1. I am interested in gaining work experience or volunteering with the BBC World Service Trust. What should I do?
The BBC World Service Trust is always on the look out for new volunteers and we welcome applications for work experience placements.
Please apply through the work experience section of the BBC jobs website. As the international charity of the BBC, we are bound by BBC employment rules and regulations. We can only accept applications submitted online, through the BBC jobs website.
We receive many applications, so unfortunately not everyone will be successful the first time they apply. As we also plan placements well in advance. You will need to apply at least a month before your wish to begin work. Placements are normally for two weeks and cannot be longer than 4 weeks.
Please note that we cannot arrange work permits for placements at the BBC World Service Trust.
2. Are there any restrictions on who can be on a work experience placement?
Although we will accept applications from 14-17 year olds, there are some BBC placements which are for over 18 year olds only. There is no upper-age limit.
3. What sort of things will I be able to do on a work experience placement?
Work placements at the World Service Trust support the co-ordination and management of our international projects. Duties might include administrative assistance, visa applications, project research, filing, compiling production paperwork, project portfolios, and general project support.
Placement tasks will completely depend on what is required that week or month. However, please note that we are not a production department. Our programmes are produced from our country offices.
We also offer work placements in our communication team, where you can gain experience of producing a BBC website, intranet and email newsletters.
4. Is it possible to volunteer at one of your in-country offices?
We do not have a work experience placement scheme for volunteering outside the UK. As a result, we cannot organise work placements in our country offices from London.
If you are based in one of the countries where we work, then please contact our office in that country directly. They may be able to offer work experience placements on a case by case basis.
5. I am a student and would like to help with research at the BBC World Service Trust
There may be opportunities to work on research for our projects. You need to apply for a work experience placement, but highlight your specific skills and areas of interest. If your interests match an area that we're currently working on, we will get in touch.
