This summer, six interns joined us in our Edinburgh and London offices for eight weeks of hands-on experience in the world of fintech. And when we say hands-on, we mean it. No photocopying marathons. No coffee runs. Instead, they got stuck into projects that touched every corner of the business – tackling challenges and contributing to meaningful work from day one.
Because ours isn’t your typical internship of admin tasks or classroom learning. It’s designed to help students build real skills – and make a meaningful impact along the way (and it goes without saying that it’s fully paid).
So, we knew there’d be plenty of interest when we put the word out – but still, the response blew us away: nearly 700 applications, two assessment days, and six successful candidates who made the cut.
Here’s what Aiysha, Sami, Willa, Riya, Han and Ying got up to …
A bootcamp, with bite
To show how all the moving parts of a fintech fit together, each week focused on a different theme. They explored how to spot customer problems, shape product ideas and design brilliant user experiences. They dug into the nuts and bolts of business models and profitability. They looked at go-to-market strategies and brand building. And, because we wanted them to experience the real breadth of life here at Seccl, everyone across the business was invited to post live briefs for the interns to pick up – from building MI dashboards, to dreaming up new Seccl merch. Alongside the tasks we threw at them, they had a bigger challenge, to develop a new business idea from scratch – a chance to put everything they’ve learned into practice.
Working in two teams, they spent weeks refining their ideas before pitching them in true ‘Dragon’s Den’ style. The panel included Secclers and external guests from Promethean Investments, Accenture and Fintech Scotland – who didn’t shy away from asking the tough questions. The feedback was probing, the grilling good-natured – and the interns held their own, delivering smart, confident and creative pitches that tackled real-world problems head-on.
One team presented an app designed to address the exclusion of Muslims from workplace pensions and lower the barriers to Shariah-compliant investing. The other pitched a personal finance app for independent earners, offering flexible pension plans, savings pots and bite-sized financial education to help freelancers and contractors take control of their financial future.
It was a fitting finale to an intense and inspiring eight weeks.
Fringe benefits
Of course, it wasn’t all spreadsheets and strategy. Midway through the programme, our interns rolled up their sleeves to volunteer with FoodCycle, supporting people at risk of food poverty. They also spent a day with the Edinburgh Food Project – filling 27 crates that weighed in at a whopping 329.2kg (we’re told that’s about the same as a mountain zebra, if you want to visualise it). An impressive haul, and one that went a long way towards restocking the charity’s shelves. And in their final week, they came together in Edinburgh to celebrate their achievements with Secclers at the Fringe.
Everyone took something different away from the experience. Aiysha, studying Accounting and Finance at Strathclyde, loved getting stuck into high-impact projects from day one. Sami, from Edinburgh Uni, thrived on the variety of tasks and the chance to learn from different teams. Willa, from St Andrews, valued the support in deepening her understanding of fintech and business. Han, at LSE, enjoyed the live briefs that let them make a real impact. Riya, a Warwick Economics student, said it was the people – welcoming, passionate and generous with their time – that made it special. And Ying, also at LSE, enjoyed the fast pace and the chance to get involved across the business.
Aiysha summed it up: “Thank you for making this internship such a great experience. It’s honestly been such a fun few weeks working alongside you all - I’ve learned so much and met amazing people. Thank you for being so welcoming and generous with your time. I hope our paths cross again in the future.”
“We designed this internship to give people real experience in fintech – the kind you can’t get in a classroom. Watching the interns grow in confidence and pitch creative ideas showed how much is possible when you give bright minds the space to explore and experiment. It’s a reminder of why opening doors to future talent matters – and we can’t wait to see what they do next.” Said our chief people officer, Kirsty Lynagh.
Looking ahead
We’re already thinking about how to make our internship programme bigger and better next year – so watch this space.
And who knows? For some of this year’s cohort, it could be just the beginning of their journey with Seccl.