This is future-changing work
Work experience at the Met Office
This is future-changing work
Work experience at the Met Office
An introduction to the Met Office
The Met Office work experience programme consists of two distinct phases. The first is an online work experience. This stand-alone programme is available to all UK-based students aged between 13 and 18, and all who register are guaranteed a place. As part of this programme, you’ll explore typical roles in the Met Office through a series of videos, projects and webinars and learn all about the common skills and qualifications needed to pursue a range of careers, from Forecasting, Engineering and Data Science to Cyber Security, and Customer & Stakeholder Management. Following completion of the online programme, you can apply for a second phase of work experience - a two to three day in-person placement, for which limited places are available.
Forecasting your Future (online work experience)
We’ve teamed up with Springpod, a specialist careers platform, to offer a fascinating insight into the work of the Met Office. This online work experience is designed to develop your knowledge and skills and provides the opportunity for you to tap into individualised support from Met Office staff across the organisation via an online chat system. The online programme can be completed across a work experience week or at any other time of the year, with the bulk of your time spent on exciting work-related projects. Once you’ve finished the programme, if you’d like to find out more about a career at the Met Office, we encourage you to apply for our in-person work experience programme.
Ready to get started?
Find out more about the ‘Forecasting your Future’ online work experience programme by visiting the Springpod website, reading more about the programme and creating an account. Use the link below, click on the ‘Start’ button and follow the registration instructions.
In-person work experience
In-person placement opportunities are available across the year, with a variety of teams, including Forecasting, Technology, Engineering and Communications.
Am I eligible to apply?
To apply for in-person work experience, you must have completed 'Forecasting Your Future', the Met Office online work experience programme. You'll also be in one of the following academic year groups at the time of the placement:
England and Wales. Years 10, 11, 12 or 13 (up to 31st August)
Northern Ireland. Years 11, 12, 13 or 14 (up to 31st August)
Scotland. S3, S4, S5 or S6 (up to 31st August)
Finally, you must be studying in the UK, either in formal education or being home-schooled.
Current opportunities
The application procedure for an in-person placement is based on our Met Office job application process, to give you experience of what it is like to apply for a job vacancy with us. Please be aware that you’ll need to submit all the work-based assignments you completed during the online work experience, as part of your application. So, please make sure you have them downloaded and ready to attach. Our in-person placements are highly sought-after, so the more effort you put into these assignments, the more likely you are to be offered an in-person placement.
Corporate Technology
Location: Exeter, Devon
Date: 30 June – 2 July 2026 (3 days)
Application deadline: Monday 23 March 2026
Work placement outline: Work experience in the Corporate Technology department lets you see how tech keeps the Met Office running smoothly - from setting up laptops for meteorologists tracking storms to being responsible for how IT Asset Management monitors thousands of devices (vital now that many people work remotely). The Digital Workplace team enables collaboration through Microsoft Teams and SharePoint for sharing research, while ServiceNow acts as a helpdesk to quickly resolve tech issues. As well as exploring software tools and shadowing technicians, you’ll get a glimpse into how generative AI is changing daily work.
Governance
Location: Exeter, Devon
Date: 7-9 July 2026 (3 days)
Application deadline: March 23 2026
Work placement outline: The role of Governance is to ensure the smooth running of the Met Office Executive and Board, ensuring it effectively delivers on the organisation’s objectives. The four teams making up Governance are Executive Support, Legal, Internal Audit and Risk Management. These work together to provide the Chief Executive, the Executive and Met Office Boards with the information they need so they can take the right decisions and support all areas of the business to deliver our strategic ambitions.