Get an inside look at science journalism in action, and see what goes into putting a magazine together, working at the award-winning Australian science magazine, COSMOS.
From our stylish warehouse offices in inner-city Sydney, our enthusiastic team spends each day planning upcoming issues, researching stories and pictures, writing, editing, designing, fact-checking and basically doing some of the best jobs in science communication in the country.
But we also provide opportunities for science students, journalism students and science communicators keen to try their hand at journalism and who want some hands-on experience working in magazine production and online journalism. Or students who want to get a behind-the-scenes view of the magazine publishing industry from up close and contribute to the success of our titles.
We accept interns for a minimum of four weeks and a maximum of six months; internships are typically full-time and you must be able to come to our offices in Sydney. We prefer applicants with university-level experience and some training, or at least a keen interest, in science.
Because we are a small publishing house, interns gain an insight into many aspects of magazine publishing and online journalism. Internships are unpaid; however, as a result of doing an internship at COSMOS, some graduates have landed jobs in the media or in science communication. Examples include the CSIRO, Reed Business Publishing, the Western Australian Department of Health, Science magazine, both Discover magazine and Science Illustrated, in New York City, as well as right here at COSMOS; others have become regular freelancers for the magazine or the website. Two former interns have won Best Newcomer to Journalism at the annual Bell Magazine Awards (and one other has been a finalist).
Editorial interns: You can help us research story ideas, write news stories, find pictures and illustrations, fact-check articles, proof-read or undertake other tasks that contribute to the creation of each print issue as well as Cosmos Online. Interns even take part in editorial meetings and are encouraged to propose concepts and ideas. Depending on your writing ability, you're likely to end up getting published – either in the magazine or on Cosmos Online.
Publishing interns: Learn about magazine publishing in a small and friendly environment where you will be exposed to all facets of the business. You will help research potential markets in Australia and overseas, contribute to the development and execution of marketing, publicity and promotional plans and work closely with the magazine's award-winning publishing team.
Interns are unpaid, but receive a written reference describing their duties and performance during their stay, plus copies of the issue on which they worked. Not all tasks are glamorous (like proof-reading the same article five times, or stuffing 100 envelopes for a publicity mail-out) but they are essential. And yes, we do consider interns from outside Australia who may be visiting the country.
If you are interested, send us a letter explaining why you would like to work as an intern at COSMOS, and include some background on yourself and a resume. Editorial intern applicants should also include several examples of published or unpublished articles. The letter should be no more than 600 words long, and state what your career aspirations and the areas of the business in which you are most interested. If you are at school or university, please also indicate the subjects you are undertaking.
Letters should be addressed to:
John Pickrell
Deputy Editor, COSMOS
PO Box 302
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
Sydney, Australia
Email: EDITORIAL
