative, strategy, finance, client services and digital, contributing to live briefs and real projects. There is also the opportunity to progress to a paid 6-8 week internship.
- Age: 16+
- Location: Birmingham
- Time: 6 - 8 weeks, June - September
- Paid
the7stars
Internship
You'll complete a standard employee onboarding and undertake your 4-week placement in your preferred team such as Planning, AV, PPC, Direct, Insight or Data & Analytics, subject to availability.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 4 weeks
- Paid
Four starters at Newcastle agency Drummond Central talk about their routes into the roles they love.
Entry-level programmes and graduate schemes
Bicycle
The Starter Programme
The foundational entry point (Level 1) of Bicycle’s Pedal to Success L&D framework. You'll complete four 3-month rotations across Paid Search, Paid Social, Programmatic, and AV before being placed into a permanent, dedicated role.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London and Manchester
- Time: 12 months, starting September, applications open June - July
- Paid
Bountiful Cow
Graduate scheme
Parallel programme with sister agency, the7stars. All graduates join the onboarding & training plan with internal and external sessions. Opportunities available in teams across the agency.
- Age: 18+, graduates
- Location: London
- Time: 24 month from September, leading to permanent position. Application in spring, opportunities advertised during the year.
- Paid
Born Social
Born Ready
Paid trainee programme designed to help people from underrepresented backgrounds start a career in advertising. The programme combines structured learning, hands-on experience and mentoring, with a focus on social-first marketing and brand building.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 3 months (June - September), applications expected to open in March 2027, following a virtual open day.
- Paid, London living wage
Croud
Croud Sourced
Paid trainee programme to open up pathways into the media industry for underrepresented talent. The training focuses on media while developing the skills needed to progress into longer-term roles within the business and wider industry.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 6 months (June - December), applications expected to open in March 2027, following a virtual open day.
- Paid, London living wage
Medialab
Medialab Launch Programme
Launch is Medialab’s entry-level programme for school leavers, graduates and early-career talent. Designed for people with a passion for data and learning, it offers training, support and career development framework to support progression.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: A permanent role with immersive training to kick-start your career in media.
- Paid
VCCP
The Table
The Table is a paid entry-level, year-long scheme for anyone who wants to kickstart their career in advertising. You’ll be placed in one team in the VCCP London office for a full year, gaining invaluable experience and working on live briefs for some of the world’s biggest brands.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: 12 months
- Paid
VML
Catalyst Academy
The Catalyst Academy is a 12-month program across global campuses in the UK, Germany, UAE, and more. You'll train and get help crafting an authentic personal brand, leveraging expertise from working with organisations worldwide. At the program's end, you'll be primed for a purpose-driven career within our agency.
- Age: 18+
- Location: Multi
- Time: 12 months
- Paid
Publicis Groupe UK
The Pack
An 18-month early careers programme for new starters, designed to run alongside your first role at Publicis. The Pack connects, supports and develops you, helping you build the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to thrive, perform and grow.
- Age: 18+
- Location: Multi
- Time: 18 months
- Paid
the7stars
Placement
This year-long, fixed-term placement offers existing students hands-on experience in marketing and media.
- Age: 18+, university students undertaking a sandwich course or degree with an industrial placement year
- Location: London
- Time: 12 months
- Paid
the7stars
Graduate scheme
Parallel programme with sister agency, Bountiful Cow. All graduates join the onboarding & training plan with internal and external sessions. Opportunities available in teams across the agency.
- Age: 18+, graduates
- Location: London
- Time: 24 month from September, leading to permanent position. Application in spring, opportunities advertised during the year.
- Paid
WAA Chosen
T Level Marketing placement
Gain hands-on experience in digital campaigning, content creation, and market research. This fast-paced placement builds real-world skills to launch your career in modern marketing.
- Age: 18+
- Location: Sutton Coldfield
- Time: 15+ days
- Unpaid
Hear from people at the advertising agency Havas what they enjoy about their work.
Apprenticeships and alternative routes
Bountiful Cow
Apprenticeship
Parallel programme with sister agency, the7stars. The programme is designed to build skills, confidence and a long-term career in media. You'll join the7stars as permanent employee and gain hands-on experience in specialist teams, working on live client business from day one.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: Permanent position
- Paid
the7stars
Apprenticeship
Parallel programme with sister agency, Bountiful Cow. The programme is designed to build skills, confidence and a long-term career in media. You'll join the7stars as permanent employee and gain hands-on experience in specialist teams, working on live client business from day one.
- Age: 18+
- Location: London
- Time: Permanent position
- Paid
Please contact us if you'd like your entry-level talent programme to be included on this page.
Gwyn March
Entry Level Talent and Apprenticeship Adviser, IPA
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising is the UK trade body for the advertising and media industry. Our aim is to help aspiring talent discover the wide range of opportunities available in advertising and explore careers that are creative, varied and rewarding.
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