BBC World Service placements

Applications for the 2024 Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme will open soon.

Chevening and BBC World Service logo

The Chevening Secretariat and BBC World Service Group are pleased to invite applications (Friday 5 April – Sunday 21 April) for the Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme, commencing in September 2024. 

The programme

Successful applicants will be offered a 13-week placement at the BBC.

Depending on their skills and interests, successful applicants could be placed in one of a number of areas of World Service Group activity including: World Service news programmes, BBC News online, World Service radio, digital output, BBC Media Action, BBC Monitoring, one of the BBC World Service language services, or Solutions-Focused Journalism.

The placement is expected to be hybrid, with some work taking place in the London BBC office and some work taking place at home. Successful applicants will be informed of any changes to the programme as necessary.

The programme will also include:

  • Enrolment on a bespoke one-week course at the BBC College of Journalism
  • Access to additional College of Journalism courses, offered online
  • Mentorship whilst at the BBC
  • London-based scholar stipend for the duration of the placement
  • A BBC ‘top-up salary’ in line with the BBC New Talent Policy for the duration of placement.

Note: Successful applicants will be expected to find suitable accommodation themselves for the duration of placement.

#MyCheveningJourno scholars at the BBC

Eligibility

Up to 10 placements are available to current Chevening Scholars studying relevant degree programmes in the UK.

Due to the nature of the professional placement, applicants must also demonstrate that they have at least two years’ work experience in the journalism industry (paid or unpaid).

Furthermore, interns must have compatible term dates and visa arrangements.

To apply

Applications will open at 10:00 (BST) on 5 April and will close at 17:00 (BST) on 21 April 2024.

To apply, you must complete an application form, which will be available on 5 April, AND submit the following to engage@chevening.org:

  • An up-to-date CV
  • An example of your journalism work (if not submitting via a link on the application form)
  • Status letter from your university that confirms the end date of your course
  • A copy of your passport date page as well as a copy of your current Tier 4 visa/BRP ensuring eligibility to complete the placement in line with immigration regulations. Your visa needs to last long enough for you to complete this placement – until the end of December 2024.

In addition, applicants must consent to making their original Chevening applications available to the BBC (the information provided to the BBC by Chevening will not be transferred to any other third party without contacting you first).

Should applicants be successful in the first round of applications, they will be invited to interview with the BBC.

Please note that successful applicants are expected to honour their commitment to return to their country of origin upon completion of their placement. The BBC will not offer any professional placement to anyone beyond the terms of their current visa.

Placement experience

""Want to learn more about what it’s like to be a BBC intern?

Here’s what 2022 Chevening Scholar Luis F. Molina had to say about his experience:

‘My time at the BBC was more than just a job; it was also an unforgettable adventure.

I worked at BBC Mundo and the ‘What in the World’ podcast… [but] the BBC offers a comprehensive insight into various subjects. I had the opportunity to explore different divisions such as BBC Weather and glean insights from the famous Ros Atkins on the art of explanation.

As an amateur meteorologist, the opportunity to be part of BBC Weather with the mentorship of Tomasz Schafernaker was a tremendous experience. I even got to stand in front of the cameras and provide a weather forecast.

My experience at the BBC emphasized the need for straightforwardness in my reporting, for a more appropriate and effective use of language, and, naturally, for maintaining consistently high and non-negotiable ethical standards.

I aim to become a prominent voice in Colombian journalism, seeking to share the BBC’s methods of calm, objective, and meticulous communication amidst the cacophony of many media outlets echoing the same messages simultaneously.’

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