Positive Action Scheme 2026 - Photography - Social Class

The Guardian believes there should be a better representation of our diverse society in the media and, to break down barriers, each summer we run a work-experience scheme for those considering a career in journalism.

This year our London office will run a dedicated social class paid work-experience scheme for aspiring photographers and photojournalists from working-class backgrounds*.

Successful applicants will spend four weeks in our London office during June, July, September or October, shadowing our photographers and picture editors, and learning about different aspects of photography across our editorial departments.

You will also have an experienced journalist as a mentor to offer careers advice.

*To ensure this scheme supports those who need it most, applicants must have:

• Attended state school or college for the entirety of your education,

AND at least one of the following criteria to qualify as being from a working-class background:

• The occupation of your main household earner when you were aged 14 is categorised as working class (see below*), OR

**The Social Mobility Commission refers to working-class occupations as:

• lower supervisory, technical and semi-routine workers (eg mechanic, electrician, train driver, printer, shop assistant, traffic warden, housekeeper, farmworker) or cleaner, porter, waiter, labourer, refuse collector, bricklayer, or workless families

Further information can be found here.

Criteria

To be considered for a placement you must be at least 18 years old, with the right to train in the UK at the time of application, and be able to demonstrate a genuine interest in photography or photojournalism – for example, experience on a student newspaper or local specialist media or website, and an impressive personal portfolio.

The aim of this scheme is to introduce aspiring journalists or those at the start of their careers to the Guardian’s editorial environment. For this reason experienced professional journalists, and those who have received a previous placement at GNM, are not eligible to apply for these positions.

For applicants who have no access to accommodation in London (nor the ability to travel daily to our King’s Cross headquarters), the Sarah Hughes Trust has kindly offered to provide a small number of grants. If you'd like to be considered for one of these, you can do so via the application form.

Application instructions

Please complete the application form and attach the following five items within ONE document:

• A covering letter (no more than 200 words) explaining:
• how you qualify for this social class scheme, based on the definition above;
• why you're applying; and what you hope to learn from your time with us
• Your current CV
• A link to your online portfolio or website
• Six examples of your photography which tell us who you are, or aspire to be as a photographer
• A brief outline (no more than 150 words) for a photo story that could be completed in around 10 days.

You’ll have the chance to upload this document when making your application.

Please note, we require all of the above to be included in your application to be considered.

Deadline for receipt of applications is midnight on Sunday 29th March 2026.

Interviews are scheduled to take place in late May.

We're committed to providing reasonable adjustments as detailed by the Equality Act 2010. It is important to us that you feel supported and comfortable throughout the process, in order to perform your best. Please let us know if there are any changes we could make to help your application, this includes providing documents in accessible formats or personalising the process to better support your needs. Please contact Sean on sean.brinkley@theguardian.com to discuss further so we can work with you to support you through your application.

We value and respect all differences (seen and unseen) in all people at the Guardian. We aspire to have inclusive working experiences and an environment that reflects the audience we serve, where our people have equal access to career development opportunities, their voices are heard and can contribute to our future.