What should students know about recruitment before starting university?

Spring Week and first-year law scheme applications open within weeks of starting university. What students and parents should know before day one.

That the first recruitment window opens almost as soon as university starts. Most investment banks open Spring Week applications for first-year undergraduates in late August and close them between late October and late December, often reviewing on a rolling basis. First-year law schemes, such as Clifford Chance's SPARK, run on a similar early calendar. A student who arrives in October unaware of them can find the earliest places already filling.

This guide is for students in their final school year and the summer before university, and for their parents. It does not ask anyone to choose a career before university. Its purpose is narrower: to make sure the first-year window is a choice the student makes, not one they discover too late.

Why does the first year matter?

Because it is the earliest point at which a bank or law firm sees a candidate in person, and at some firms it starts the main process directly.

• Investment banking. A Spring Week is a short insight programme, often a week, run by bulge bracket and selected boutique banks for first-year undergraduates. It usually sits one full cycle ahead of the Summer Analyst internship. At banks that offer a fast-track from their spring programme into the Summer Analyst process, a strong week can shorten the path considerably.
• Corporate law. Clifford Chance's SPARK is aimed at first-year students, second-years on four-year law degrees and penultimate-year non-law students. Successful participants are invited to interview for a training contract at the end of it, so it is the start of the training contract process itself. Freshfields and other firms run open days and shorter first-year insight programmes.

Missing the first-year window is recoverable. Candidates who do not secure a Spring Week apply through the open Summer Analyst process the following autumn, against a larger and more polished applicant pool. But it is avoidable.

What does the first-year calendar look like?

The pattern below is drawn from recent cycles. Each bank and firm sets and publishes its own dates every year, and those published dates are the ones to follow.

• Late August to September, before or just after arrival: most banks open Spring Week applications. Many say they review on a rolling basis and encourage early applications, and programmes can close before the advertised deadline.
• Late October to late December: Spring Week applications close at most banks.
• Mid-November to late February: Spring Week offers typically land, depending on how each bank runs its cycle.
• Early to mid April (Easter vacation): most Spring Weeks run.
• Autumn of the second year: Summer Analyst applications for banking, and vacation scheme applications for law students on three-year degrees. Non-law students usually apply for vacation schemes in their final year.

See the Spring Week guide and the vacation scheme guide for the detail.

What can a student do before arriving at university?

In ECS's experience, four things make the first-year window manageable without turning the summer into a recruitment campaign.

• Know which windows exist. A short list of the banks and firms the student is curious about, with the month their first-year applications usually open, is enough.
• Have a one-page CV ready. A first-year CV is short: school results, a part-time job, a sustained project or a position of responsibility. Each line should say what the student did and what changed because they did it.
• Read the business, not the rankings. First-year candidates are commonly asked why a particular bank or firm. A specific, current answer about the business beats a recital of league-table positions.
• Keep it optional. A student who is unsure whether finance or law suits them can apply to a small number of first-year programmes as a way of finding out. That is a legitimate reason to apply.

What is the parent's role at this stage?

Timing and information, not the applications. In ECS's experience, the most useful thing a parent can do in the summer before university is make sure the calendar is known, and then leave the decisions and the writing to the student. Firms assess the candidate's own judgement and motivation, and an application that reads as a parent's work is weaker for it.

For more on the family's role, see ECS's guidance for parents. For how school and university choices affect access in the first place, see Do A-levels and university choice matter for investment banking and corporate law?.

Frequently asked questions

When do Spring Week applications open?

At most banks, in late August, with closing dates between late October and late December. Many banks review applications on a rolling basis and programmes can close early, so each bank's own published dates should be checked.

Can first-year students apply to law firms?

Yes, to first-year schemes and open days. Clifford Chance's SPARK is aimed at first-year students, and successful participants are invited to interview for a training contract at the end of the programme. The main vacation scheme comes later: the penultimate year for law students and the final year for non-law students.

Is it too late if a student misses the Spring Week window?

No. Candidates without a Spring Week apply through the open Summer Analyst process in the following autumn. The pool is larger and more polished, so the written application needs to be stronger, but the route remains open.

Should a student decide on a career before starting university?

No. The first year is a reasonable time to find out, and applying to a small number of first-year programmes is one way of doing so. What matters before arrival is knowing when those windows open.

Hero case study · long-term approach

Karam Kahlon - the four-year arc.

University of Exeter, non-target. Resitting A-levels at AAB. No IB interviews before ECS. A four-year private advisory engagement - the longest-documented continuous client relationship in the ECS track record. Each outcome built on the last.

Year 1: Morgan Stanley Step-In/Step-Out programme, HSBC Spring Week converting to Summer IB Internship, 3i two-day PE insight placement. Year 4 (2026): HSBC 2026 Investment Banking Internship and Blackstone 2026 Spring Insight London. Both confirmed, both verified.

“Honestly you’re the best in the business.”Karam Kahlon, named with full consent

Read the full four-year arc →