By Andre Atallah, CEO of EP Advisory
Graduate Scheme · 11 schemes · September 2027 start
Open when checked on 17 October 20262027 portal closedNot open when checked on 17 October 2026
Short answer: Apply now. The 2027 portal was open when we checked on 17 October 2026.The 2027 portal has closed. Register interest for the next intake.The 2027 portal was not open when we checked on 17 October 2026. Register interest for the next intake. Network Rail publishes no closing date, and schemes can close once full.The steps below help you prepare for next year.Check the portal for your scheme’s closing date. One process covers all 11 schemes. You fill in a short form and pick one location. An online assessment follows, with reasoning items, ranked scenarios and a video interview. Then comes an assessment centre with an interview, a presentation and a work exercise. Network Rail does not sponsor visas.
Where are you now?
Independent guide. EP Advisory is not affiliated with Network Rail.
Network Rail runs 11 graduate schemes, from Civil Engineering to Finance and Supply Chain Operations. Every scheme uses the same application process. Most ask for a 2:2 and last 2 years.
This playbook covers every step, from the form to your offer. For nearly 10 years, we’ve helped more than 5,000 professionals get hired. Want to know if your CV will pass screening in the UK? Check your CV for free: a score in 30 seconds, then a fix for each problem.
01/10
Your route to an offer
Pick your stage and tick each step when done.
1. Apply: open when we checked on 17 October 20261. Apply: the 2027 portal has closed1. Apply: not open when we checked on 17 October 2026
A short form on the minimum criteria. You pick a scheme and one location. There is no cover letter.
2. Online assessment: do it soon after the invite
Reasoning items, ranked scenarios and a short video interview. Your invite says which tests you take.
3. Assessment centre: online or in person
An interview, a presentation and at least one work exercise. Some schemes run it in two stages.
4. Outcome and offer: start in September 2027
Results come once every centre for your scheme is done. Then come checks on your certificates, right to work and health.
Your ticks save on this device.
02/10
The scheme at a glance
A paid scheme of 2 years for most, for a September 2027 start.
OpenClosedNot open
2027 portal, checked 17 October 2026
£32,000
Plus a £2,000 welcome bonus
11
Schemes, one process
2:2
Enough for all but Finance
2 years
Most schemes. Operations: 18 months
120+
Graduate jobs, says the Times Top 100
Pay as shown on 7 of the 11 scheme pages on 14 October 2026. Electrical Power, Electronic and Communication, Property and Supply Chain show no salary. Network Rail publishes no number of places.
Location, hybrid work, age and benefits
- Location. You see the locations open to you when you apply. Pick one within “reasonable commuting distance”. Network Rail is “unable to accept requests for location changes at the point of offer”.
- Hybrid work. It “cannot be offered contractually”. Your scheme manager decides.
- Age. You must be at least 18 when you start. “There’s no upper age limit.”
- Benefits. 28 days’ leave plus bank holidays, up to 75% off leisure travel for you and your family, and a 75% subsidy on rail and underground season tickets.
03/10
What Network Rail looks for
Safety comes first. A Network Rail recruiter said in 2025 that it “takes safety above and beyond everything”. Values “might come into question” at interview.
Safe, caring, a team player
“We empower our people to always be safe. To care about the railway, its users and each other, and put teamwork at the heart of all that we do.”
Logical, creative thinking
The engineering and Operations pages say: “We look for diverse and logical thinkers who can find creative solutions to challenging problems.”
How you work with others
At the centre, Network Rail watches “how you interact with others, your communication skills and how you resolve problems and make decisions”.
Potential, not perfection
The schemes are “focused on future potential so we are not expecting perfection”. A “drive to get things done” also helps.
From Network Rail’s Who We Are page, the scheme pages and its How to Apply guide (October 2024).
What each business scheme asks for
- Finance. “an analytical mind and a flair for financial planning”
- IT and Business Services. “a passion for IT, an eye for detail and the ability to get into the nitty gritty with data”
- Network Strategy. “comfortable working with numbers, presenting your findings”
- Project Management. “inquisitive self-starters with a strong work ethic and the confidence to challenge how things are done”
- Property. “independent thinkers who have a passion for property”
- Supply Chain. “driven go-getters with a thirst for learning”
04/10Stage 1 · Apply
How to apply
Apply now on the 2027 portal. When we checked on 17 October 2026, it said “You can apply now for our Graduate intake”.The 2027 portal has closed. Register interest for the next intake on the register-interest portal.The 2027 portal was not open when we checked on 17 October 2026. Register interest for the next intake on the register-interest portal.
