Media & Communications opportunities

Media and communications opportunities include newsroom internships, journalism fellowships, training programmes, freelance commissions, and communications roles in NGOs, international organisations and companies. Fellowships exist for working journalists: the Reuters Institute Journalist Fellowship in Oxford lasts three or six months and welcomes journalists from anywhere with at least five years of experience, while the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard hosts journalists for a year of study. IJNet, a project of the International Center for Journalists, publishes tips and training opportunities in several languages.

Applications centre on evidence of work. A CV is normally joined by clips, broadcast samples or a portfolio of published material, a statement or project proposal, and references. The Reuters Institute expects fellows to carry out a self-directed project and states that applicants must intend to return to journalism; it does not accept people working in public relations or corporate communications. Selection is competitive and usually involves a panel reading proposals and portfolios, followed by an interview for shortlisted candidates.

Fellowship start dates are fixed, such as October, January or April at the Reuters Institute, so applications open months in advance, while internships and freelance work move faster. Common mistakes include sending generic pitches, offering a portfolio with no clear best work, proposing a project that does not fit the programme's purpose, overlooking experience requirements, and missing the point that some fellowships are aimed at journalists rather than communications staff.