What to Expect on a Journalism Internship

Whether you’re a graduate looking for the edge over your competitors; or a school leaver eager to jump straight into your dream career in journalism. Either way, you know that practical experience with a journalism internship is the best way to maximize your chances of success.

A professional journalism internship is a way of demonstrating to future employers that you can fit smoothly into their organization. You’ll have concrete examples of real-life experience to draw upon; and you’ll also get a look at whether the industry is right for you. 

There’s truly no better way of kickstarting your career in journalism.

In addition, you’ll make connections and contacts as you meet people from your industry. From executives to interns, every person you know is a potential interview or job offer down the line. 

Make a good impression and it might pay off. 

After all, in the working world, who you know is often as important as what you know. 

Journalism encompasses a range of disciplines and sectors. From local papers to internationally read institutions like The Washington Post and The Times of London. Television journalism, from CNN to the BBC, is also a staple of the industry; and digital platforms like YouTube are increasingly making journalism more accessible and diverse. 

From a solid grounding, you can further specialize; anywhere from local news to video games to music. 

The sector is notoriously difficult to enter, which is why practical experience with a journalism internship can help. Journalism is changing at a fast pace; traditional print sales are falling rapidly, and companies are working hard to digitize as they move with the times. 

Opportunities are sparser than they once were, so only the best and most dedicated can succeed.

But a journalism internship is the perfect way to demonstrate your skills and passion.

If you do succeed, you can expect plenty of openings for industry progression and development. Journalism contracts are often short, but prove yourself and doors will soon open. 

You’ll get to exercise your writing and creative skills as you produce regular copy, articles and news stories. 

And at a senior level, earning potential is high.

But more than anything, you’re entering journalism because you want to make a difference in some way. Whether that’s interviewing top political figures or exposing wrongdoing. 

The best way to do that is to have demonstrable interest in the role. A blog or student journalism is always a great start.

But nothing beats hands-on work experience. So read on to discover just what it’s like to undertake an internship in journalism.

There’s a range of key skills and attributes that employers search for when recruiting new journalists. Over the course of your journalism internship, you’ll learn and hone these skills.

First, the obvious. Expect to do a lot of reading, writing, proof-reading, and editing. Crafting engaging copy is a key part of the job, and you’ll be a master of it by the end. Attention to detail and accuracy are also vital.

Strong people skills are also a must. You’ll be communicating constantly as you work with a close-knit team; and you’ll also regularly meet with clients and interview subjects. On top of that, you may sometimes need to chat with sources to gain information. 

‘Deadlines’ is a word closely associated with journalism, so get used to exercising your organizational and time-keeping skills as you juggle competing tasks. Stay focused, keep a tight grip on your workload, and you’ll prosper.

And as organizations adapt to a newly online world, digital skills are increasingly part of the job. Blog posts, image editing, and social media are all part of modern journalism. You’ll soon build up a portfolio of online skills.

From your very first day as a journalism intern with Beyond Academy, you’ll feel like part of the team.

Your previous work or shadowing experience may have had you making coffee runs or performing basic tasks.

But with Beyond Academy, you’ll be straight in the thick of it. 

After a brief introductory period, you’ll be trusted to work independently. Manage your workload effectively as you undertake a variety of tasks.

And if you need any help along the way, your colleagues will be supportive and always ready to offer advice. As will the Beyond Academy team who are on hand to support and guide you throughout.  

Keeping a watchful eye on you will be your manager. They’ll be your touchstone during your internship; from pastoral care to regular meetings about your progress. 

You’ll also be sure to be invited to informal drinks or dinner sessions after work. This is a great way of getting to know your colleagues in a relaxed setting away from your busy workload. 

Building strong relationships outside of work hours will pay dividends, after all, communication skills are essential for any budding journalist.

Of course, you’ll want to know just what the day-to-day experience is. So, what can you expect from a journalism internship?

As mentioned, the core of the job will be writing. From opinion pieces to reviews to investigative journalism, you’ll build up an impressive body of work. You’ll often be handed down tasks from your manager, but you’ll also have the chance to seek out stories that interest you.

