When does Chicago Trading Company post internships?

CTC says it posts internship and full-time roles in early fall, about nine months before the internship. Applications are reviewed as they come in, so apply soon after the fall posting.

What internships does Chicago Trading Company offer?

A Quant Trading Internship in Chicago and London and a Software Engineering Internship in Chicago. Both include classroom training in options and mock trading.

What is the Chicago Trading Company interview process?

CTC lists four steps: an application questionnaire, an online aptitude test or coding challenge, behavioral and technical interviews, and an office visit with a desk shadow and mock trading.

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Summer 2027 recruiting

Chicago Trading Company internships: when they open and how to apply

Founded by traders in 1995, Chicago Trading Company (CTC) is a proprietary trading firm focused on options market making. Its internships teach options from the ground up, and it publishes its interview steps more openly than most trading firms.

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Internships and programs at Chicago Trading Company

The early-career programs it runs for students and recent graduates, by the names it uses for them.

Quant Trading Internship: A summer internship in Chicago and London for students who want to trade. Interns take CTC's classroom program: a week-long Basics of Options class, Intro to Options Market Making simulations, and a quant curriculum, alongside time on the trading floor.
Software Engineering Internship: Eight weeks in Chicago, mid-June to early August in 2027, shipping trading tools and risk applications with engineers in Java, C++, or Python. Release cycles are measured in days, so code can reach the desk almost immediately. Engineering interns take the options and mock trading classes too.
Quant Trading Associate and Associate Engineer: The full-time entry roles for new graduates, in Chicago and London for trading and in Chicago and New York for engineering. They post on the same schedule as the internships.

When Chicago Trading Company posts internships

CTC says its intern and full-time roles are posted in early fall, around nine months before the internship begins. The Summer 2027 Quant Trading and Software Engineering internships were live on its campus job board by September 2026.

Trading firms like CTC review applications as they arrive, so interviews start in the weeks right after posting. Wait until winter and you are competing for fewer seats.

Who can apply

The 2027 Software Engineering Internship is for Bachelor's or Master's students in computer science, computer engineering, or a similar technical field graduating between December 2027 and June 2028. CTC asks for a foundation in data structures, object-oriented programming, and algorithms, and says prior finance experience is not necessary.

Interns relocate for the summer. CTC houses them for free in Chicago's Loop and provides breakfast, lunch, and snacks in the office.

The interview process

CTC's published process starts with a short application questionnaire and resume, then an online assessment: an aptitude test for trading candidates, with practice tests provided, or a coding challenge for engineers. Next come behavioral and technical interviews.

Finalists visit the office for a tour, meetings with leadership, a desk shadow, and a mock trading session. Engineering candidates report being asked C++ questions on memory management and concurrency.

Tips for applying to Chicago Trading Company

Take CTC's practice aptitude tests before the real one. The firm provides them, and the assessment is timed.
Learn basic options vocabulary before interviews: calls, puts, and why market makers hedge. CTC teaches it on the job, but curiosity shows.
Engineers: if you know C++, brush up on memory and concurrency. That is where candidates report the technical questions going.

Chicago Trading Company internship questions

When does Chicago Trading Company post internships?: CTC says it posts internship and full-time roles in early fall, about nine months before the internship. Applications are reviewed as they come in, so apply soon after the fall posting.
What internships does Chicago Trading Company offer?: A Quant Trading Internship in Chicago and London and a Software Engineering Internship in Chicago. Both include classroom training in options and mock trading.
What is the Chicago Trading Company interview process?: CTC lists four steps: an application questionnaire, an online aptitude test or coding challenge, behavioral and technical interviews, and an office visit with a desk shadow and mock trading.

Where else to look

Employers students often weigh against Chicago Trading Company, and the role tracks its internships fall under.

Sources

What this page was checked against. Programs and timelines change from cycle to cycle, so Chicago Trading Company’s own careers site has the final word.