StudyDesk Scholarships
About the traineeship
The Deutsche Welle (DW) Journalism Traineeship is one of Germany’s most prestigious paid journalism training programmes. The 2028/29 cohort runs for 18 months, from 3 January 2028 to June 2029, combining six months of theory and practice-oriented seminar modules (in German and English), nine months of placements with DW editorial departments in Bonn and Berlin and one of DW’s foreign bureaus (including Delhi, Jakarta, Washington D.C., Brussels, Riga and Jerusalem), plus a one-month elective. Around twelve trainees are selected per cycle, and DW notes that successful completion carries a genuine prospect of ongoing employment at the broadcaster. The current application window is 13 October to 17 November 2026 (12:00 p.m. CET).
Eligibility
- Education: a completed university degree, college qualification or vocational apprenticeship before the traineeship begins — a journalism degree is not required. DW explicitly welcomes career changers from fields such as IT, science, politics, economics, law and medicine, provided they meet the other requirements.
- Languages — one of three profiles: (a) native speaker of a DW broadcast language (the list includes Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Tamil, plus 30 others) with excellent English (C1/C2) and good German (B1/B2); (b) native English speaker with good German; or (c) native German speaker with excellent English.
- Initial journalism experience: you do not need to be a professional journalist, but you must show reporting-related experience — published work, student media, podcasts, video reports or researched multimedia stories — plus social media expertise.
- No language certificates need to be uploaded; DW asks for an honest self-assessment (certificates are welcome if you have them), but journalists from DW’s language departments test your languages at the assessment centre.
Benefits
- A monthly training salary for the full 18 months: €2,196 (months 1–6), €2,374 (months 7–12), €2,473 (months 13–18), before tax.
- World-class multimedia journalism seminars and hands-on newsroom placements in Germany and at DW foreign bureaus.
- Training across TV, radio and online — digital storytelling, data journalism, TV moderation, and emerging tools including AI in journalism.
- Prospect of ongoing DW employment after successful completion.
Documents required
Per the published selection-process descriptions for this cycle:
- Online application form with a detailed background questionnaire.
- A mandatory custom video application (completed as one of the application tasks).
- Up to three work samples — video, audio, text or social-media posts.
- Digital certificates of education/professional training; CV; motivation letter; language self-assessment.
- Passport copy; residency permit (for non-EU citizens living in the EU). Internship certificates and employment references welcome.
How to apply
- Register your email on the official DW online application portal (opened 13 October 2026) — you will receive the application tasks by email.
- Complete all mandatory tasks — questionnaire, application video, work samples, documents — before 17 November 2026, 12:00 p.m. CET.
- Selection stages: shortlisted applicants (about 50–60) are invited to an online assessment centre (timed writing test, guided discussion, camera/TikTok task), conducted in German and English; around 20 reach the final round, where DW management makes the decision.
FAQs
An 18-month paid journalism training programme at Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster: six months of seminars in German and English, nine months of placements in Bonn, Berlin and a DW foreign bureau, and a one-month elective. It runs 3 January 2028 to June 2029 with about 12 trainees.
17 November 2026 at 12:00 p.m. CET. The application window opened 13 October 2026 at 12:00 p.m. CEST, and all mandatory tasks must be completed in the online portal by the deadline.
A monthly training salary of €2,196 for months 1–6, €2,374 for months 7–12, and €2,473 for months 13–18, before tax.
Applicants of all nationalities with a completed university degree, college qualification or apprenticeship. You need one of three language profiles (native DW broadcast language + excellent English + good German; native English + good German; or native German + excellent English), plus initial journalism experience and social media expertise.
No. DW explicitly encourages applicants from non-journalism fields such as IT, science, politics, economics, law and medicine — but you must demonstrate initial reporting experience and submit up to three work samples.
Through the online application (form, questionnaire, video application, work samples), then an online assessment centre for about 50–60 shortlisted candidates, then a final round for around 20, with DW management making the final decision.
Verified 20 Oct 2026 against 7 independent tracker pages, all mutually consistent on the current call (application window 13 Oct – 17 Nov 2026 12 p.m. CET; 18-month programme 3 Jan 2028 – Jun 2029; salary bands €2,196/€2,374/€2,473; ~12 trainees; Bonn/Berlin + foreign bureaus incl. Delhi and Jakarta; three language profiles incl. Hindi/Urdu/Bengali/Tamil broadcast languages; initial journalism experience; up-to-3 work samples; mandatory video application; no certificates required; selection via assessment centre and final round). The 2026 cycle was re-scoped to this open 2028/29 call. Apply through the official DW careers portal (dw.com careers section) — the portal link is published on DW’s own careers pages; confirm it there before applying.
