Job description: Central America Report (CAR) Journalism Internship

I. JOURNALISM INTERNSHIP

Position: Journalism Internship

Department: Central America Report

Working hours : 8:30 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:30

Lunch break : 13:00 to 14:00

II. JOB DESCRIPTION

Who we are:

Inforpress Centroamericana and its sister publication Central America Report (CAR) are not-for-profit publications. We have provided independent and in-depth analysis on current affairs in Central America for 35 years. The key to our editorial independence is the fact that we do not sell advertising space and we do not receive any funding from NGOs or charities. We rely solely on our subscribers. Please visit our website www.inforpressca.com for more information on our products and services.

Your role as an intern:

As we are a non-profit organization we rely heavily on our dedicated team of volunteers and interns who help out with the editorial, sales, IT and administration teams. As a journalism intern you will be expected to:

• Read the national press on a daily basis and attend conferences and other events so that you know what's going on in the political scene and can suggest interesting topics for articles in the weekly editorial meetings.

• Attend weekly editorial meetings and pitch article ideas to the editor. You must come to the meeting with a list of ideas.

• Write articles in English which will be published in Central America Report and translated into Spanish and published in Inforpress Centroamericana . This involves extensive research and interviews. Our articles cover three main areas: politics, economics and social issues (human rights, the environment, gender, indigenous rights etc…). Usually, you will be expected to write one article per week. The length of our articles varies from 750 to 1500 words. You will be writing about any country in Central America .

• Depending on your knowledge of Spanish, you will be asked to do a weekly translation for Central America Report (Spanish to English)

• You might also be asked to help out with updating the content of the website

What we look for in our interns:

• A strong interest in Central America . Knowledge of the region is a definite plus

• A background in Journalism/Latin American Studies/Hispanic Studies is desirable but not essential

• Minimum intermediate Spanish (A-Level or above)

• Motivation, organization and the will to learn and work hard

Minimum commitment:

To take up this opportunity you need to come to Guatemala . We ask for a minimum three months commitment (which can be negotiable in some cases) as you will be travelling far and it might take you a few days to settle in. There is no limit to how long you can stay – you could even come as a gap year intern and stay as long as a year.

What you will gain from the experience:

• The chance to live and work in Guatemala . We offer free accommodation to all our interns.

• The opportunity to publish articles in Central America Report on a weekly basis and build up a good portfolio of published work. You will also receive feedback from the editors that will help you to make progress and improve the standard of your work.

• On-hands experience working in international journalism. This is an ideal opportunity for student/recent graduate interested in becoming a foreign correspondent.

• We are more than happy to provide a reference at the end of your internship

• If you enjoy your internship and demonstrate the ability to research and write good articles you can apply for a vacancy on the editorial team if and when a vacancy comes up.

All of our interns have enjoyed the experience and we hope you will too!!

Accommodation:

You will have free accommodation (a small, furnished room with a private bathroom), use of the office kitchen and personal use of the internet outside office hours . Your accommodation will be adjacent to the office building.

Visas:

When you come to Guatemala you will be given a visa. No need to apply for this in advance, you'll get one when you arrive. After three months you need to go to the migration office and renew your visa. After that, you need to leave the country for 72 hours (you can only travel to Mexico , Costa Rica or Belize ). In practice you can simply cross the border and come back the same day. If you exceed your visa you'll be charged a Q10 per day fine when you leave the country. Please plan your trips in advance to avoid taking time off work.

For further information, contact Louisa Reynolds, editor of Central America Report, louisa.reynolds@gmail.com