Mongabay.org

Mongabay.org offers an internship program, which primarily involves writing environmental news stories for our affiliated news site – Mongabay.com. Our interns will have the opportunity to develop their writing skills and have their news stories be published on our renowned website which boasts over two million global readers every month.

We are no longer accepting applications.

What will you do?

Our interns will be writing roughly six news stories on a variety of conservation and environment topics over a course of a six-month commitment. Topics will be assigned to our interns by one of our editors. The Mongabay interns will work closely with Mongabay journalists and receive writing guidelines and feedback on their news stories before publication, receive a deeper understanding of journalistic programs and processes at Mongabay and receive one-on-one training and mentorship from the editors who work with them.

Program Schedule

This is a partially paid internship. Interns will be paid for the final four of the six articles completed during the internship. For these four articles, interns are paid at a per word rate to agree with their editor. The first two articles are part of the initial training period in which interns will work closely with an editor to learn about Mongabay’s style and expectations. These two articles are usually unpaid.

The interns will be working virtually (at home or wherever they feel most productive) with set deadlines to be met. We are flexible on how many hours per week the intern is able to work but an average of 10 hours per week is required for the full six months. Some weeks could require 15 hours or so while others may be considerably less; our interns have to be flexible and plan accordingly.

Internship Perks

• Publishing experience in a high-profile news outlet
• Learning about journalistic programs and processes at Mongabay
• Becoming part of a community of passionate and talented writers
• Coaching and support:
– Meet and greet training session via Skype and Q&A with Mongabay staff
– Working with different editors and receiving guidance and feedback
• Developing writing skills
• Developing interviewing skills
• Resume building
• Mongabay letters of reference and personal recommendations

Who are we looking for?

Below is a list of traits we look for when selecting individuals for our internship program:

• Excellent communication skills
• Self-motivator
• Passionate about environmental subjects
• Positive attitude
• Coachable and open to learning
• Strong values – personally and professionally
• Problem-solving skills

Selection process

Applicants will be notified in mid-December. We ask that you do not email asking about the status of your application in the meantime. If selected, you will start in the first month of the term (January 2023).

Required Application Materials

Applications must be submitted in English via our application form. Applicants are required to submit the following documents (we strongly recommend that you have these items prepared before beginning the application process):

1. Resume
2. Cover letter
3. Application form questions (the application form contains questions about motivation, we recommend that you read them and prepare your answers before beginning the application process).
4. Submit a writing sample (journalistic or blog article). 600 words max.
• Or you can choose one from the following three scientific articles to complete your writing sample:
Beyond the numbers: Human attitudes and conflict with lions (Panthera leo) in and around Gambella National Park, Ethiopia
Changes in the West African forest-savanna mosaic, insights from central Togo
Thismia kelabitiana (Thismiaceae), a new unique Fairy Lantern from Borneo potentially threatened by commercial logging
5. Optional: submit an additional writing sample of your own (600 words max.)

Application deadline: November 18, 2022 (11:30 a.m. EST – New York time). Applications sent by email and/or after the deadline will not be accepted.

For more information, please contact Maria Salazar at maria (at) mongabay.org

For a list of our former interns and contributors, visit our interns & fellows bio page.