Amazon vs Google graduate scheme — both are the two biggest tech employers on Debut’s Employer Scheme list, but they hire very differently and pay very differently too. The Amazon Graduate Scheme splits into two distinct tracks — operations leadership and software engineering — while the Google Graduate Scheme has no single fixed programme: Google posts early-career roles one at a time, and its London internships for Summer 2027 are open now.
Salary: what is published and what is only reported
Amazon and Google hire tech graduates in very different ways, and only one of them publishes dates. Here is the breakdown for 2026.
Amazon’s Graduate Software Development Engineer track is reported to pay an average of £37,547 a year (range £31,007–£45,985), and its Pathways operations track an average of £36,402 (range roughly £24,000–£61,000, depending on site and progression). Amazon doesn’t publish these figures; they are reported by Glassdoor users.
Google has not published a pay figure for its London internships or early-career roles. On 17 October 2026, Glassdoor showed four London “SWE New Grad” submissions, from £60,000 to £106,000. Four entries cannot support an average, so treat this as a wide reported range, not a salary. Google’s postings say stock unit (GSU) grants “are not guaranteed, are discretionary” (Official).
| Amazon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Software engineering graduate role | £37,547 reported average (£31,007–£45,985) | £60,000–£106,000 reported (four Glassdoor submissions, no average) |
| Operations/PM-adjacent track | £36,402 reported (Pathways) | Not published (APM internship pay not stated) |
| Equity | RSU stock, vests over time | GSU grants discretionary, not guaranteed |
Reported figures put Google’s graduate software engineer pay above Amazon’s, but Google’s range is wide and rests on four submissions. Run either figure through Debut’s Paycheck Calculator to see it after tax.
Entry requirements
Amazon’s SDE track is reported to require a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field, with recent graduation (check each posting for the exact rule). Pathways and Amazon’s commercial/operations roles accept any degree discipline.
Google’s London APM BS/MS Intern posting names product management, computer science, engineering, data science, mathematics, statistics or a related technical field. The Software Engineering / SRE intern role asks for computer science or a related technical field. The APMM intern role accepts any bachelor’s or master’s programme. All are for penultimate or final-year students (Official).
Both firms gate their technical tracks by degree. Amazon’s Pathways is the open-discipline route for graduates, while Google’s open-discipline route, the APMM internship, is for students, not graduates.
Application process: how they actually differ
Timing works very differently on each side of this comparison — Amazon vs Google graduate scheme deadlines rarely align, so track both separately rather than assuming one calendar covers both.
Amazon’s own SDE page lists four steps: apply online, take an online assessment, complete virtual interviews, then receive an offer. Amazon says SDE candidates hear back within five business days after their interview. Candidates commonly report extra details, such as assessments built around work style and a final loop of several interviews that includes a “Bar Raiser”, but Amazon doesn’t publish these, so treat them as reported. Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles describe how it hires and leads, so prepare an example for each.
Google has not published a stage-by-stage process on the pages we could read. Its postings confirm a CV and transcript application, rolling review and a wait that “can take upwards of 90+ days” (Official). Candidate accounts describe a recruiter call, coding assessment, interviews and a hiring committee, but we could not verify that sequence, so treat it as reported. Our full guide is at Google graduate scheme.
The practical difference: Amazon publishes a short four-step flow for its SDE roles, while Google publishes only its application requirements and a 90-day response window. Extra stages for both are reported by candidates.
Programme structure
Amazon splits into two tracks: Pathways, a three-year Operations leadership programme per Amazon’s official page, aimed at turning graduates into managers and directors (that page is US-oriented, so check availability in your country), and Graduate Software Development Engineer roles, hired through Amazon’s SDE page and its University hub.
Google has no single programme. As of 17 October 2026 it lists London BS/MS internships for Summer 2027: Associate Product Manager (12 weeks), Associate Product Marketing Manager, Software Engineering / SRE, Forward Deployed Engineering and Product Deployment Engineer (Official). It has not published a rotation structure for full-time APM roles on the pages we could read.
Neither company runs a traditional fixed-cohort rotation model like Accenture or EY — both hire into specific tracks or teams rather than a shared graduate intake.
See Amazon’s own graduate career programs page and Google’s careers site for full official details.
Locations
Amazon’s UK graduate operations roles are advertised at fulfilment sites around the country (reported listings include Norwich, Leeds, Bristol and Tilbury), while tech roles are typically London-based. Check each posting for the exact location.
Google’s early-career roles we read in full are all in London, and its internships require you to be in the UK throughout (Official).
Amazon has considerably wider UK geographic reach; Google’s graduate roles are London-only.
Application deadlines
Amazon has no fixed UK-wide closing date — roles post and close individually, often within days, so applying within 48 hours of a role going live matters more than any calendar deadline.
Google closes each role on its own date. The Software Engineering / SRE internship closes on 23 October 2026, the APM, APMM and Forward Deployed Engineering internships on 13 November 2026 and the Product Deployment Engineer internship on 20 November 2026 (Official).
Both companies reward speed over waiting for a published deadline — set a job alert rather than checking back periodically.
Benefits comparison
Google: its benefits page returned no readable content for us, so a UK benefits list is not published on the pages we could read. Prosple UK lists health insurance, an employee assistance programme, parental leave, flexible working, childcare and educational reimbursement (Reported, undated).
Google: health insurance, an employee assistance programme, enhanced parental leave, flexible/remote working, childcare support, educational reimbursement, and GSU equity vesting over 4 years.
Google’s benefits package is the broader of the two on paper — childcare support and enhanced parental leave aren’t listed in Amazon’s package.
Amazon vs Google graduate scheme: which one should you apply to?
If you are a penultimate or final-year student, Google’s London internships are open now, with the earliest closing on 23 October 2026. If you have already graduated, Google has not published dates for full-time roles, so set a job alert.
If you are weighing a third tech option, Microsoft and IBM also hire role by role, with no fixed cohort. For side-by-side views, see Microsoft vs Google and IBM vs Microsoft.
For the rest of the tech and operations cluster, see the BT Graduate Scheme or the Aldi Graduate Scheme for the operations-heavy comparison, or browse the full Graduate Scheme hub.
