The key elements remain the same. This programme is open exclusively to applicants from ethnic minorities who live in the UK, because we are keen to invest in and nurture talent from diverse backgrounds, and to make our industry as inclusive as it can be.
How does it work?
You will join us to shadow what we do day to day, for four weeks. You’ll get experience with writing news, reviews and features, get advice on how to pitch articles as a freelancer, and, of course, bylines on the website. Plus, you’ll make a few useful industry contacts, too. Our aim is to take on two people per year, one towards the start of the year and one towards the end. We will work with the candidates we choose to select when exactly the four weeks will take place within a few set months. This way we’ll be able to create a focused schedule for you, and devote more time to make sure your work experience with us is as useful and productive as possible.
Will I be paid?
You’ll be paid a day rate for the duration of your time with us of £100/day, the same as we pay our freelance news writers for their shifts.
Who is eligible?
Any resident of the UK who is aged 18 or older, and who likes video games and writing about ’em, and is from an ethnic minority. Note that you don’t have to be in full or part-time education to apply.
Do I have to come to your office?
Almost all the RPS team work remotely now, and so this is a work experience placement you can do from home or remotely - as long as you have access to the internet, a computer you can work on, and a way to play video games. (Note that we are a PC gaming website, so you can’t write about Nintendo games or PlayStation or Xbox exclusives, but if the way you play games is on a console or a Mac, that’s also okay.) If you’d like to come to the office in Brighton we can discuss that too.
How can I apply?
You don’t have to have any prior experience! Just email a CV, plus a cover letter explaining how awesome you are and why you want to do work experience with us, to workexperience@rockpapershotgun.com. If you have any examples of writing you’ve done - a link to your blog, an essay, even a piece of creative writing - then please include this too. It doesn’t have to be games related. You should know that, while this isn’t the same as a job application, unfortunately we won’t be able to take on everyone who applies, so we want to take on people who are passionate and interested in the field. If you require any adjustments to the application process, please let us know using the email address above.
Is there a deadline for applying?
Applications will be open for two months ahead of when the work experience period is due to take place. See the table below for full details. Our first work experience slot for 2022 will be for four weeks taking place between August - October 2022, so applications will open from now until June 30th 2022. We’ll do another post to highlight when December applications are opening up, too. If you have read this far and are wondering whether to apply, we encourage you to just do it. Here’s that application email address again in case you need a reminder: workexperience@rockpapershotgun.com
