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 runs three separate routes with no single fixed programme, and pays substantially more for the equivalent engineering role.
Salary: nearly double for the same job title
Amazon‘s Graduate Software Development Engineer track pays an average of £37,547/year (range £31,007–£45,985). Its Pathways operations track averages £36,402/year (range roughly £24,000–£61,000 depending on site and progression speed).
Google‘s New Grad Software Engineer role pays £63,000–£68,000 total pay, around £65,000 average base — plus GSU (Google Stock Unit) equity vesting over 4 years, widening the real gap further. Google’s Associate Product Manager track averages around £60,000 base in London.
| Amazon | ||
|---|---|---|
| Software engineering graduate role | £37,547 average (£31,007–£45,985) | £65,000 average base (£63,000–£68,000 total) |
| Operations/PM-adjacent track | £36,402 average (Pathways) | ~£60,000 average base (APM) |
| Equity | RSU stock, vests over time | GSU equity, vests over 4 years |
For the same job title — graduate software engineer — Google pays nearly double Amazon’s base. Run either figure through Debut’s Paycheck Calculator to see it after tax.
Entry requirements
Amazon‘s SDE track requires a Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, graduated within the last 24 months. Pathways and Amazon’s commercial/operations roles accept any degree discipline.
Google‘s APM Program requires a technical bachelor’s degree (though not strictly Computer Science) and under 2 years of PM experience; STEP requires being in your first or second year of a Computer Science or related degree with some Java, C++ or Python experience.
Both firms gate their technical tracks by degree background, but Amazon’s Pathways route is the more open non-technical entry point of the two — Google doesn’t have an equivalent open-discipline route.
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 runs four stages: apply online → online assessment (Work Style Assessment plus Work Sample Simulation) → recruiter phone screen or HireVue video interview → interview loop of 4–5 back-to-back interviews, including a Bar Raiser who can veto the group’s decision. Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles drive at least 80% of non-technical hiring decisions.
Google runs five stages: online application → recruiter screen or online assessment (60–90 minute coding test for SWE) → technical phone screen (45-minute coding interview with a Google engineer, or a product-sense screen for APM) → onsite/virtual loop of 2–4 rounds → a separate Hiring Committee review that makes the final call, independent of your interviewers. This extra committee stage is why Google’s process runs 8–12 weeks even after a strong interview loop.
The practical difference: Amazon’s Bar Raiser and Google’s Hiring Committee both act as an independent check beyond your immediate interviewers — but Google’s adds a full additional stage, making its process the longer of the two.
Programme structure
Amazon splits into two tracks: Pathways (five-year operations leadership, front-line Area Manager progressing to Operations Manager, based in Fulfilment Centres and Delivery Stations) and Graduate Software Development Engineer (hired through Amazon’s University hub).
Google runs three routes: the Associate Product Manager Program (18–24 month track with structured senior-PM mentorship), the STEP internship (10–12 weeks, first/second-year students), and direct Software Engineer, University Graduate roles with no formal rotation — you’re hired directly into a team and product area from day one, with “Noogler” onboarding in your first weeks.
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 intake is based mainly in London and Manchester (which runs three fulfilment sites), with further Pathways roles across Dunfermline, Peterborough, Tilbury, Dartford and Rochester.
Google‘s UK base is entirely London — split across 6 Pancras Square and the new King’s Cross HQ, Platform 37, eventually housing up to 7,000 staff and Google’s largest office outside the US. No other confirmed UK graduate sites exist.
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‘s STEP internship typically opens September–October, closing within 2–3 weeks. APM applications for London have historically run a short window in November. Direct SWE roles post and close on a rolling basis, often within a week.
Both companies reward speed over waiting for a published deadline — set a job alert rather than checking back periodically.
Benefits comparison
Amazon: private medical insurance, life assurance, income protection, company pension, and RSU stock from day one; after a year, Career Choice pre-pays up to 100% of tuition in high-demand fields, plus a season ticket scheme.
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 maximum starting pay for a software engineering role is the priority, Google pays substantially more — nearly double Amazon’s SDE average, before equity is even factored in. If you want a genuinely open-discipline entry point (not just technical roles) and wider UK geographic options beyond London, Amazon‘s Pathways track is the more accessible route in, especially for non-CS graduates.
For the rest of the tech and operations cluster, see BT Graduate Scheme or the Aldi Graduate Scheme for the operations-heavy comparison, or browse the full Graduate Scheme hub.
