In brief, the four main steps and key dates to know are:
- Apply online: applications open until 10 May
- Attend a learning & selection event: 3 July in Birmingham or 5 July in London
- Meet the publishing teams: 17 July in London
- The Scheme starts: 23 September
And in detail, so you know exactly what to expect:
Throughout both selection stages, we’ll be looking for the qualities you shared in the ‘You’ section. The questions and tasks set are designed for you to show your skills, strengths and potential in these key areas.
For this first stage, we work with a company called Applied. You’ll share your answers through their online application platform, which is designed for fair hiring.
There are three questions:
Each question has a 250 word limit. You might want to check this before hitting submit. You might find it helpful to write and check your application offline before committing to it online.
Question 1
One major part of an editor’s role is to seek out new stories and bring these to life through the books we publish.
Imagine you’re publishing a book – right now. Whose story are you going to tell? What ideas are you going to explore? Perhaps it’s something that’s trending on social media or someone who’s making waves in music or politics? Is it even a book – or is it something in audio, video or online? Who is going to want to read it? How will you convince them to buy it?
What we’re looking to see: You’re curious and hungry to learn and a love for stories and ideas.
Question 2
Tell us about a time you won someone over. How did you do it? Your example could be from anywhere - a difficult customer from the shop you work in, a school mate who messed around on your end of year project, a friend or family member who needed persuading to do something.
What we’re looking to see: Your ability to connect with people and your adaptability.
Question 3
Think of something you’ve achieved that made you proud. Tell us about it. What was the opportunity or challenge ahead of you and what did you have to do make it happen?
What we’re looking to see: Your ability to make things happen.
Before you start here are some tips to help you do a great application.
What makes a good answer great?
We’ve read a lot of answers from past applicants to The Scheme. Here are some tips to make yours stand out.
Before you start, take a step back. ‘Unpick’ the question. Why is it being asked? What key things is the reader looking for?
Don’t dive in straight away. Ask yourself: what would be the best way to demonstrate that you have the qualities we’re looking for? Think about what you can do to bring your answers alive. Include details and examples. Help us to see things through your eyes.
‘Show your working out’. Don’t just give the facts – tell us what lies behind them; tell us how you got there.
When you talk about your ideas, show your enthusiasm – and then show something more. Show us that you’ve thought about the opportunities to turn your idea into a bestseller; that you’ve considered who might buy your book and why.
When you’re talking about your achievements, make sure you include the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’. How did you make your goal a reality? How did you step into someone else’s shoes to persuade them to change their mind? How did you keep on going when you’d been knocked back?
All this doesn’t mean you have to write a lot more. Sometimes the best answers are the simplest. Be choosy about what you include. Go for the most vivid examples, the grabbiest ideas, the ones that paint a picture for the reader and really help us to get your message.
Your answers are your story; let them shine.
You’ve got until midnight on 10 May.
You’ll find out if you’re through to a learning and selection event by 14 June. Up to 40 people will be invited to attend.
Birmingham and London will play host to the two events. You’ll be asked to join the one closest to you, with your travel expenses covered.
Ahead of this, we’ll ask you to share a short introductory video with us via a digital platform. This isn’t assessed; it’s to help us better welcome you on the day.
The day is designed to give you an idea of what it’s like to work in editorial. You’ll take part in a series of creative and interactive workshops, run by editors from across the publishing houses.
Each workshop will be followed up with a challenge to give you a chance to demonstrate your potential to work in publishing.
After the two events we’ll decide on the eight traineeships and let you know by 11 July.
You’ll spend the day at our London offices so you can meet with editors from our publishing houses. Like you, they’ll be figuring out where your interests and passions might best fit during your time here.
You’ll get to see the kind of books and brands you’d be working on in their teams, and the people who’d be your team mates. You’ll have the chance to share your preferences before you leave and you’ll find out exactly where your placement will be soon after.