Work experience at What Car?

For those with little or no experience in motoring journalism, What Car? offers work placements that can help you understand the industry, get you some experience for your CV, and give you the opportunity to show us what you’re capable of. Many of our staff started their careers in this way.

Regrettably, though, due to high demand we cannot accept all applicants, so please pay attention to the details and application process as stipulated below:

1) A placement is usually over a working week, starting on a Monday and ending on a Friday. Like our writers, you will typically spend three of the days working in our Twickenham offices and two working from home.

2) For the home working part, you will need access to a reasonably capable PC or Mac computer, a place where you can work and undertake video conferences, and a reasonably fast internet connection capable of handling live online video like Google Meet.

If you do not have Adobe Photoshop on your computer, you will need to download and install a free seven-day trial on the day before your placement begins. As we will be using various Google tools, you will also need an active Google Account.

If you are unable to supply all of the above, regrettably we can’t offer work experience to you.

3) You will be working on various aspects of feature story production and other tasks that may arise for What Car? and its sister titles Autocar and Classic & Sports Car. There may also be a chance to join a photo or video shoot, subject to timings. You will be given an opportunity to produce some written work, on which we will provide feedback.

4) The placement is designed to show us what you are capable of, and for you to make a meaningful contribution to our titles during your time here.

5) Spaces are limited because we can usually accommodate only one person at a time. If you are interested, please send the following to senior consulting editor Tom Evans at tom.evans@haymarket.com:

A copy of your CV.

A short description (around 50-100 words) of why you’re interested in motoring journalism and why you love cars.

One article of not more than 500 words that could be published in What Car?, Autocar or Classic & Sports Car.

For What Car?: Write a short consumer review of a car that you have driven. This can be any car, including one owned by yourself or a relative, or a hire car. If an older model, style it as a used car review. Don’t forget to read examples of reviews on What Car? to get an idea of the title’s style. If you do not have a driving licence, please do the Autocar exercise above.

For Autocar: “Do you think the government’s aim of banning all non-electric and non-hybrid powered new cars from sale by 2030 is realistic?”

For Classic & Sports Car: Write a 500-word defence of an unloved car (originally built pre-2000) that is traditionally sneered at, but that for you is a guilty pleasure.

All three titles are market leaders in their respective fields, and set great store in written accuracy. Please do the same.

Good luck with your application.

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