General opportunities
There are many different roles needed to create Britain’s gay news site. If you are interested in a job with us, they are all advertised on this site at Jobs.PinkPaper.com. You can also find out more about the company and how to apply by visiting our corporate website at millivres.co.uk.
Editorial
Most of you who have clicked on this page, however, will be wanting to know about opportunities in editorial as a freelancer or for work experience (see below).
Freelance
We are always happy to hear pitches from freelancers or tip-offs about news stories. Use the contacts lists on this site to help you pitch to the right person. We are often looking for freelancers to take on regular work and those opportunities are advertised on Jobs.PinkPaper.com, you can also contact us to find out about any current opportunities.
Non-journalists
If you want to write for us but are not an experienced journalist, you should check out Your.PinkPaper.com which allows you to write and upload your own news, comment, features and other stories and put them live for all our readers’ to see. All you have to do is set up a profile and log-in which takes just a few minutes.
Work experience
PinkPaper.com also believes in harnessing and developing new talent. So if you want work experience we are often able to help you.
Our internships are appropriate for anyone serious about pursuing a career in journalism who wants hands-on experience in a busy newsroom. It will be particularly of interest for anyone with a passion for gay, lesbian and bisexual news and culture. You will probably be working across PinkPaper.com, DIVA and GT magazines and their websites.
We are unable to pay people for work experience but are serious about training them and believe some time spent with us really boosts their journalistic education.
Work experience students usually work from our offices in London, so those who want to do this will need somewhere to stay in commuting distance from us.
Your time here will be a chance to learn and to develop the skills you’ll need in the future.
Our interns don’t spend their time making tea (unless they happen to like tea)! Instead you will be researching and writing your own stories. The vast majority of our interns’ articles do make it onto our websites or into GT and DIVA. And if you’re good you’ll get some by-lines and plenty of strong clippings you can put into your portfolio. Our best past interns have got to write large features. There is no limit to what you’ll be allowed to do if you’re good enough.
You’ll get the opportunity to see how we produce PinkPaper.com and the magazines, to be in relevant editorial meetings and to contribute ideas.
We’ll give you feedback and on-the-job training. Whenever possible we’ll take the time to give you one-to-one copy clinics from the news editor, features editor and editor-in-chief. This will tell you what you’re doing right and wrong and how to improve. At the end of your time, you’ll get some feedback on your overall performance and advice for the future.
We try to give you a range of tasks to do (these can be in and out of the office). In particularly we’ll let you write different types of articles to develop your writing style. You’ll also probably be asked to do work which needs very high levels of accuracy, another essential skill. And we strongly encourage you to speak to real people – face-to-face and on the phone, rather than rely on second-hand information from the web, this is vital to good journalism.
We work hard but interns often tell us that the office atmosphere is relaxed, informal and friendly. If you have any problems or questions, you can always ask the editor or another member of staff.
What we expect of our interns
To show up on time (our usual hours of work are 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday) and to be prepared to work flexibly if required.
To let us know well in advance if you need to take time off. To contact us straight away if you are ill or are going to be late for any reason. You should always contact us by phone (NOT by email or text).
To represent PinkPaper.com, its sister titles and MPG in a positive and professional manner during your time here.
We appreciate it when you contribute ideas (eg at editorial meetings) and use your initiative.
You should make sure you read the materials we give you at the start of your time at PinkPaper.com and refer to them to help you do your job properly.
How to apply
If you want to join us for an internship, you should send the deputy editor, Darren Scott a CV, short cover letter and three examples of written work. If you haven’t done formal journalistic writing before, we may ask you to contribute an article or two to Your.PinkPaper.com – this helps us assess your level so we can provide the best possible hands-on training for you from the start.
We will try and accommodate as many applicants as possible.
And finally
The vast majority of our interns enjoy themselves and many ask to stay on or come back another time. We’re usually happy to do that if we can fit you in (the earlier you ask, the more likely it is).
We hope you have a good time with us and we’re looking forward to working with you.