Make your mark by spending six months between January – July 2025 working with the best at the leading UK publisher. You’ll immerse yourself within one of our business areas, geared up to support you as you make decisions for yourself and contribute to our shared mission to make books for everyone.
With us you’ll find support and a deep sense of purpose. Whatever team you’re placed with, you’ll gain universally applicable skills that will equip you for wherever you go next.
All nine trainees are paid £25,500 pro rata (£12,750 for the duration of the programme) and we offer financial support to those commuting from outside of London.
Penguin General – Fig Tree Editorial
Fig Tree is a small but mighty imprint within Penguin General, publishing between ten and fifteen books a year. Working closely with Fig Tree’s close-knit editorial team, you’ll learn how we acquire, edit, and publish bestselling books – from prize-winning literary novels to mouth-watering recipe books. During your time with us, you’ll gain hands on experience of every stage of a book’s life-cycle, from assessing the submissions we take forward, to drafting the copy that appears on their covers.
You’ll be immersed in creative and strategic conversations – from discussing ideas that excite you, to planning how to make an author’s draft even better, to monitoring competing titles from other publishers. You’ll work with colleagues in marketing, publicity, sales and art as well as editorial, and as you play your part in launching some of our brilliant books into the world, you’ll see how your work has contributed to a much wider picture.
Skills you’ll develop: administration, editing, market knowledge, copywriting, researching, networking, organisation, prioritisation, proofreading, familiarity with key publishing systems including Biblio and PowerBI.
Penguin Michael Joseph – Publicity
Penguin Michael Joseph (PMJ) is home to some of the biggest and bestselling authors in the world. We are proud to publish the very best in commercial books across contemporary women’s fiction, crime and thriller, cookery, lifestyle and autobiography. As part of the PMJ Comms team you will rub shoulders with (books from) Jamie Oliver to Dawn French, Marian Keyes to Alex Michaelides, Stephen Fry to Jojo Moyes and Claire Douglas to Dr Julie Smith. More specifically, you will immerse yourself in the world of self-help, an ever-growing area of the book and consumer market.
You will be part of a team who nurture and support each other every step of the way. Working together, we will ensure you leave us with a clear understanding of communications, why it’s important as part of the publishing process, what success looks like and the skills to begin your career in the publishing industry.
Skills you’ll develop: social media content creation, reviewer mailings, copywriting, content creation, updating databases, administration, event organisation.
Publishing Operations – Inventory Management
The Inventory Management department manages the stock and printing of books from first print run and reprints, right through to adding to the “backlist” catalogue to ensure availability for all customers or making out of print. The team liaise with almost every publishing department to make sure books are printed, in stock and with retailers on time, such as Production, Editorial, Sales (UK and International) and Finance as well as working with the warehouse colleagues and Clays, the UK printers. Overall, Inventory Management ensures that the right books, in the right quantities, are in the right places and at the right times to meet consumer demand and meet financial targets.
Skills you’ll develop: technical knowledge from using complex systems (mainly SAP and Biblio), stock management, supply chain, understanding of the print process, communication, attention to detail, commercial awareness
Vintage – Bodley Head Editorial
From investigative exposes and ancient history to cutting-edge technology and powerful memoirs, The Bodley Head (VINTAGE) is home to great books that help us understand the world and bend it in a new direction. Whatever the subject and whatever the form, our authors match bold thinking with superb writing, and their books expand minds and enhance lives.
With the support and mentorship of the Bodley Head team, you’ll gain unique insight into what it’s like to work in editorial at a literary non-fiction imprint. You’ll learn how we set up titles for success and gain momentum ahead of publication, how we think about commissioning, and the practical steps in bringing a book to life and into the world. As the sixth person in a collaborative and creative editorial team, you’ll also help spot exciting new book opportunities and promising new authors, build close relationships with different departments, and develop key early career editorial skills that will set you up for success.
Skills you’ll develop: copywriting, proofreading, project management, prioritisation, communication, research, organisation, teamwork, attention to detail, editorial, market awareness.
Ebury – Smart Hub Publicity
Immerse yourself in the world of the Ebury Smart Hub, home to big ideas, big thinking and big books. We’ll build your knowledge of communications and working in publishing from the ground up, supporting you as you learn about everything involved in a publicity campaign and how to understand audiences.
You will learn how publicity contributes to the wider publishing process by attending ideas meetings, learning to craft persuasive and engaging copy, create reports and to plan campaigns. You will support the wider team across a varied set of tasks, no two days will be the same. You’ll build a great network amongst the Ebury team, including marketing, editorial, production, art and sales.
