The Early Careers Programme for HarperCollins Publishers is now open for applications starting in January 2022. This programme was created for anyone looking to start a career in publishing, there is no criteria other than a love for books and enthusiasm toward starting a career in the publishing industry.

This entry level programme has been running for over 20 years and has brought a wealth of talent into our organisation. Successful candidates will spend 18 months in various rotations across our business from publicity, sales, marketing, editorial, communications, design, audio and digital.

Two trainees are brought into the business on a contract and paid our entry level salary of £24,250* per annum. The contract duration is 18 months and will start in January 2022. The trainees will enjoy free books and e-books, a state-of-the-art office in London Bridge, retail discounts, based at home days**, discounted gym membership, wellbeing initiatives, 26 days holiday and lots more!

Throughout the year, trainees will also be given:

• Expert mentoring with a senior leader in the business

• Development opportunities and team projects

• career development planning and coaching

• Opportunities to join our employee-led network groups  

• Training on-the-job with a range of publishing experts

• Structured learning through courses, online training, project work and coursework

We encourage our trainees to get involved in all areas of the business that are of interest, from championing our books and our authors, to taking part in our employee network groups or getting involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives. There will also be a chance to take part in book fairs, school presentations, author talks and industry events.

It will be an exciting 18 months with plenty of opportunity to learn all about HarperCollins, one of the world’s largest publishers. The Trainee’s will receive valuable insight into the publishing industry and build a network of publishing contacts to take on their career journey.

*Subject to pay review October 2021.

**Trainees will mirror our pilot company model of 2 days per week minimum based in the offices. This may vary to ensure we can offer the most effective training and experience for our trainees.

To Apply

HarperCollins are all about telling stories for all, and we really want to know yours!

The application process is managed via our blind recruitment platform to ensure optimum fairness and consistency for everyone. You will fill out a few details about yourself and answer bespoke application questions which relate to the skills and passions we are looking for in our Trainees for 2022. CV’s will not be used at the initial screening stage but are collected for use later in the process.

There are a couple of things to remember, please read the next section carefully:

• You do not need a degree to apply

• You do not need publishing experience to apply

• Check out our careers site for more information on the application process https://corporate.harpercollins.co.uk/careers/

Support

The Book Trade Charity offers financial support to people looking to enter the book trade but who may struggle to afford the costs of attending interviews and undertaking internships or entry level positions. For more information visit http://www.booktradecharity.org/

The Spare Room Project aims to help, by matching interns and job seekers from outside London with people in the book industry who live in the capital and who can offer them a place to stay. By easing accommodation costs, this enables people to take up roles that would otherwise have been financially difficult. The Project also helps people who have interviews in London. https://thespareroomproject.co.uk/

Overview of HarperCollins

With a history stretching back 200 years, HarperCollins is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world. Here at HarperCollins UK, we publish around 1,500 books a year for readers of all ages and interests.

Our bestsellers include Jonathan Franzen, David Walliams, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy. George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. And legendary titles by legacy authors J.R.R. Tolkien, Agatha Christie and C.S. Lewis. We’re home to the most iconic bears, Paddington, Rupert and Winnie the Pooh, and Judith Kerr and Michael Morpurgo, Mr Men & Little Miss and Minecraft for our younger readers.

Over in Collins Learning, our education division is a pioneer in reference publishing. We develop market-leading dictionaries, atlases and bibles, state-of-the-art online learning platforms and award-winning books for school age students.

We tell stories for everyone. Our authors, who make that happen, are at heart of our business. We are proud to publish many brilliant diverse authors and actively seek out new voices from diverse backgrounds. We are fully committed to diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workforce and in our publishing. We are working towards increasing the diversity of our colleagues to better represent the readership and communities we serve. We want to create an inclusive culture and a great place to work.

HarperCollins Publishers is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and those who wish to work with us. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds. HarperCollins can accommodate reasonable changes to the process in order to help you to be successful in your job application if you have a disability.