On 15 October 2026, all 11 scheme pages still said the 2026 scheme was closed. The portal is the one to trust.
1
Pick a scheme
One of 11, same process
2
Pick a location
One, within commuting distance
3
Fill in the form
Grades, right to work, travel
4
Submit earlyNext time, submit early
Schemes can close once full
No closing date is published.This year’s schemes have closed.Check the portal for your scheme’s closing date. Network Rail’s How to Apply page says: “Applications will close at different times. This will depend on the number of applications we get for each. Once we’ve reached our expected numbers, we reserve the right to close the schemes for further applications.”
The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers lists December 2026 as the deadline. That is its date, not Network Rail’s. Locations fill too. In November 2025 a recruiter checked the Project Management scheme live. London “might have been already filled” after about 3 weeks, while Cardiff, Crewe, Glasgow and York were open.
Three form rules
Give your projected grade if you have not graduated. You show evidence later, so “it’s important not to lie”.
Pick a location you can reach. You cannot change it at the offer.
Have your documents ready. Original certificates, photo ID, proof of address and right-to-work papers. “These will be checked.”
From the How to Apply page and guide, and a recruiter in November 2025. You can ask for adjustments in the form.
Where the 11 schemes differ
The process is the same for every scheme.
| Schemes | Degree | Length | Pay shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineering | 2:2, ICE-accredited | 2 years | £32,000 + £2,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 2:2, IMechE-accredited | 2 years | £32,000 + £2,000 |
| Electrical Power and Distribution, Electronic and Communication | 2:2, IET-accredited | 2 years | Not shown |
| Finance | 2:1, any subject | 2 years | £32,000 + £2,000 |
| IT and Business Services, Network Strategy, Project Management | 2:2, any subject | 2 years | £32,000 + £2,000 |
| Operations Management | 2:2, any subject | 18 months | £32,000 + £2,000 |
| Supply Chain Operations | 2:2, any subject | 2 years | Not shown |
| Property Management | 2:2, RICS-accredited, set subjects | Not stated | Not shown |
From the 11 scheme pages, checked 14 October 2026. Locations show only in the form. Finance publishes its own: 4 months in Milton Keynes, 3 in Manchester, back to Milton Keynes, then one regional office.
Scheme details worth knowing
- Operations Management. Safety-critical work, with weekends, bank holidays and shifts.
- Supply Chain Operations. “Whilst we can’t guarantee a permanent position post scheme, you will be eligible to apply for any suitable roles.”
- Property Management. The degree must be in Commercial Real Estate or Planning and Development, accredited for the RICS commercial property route.
- Finance. After the first year, you work in one regional office: Glasgow, Manchester, York, Birmingham, Cardiff, London or Milton Keynes.
Your location choice: do and don’t
“York: 25 minutes from home by train”
Do
A site you can reach every day. Our example.
Don’t
“London for now, and I’ll move later”
You cannot change location at the offer. For front-line roles, Network Rail also cites fatigue rules.
Most graduate employers ask for a CV, even though Network Rail does not. Our CV achievement examples show how to turn what you did into one clear line. Getting ready to apply for jobs in the UK? Check your CV for free: see it the way a recruiter does, then fix each problem.
Save Network Rail and over 2,000 other UK schemes to one free calendar. See what closes next and what you have applied to.
Track my schemes freeFree account, no card.
Missed it or not selected? Your options
- Another open scheme. Schemes “close at different times”, so check the 2027 portal for one still open.Apply early next time. Schemes “close at different times”, once Network Rail has the applications it expects.
- Register interest. If you cannot see your scheme, “please register your interest for it here” on the register-interest portal.
- Apply next year. There is no graduation-year cap. A recruiter said “you don’t need to be a recent graduate”.
- Still at university? The Year in Industry and Summer Placements are for students in their “penultimate year at university”. When we checked on 17 October 2026, the register-interest portal listed 2027 placements as open. Register there for 2027.The 2027 placements have closed. Register interest for the next round on the register-interest portal.The register-interest portal did not list 2027 placements as open when we checked on 17 October 2026. You can register interest there.
