The FT is offering a six-month Marjorie Deane Internship, supported by the Marjorie Deane Foundation. This is a great opportunity for a promising journalist interested in finance and economics to gain paid work experience at one of the world’s leading news organisations.

Marjorie Deane was a pioneering financial journalist who broke down barriers for women in a career that spanned four decades at The Economist. She set up the foundation with the aim of encouraging young journalists into financial reporting. The FT is proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all members of the community.

The foundation’s stated purpose is: “To advance the education of the public in financial and monetary theory and institutions and financial journalism in particular by the provision of work experience for students and young people at suitable organisations, and the provision of financial support during such work experience.”

The placement will be as a reporter on the Companies Desk, starting in late 2020. It will initially be offered as a remote placement with the hope of joining the newsroom as restrictions lift.

Please apply with a short letter explaining your interest, a brief CV and an original article, no longer than 500 words, on a subject pertinent to finance or business.

Applications should be sent to deaneintern@ft.com by 5th November 2020.

Interviews will take place virtually in November.

The successful applicant must have the right to work in the UK and will receive a monthly bursary above the London Living Wage.

Previous winners

Antonia Cundy (2020)

The Marjorie Deane internship is an incredible opportunity to work in the beating heart of one of the best newsrooms in the UK. Right from the start you are treated like a proper FT journalist, and given the responsibility and independence to pursue your own interests while learning on the job how to report on corporate news. All the new jargon might seem intimidating at first, but it won’t for long! In the six months of my internship I wrote front page news stories, interviewed major CEOs across multiple geographies, wrote for other sections of the paper including my first Opinion piece, and also made friends and connections I’m confident I’ll keep throughout my career. 

Anna Gross (2019)

In one of my first weeks of the internship, as I waited patiently for a response to an email I’d sent, Tom Braithwaite, the inimitable companies editor, told me, “You have to get on the phone!”. This was the first of many invaluable lessons I learnt during six months on the companies desk. With generous coaching from colleagues, I discovered how to tackle companies’ earnings and filings on Companies House, and learnt how to make sense of strange financial terms, like “ebitda”, a “bear hug” and a “short squeeze”. The Marjorie Deane internship is an amazing route into one of the best newsrooms out there, and I have it to thank for my current position as a graduate trainee (also at the FT).

Archie Hall (2019)

The Marjorie Deane fellowship is a phenomenal opportunity – I can't recommend it highly enough. Over my six months on the Companies Desk, I reported on corporate scandals great and small, appeared on the FT News Briefing podcast, and spoke to chief executives, labour activists, and even the Dean of Westminster Abbey. What sets the Marjorie Deane apart is the autonomy that you're afforded. From — quite literally — the day I first set foot in the newsroom, I was writing under my own byline, conducting interviews, and taking the lead on stories. Add to that an unfailingly supportive set of colleagues and editors, and it's hard to imagine a better first foray into the world of journalism.

Camilla Hodgson (2018)

Applying for the Marjorie Deane internship was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The scheme is immensely valuable for aspiring journalists and those looking to specialise in finance in particular (there are a lot of terms, numbers and concepts to get your head around), but I think any aspiring journalist would get a lot out of it. I spent six months in the Financial Times’s newsroom on the Companies and FastFT desks, both of which were fast paced and full-on learning experiences. In that time I covered breaking news stories, wrote analyses and features, spoke to chief executives at FTSE companies and got my first front page — as well as a thousand other things — and I am now on the Financial Times’s graduate trainee scheme.

Myles McCormick (2018)

The Marjorie Deane scheme is one of the best opportunities out there for young journalists. It places you at the heart of the Financial Times newsroom and gives you the chance to work on some of the most important stories of the day right from the outset. I did my internship in 2018 and spent it working with the energy team, reporting on everything from bust UK utilities to the politics of international oil prices. I now cover the US energy sector for the FT, based out of the New York office. 

Cat Rutter Pooley (2017)

As an ex-City lawyer trying to break into journalism, the Marjorie Deane fellowship meant the FT could take a chance on me. Despite having limited writing experience, I got thrown in to covering everything from features on fund managers to helping with breaking news on a special live blog. It’s been challenging, intellectually stimulating and great fun: the best possible start to a career in reporting.

Andrew Bowman (2012)

“The programme is a fantastic opportunity to learn about financial journalism through hands-on experience. It provides a good grounding in reporting on companies and markets, but you’re also encouraged to branch off and pursue your own story ideas. I wrote on topics ranging from sovereign debt in sub-Saharan Africa to British dairy farmers. Help and advice is always close at hand from some of the best editors and journalists in the trade”. 

David Keohane (2011)

“Joining the FT on the Marjorie Deane programme was a wonderful experience. Within weeks of arriving in London I found myself reporting on emerging markets for the beyondbrics blog — interviewing reserve managers, CEOs, bankers and, very publicly, a Russian politician who had even less English that I had Russian — before eventually moving to the markets team to cover UK equities. It was the best possible start to a career in journalism and I would recommend it to anybody”.

Henry Mance (2010)

“The award was a great opportunity to learn and contribute. I was posted to the beyondbrics blog, covering the rise of emerging markets, from Indian billionaires to Chinese school children.

New ideas were always welcome, and getting the hang of financial reporting was an enjoyable challenge.” 

James Shotter (2010)

“Since joining the FT on the Marjorie Deane programme, I have had the chance to write about a huge variety of fascinating topics — from the Arab Awakening to the eurozone crisis to pandas — met presidents and spy chiefs, business titans and eminent economists, and spent time working in both London and Berlin. I cannot imagine a better introduction to journalism”.

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