Skills you’ll develop: campaign management, social media content creation, research, administrative skills, copy-writing, updating databases, event organisation, networking and pitching.
Penguin Press – Editorial
Penguin Press publishes ground-breaking non-fiction across Allen Lane, Pelican and Particular Books, working with bestselling and award-winning authors such as Judith Butler, Ha-Joon Chang, Malcolm Gladwell, Jonathan Haidt, Katja Hoyer, Naomi Klein, Claudia Rankine, Carlo Rovelli, Gary Stevenson, and Lea Ypi. Press is also home to the world-famous Penguin Classics library.
With us, you will gain invaluable insight into the world of non-fiction and Classics publishing, and what it means to be an editor. You will see how the very best books are discovered, published and made – and you will have the chance to manage your own project, while also reading proposals, joining campaigns for live publications, brainstorming book ideas, and gaining a solid grounding in the fundamentals that you’ll need to start your editorial career.
Skills you’ll develop: copywriting, proofreading, project management, prioritisation, communication, research, organisation, teamwork, attention to detail, editorial, market awareness.
Audio – Editorial
With the support of a welcoming audio editorial team, you will learn about the fastest growing area of publishing. We work on books from each division, and so will you. You will meet brilliant authors, colleagues from all around the business, and the actors who read our award winning audiobooks. Every colleague’s opinion is valuable and we will want to hear from you in editorial discussions, larger strategy meetings, and casting conversations.
The audio editorial team is highly collaborative and through our work with our departments and divsions you will learn how audio fits into the larger mechanism of publishing, and gain an understanding of publishing from multiple other viewpoints, putting you in a great position for the future.
Skills you’ll develop: administration, working to a specific casting brief, Biblio and Basware literacy, researching, prioritisation, attention to detail, internal communications
Publishing Operations – Cornerstone Production
Join our busy Production team to learn how edited manuscripts and finished artworks are turned into beautifully printed books. We make sure our books look great, meet their publication dates, and are as profitable as possible. We work across all departments from editorial, to sales and design as well as with printers and suppliers all over the world. Our attention to detail, negotiation and organisation skills make sure that every single book published is one to be proud of.
Skills you’ll develop: communication, organisation, time management, negotiation, attention to detail, team work, commercial awareness, technical knowledge of the printing process.
Penguin Press – Publicity
With us, you will gain invaluable insight into the world of non-fiction and Classics publishing, and what it means to be a publicist. You will see how the very best books are discovered, published and made – and you will have the chance to work on a specific Classics project, while also joining campaigns for live publications, brainstorming publicity ideas, and gaining a solid grounding in the fundamentals that you’ll need to start your publicity career.
Penguin Press publishes ground-breaking non-fiction across Allen Lane, Pelican and Particular Books, working with bestselling and award-winning authors such as Judith Butler, Ha-Joon Chang, Malcolm Gladwell, Jonathan Haidt, Katja Hoyer, Naomi Klein, Claudia Rankine, Carlo Rovelli, Gary Stevenson, and Lea Ypi. Press is also home to the world-famous Penguin Classics library.
Skills you’ll develop: author relationship management, coordinating mailings, copywriting, content creation, drafting press materials, administration, event organisation.
What will I
be doing?
Eligibility
You’ll need to have a pre-existing right to work in the UK for the duration of the traineeship as unfortunately we are not able to offer visa sponsorship. You don’t need a degree, you’ll just need to be over 18.
To achieve our mission to make books for everyone because a book can change anyone, we are seeking out new voices. To apply, you’ll need to identify as from a lower socio-economic background.
We use parental occupation at age 14 to measure this as the Social Mobility Commission suggests it to be the most accurate measure available to assess socio-economic background, as well as being accessible to those from all nationalities.
Lower socio-economic background
To apply for The Scheme, at age 14 your highest-earning parent/guardian was not in management and was employed in one of the following categories:
technical and craft occupations such as motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver
routine, semi-routine manual and service occupations such as postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter or waitress, bar staff
unemployed (claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance or earlier unemployment benefit for more than a year)
*We recognise these are broad categories that may not fully reflect the many hundreds of jobs out there, or exactly fit your family situation. Please use your judgement when self-identifying. *
How do I apply?
The next cohort of The Scheme will run from January – July 2025.
Applications will be open from 14th – 28th October 2024.
HireVue matching video
Online application form
No need to spend ages crafting the perfect CV and cover letter – you’ll answer three short questions on an inclusive hiring platform called Applied. We’ll ask you about three of our core ‘qualities’ or universal skills that will help you in the role.
