2026 Apprentice - Human Insight Social Research - London

Company description

CLOSING DATE - This role will close for applications on Friday 20th February at 4pm 

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future.  

As strategies, technologies, and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity. 

Our teams of interdisciplinary experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results. 

We are over 4,000 strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers, and technologists. And we have deep expertise in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport.  

Our teams operate globally from offices across the UK, Ireland, US, Nordics, and Netherlands. 

PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life. 

Job description

We’re not a traditional consulting firm — we do things differently here. 

The impactful work we do for our clients is underpinned by the strengths of our people. You would be joining our Human Insight capability, a team of 70+ mixed-method researchers, working with well-known brands and government departments to deliver strategic insight for design, innovation and better customer and citizen experiences. We are just one team in PA; there are also strategists, technologists, digital experts, designers, scientists, engineers — we all bring real-world experience to our work and apply it at pace. We all make an impact at PA. 

Joining us as an apprentice is a big step. We can offer you unique opportunities to develop your skills and gain hands on experience working on real-life client projects, building your social research and market research skills.  

What to expect from PA 

Project work 

• When you join as an apprentice you’ll work on real-life client projects within your first few months. You’ll gain the knowledge and experience you need to build a successful career in research and human insight for design, innovation and customer or citizen experience, and contribute meaningfully to vital projects. 

• No two days are alike. You might be helping to design qualitative or quantitative research projects to help clients gain deeper insights into their customer or citizens needs and behaviours, to inspire innovation, service or policy design.  Or perhaps you’ll be writing survey questionnaires or discussion guides, conducting interviews or focus groups, or developing AI prompts to analyse the findings. You could be crafting compelling presentations; presenting these insights to clients at their offices; or participating in PA learning and development sessions to expand your knowledge and skills. Each day offers a dynamic blend of opportunities to engage, learn, and make a real impact. 

Support 

• You will be coached and guided by human insight and social research experts, and receive support from the University of Kent, the apprenticeship provider. 

• We will assign you a dedicated line manager, who will be there to support you and to provide regular feedback to you, and the University of Kent. And, you’ll be given a ‘buddy’, another team member you can go to for help and support. 

• You will join alongside one other Social Research Degree Apprentice, and a wider cohort of apprentices from various teams across PA, studying different subjects.  

The learning approach 

• You will be enrolled on to the L6 Social Research Degree Apprenticeship delivered by the University of Kent. On successful completion of the 4-year course, you will gain L6  Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Applied Social Research (Social Researcher) degree. You will not pay any tuition fees for this course. Instead, you’ll earn a salary while learning.  

• The course blends theoretical learning with practical application. You will attend an annual five-day in-person intensive teaching block at the university and in-person workshops and practical sessions held in London three times per year. More regularly, you’ll attend weekly online classes, complete guided self-study and have individual tutorials, all while completing university assignments too.  

Assessment process  

• Application form 

• Online Assessments  - we will invite you to complete this within a week of submitting your application

• Shortlisting - once the role has closed, our teams will review all applications and shortlist for our assessment events. This can take some time but we will keep you updated on progress regularly

• Technical Assessment - this will be a task to complete in your own time and send back to us. We will share more details on this at the time if you are successfully shortlisted. This will take place in March.

• Final Stage Assessment Centre - these will take place in March/April and is likely to be an in person assessment event

CLOSING DATE - This role will close for applications on Friday 20th February at 4pm 

Our offer 

• The opportunity to work on meaningful projects with talented people 

• A 4-year Social Research Degree Apprenticeship programme 

• Multiple opportunities to stretch and grow your skills through hands-on experience working in supportive teams, on client projects, in a learning culture. A great way to start your working life! 

• This role is based in our Victoria office in London 

• Salary: £28,860 per annum  

• You will be expected to be in our London Victoria office between 2-3 days per week. 

• One day per working week will be dedicated to your learning time. You will not be completing client work on this day. 

• This role will start in Autumn 2026. 

Qualifications

Requirements 

• Qualification: Applicants should have at least five GCSEs (grade 4 or above in Maths and English) or equivalent qualifications. Applicants should have at least 96 UCAS points (three C’s at A level/T level core pass C) or an equivalent academic or professional qualification. If you’re unsure if you qualify, apply and we can discuss at a later date.  

• Knowledge of research methods is a plus, but not essential 

• If you already have a degree we run an annual graduate programme. However, applications have closed for our 2026 intake.  

Who we’re looking for 

We know you might not have had the chance to take part in work experience – that’s okay. You might display the characteristics and strengths we’ve listed below in other parts of your life; from school and college to hobbies and family life.  

• Driven and curious — driven to succeed, hungry for new challenges, and eager to broaden your understanding of the world with a passion for understanding people, culture, technology and trends, to shape policy, design and decision making  

• Collaborative and supportive — a dependable team-player, an ability to build strong relationships with people, and support others to succeed. 

• Credible and communicative — strong communication skills, both written and verbal.  You are comfortable sharing your ideas and opinions with others. 

• Analytical and ideas-oriented — demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, have original and innovative ideas, and the flexibility to adapt your style and approach.  

• Eager to learn and adaptable — You may not have experienced a corporate working environment but your eagerness to learn and adaptable nature means you respond well to feedback and adapt quickly to new things 

• Diverse lived experience and thinking: We strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for this role, including those from low-income or out-of-work families, those who are unable to access university or would be the first in their family to gain a degree.  Our aim is to reduce the barriers to entry into the research and insight world; enabling us to bring talented people from various backgrounds together to deliver brilliant work for our clients. Our work also involves engaging with real-life people and representing their views; therefore, it is important to us that our workforce is representative of the people we conduct research with.  

We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.

Apply today by completing our online application

Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.

All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.

We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government’s guidance on security vetting before applying.

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Additional information

Life At PA encompasses our peoples' experience at PA. It's about how we enrich peoples’ working lives by giving them access to unique people and growth opportunities and purpose led meaningful work.

Our purpose guides how we work with our clients and our teams, and support our communities, to deliver insight and impact, solving the world’s most complex challenges. We're focused on building a workplace that values human difference and diverse mindsets, and a culture of inclusion and equality that unlocks the potential in our people so everyone can be their best self.

Find out more about Life at PA here .

We are dedicated to supporting the physical, emotional, social and financial well-being of our people. Check out some of our extensive benefits:

• Health and lifestyle perks accompanying private healthcare
• 25 days annual leave (plus a bonus half day on Christmas Eve) with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
• Generous company pension scheme
• Opportunity to get involved with community and charity-based initiatives
• Annual performance-based bonus
• PA share ownership
• Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)

We’re committed to advancing equality. We recruit, retain, reward and develop our people based solely on their abilities and contributions and without reference to their age, background, disability, genetic information, parental or family status, religion or belief, race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity (or expression), political belief, veteran status, or any other range of human difference brought about by identity and experience. We welcome applications from underrepresented groups.

Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us on [email protected]