- Other Network Rail jobs. Maintenance and corporate roles are on Network Rail’s Find a job site.
05/10Stage 2 · Online assessment
The online assessment
Network Rail does not name its test provider. It says the assessment uses “scenarios to assess how you work” and includes a video interview.
What Network Rail says
The tests “always have an ability element to them such as numerical or logical reasoning items and also questions related to your behavioural preferences”. It tells you which ones when it invites you.
Not published
The provider, the number of questions, any time limits and the pass mark.
How the first two parts work
Reasoning
An “ability element”, such as numerical or logical reasoning items. The recruiter called it “a bit of a mathematics sort of questions”.
- Do every practice question before the real test, as the guide asks.
- Keep scrap paper, pens and a calculator beside you.
- Read each table’s units and headings before you calculate.
Our tips build on the guide. More in how to succeed on a psychometric test.
Ranked scenarios
A long scenario, then a set of actions to put in order. “They’re all correct but you’ll be asked to order them in terms of priority”, from 1 to 4.
- Rank what keeps people safe first. Network Rail puts safety above everything.
- Next, rank what protects the railway, its users and your team.
- Answer as you would act at work, not as you guess they want.
Our advice, built on Network Rail’s values. Scoring is not published.
Your set-up: have ready and avoid
Have ready
- A laptop “rather than a mobile”
- A working microphone and webcam
- Scrap paper, pens and a calculator
- A quiet room where you won’t be disturbed
Avoid
- Doing it on your phone
- An old browser version
- Leaving it until the time in your invite
- Staying silent about a technical problem
From the How to Apply guide. If something breaks, “get in touch with us immediately so we can help you out”.
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 15 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- How to ApplyNetwork Rail Early Careers · checked 15 Oct 2026 · no account neededThe five official steps, why to apply early and the location rule.Free
Practise
- Prepare for your Online AssessmentAon · checked 15 Oct 2026 · no account neededNetwork Rail’s 2024 guide pointed to Aon’s preparation site. It has short videos and practice tasks.Free
Watch
- Network Rail: Graduate and Placement Scheme OverviewcareermapTV with Network Rail · 4 Nov 2025 · watch 10:46 to 12:44A recruiter walks through the form, the online assessment and the centre. The visa length in this video has since changed.Free
Network Rail does not name its test provider, so outside practice tasks may not match your real test.
Next: practise numerical and logical items with our guide to psychometric and logic tests.
06/10Stage 3 · Interviews
Video interview and assessment centre
You are interviewed twice. First on video, as the last part of the online assessment. Then at the assessment centre.
The video interview
“we’ll ask you about your motivation and knowledge of the scheme. We may also ask you about when you’ve demonstrated some core behaviours likely to predict success on your scheme.”
The assessment centre
“Typically, you can expect to do an interview, presentation and at least one work-related exercise”. Online or in person, and in two stages for some schemes.
Both from Network Rail’s How to Apply guide. Dress in business attire, online too. If you cannot come and do not say so, Network Rail assumes you are “no longer interested”.
How to answer
Video interview
Each question shows on screen and you record your answer. In 2022 a recruiter said you get 30 seconds to read and 2 minutes to answer. In 2025 a recruiter said the video lasts “up to about 10 minutes”.
Why this scheme
Name one real project from its work.
Why Network Rail
Safety, and where the railway is going.
Your example
What you did, and the result.
The link
How it fits safe, care or teamwork.
Our frame. Practise out loud to a 2-minute timer on a laptop webcam. The guide asks you to “speak clearly, using appropriate and professional language throughout”.
Centre interview
In 2022, Network Rail used “a strengths-based interview”. The recruiter said “we want to see what answers naturally come to you”. His example was “Why does safety matter to you?”
Follow-ups to rehearse
Why this scheme, not another?What do you enjoy most?When did you put safety first?What did you learn from a mistake?
Our list. Network Rail has not published its 2027 questions.
Build your stories with our guide on how to pass a job interview.
Presentation and group exercise
In 2022 the recruiter said the presentation asks you to “analyze the scenario and then come back in terms of recommendations”. The group task is judged on “how you’ve interacted as a team”.
1
Read
The scenario and the brief
2
Recommend
One clear choice, with reasons
3
Weave in safety
He advised it for this task
4
In the group
Build on points, listen, speak up
If you stay quiet in the group, “it doesn’t give us anything for us to be able to assess you against”. See our toughest interview questions for the Q&A.
