The 18-month paid journalism program is considered one of the most prestigious of its kind in Germany – and beyond. It covers a range of fields and skills, such as TV-moderation, multimedia storytelling, data journalism and working with AI-tools. The topics are explored in seminars and workshops at DW’s editorial offices in Bonn and Berlin, along with our regional bureaus across the globe. For the traineeship, DW is looking for open-minded and critical-thinking individuals with a background in journalism, or who are passionate about switching to journalism from law, economics, science or technology/IT.
The program covers the range of skills a journalist of the future needs: TV moderation, multimedia storytelling, data journalism, social media and virtual reality – in seminars, workshops and of course the DW editorial offices and our correspondent bureaux in Washington and Brussels. DW trainees are involved in long-term innovative, international projects and have been honored in past years with the CNN Journalism Award and the Grimme Prize. After the traineeship, the trainees usually continue to work for DW.
The DW Traineeship will start in January 2026 and end in June 2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- Qualifications: To apply, you will need to have completed a university/college degree, an apprenticeship or have graduated from a journalism school prior to the start of the traineeship. All applicants are required to include certificates of their qualifications (in digital form).
- Journalistic experience: The trainees work with DW editorial departments right from the start, so it is certainly an advantage if you have experience working in journalism.
For the bilingual DW traineeship, DW is looking for:
- Native speakers of a DW program language (list of the languages below) with excellent knowledge of English (C1/C2) and a good knowledge of German (B1/B2)
- Native English speakers / Proficient English users (C1/C2) with a good knowledge of German (B1/B2)
- Native German speakers / Proficient German users (C1/C2) with excellent knowledge of English (C1/C2)
Candidates must also have completed a university or college degree or apprenticeship.
Application Process
Go to Deutsche Welle on jobs.dw.com to apply
- Applications must be made online only within the given timeframe, using the application link on our website.
- Please note that we will only consider complete applications submitted online through our career portal. Please do not send us any application documents by e-mail! These will not be processed.
- The exact procedure for the online application process is clearly described on our website, as well as the additional time-consuming tasks that need to be completed after registering on the career portal. Plan ahead and don't wait until the last minute!
- The DW Traineeship will start in January 2026 and end in June 2027.
