How many places are there?
In 2015, there were 21,135 applications and 967 appointments. That was a 5% rise from 2014.
How many people apply?
According to the Institute for Government, only 5% of applicants will receive an offer of appointment. Almost 50% of candidates drop out before beginning their application, suggesting a high degree of interest in the fast stream programme but less drive or capacity to complete the initial online tests.
In 2015, 38,175 people registered an interest in the fast stream. Of those, 21,135 then made an application.
How long does the fast stream process take?
A long time. From beginning to end, the fast stream application process can take from 18 to 31 weeks – much slower than the public sector average, which is 11.5 weeks.
Last year, the Bridge Group’s highly critical report [pdf] on the lack of diversity in the fast stream process, said the long recruitment process was having two effects: many students from lower socio-economic backgrounds were put off applying, and those who did apply were less likely to take the risk of not accepting job offers elsewhere during the process.
Following that report – and in order to improve the until-now-woeful levels of diversity on the scheme – the civil service has launched a two-month, paid-for summer intern programme. It’s designed to give people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the civil service is like – but of course it also lengthens the whole process.
Here’s the official breakdown of the process:
Five days to complete the online questionnaires, which aren’t timed.
Five days to complete the e-tray exercise, which takes 80 minutes.
An additional five days to complete the video interview, which takes 25 minutes.
Being assessed at the fast stream assessment centre takes five hours.
How many BME people get in?
Institute for Government analysis shows that the fast stream has work to do on ethnic diversity. In 2015, 21% of candidates but only 15% of appointments were ethnic minorities.
How many working class people get in?
In 2015, only 7% of applicants and 4% of appointees had parents who worked in routine or manual work, compared with 70% and 80% for those whose parents worked in senior managerial, administrative or professional occupations. That is less diverse on socio-economc grounds than Oxford University.
How much does a fast stream appointee earn?
The starting salary for graduates on most fast stream programmes is £28,000. Once you’ve successfully completed the scheme and are promoted, your salary will be in the region of £45,000 to £55,000. Beyond that, salaries are dictated by the civil service pay grades. Don’t forget there is a 1% public sector pay cap that has been in place since 2010.
How does that compare to other grad schemes?
According to the Prospects website, a sixth of places on the top graduate schemes now offer starting salaries of more than £40,000, with 13 of the UK’s best known graduate recruiters paying wages of at least £45,000 for their 2017 intake.
If this is one of the top-rated UK grad schemes, what are the others?
The Guardian’s list of the most popular 300 UK graduate employers in the UK [pdf], voted for by 62,814 students, rates the civil service fast stream as 16th. NHS grad schemes are 14th, but even more popular than either are MI6, in fourth place, and MI5, in ninth place. The top three are Google, Cancer Research UK and GlaxoSmithKline, while fifth and sixth are Channel 4 and British Airways.
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