Los Angeles Times Internships - Los Angeles Times

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIPS? Applicants must be actively working toward an undergraduate or graduate degree and must be eligible to work in the United States. Graduates

may qualify if you’ve finished school within six months of the start of the internship. Internships are for students who have not worked professionally as staff journalists. WHEN WILL THE

TIMES OPEN APPLICATIONS FOR ITS INTERNSHIPS? Every year, the internship applications open in September and the deadline to apply for priority L.A. Times internships is Nov. 15 at 11:59 p.m.

PST. This is a hard cut-off. WHEN ARE APPLICANTS NOTIFIED? Those who applied for spring internships will be notified by Feb. 1. Those who applied for summer internships will be notified by

April 1. WHEN WILL THE INTERNSHIP START? Spring interns begin between January and March. We have rolling start dates to accommodate students’ schedules. Summer interns start from June to

late August. We currently do not offer a fall internship program. I MISSED THE NOV. 15 PRIORITY DEADLINE. WHAT CAN I DO TO STILL BE CONSIDERED INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER EARLY-CAREER

OPPORTUNITIES? You can still submit an application by Aug. 15 to be considered for future openings. Click here to submit an application for future reporting roles. Click here to submit an

application for future non-reporting roles such as working with the Copy Desk, Audience, Design, Community Engagement, Data and Graphics. DO I NEED A CAR? Applicants for the visual

journalism and reporting internships must have a valid driver’s license and access to a car in good working condition. HOW LONG IS THE INTERNSHIP? The summer internship is 10 weeks. The

spring internship is more flexible to accommodate students’ schedules. The entire internship is a total of 400 hours, which is equal to a 10-week internship at 40 hours a week or a 20-week

internship at 20 hours a week. IS THE INTERNSHIP PAID? Yes. In 2025, the rate is $20 an hour or $800 a week for the full-time summer internship. Spring internships are at the same hourly

rate but the weekly hours may vary. HOW MANY INTERNS ARE SELECTED EACH YEAR? The Times typically selects 14 interns each summer. The spring class typically has five interns. WHERE DO THE

INTERNS WORK? Most of our interns work out of the El Segundo, Calif., headquarters. On occasion, we also welcome an intern in Sacramento. DOES THE INTERNSHIP COVER MOVING COSTS? No, students

are paid $20 an hour or $800 a week to help defray costs. WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE SHOULD SUMMER INTERNS EXPECT? Summer interns will have the opportunity to perform the work of full-time

journalists. A basic understanding of the work is required as interns are expected to hit the ground running. With training from our staff, we will help develop, polish and elevate your work

and add to your journalistic toolbox. Previous internship experience is recommended. Reporting interns will work with their editors to come up with story ideas, map out a plan to execute

them and receive regular feedback. Interns with our Data and Graphics department will work on projects with that team and other newsroom staffers. Photo and video interns will have

assignments in the field on their own and alongside our visual journalists. The multiplatform editing interns work on either our news or features copy desks. Our design interns also are

assigned to either news or features. Our digital/engagement interns work with our audience engagement and platforms team. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A COVER LETTER AND PERSONAL STATEMENT?

The cover letter is traditionally the place for applicants to make their case about why they are the best person for this internship. This is also an opportunity to show your knowledge of

and enthusiasm for the Los Angeles Times. The personal essay is an exercise that shows off the applicant’s writing chops. The best personal essays tend to circle back to the journalism, but

not always. Some include challenges, personal moments that showed why the applicant is committed to journalism or even a deep dive into the applicant’s background. Others have taken a

creative approach and even wrote poetry. There is no prompt. HOW DO I MAKE MY APPLICATION STAND OUT? There is no one thing that makes an application stand out. In general, The Times looks at

experience, skill set and the work samples themselves when selecting interns. The more successful reporting applicants had clips that show their range in breaking news, feature writing,

enterprise, game stories, explanatory reporting, narrative, etc. Experience is valued. If you have a particular interest or niche such as sports, please make that clear in your cover letter.

For visual journalism and design interns, The Times is also looking for variety in your portfolio. We don’t expect our Data and Graphics interns to walk in the door with knowledge of every

programming language, but strong applicants will demonstrate having used computers to be creative and get things done on deadline. And our digital/engagement interns should have an

understanding of metrics, various social media and other platforms, online publishing and an eagerness to learn more. CAN I APPLY FOR MORE THAN ONE DEPARTMENT? Yes, you can submit your

applications to whichever departments fit your skill set. DO YOU OFFER SPRING INTERNSHIP IN THE DEPARTMENTS OUTSIDE OF REPORTING? No, at this time we are only offering spring internships for

reporters. CAN I FREELANCE OR WORK AT ANOTHER PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATION DURING MY INTERNSHIP? No, The Times has strict guidelines on outside work and interns are held to the same standards.

For the short time that interns are with The Times, they are expected to be focused on building connections and getting the most out of their internship. CAN FOREIGN STUDENTS APPLY? These

are paid internships, so applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. Many studying here are eligible through their student visas or secure an OPT visa upon graduation. It is up

to the selected intern to supply this documentation. WHEN WILL APPLICANTS BE NOTIFIED OF A DECISION? All applicants will receive an email notification of the committee’s decision BY APRIL

1. For further information, contact Assistant Managing Editor Angel Jennings or Deputy Editor for Culture and Talent Anh Do at [email protected].