BBC World Service placements Apply for the Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme

The Chevening Secretariat and BBC World Service Group are pleased to invite applications (from 14 March) for the Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme, commencing in September 2022. 

The programme

Successful applicants will complete a three and a half month 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 College of Journalism courses on the same basis as BBC staff. Awardees will be expected to complete at least one additional course during their placement.
• Successful applicants will be supervised at a BBC location in London and will have a BBC mentor to assist them during the placement.
• Successful applicants will receive the Chevening stipend for the duration of the placement, in addition and in order to meet the BBC standards under the New Talent Policy, the BBC will provide a total ‘top up salary’ for the period. The exact top up amount will be confirmed at a later date, as it is calculated to coincide with each new financial year. Successful applicants will be expected to find suitable accommodation themselves.

Placement experiences

To see what previous scholars did whilst on placement, take a look at their #MyCheveningJourno blog for stories and videos about life at the BBC.

• How travel journalism survives in a global shutdown
• Listen in: Learning from the best at the BBC World Service
• How can we tackle global polarisation through journalism?
• Slowing down to investigate, read, listen and learn

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’ experience as a working journalist, and/or have or will have completed a master’s in journalism from a UK university by the time that the placement starts.

To apply

Applications will open at 10:00 BST on 14 March and will close at 17:00 BST on 31 March 2022.

To apply, you must complete a Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme application form, AND submit the following to engage@chevening.org:

• An up-to-date CV.
• 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 end of December 2022.
• A complete Chevening/BBC World Service Group Professional Placement Programme application form.

The form is available to complete here when applications open at 10:00 14 March 2022.

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.