CBC Journalism Internships – Spring & Summer 2025
CBC Journalism Internships – Spring & Summer 2025
PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE DOCUMENT CAREFULLY.
Failure to follow these instructions may result in your application not being considered.
Congratulations on being recommended by your university or college to apply for a CBC internship. CBC is proud of its internship program and the many talented students who spend time with us every year.
Do NOT proceed unless you have been recommended for an internship!
We will only consider your application if you have been recommended by the journalism coordinator at your university or college.
We are currently accepting applications for our SPRING & SUMMER 2025 sessions:
- SPRING: Monday, Mar 31– Friday, May 9, 2025
- SUMMER: Monday, July 14 – Friday, Aug 22, 2025
The DEADLINE for submitting your application is Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.
IMPORTANT: There will be no technical assistance available on New Year's Day.
IN-PERSON INTERNSHIPS
- All interns must be available to report for work in-person.
- Most CBC departments have returned to work in person full-time. Others have adopted a "hybrid" in-person/remote arrangement. Interns will be expected to parallel the arrangement of where they are working.
- In other words, we are not offering remote virtual internships unless specifically agreed.
- We will provide you with information about safety procedures and requirements that apply to all employees. We will be in touch if conditions or policies change.
WHO CAN APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP?
- You must be enrolled in a journalism program recognized by CBC
- Internship must be a requirement of your program.
- We will not consider any student application unless recommended by your school's coordinator.
- Students must not have already interned in an editorial role at the CBC.
- Students must be in—or about to enter—their final year of study at the time of the internship.
- Interns must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident. Although interns are not paid, we need to ensure they could be employed following the internship. International students can only be considered if they hold a work permit that is valid from the time of the application deadline until several months after the internship end date.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
- As part of its recruitment process CBC requires that background checks are conducted for all freelance, contract and temporary workers as well as for interns.
- Background checks will be done on all students who are offered CBC internships.
- Our agency, Mintz Global Screening, will obtain information from you and will work with the RCMP to conduct the check.
- We do not require reference checks or credit checks as part of this background check.
- There is no charge to you or your school for these background checks.
AVAILABILITY DURING INTERNSHIP
- Interns must be available to spend six consecutive weeks on a FULL-TIME basis at CBC. Full time does not mean trying to juggle studies, assignments and/or paid or volunteer employment while undertaking an internship (see below for details).
- Most shifts run Monday through Friday; some Thursday through Sunday and Friday through Monday. Some shifts begin early in the morning or in late afternoon/evening.
- We cannot accommodate non-consecutive schedules or individual requests outside of our six-week FULL TIME model.
- Similarly, we are not able to accommodate requests to begin internships a week or two later than the date indicated.
EMPLOYMENT DURING INTERNSHIP
- While we do not want interns to overextend themselves during their internship, we are sensitive to the importance of income derived from part-time jobs. Freelance work is permissible in certain cases.
- In that case, we will ask interns for details so that we can gauge their anticipated workload and to ensure that there is no conflict of interest while at the CBC.
- Some students have ongoing part-time work at the CBC prior to their internship They will be asked to refrain from doing that work during their internship. They are welcome to resume after their internship is over.
POSSIBLE INTERNSHIP PLACEMENTS
See here for a list of shows / departments / areas which welcome interns:
https://bit.ly/InternshipPlacements
Not all placements are available in each internship session.
IMPORTANT: Although proficiency in technical skills is essential to the work of journalists, this is NOT a technical internship. This is an EDITORIAL internship which is not appropriate for people who are interested in careers in directing, switching, lighting, editing and camera work.
HOW TO APPLY
After you have been recommended, begin the application process which has TWO PARTS:
IMPORTANT: You do NOT need to complete this form in one sitting.
- You can start on it and hit submit. You will automatically get a copy in your email with an EDIT RESPONSE link.
- Click on that link when you would like to return to the form.
- Please note that there are a number of required responses in the form. If those are left blank, you will not be allowed to submit the form.
- You can temporarily put anything in those fields. That will allow you to submit the form.
- Just don't forget to replace that placeholder text with meaningful info before you are completely done.
- Cover letter (1-2 pages; double-spaced)
Tell us about yourself, your accomplishments (both within journalism and within your community) and what makes you special. Tell us why you want a CBC journalism internship. You MUST specify at least three places where you would like to intern. Avoid saying, "I am happy to be assigned anywhere and do anything." It is admirable to be flexible but that does not tell us anything about your interests.
