Mail looking for trainee journalists

The Daily Mail group is once again recruiting trainee journalists. Since 2003 I have been training sub-editors for the paper and since 2007 I have been training reporters. Two years ago we started a course for online journalists. This year’s intake included five trainees from America. They are now on regional placements and will return to Kensington after Christmas. Eventually they will head back to the Mail’s New York office. 

Many graduates of the courses are now seniors at the Mail. These include deputy sports editor Alex Kay, assistant news-editor Katherine Faulkner, assistant night editor Lara King, commissioning editor Ailsa Leslie, sports chief sub Phil Gradwell, assistant editor of Good Health Jennie Agg, defence reporter Larisa Brown, political reporter John Stevens and financial journalist Peter Campbell. Some ex-trainees are now working for MailOnline in New York. A few who finished their training and moved on have done well elsewhere. Fay Schlesinger is home editor of The Times and Peter Dominiczak is political editor of the Telegraph. The trainees are also regularly shortlisted in the Press Awards.They include Simon Murphy, Katherine Faulkner, George Arbuthnott and Matt Sandy, who won the young journalist award outright. The Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline are, as you would expect, littered with the bylines of former trainees. 

This year's reporting and online trainees at Derry Street

The training is a real investment by DMGT. The successful applicants spend weeks training in the Mail’s London offices or PA's Yorkshire HQ in Howden. The reporting trainees have two weeks in London, the subs four weeks in Howden and the online trainees, who have to report and edit, do the full six weeks. They are then placed at regional newspapers and agencies before returning to the Mail in London the following year. 

This year's subbing trainees, with me, at PA's Manor in Howden

The training will begin in September 2015 so is suitable for those graduating this academic year. The absolute deadline for applications is January 30 - but we would appreciate it if you could apply well before then. If you are interested, send a covering letter, your CV and six examples of your work to Sue Ryan at sue.ryan@dailymail.co.uk. Details are also on Hold The Front Page. If you are applying you might want to take a look at my advice on how to prepare for an interview. Good luck.

Mail recruiting online journalists and print subs

I have only just said goodbye to the Daily Mail trainee journalists and already the paper is recruiting again. It is looking for trainees to go to MailOnline and also for sub-editors to work on the paper. The successful applicants will spend three weeks in February training at PA's Yorkshire HQ in Howden and one-week at the Mail's London office in Derry Street. They will then be placed at regional newspapers and agencies before returning to the Mail in London later in the year. The training begins in February so this intake is not suitable for those graduating in 2014. The Mail will also be recruiting trainee reporters and sub-editors for courses starting in September. These opportunities will be advertised next month ... watch this space. The deadline for applications for the February course is November 15. If you are interested, send a covering letter, your CV and six examples of your work to Sue Ryan. Her email address is sue.ryan@dailymail.co.uk.
If you are applying you might want to take a look at my advice on how to prepare for an interview. More details are on Hold The Front Page. Good luck.