Freelancing, Foreign Exchange and Professional Development: Discussing the Europe and Australia in the World exchange programme

In the context of rapidly changing newsrooms and a constriction in entry-level positions for graduates, The Europe and Australia in the World (WORLDREP) programme enables final year students to experience diverse pedagogical and journalistic practices through intensive and applied courses in overseas institutions. However, international exchange programmes must consider the challenges and idiosyncratic hiring criteria that graduates face upon their return home. Accordingly, this panel brings together educators, scholars and coordinators from three countries and four institutions to discuss this unique programme. To inform the discussion, the panel will reflect on preliminary findings from interviews with former participants. Interviewees reported that the exchange’s focus on freelance publication and training fostered a range of applied skills, professional confidence and an extensive publication portfolio. However, they also found that a lack of local newsroom contacts—traditionally provided through newsroom internships—constituted a key hurdle upon their return home. This prompts a discussion about how to compliment exchange programmes with local networking and professional development initiatives, that can ground what they have learnt overseas with local journalistic practices.