Orion opens internship scheme for career changers

Orion has launched a paid, remote, month-long internship scheme aimed at people who have spent time away from work for any reason or who want to change their career by trying publishing. 

Open for applications from 4th March via the Orion website, the first placement will be active in May 2022 with pro-rata pay in line with the Hachette starting salary of £24,000 a year. The programme will run virtually until the end of November 2022. Each intern will be placed within a department and offered the chance to fully immerse themselves in the role, team and company, working on projects and gaining a thorough understanding of the publishing process. The placement also offers the chance to attend a variety of company meetings as well as meet staff across the company and receive informal mentoring or career guidance. 

“Orion believes that publishing should be for everyone, at any stage of their career and in any role,” the publisher said. “This new internship scheme is aimed at anyone with a passion for storytelling and who is keen to learn and gain new skills, no matter their career so far.” 

Orion’s more general work experience scheme launched in September 2020 and was designed to remove boundaries to access to publishing. It has so far hosted 12 candidates, two of whom now have permanent jobs in the industry.  

Around 2,000 people have applied for the work experience scheme since it opened and, in a bid to offer additional support to applicants, Orion staff provided two webinar sessions to share advice and guidance on the application process.  

In addition, Orion on Tour went virtual through 2020 and 2021 and offered 10 webinars designed to demystify the publishing industry, reaching more than 1,000 people and partnering with four diversity-focused organisations and 15 schools and universities. 

Sarah Benton, executive publisher of fiction, said: “At Orion we are committed to continuing to break down all barriers to entry into publishing and we value life experience from outside the industry as much as work experience in it. After such a big period of change during Covid, I hope this internship will give many people the chance to see whether publishing can be for them, at whatever stage of life or career. We can’t wait to meet our next star talent.” 

For those interested in applying, Orion staff will be hosting a webinar on 16th March at 6.30 p.m. and attendance can be registered on this website.

Applications for the scheme are now open and close on 24th March. All information, including an overview of the departments within the company, is available on the Orion website.