South Africa: Volunteer Journalism Internships

South Africa: Volunteer Journalism Internships and Work-Experience

As a volunteer on a Journalism Internship in South Africa you could find yourself working for a weekly football newspaper, a general interest magazine or for Projects Abroad’s very own magazine. You can also contribute to Voices of the World, an online weekly newspaper and magazine for young journalists. Based in cosmopolitan Cape Town, our Journalism internships are perfect for anyone wanting some extra experience to get their journalism career off the ground.

The Journalism placements are available for volunteers who are on a gap-year looking to get into a related university course, or those looking for employment following graduation, or more experienced journalists looking for international experience or an unusual career-break.

A Projects Abroad Journalism placement will make sure that your CV sets you out from the crowd. In addition to this, you’ll come back with a large portfolio of varied work and the experience of living and working in a foreign country will act as proof of your adaptability, whilst giving you an interesting subject of discussion in future interviews.

The South African media is one of the most progressive and best developed of any African country, despite the difficulties it faces by having such a broad demographic – 11 national languages! English is one of the main languages used in the South African media and all volunteers are expected to communicate in English on the placements.

Journalism Placements in South Africa with Projects Abroad

We have a range of print journalism placements that you could join.

Journalism volunteers can write for the Projects Abroad magazine, Cape Chameleon and the Cape Chameleon website. If you join this placement you will have the chance to be involved in the entire process of putting together a magazine, from writing, researching and editing articles to photography and the final printing of the publication.

Volunteering at Cape Chameleon will give you a real opportunity to get involved, whether it be interviewing a local politician, musician or sportsman or finding out local opinions on the latest South African rugby debate. You may travel to meet a local small business owner who is upset by a government decision, or you may be sitting on the editorial board deciding what to include in the next edition. Non-native English speakers are welcome at this placement and can choose to write articles for the online magazine section in their own languages.

You could also work with a weekly football focused newspaper, where a strong interest in international football is required. Alternatively, you could write for a more general interest magazine, printed every 21 days, which includes news stories, social issues, features, arts and entertainment pieces. Previous journalism experience is not required; however you should be a fluent and native English speaker to join either of these two placements.

All our Print Journalism placements not only provide an insider's view of how publications are run, but also give you the opportunity to learn writing, editing and interviewing skills from your local colleagues.

Voices of the World – Online Journalism

Journalism volunteers in South Africa who choose to work at Cape Chameleon will also contribute to Voices of the World, an online weekly newspaper and magazine that allows aspiring young journalists to express their views, engage in dialogue and learn about one another through journalistic exploration of topics that greatly affect our world today and their world tomorrow.

Volunteers who are 25 years old or younger can participate in weekly workshops, undertake assignments for Voices of the World, conduct interviews and write articles. Older volunteers can work as trainers and coordinators for the local young people involved or the volunteers who are also participants. In this capacity, they can hold workshops, proofread or edit articles and discuss ideas for articles.

Your role on a Journalism Volunteer Placement in South Africa

Whichever placement you work at, you should always be prepared to work independently but never be afraid to ask questions; your colleagues will be busy people but experience has told us that they are always willing to help a budding new journalist! We recommend that you write as much as possible during your placement as you never know how many of your articles will be published. Taking the initiative will pay off; and the stronger your desire to get involved, the more you’ll be allowed to do.

Volunteers have constant support whilst on their placement from an English-speaking supervisor. The Projects Abroad staff are always on-hand too and we run regular writing and photography workshops for all Journalism volunteers.

Volunteers on a Journalism Internship should expect to work from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday, with the option of working longer hours if you choose. All volunteers need to show a good level of initiative. All our Journalism placements offer a wide array of opportunities and volunteers who seek their own work, ask questions and make an impact on their supervisors will have a fantastic learning experience.

At the football focused newspaper and the general interest magazine you may have short deadlines in which to submit work, whereas, the Cape Chameleon is a community magazine with well-researched, feature-length articles with a slightly longer deadline period.

All Journalism volunteers live with host families around Cape Town. You will normally be living in a host with one other volunteer, travelling to work on public transport.

All volunteers taking part in any of the Cape Town based projects in South Africa have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement. For more information visit our Conservation in South Africa project page.