Practise: questions like the assessors ask
Motivation
Practice questions written by us, from the topics in Network Rail’s guide.
Why this scheme
Why have you applied to this scheme?
What they’re testing: your motivation and knowledge of the scheme.
Show a strong answer
- Name the scheme and one real piece of its work. Link it to something you have done.
Research
What do you know about Network Rail?
What they’re testing: whether you did your research.
Show a strong answer
- Say what it does in one line. Add one current project and its focus on safety, then why that matters to you.
Location
Why did you choose this location?
What they’re testing: that you can get there every day.
Show a strong answer
- Give your real travel time and why the site suits the work you want.
Future
Where do you see yourself after the scheme?
What they’re testing: your future potential.
Show a strong answer
- Name the qualification your scheme leads to, such as CIMA, APM or chartership. Then name the role you want next.
Values and safety
Card 1 is a 2022 example from a Network Rail recruiter. Cards 2 to 4 and all the answers are ours.
Official example
Why does safety matter to you?
What they’re testing: your own values, not a prepared story.
Show a strong answer
- Give your reason in one sentence. Then share a short moment that shaped it.
Safe
Tell me about a time you kept yourself or others safe.
What they’re testing: the value “always be safe”.
Show a strong answer
- Say what the risk was, what you did and what changed. Small examples count.
Care
Tell me about a time you helped someone who needed it.
What they’re testing: care for users and each other.
Show a strong answer
- Show what you noticed, what you did and how the person was better off.
Teamwork
Tell me about a team that worked better because of you.
What they’re testing: teamwork at the heart of what you do.
Show a strong answer
- Name your part, how you brought others in and the result for the team.
Assessment centre
Practice questions written by us, from what the guide says assessors watch.
Your decision
What do you recommend, and why?
What they’re testing: how you make decisions.
Show a strong answer
- Give one choice first. Then two reasons from the brief and the main risk.
Safety
Your plan creates a safety risk. What do you change?
What they’re testing: putting safety first.
Show a strong answer
- Name the risk, change the plan to remove it and accept the cost in time or money.
The group
How did your group reach its decision?
What they’re testing: how you interact with others.
Show a strong answer
- Say whose idea you built on and how you brought a quiet member in.
Learning
What would you do differently next time?
What they’re testing: your ability to learn from experience.
Show a strong answer
- Name one real change and why it would help. Avoid “nothing”.
Your story bank: a worksheet to print or copy
Two real stories for each prompt.
| Prompt | Story 1 | Story 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Safe: a risk you spotted or stopped | ||
| Care: someone you helped | ||
| Teamwork: a group you made better | ||
| A problem you solved | ||
| A decision you made with limited facts | ||
| Something you learned from |
Go further: the best outside help
Our own picks, checked on 15 October 2026. We are not linked to any of these sites and earn nothing from them.
From the employer
- How to Apply guideNetwork Rail PDF · Issue 1, October 2024 · 2 pagesWhat the video interview asks about, and what happens on the assessment day.Free
- Who We AreNetwork Rail Early Careers · checked 15 Oct 2026 · no account neededThe values in one line. Build one story each for safe, care and teamwork.Free
Watch
- Graduate scheme opportunitiesNetwork Rail channel · 30 Oct 2025 · 2:30Graduates from several schemes describe real projects, for your “why this scheme”.Free
- Day in the Life: Annie, Project ManagementNetwork Rail channel · 30 Jul 2025 · 1:44Three eight-month placements, from station lifts to overhead lines.Free
- Day in the Life: Mohammed, Civil EngineeringNetwork Rail channel · 23 Jul 2025 · 1:26Bridges and tunnels in a structures team, and the route to ICE chartership.Free
07/10Stage 4 · Outcome
Your outcome and offer
Results come only after every assessment centre for your scheme is done. The guide says this “can take a few weeks”.
When you hear
A few weeks after your centre. A recruiter said in 2025 it is “within up to about four to six weeks”.
A conditional offer
It holds until your qualifications and right to work are checked. “Please make sure you have the original copies of your certificates to hand.”
A medical
It includes “Drugs and Alcohol Testing”. Some front-line roles exclude some conditions, such as “certain types of colour-blindness”.
