Deutsche Welle's newly-designed traineeship takes you around the world in just 18 months. Internships with our English and German editorial departments give you a chance to look into economic and cultural issues as well as news and sports. You'll also be active in at least one of DW's other broadcast language departments such as the Chinese, Farsi or Spanish department, and support them according to your language skills. Regardless of the language you're working in youll be part of the editorial teams right from day one, writing and producing reports and conducting interviews for television, radio and online. At the core of the training is a total of six months of theory and practice-oriented seminar blocks looking at everything from journalism basics and live reports to data-driven journalism and mobile reporting. Multimedia is not just a buzzword here - it's how we work. And it'll be the way you work, too - in seminars, editorial departments and your final project. By the end of the traineeship you'll be an expert in multimedia storytelling.

Traineeship curriculum and salary

There's nothing like combining theory and practice, and that's exactly what our traineeship does. Everything you learn in the seminars can be directly applied to the internships that follow.

DW's international traineeship takes you through the ABCs of journalism - everything from theory basics to live reporting and multimedia storytelling. The 18-month multimedia traineeship is for online, radio and television, and comprises:

• six months of theory and practice-oriented seminar blocks held in English and German and conducted by working journalists
• nine months of placements with various DW editorial departments in Bonn, Berlin and one of our foreign bureaus in Brussels, Washington or Moscow
• a one-month placement with DW's partner broadcaster, Deutschlandradio
• four weeks of vacation

The seminar blocks alternate with the placements so that you're able to directly apply what you've just learned.

At the end of each traineeship, participants officially present a multimedia project which they've developed and produced as a team. In one of the previous years, the trainees travelled across Europe and asked young Europeans to describe their "Plan B" for surviving the continent's economic crisis. The project won Germany's prestigious Grimme Online Award. In another year, trainees wanted to know more about their families' experiences during various dictatorships. They decided to interview their grandmothers who lived in countries including Brazil, China and Kenya. The result was "Oma, das Regime und ich" ("Granny, the regime and I").

And you do get paid for your efforts. During the initial six months of the traineeship you earn a pre-tax monthly salary of 1.590 euros. That increases to 1.790 euros for the following six months, and to 1.855 euros for the final six months. Deutsche Welle's traineeship is a full-time program. In exceptional cases, temporary employment outside of the program may be approved.

Every year we receive more than 500 applications from all over the world from highly qualified candidates who speak a number of languages. They're prepared to go through a rigorous application process in order to become one of the 12 aspiring journalists chosen for our journalism traineeship.

The application process has four stages and involves DW directors, chief editors and top DW journalists. We're not looking for perfect up-and-coming journalists but for young, open-minded candidates who have initial journalistic experience and are wanting to help shape Deutsche Welle as it evolves.

Prerequisites

Talent, creativity, language skills and team spirit - that's what you'll need if you want to take part in DW's international journalism traineeship. There are also a few other things you'll need as well...

At Deutsche Welle's newly-designed journalism traineeship, we're looking for inquisitive, open-minded and critical young candidates who view journalism as a passion rather than a profession. As an up-coming trainee of Germany's international broadcaster, you're someone who feels at home in a global community and questions assumptions and stereotypes. Above all, you're someone with a talent for languages.

Prerequisites for DW's international journalism traineeship

1. Language skills

We're looking for English native speakers with a good working knowledge of German and at least one other DW broadcast language. We are also seeking German native speakers with excellent English skills who would be comfortable reporting in English and also have a good working knowledge of at least one other DW broadcast language. In addition, we are seeking native speakers of DW broadcast languages. Non-English or non-German native speakers need excellent English skills and a good working knowledge of German.

2. Qualifications

To apply, you will need to have completed a university or college degree prior to the start of the traineeship. We will also accept applications from candidates who can provide proof of having completed an apprenticeship or have graduated from a journalism school and have several years of experience as journalists. All applicants are required to include certified certificates of their qualifications in the form of pdf documents.

3. Journalistic experience

Our trainees work with DW editorial departments right from the start so it's essential that you bring some previous journalism experience with you. Because this is a trimedia traineeship, it is certainly an advantage if you have experience working in online, radio and television. Please provide certificates or written work references proving your journalism-related work. If you have gained work experience in other fields which you believe are relevant to your ability to work as a journalist, please also include these. Please also include samples of work which has been published or broadcast. You can upload all documents onto our online application program.

Application process

It's not an easy process - not for you and certainly not for us. Every year in four rounds we select among hundreds of applicants the twelve up-and-coming journalists who best fit DW's journalism traineeship.