We’ll also ask you to share your team preferences, so take a look here before getting started. You may be open to all of them, or have your heart set on one area in particular, either way, you can let us know.
Along the way, we’ll match you with a department, taking these preferences into consideration.
Communication
You’ll show us how you communicate well in all forms. This could be anything from being able to write clear and engaging emails or reports, to being comfortable sharing your ideas to range of different people.
Problem Solving
You’ll show us how you respond to challenges that come up in your day to day and work to reach the best solution.
Eagerness to learn
You’ll show us that you use your initiative to grow and develop and are always keen to learn. You enjoy collaborating with others, learning about and applying new ideas and concepts.
HireVue Matching Video
If you’re one of the candidates invited to a Learning & Selection day, you’ll be asked to complete a video on HireVue matching you to a specific team. This video isn’t an assessed part of the process, but a chance to match you to one of your preferred teams and make sure it aligns with your interests.
Virtual learning and selection day
This day is designed to give you an idea of what it’s like to work here. You’ll complete an interview, group task, and independent task in your own time. We will assess the core ‘qualities’ or universal skills that will help you in the role:
Problem Solving
You’ll show us how you respond to challenges that come up in your day to day and work to reach the best solution.
Communication
You’ll show us how you communicate well in all forms. This could be anything from being able to write clear and engaging emails or reports, to being comfortable sharing your ideas to range of different people.
Eagerness to learn
You’ll show us that you use your initiative to grow and develop and are always keen to learn. You enjoy collaborating with others, learning about and applying new ideas and concepts.
Attention to detail
You’ll show us that you have a keen eye for detail, working with care, and being able to spot and fix any errors you come across.
Organisation
You’ll show us that you thrive on keeping things on track, whether for yourself or other people, are able to prioritise and take a methodical or orderly approach to any task.
You’ll also have a chance to answer a role specific question, depending on the stream you’re matched with.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The Scheme will run again from January – July 2025.
The recruitment process will be entirely virtual, so you won’t need to travel into London for any interviews or tasks, they can be completed from home.
As with many of our full-time roles, the Scheme will run as a hybrid programme with an expectation of roughly two days minimum in the London office per week, depending on your host team. This is to ensure trainees get the most out of the programme, office amenities, and can build effective relationships across the organisation.
For anyone based outside of London, we are happy to discuss financial support with travel into London. Partnerships with charities like the Spare Room Project may also be helpful for you if you’re looking at relocating for the traineeship.
Please note- we will accommodate any reasonable adjustments for those with accessibility requirements.
We welcome applications from candidates with a disability and will ask if you need any reasonable adjustments to be your best at each step of the recruitment journey. This could include (but isn’t limited to) using a BSL interpreter or extra time in a task during the virtual Learning and Selection day.
If you have any questions or want to ask about adjustments or alternative formats, you can contact us at [email protected]. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your adjustment request.
Prior to joining, we ask all employees if there’s any adjustments they’ll need when they start. We’re members of the Business Disability Forum, and have access to support through Unum, occupational health, Employee Assistance Programme, and other specialist providers.
We can consider a broad range of adjustments, including physical adjustments (like furniture, equipment, or software) or non-physical adjustments (like altered work hours, communication preferences or more one-to-ones).
You might not know what barriers you face until you get to the office – that’s fine too. You can discuss the request with your manager at any time. We also use a tool called the Tailored Adjustment Plan, which can help structure a conversation with your manager about these adjustments.
We also have a brilliant internal colleague Belong network, AccessAbility, for those who identify as disabled, neurodiverse, or chronically ill, or who are currently coming to terms with a related identifier.
Our applications are open to everyone over the age of eighteen.
You will need a pre-established right to work in the UK for the entirety of your time with us, and we do not offer sponsorship.
Our IT team will supply each trainee with a laptop to loan for The Scheme. They’ll be on hand remotely too, to make sure your tech is all set up, and support you with any issues throughout the traineeship.
The Scheme is a full time role, and you’ll be working Monday to Friday 9-5 unless discussed otherwise with your line manager and HR.
Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee that all trainees will secure a permanent role with us at the end of The Scheme. We will however make sure to put you in the best possible position to take on an entry-level role in publishing by building your industry and role-specific knowledge, helping you network with the business’ stakeholders, and giving you application tips and tricks.
We have locations across the UK, but for the duration of the traineeship you will be placed in our Embassy Gardens Office in London – for more details please see our ‘Find us’ page here!
Applications for 2025 are open from midday Monday 14th October until midday on Monday 28th October.
