Apply for a traineeship at Brisbane Times

Brisbane Times is seeking applications to be part of a 12-month traineeship program in our CBD newsroom. This is a rare opportunity to learn and work alongside award-winning journalists and editors.

Established in 2007 and relaunched last year, Brisbane Times has become a digital powerhouse, providing unrivalled coverage of urban affairs, sport, politics, food and culture in a fast-growing region.

Applications for traineeships close on Monday, April 8, and you can apply here.

“At Brisbane Times, we are constantly seeking new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways of doing things,” said editor Sean Parnell.

“We pride ourselves on being part of the community we report on, and being central to the conversation about the city’s history, current issues, future opportunities and challenges.

“This is a great opportunity for talented people to join our newsroom at a critical period in Brisbane’s evolution as a liveable, modern, world-renowned city.”

The training program will focus on developing reporting and production skills, generating story ideas, identifying news angles, and creating journalism with impact for our vast audience.

The successful candidates will have excellent writing and interpersonal skills, a deep understanding of news and current affairs, and a curiosity about people and issues. We are particularly interested in applicants with a passion for visual storytelling and a willingness to experiment.

While not essential, tertiary qualifications are preferred but are not limited to journalism, media or communications studies – we encourage all individuals with an aptitude for journalism and a portfolio of written work to apply.

The traineeships, which will commence from July 2024, are for 12 months, with the potential to secure a permanent role at the end of that period. They are full-time rostered positions and could involve shift work, including weekends.

Brisbane Times was officially relaunched in August 2023, with a new approach, a larger newsroom, and a major marketing campaign to promote its relationship with the city.

“Our mastheads are the gold standard of Australian journalism, and we will be looking for the very best aspiring young journalists to tell the stories that matter to millions of readers,” executive editor Luke McIlveen said.

“It will be competitive, but we will select trainees for Brisbane Times based on their talent and hunger for stories – not which school or university they went to.”

To apply, you must submit the following:

• Resume
• Three pieces of your own published journalism, including at least one in written form (publications could include a university magazine or newspaper, a blog, or other media outlet).
• A discussion piece of a maximum of 500 words responding to one of the following questions:

1. What do you see as the biggest challenges, and opportunities, for Brisbane over the next decade?
2. What should journalists do to stay aware of community sentiment, and alert to emerging local issues, rather than just follow the traditional news cycle?

We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those with disabilities, and people of all ages, nationalities, backgrounds and cultures.

Please note: to be considered, you must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian permanent resident.