- Resume (2 pages)
- Portfolio (see instructions below)
Letters of Reference (optional – 2 max) Paste these into the single Word document. (If letters of reference are only available as pdfs, you may upload them as separate files.) These letters of reference may be from the same people you have used as references.
HOW TO SUBMIT
Once all of the above elements have been collected into a single Word document, you may begin submitting your application.
- Go to this page
- Click on APPLY
- Start your application by choosing to AUTOFILL WITH RESUME
- Upload your single Word document. If letters of reference are only available as pdfs, you may upload them as a second, separate file.
- Follow the prompts to complete the remaining sections of your application.
- When you arrive at the Review section, press SUBMIT
- REMINDER: You can save your application at any time and come back to it later.
PORTFOLIO INSTRUCTIONS
Submit ONE link for each of the following:
- Online writing (text-based)
- Online multimedia – Primarily non text-based (e.g. interactive, audio slideshow, data visualization, mapping etc.)
- One audio clip (under 5 minutes). Include the title of the clip along with the direct link to it.
- One video clip (under 5 minutes). Include the title of the clip along with the direct link to it.
Important notes about your portfolio:
- We understand that you may not have samples for all the above. Submit what you have but no more than one sample for each. E.g. one video clip ONLY.
- Include the title of each audio and video clip along with the direct link to it.
- We want to see variety and breadth within your portfolio. Your clips should NOT be on the same topic unless they have a different focus.
- We want to see and hear your field production work, reporting skills and your ability to tell a story. (Hint: Streeters generally do not usually tell a story.)
- Interns do not anchor or read the news during their internship so do NOT submit samples of you anchoring for news reading.
- Group projects are acceptable; however, you MUST clearly describe your own contribution.
- If your audio or video clips are contained within a longer report, include start and end time code. If you do not, only five minutes will be reviewed per clip.
- Content must be hosted on a website. Do NOT upload media files, PDFs or JPEGs.
- If your pieces are on your personal website, itemize exactly which clips you want us to screen. DO NOT simply link to your website and make us choose for multiple links. If you make us guess, your clips won't be screened and your application will not be considered.
- Clips must NOT be password-protected. Registration must NOT be required to view them. If we are unable to review your portfolio, we cannot consider your application. (Hint: Send links to a friend who does not go to your educational institution to ensure they can be opened.)
- Does your text piece reside on a site behind a paywall like globeandmail.com or thestar.com? If it does, then paste the story directly into your application.
- If you upload to YouTube, your videos should be "PUBLIC" or "UNLISTED". They must NOT be "PRIVATE." Similarly for other upload sites.
- Ensure links are working and remain valid until at least August 2025.
- NOTEZ BIEN : If you are submitting a portfolio in French, at least one written piece must be in English. As well, at least one audio or one video piece must be in English or must be captioned in English or be accompanied by a transcript in English.
IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, DON'T KEEP US GUESSING
- If your school has nominated you but you decide NOT to submit an application, notify us.
- Do not keep us guessing.
- If you accept a CBC internship but change your mind, please notify us. Again, do not keep us guessing.
DEADLINE AND NEXT STEPS
The DEADLINE for submitting your application is Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.
IMPORTANT: There will be no technical assistance available on New Year's Day.
- Begin your application early. Putting together a great application takes time and effort. There will be no extensions.
- You will be notified in January 2025 whether you have been selected for an interview
- Interviews will take place in January and February 2025.
- All candidates will be notified about the status of their application at that time.
- Due to the number of applications, please note we are unable to provide feedback if you are not selected for an interview.
If you have further questions, please contact:
Ashley York - Assistant, CBC News
Mark Mietkiewicz - Senior Manager, CBC News
Thank you for your interest, time and effort. We look forward to reviewing your application package!
CBC/Radio-Canada is committed to being a leader in reflecting our country's diversity. That's because we can only create and tell the stories that connect Canadians, by having a workforce that mirrors the ever-changing makeup of our country. That's why we, as an employer, value equal opportunity and nurture an inclusive workplace where our individual differences are not only recognized and valued, but also extend to and pervade all the services we provide as Canada's public broadcaster. For more information, visit the Diversity and Inclusion section of our website. If you have accommodation needs at this stage of the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible by sending an e-mail to recruitment@cbc.ca.