An internship without compromise

Join our team

Established in 2020 with a fully virtual office, Pragmatix Advisory is a boutique economics, strategy and policy research consultancy.

We work with governments, businesses and trade bodies across varied sectors globally to help them tackle some of their thorniest issues.

Are you ready for the challenge?

intelligent ▪ approachable ▪ pragmatic

An internship where you and your work are valued
Work on actual client assignments or deliver your own consultancy research report, or both
Typically five or six weeks during the summer, but alternative schedules may be accommodated
Our internships are paid: we are proud to be a Living Wage employer
Fully remote working from anywhere in the United Kingdom
Part-time working options available
Weekly team training sessions
Regular personal development discussions with mentor, who is typically a former intern
Be a big part of a small team with massive impact

Our internship programme

“We will take your professional development seriously, and put in the time and effort to help you build the career you want.”

— Mark Pragnell, Director

Internships are available to Open University, University of Oxford, Northeastern University London and Exeter University students via their careers services’ internship programmes.

If you are a student at a different institution, send your curriculum vitae (maximum of two pages) and covering letter (maximum of one page) to jobs@pragmatixadvisory.com.

Our offer

We’re always on the lookout for talented and engaging professionals to join our small, friendly and productive team.

Our paid internships provide five weeks of experience as a researcher / analyst and the chance to contribute to real-life consultancy projects. We often recruit new permanent team members from our interns.

If you’re ready for the challenge, send us your details.

You will be in your final year or have just completed your degree in economics or related subject. You will be an all-rounder: highly numerate and analytical; able to write precisely and persuasively in English; a clear, lateral and original thinker; articulate and engaging; and interested in policy, economics and the social world around us.
You will understand the importance of evidenced argument, and recognise the role of robust quantification and numerical analysis in the development of sound strategy and policy.
You will be polite and professional, and look forward to working closely with colleagues in a small team.
These challenging and rewarding internships are designed for talented and highly numerate final year students interested in real-world economics, strategy and policy issues, and who want to experience how to use research to address them.
You will hit the ground running as a researcher / analyst in our team, and will be expected to contribute and add value from your first day.
You will have the opportunity to work with independence and develop your own thinking, but with our help and support. You will report to one of our consultants, on a day-to-day basis, with training and coaching from other team members.
Your internship will be tailored. We will discuss with you how to get the most out of your time with us. You might produce your own standalone research-based policy report or support others in our team to deliver one of our consultancy assignments. You could do both. We’ll decide together when you join us.
We select our interns on the same basis as we would our permanent team.
If you are shortlisted, you will be invited to an intellectually and professionally challenging virtual assessment centre, which will include interviews and tests. It will help us gauge your potential as a future consultant.
Come with an open mind and prepared to think on your feet.
You will produce a research-based policy report, in the Pragmatix Advisory style, which will demonstrate thought-leadership in an issue pertinent to our key audiences.
We need to make an impact with established contacts and prospective new clients. We want fresh and insightful research to start conversations with leaders in business, trade associations and government. You can help us by carrying out thorough desk research, conducting original quantitative analysis and identifying key conclusions and implications. You will communicate your work clearly and concisely through short reports, in presentations and online.
Previous topics have included:
• Implications of fiscal and regulatory policy changes on business
• Small, island, rural and coastal economies and communities
• Globalisation, trade, cross-border investment and international finance centres
• United Kingdom macroeconomics and labour market post pandemic
• Local skills gaps
We will take your professional development seriously, and put in the time and effort to help you build the career you want.
Regular training sessions in a diverse range of consultancy skills will be provided. In previous years these have included data analysis and modelling, GIS mapping, presenting research findings succinctly to an external audience, reporting and working together in a professional environment.
In addition, you will be allocated a mentor, typically someone who has progressed from our internship programme to a permanent role with us, who will be there to help you make the most of your time and think about the next steps in your career.
Your five weeks with us will be intense. You will learn a lot and develop as a researcher, analyst and future-consultant. These skills and experiences should be highly transferable.
Although we cannot guarantee a permanent position to every intern, it is our ambition to only recruit researchers / analysts from our interns.

Our partners

We offer internships via the careers services of our partner universities: The Open University, the University of Oxford, Northeastern University London and Exeter University. In addition, we may offer a small number of positions to candidates from other institutions who apply to us directly.

Our office

Our team members work wherever they want within the United Kingdom. All that’s needed is a broadband connection.

Although everyone is fully remote, nobody is isolated. We all work together through the day in our Virtual Open Plan Office. We may be physically distant from each other, but our use of technology means we are a strong, close-knit and highly supportive team.

Interns will need to have their own computer, able to run Microsoft Office365, and a webcam, microphone and adequate broadband connection. We provide required software subscriptions.

Map of the United Kingdom indicating the locations of our team: Argyll, Birmingham, Essex and London.

Photographs of Birmingham, Glasgow and London, which are the base cities for our senior team.

Our values

“Even in the busiest times, there is humour among the team and laughter is encouraged!”

— 2020 intern

Reaching a nuanced understanding of complex problems is our goal, and we aren’t afraid of trying things out to get there.
We don’t use a single formula for every project – our process is tailored to the individual brief, encouraging fresh and topic-specific approaches. When we arrive at a considered view, our method gives us confidence in it, and we’re happy to stick to it even if it isn’t popular.
Transparency is the centre of everything we do.
In the reports we produce, our writing is clear, understandable and evidence-based. Our research process recognises the weaknesses as well as the strengths of the line we take, and we don’t shy away from tough questions.
In our communications with clients and colleagues, we are straightforward and honest, and we hold ourselves accountable for everything we do.
We take pride in the quality and robustness of our research, our commitment to intellectual integrity, originality and impact, and our standards of professionalism, courtesy and respect. However, we also understand the importance of an office space that encourages creativity and free-thinking. Maintaining a sense of humour ensures our work remains unpretentious, while facilitating a supportive environment for collaboration.
We strongly believe that you can do a solid day’s work, deliver real value for our clients and have fun.