The welcome bonus
“Our graduates receive a £2,000 welcome bonus.” We found no source on relocation help.
From the How to Apply page, checked 15 October 2026.
Key dates: 2027 intake
17 October 2026
Open on the 2027 portal when we checked
17 October 2026
The 2027 portal had closed when we checked
17 October 2026
Not open on the 2027 portal when we checked
Once full
Each scheme can close early. No closing date published
This cycle
This year’s schemes have closed
Closing date
See the 2027 portal for your scheme
After the centres
Outcome, a few weeks after your centre
After the centres
Outcome, a few weeks after your centre
September 2027
Start date on every scheme page
08/10
Visa and right to work
Our reading: Network Rail does not sponsor visas. You need the right to work full time in the UK from the start date.
Network Rail’s How to Apply page says “We welcome applications from international candidates”. It adds: “We’re unlikely to progress applications where sponsorship is needed.” In November 2025 a recruiter said the same: “we do not provide sponsorship”.
The Graduate visa and the Skilled Worker route
- Graduate visa. It lasts “2 years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026” and “18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027”. You apply from inside the UK on a Student visa (GOV.UK, updated 9 September 2026).
- Scheme length. Most schemes run 2 years and Operations Management 18 months. So a Graduate visa alone may not cover the whole scheme.
- Skilled Worker. This route needs a sponsor (GOV.UK). Network Rail says it does not sponsor.
See our guides to staying in the UK after studying, jobs in the UK for foreigners and UK companies that sponsor visas. This is general information, so check GOV.UK before you apply.
09/10
Key takeaways
Before you apply
- Apply now on the 2027 portal. It was open when we checked on 17 October 2026.The 2027 portal has closed. Register interest for the next intake.The 2027 portal was not open when we checked on 17 October 2026. Register interest for the next intake. No closing date is published, and schemes can close once full.Next time, apply early. Schemes can close once full.Check the portal for your scheme’s closing date.
- One process covers all 11 schemes. Check the degree rule and length for yours.
- Pick one location you can reach every day. You cannot change it at the offer.
- Practise reasoning items and ranking scenarios, with safety first.
- Prepare 2-minute video answers on why this scheme and why Network Rail.
- At the centre, expect an interview, a presentation and at least one work exercise.
- Network Rail does not sponsor visas, so check your right to work first.
When a scheme gives a close date, we email you a few days before it closes. Save Network Rail once and the reminder is set.
Set my reminders freeFree account, no card.
10/10
Frequently asked questions
Is the Network Rail graduate scheme open for 2027?
Yes. When we checked on 17 October 2026, the 2027 portal said you can apply now for the Graduate intake. On 15 October 2026, the scheme pages still said the 2026 scheme was closed. The portal is the one to trust.No. The 2027 portal has closed. You can register interest for the next intake on Network Rail’s register-interest portal.Not when we checked on 17 October 2026. You can register interest for the next intake on Network Rail’s register-interest portal.
When does the Network Rail graduate scheme close?
Network Rail publishes no closing date. It says schemes close at different times, once it has the number of applications it expects. So apply early.This year’s schemes have closed. Network Rail says schemes close at different times, once it has the number of applications it expects. So next time, apply early.Check the 2027 portal for your scheme’s closing date. Network Rail says schemes close at different times, once it has the number of applications it expects. So apply early.
Do I need a 2:1 for the Network Rail graduate scheme?
Only for Finance. The other schemes ask for a 2:2. The engineering schemes need an ICE, IET or IMechE accredited degree. Property needs an RICS-accredited degree in a set subject.
What is in the Network Rail online assessment?
Network Rail’s guide says it always has an ability element, such as numerical or logical reasoning, plus questions on how you prefer to work. It includes a video interview. Network Rail tells you which tests when it invites you.
What happens at the Network Rail assessment centre?
Network Rail’s guide says to expect an interview, a presentation and at least one work-related exercise. It may be online or in person, and some schemes run it in two stages.
Does Network Rail sponsor visas?
No. Network Rail says it is unlikely to progress applications where sponsorship is needed. You need the right to work full time in the UK from the start date. A Graduate visa applied for from 1 January 2027 lasts 18 months, and most schemes last 2 years.
Can I apply if I graduated a few years ago?
Yes. A Network Rail recruiter said in November 2025 that you do not need to be a recent graduate. Network Rail also says there is no upper age limit.