Our mission to ‘make books for everyone because a book can change anyone’ is really important to us – and we know that to deliver this we need a range of perspectives. In some of our roles you may need to work closely with our products and be an avid reader, in others this will be less important. It really depends on what you’ll be doing with us! Your application answers will help us match you to a team that is right for you.
Absolutely! We know that some of our roles are very competitive and that a rejection can be disappointing, but this doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t be perfect for another opportunity. Please feel free to apply to another of our programmes or permanent roles and know that we won’t penalise you for any previous rejections.
You don’t need to have ever worked in publishing or have any experience to apply to our programme. We removed our degree requirements in 2016 and you don’t need to be studying or have studied at university to be eligible. You will need the Right to work within the UK for the duration of The Scheme.
This year, the traineeship will be open to those who identify as from a lower socio-economic background.
We use parental occupation at age 14 to measure this as the Social Mobility Commission suggests it to be the most accurate measure available to assess socio-economic background, as well as being accessible to those from all nationalities.
This means to apply for The Scheme, at age 14 your highest-earning parent/guardian was not in management and was employed in one of the following categories:
- technical and craft occupations such as motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver
- routine, semi-routine manual and service occupations such as postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter or waitress, bar staff
- long-term unemployed (claimed Jobseeker’s Allowance or earlier unemployment benefit for more than a year)
*We recognise these are broad categories that may not fully reflect the many hundreds of jobs out there, or exactly fit your family situation. Please use your judgement when self-identifying. *
Our mission is to make books for everyone. To be able to publish boldly and creatively, for all readers, we need a workforce where a range of backgrounds and experiences are represented – in all teams and at all levels. We collect and track data annually on the makeup of our workforce so we can track our progress against this goal.
Based on our most recent data, we can see that people from lower socio-economic backgrounds remain significantly underrepresented in our publishing and group teams, including at entry level. The Scheme has therefore been designed as a positive action programme to help overcome barriers to entry and to support people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds get into publishing:. The Social Mobility Foundation recommends that one of the most effective ways to improve social mobility is to provide direct opportunities for employment for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Focusing on those from lower socio-economic backgrounds – the demographic area where we see the most significant gaps in representation – allows us to direct our efforts to drive change for this group, whilst also ensuring that we reach people from a broad range of social groups.
As The Scheme is a positive action programme, there needs to be evidence, to show that a particular group is underrepresented within a company – and that the action proposed helps to address the barriers identified.
The Scheme previously ran as a positive action programme for both those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and those from Black, Asian and Minority ethnic backgrounds.
However, our most recent workforce data shows that at entry level, colleagues who identify as from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are no longer underrepresented, as measured by the UK census data as a benchmark, and so there is no justification to take positive action this year.
This represents a positive shift and our focus, as we look forward, is on how we retain and progress colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds, for example introducing positive action development programmes designed to accelerate the progression of colleagues who identify as coming from a lower socio-economic background and/or as Black, Asian or minority ethnic into more senior roles so that we achieve our goal of representation in our most senior roles.
There are several other routes into our business for people who would like to begin a career in publishing. For example, we have 250 paid work experience positions open every year, which anyone can apply for.
We also have hundreds of entry-level roles available each year, which are also open to all. No previous publishing experience is required for any of/the majority of these roles. You can keep an eye on our open vacancies on our website, or by following our careers Twitter handle, @penguinukjobs.
Yes, they’ll be paid £25,500 pro rata, and candidates will have the opportunity to apply for a travel bursary for the two days required in the office per week, if they are commuting from outside of London. We do not take this into consideration when making the selections, and we will not ask for you to declare your location until after the anonymous marking period and selection.
If you’re shortlisted and invited to our Learning & Selection day, we’ll ask you to complete a Hirevue video to find out your team preferences and interests. We’ll take this into account when we match you to a team, and will aim to match you to one of your top 3 preferences. Where you’re placed might not be where you’d first pictured yourself, but whichever department you’re matched with will give you transferable skills that could be an important step in your future career.
For those located outside of London, we are happy to discuss financial support with covering commuting costs for 2 days in the office per week and do not ask you to declare this until after the anonymous marking and selection process.
If you’d like to relocate to London for the 6 months of the internship, we recommend looking at the Spare Room Project. They aim to provide free accommodation to those from outside London entering the publishing industry, by reducing the barrier of accommodation costs.
We’ll ask you about some core ‘qualities’ or universal skills that will help you in the role, which are all listed above on this page.
We don’t expect you to have prior work experience in publishing, Penguin, or another industry, and you are encouraged to use other experiences in education, extra-curricular activities or part-time work for example to showcase these universal skills.