Work experience and internships are the standard way for aspiring journalists to break into the industry. Spending a few weeks in a professional newsroom provides them with the fundamental skills of the job and key contacts too - plus maybe a byline for a good measure.
The trouble is that all too often, work experience does not pay. It means many people are excluded from these opportunities if they cannot fund the necessary travel or accommodation costs. Latest research by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) revealed in 2018 that 87 per cent of people who completed unpaid work experience did not even get their travel fees reimbursed.
The NCTJ has just published a guide for news organisations providing work experience and internships. It covers recommended range of placements which should be on offer and how they should work; when and what to pay; transparent recruitment policies and pledges. Consider referring to this guide in order to make your policies around placements more equitable.
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