Journalist Apprenticeship - Level 6 - BBC Studios - TopGear.com - London

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Apprenticeship, Full-time for 24 months

Location: London - Television Centre

Salary: £22,950 (+£5,441 London Weighting)

WE ARE BBC STUDIOS

A globally renowned media company borne of the BBC. We make and distribute the world’s most sought-after TV, audio and digital content. Our ambition is to be the home of the most powerful, entertaining, and inspiring stories for people all around the world.

COULD A BBC APPRENTICESHIP BE THE NEXT ROLE FOR YOU?

Join us as an apprentice at BBC Studios to give yourself the opportunity to kick‑start a career in a job you’ll love. We’re committed to your skills and talent development. You’ll learn on‑the‑job, developing your knowledge and skills in an area that interests you, while working towards your apprenticeship qualification with one of our learning providers.

WHY JOIN THIS SCHEME?

The Journalist Apprenticeship offers gold standard training for people already demonstrating their journalistic potential and looking to develop advanced journalism skills. You’ll master essential journalistic techniques; including researching, writing, and broadcasting stories across a wide range of topics. Alongside all of this, you’ll also be learning from, and working day‑to‑day with, experienced industry professionals, while working towards a Level 6 Apprenticeship and the industry‑recognised NCTJ National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ).

WHY JOIN THE TEAM?

TopGear.com is one of the world’s biggest motoring websites reaching millions of users across the world. It is part of a wider Top Gear ecosystem that sees hundreds of stories told across multiple formats, all delivered in Top Gear’s entertaining, irreverent and informative tone. As an apprentice, you’ll get stuck into everything TopGear.com covers, including sourcing, writing and publishing news and features tailored for the Top Gear audience.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Gain valuable experience writing for a dynamic digital platform
• Develop key digital editorial skills including sourcing, researching, writing and publishing stories across a range of motoring topics to a tight deadline
• Learn and gain valuable insight from a variety of experts within the motoring field at a world‑renowned entertainment brand.

This immersive programme (JOA26) blends expert‑led tuition with hands‑on experience and tailored development support. You’ll cover core modules – such as research techniques and source evaluation, data analytics, multimedia content creation, media law, and more – equipping you with the skills today’s newsrooms demand. As part of your end‑point assessment, you'll also work towards the prestigious NCTJ National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ), a benchmark of excellence across the industry.

YOUR SKILLS AND ELIGIBILITY

We’re interested in your passion for working at the BBC and your enthusiasm for delivering world‑class content and operational excellence to our audiences. We’re not focused on your qualifications; instead, we look for potential and offer you the opportunity to apply your transferable strengths and experience to work in different ways. We’re looking for people in the early stages of their journalistic career who can demonstrate their journalism and storytelling skills in a variety of ways. You might be writing articles for a local or student newspaper or website, working at a radio station with news content, blogging, vlogging or creating social media content. You might also have the NCTJ Diploma or another Journalism qualification such as the Level 5 Journalist Apprenticeship.

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply:

• Already possess and demonstrate journalistic skills
• Are open and curious about the motoring world how it’s changing
• Have original, creative and entertaining ideas for ways to reach new audiences
• Regularly read, watch and listen to motoring news across all platforms
• Are flexible, motivated and have an adaptable approach to the pace of work.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To be eligible for an apprenticeship at the BBC, you must:

• Be 18 years old or over by the time the apprenticeship begins in September 2026
• Have lived in the UK continuously for the last 3 years prior to the start of the apprenticeship
• Be legally eligible to work full‑time in the UK for the entire duration of the apprenticeship
• Not currently be enrolled in another apprenticeship programme, whether with the BBC or another organisation.

To apply for this scheme, you must also:

• Not previously have completed any elements of the National Qualification in Journalism (NQJ)
• Have achieved English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above; or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2; or equivalent qualification.

For candidates under the age of 19 years at 8th September 2026:

To complete the apprenticeship, you must have achieved Maths and English GCSE at Grade 4/C or above or National 5 (Scotland) at C or Functional Skills Level 2 or equivalent qualification. If you have not achieved these qualifications by the start of your apprenticeship, you will be required to achieve Functional Skills Level 2 before the end of your apprenticeship when you take your end‑point assessment.

READY TO APPLY?

Don’t leave yourself wondering “what if?” this could be your chance to be part of something exciting. See yourself thriving in this role? Just click ‘Apply Now’! You’ll create a candidate profile and answer a few questions – no CV or cover letter needed. If you're eligible, we’ll guide you through the next steps of the process and what to expect. You’ll need to live within a commutable distance of where this role is based. Interested in a different location? Check out our other adverts – but please only apply to one. This is a fixed‑term apprenticeship – your contract lasts for the duration of the scheme. Once completed, you’ll be supported with career development, employability training, and networking opportunities to help you take your next step – whether that’s at the BBC or elsewhere in the industry.

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain. Life at BBC includes excellent career and professional development, fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a 35‑hour working week, 25 days annual leave (26 days for BBC Studios), a range of policies to support your work/life balance, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.

You belong. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential. We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity. We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio‑economic background, religion and/or belief.

We take inclusivity seriously and want to ensure all candidates who are disabled or have long‑term health conditions receive the support and adjustments they need. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the recruitment process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via the Early Careers Recruitment contact form and we’d be happy to discuss how we can support you through the process.