At its heart, journalism is about ideas. So you’ll exercise your creativity as you search for the perfect angle. Get it right and you’ll produce compelling work.

You’ll also likely be diving into the back end of your company’s website; and exercising your digital skills more generally. Depending on your firm, you might be scheduling blog posts or tweets; as well as conducting video calls with interviewees. 

To accompany your written copy, you’ll scour image databases for high-quality images. You’ll soon be a master of brightening, cropping, and otherwise manipulating images to go on your company’s website; or accompanying tweets and other social media posts.

You’ll finish your journalism internship with an unmatched professional experience; and you’ll have developed the skills and knowledge base to impress any employer. 

With demonstrable experience, they’ll know that you’ll fit into the role with ease. And in the end, that’s exactly what companies are looking for.

You’ll be rightly focused on gaining world-class work experience. But a Beyond journalism internship offers even more than that.

At Beyond Academy, we offer fourteen amazing international destinations for your journalism internship. From Dublin to Stockholm to Toronto; the city of your dreams awaits.

While you gain journalistic skills and knowledge, you’ll also experience stunning vistas, day trips, and hidden gems. Some of our cities have a deep weight of history behind them; others lie at the forefront of modern technology and innovation.

But they all offer an international experience like no other.

You’ll discover your city’s past with a range of museums, art galleries, and walking tours; you’ll find its present and future in upmarket bars and restaurants, as well as technological and architectural marvels. 

But if you’re just looking for a holiday, a Beyond internship isn’t for you. Employers don’t react well to ‘adventures’; they’re looking for reasons why they should hire you.

So the first step is to match your city to your profession. That way, you’ll be able to justify your trip abroad. So do some research and get to know the cities on offer.

To begin with, we’d recommend looking into London or New York; they’re home to countless internationally famous newspapers and magazines, from The New York Times to The Economist. 

Fortunately, journalism is such a broad sector that you’ll be in good shape wherever you choose. Most of our cities are home to prominent and regional newspapers; and with the rise of digital journalism, you’ll find yourself interconnected wherever you go. The point is that you need concrete experiences to validate your international experience. So if you’d like to find out more about what employers really think, check out our explainer.

Another key part of your internship will be your fantastic community of interns. You might worry about going it alone in a foreign city; but this isn’t the case at all.

While you’re abroad, you’ll be joined by your Beyond Community. They’re a group of interns navigating a brand new city, just like you. 

You’ll first meet your community at your welcome dinner. Over your city’s signature cuisine, you’ll swap stories and start building new relationships. In fact, many of our interns report that they make friends for life on our programs.

And throughout your journalism internship, there’ll be plenty of social events, dinners and trips for you to experience with your community. You’ll discover your new country, all while forging life-long bonds.

You’ll cap off your internship with your farewell dinner. Looking back over your time in your city with your community, you’ll realize how much you’ve all grown. 

And after your course is over, your fondest memories will be the moments you shared with your friends.

Journalism is a notoriously tough sector. But if you put the effort into this creative role, you’ll thrive.

As you carefully balance deadlines, you’ll learn new skills and knowledge as you work. There’s nothing more rewarding than producing that perfect piece of copy, capping off that news-making interview, or discovering something new about your local community.

You’ll leave your internship with unmatched on-the-job experience. Employers value practical knowledge above all, so future interviews will be a breeze.

And that’s not all. While you work, you’ll build up your own network of journalistic contacts. Journalism, like so many industries, is all about who you know. So make connections now and it’ll pay off in the future. Whether that’s via job offers or simply a head start in the hiring process.

Plus, it’s not just about the work. You’ll be immersed in a foreign culture, demonstrating your adaptability to future employers while gaining some vital life experience of your own. 

Best of all, you’ll make life-long international friendships on your course. With our interns drawn from all over the world, there’s nothing quite like living in a foreign city to help you build fast friendships. 

At Beyond Academy, we offer a range of journalism internships across multiple international destinations. 

When designing your journalism internship program, we’ll factor in your skills, previous experience, and career goals. This personalized approach is key in unlocking your potential.

So if you’d like to find out more, please check out our journalism internship opportunities here!