Internships

We try to place you in departments that match your interests and previous experience. But you'll also be taken out of your comfort zone, working in departments with content that you're not (yet) familiar with. 

Where do the internships take place? 

DW has offices in Bonn and Berlin. For the first 10 months, trainees are based in Bonn, working as online editors or reporters for podcasts, or developing reels or videos for Instagram and other social media platforms. Internships in Berlin focus more on video and TV production, although all DW editorial departments work with mixed media. Trainees then spend two months in a DW foreign bureau in either Brussels or Washington. 

How are trainees assigned to various editorial departments? 

Whether in Bonn or Berlin, we try to match your internships – news, business, science, culture or sports – with your interests. However, we also have to consider the needs of the various departments. 

Does the traineeship cover the trainees' living expenses in Bonn and Berlin? 

Trainees need to cover their own living expenses in Bonn and Berlin with their monthly salary. Their initial salary is 1,896 euros per month. After six months, it increases to 2,074 euros per month, and again increases to 2,173 euros per month for the final six months of the traineeship. For an internship in one of DW's foreign bureaus (Brussels or Washington), trainees receive up to an additional 850 euros per month for accommodation costs. DW covers all work-related travel expenses. 

Can trainees choose the foreign bureau where they would like to intern? 

A highlight for trainees is an internship in one DW's foreign bureaus. Your language and reporting skills will once again be in demand. Your proficiency in the country's national language(s) does play a role but it's not the only criterion. DW covers your travel and accommodation expenses during this two-month internship.