Cash-strapped RTÉ is looking to fill nine current affairs vacancies costing up to €271,638 in total salaries.
The national broadcaster has created the "Internship Programme 2020" in line with their People Strategy to mirror the nation’s diversity.
The nine jobs are up for grabs and will start in January next year with the interns working across content, news and current affairs, RTÉ online and commercial.
The positions will be offered from January to December 2020, with a salary of €25,080 to €30,182per annum pro-rata.
On their job vacancies section online RTÉ says, “interns will be involved reporting to the Managing Editor of RTÉ Current Affairs, learning about the many ways in which they create quality current affairs journalism for TV and online, while developing your skills and talents in all aspects of TV and online journalism.”
Interns will also have the opportunity to contribute ideas and perspectives to the RTÉ current affairs team, write scripts and make decisions about shooting and editing.
In a statement RTÉ said: “This programme has been carefully developed to offer placement opportunities to people (particularly our youth communities) with different backgrounds, to those who speak other languages, and to those who have an interest in media.
“In this context, RTÉ has reached out to a number of youth communities across the country, including post-second level and third level students.”
RTÉ Current Affairs is responsible for the production of three live TV programmes per week, up to 10 additional investigative reports per year, a regular online series, consistent social media output and for overseeing the production of RTE’s special events coverage such as election results, state occasions, Ard Fheiseanna.
The website added that interns will have the opportunity to be part of a group of interns from every background, “…who will work across a range of exciting projects and who will make a real and creative impact on our services. Your talent will be recognised, encouraged and developed. This could be the first step in changing or launching your career.
“Build relationships across the organisation and learn from journalists in the newsroom, the legal affairs department and the facilities team who provide our studios, camera crews, edit suites and many other resources that go towards creating our output.”
The advertisement added: “As a team, we place a strong emphasis on engagement with audiences including good TV ratings and online engagement”.
“The programme will initially involve internships in areas across the organisation including content, news and current affairs, RTÉ online and commercial”.
Last month, RTÉ sold off valuable art works. The broadcaster made a total sum of €195,827 at a Sotheby’s auction after two of the pieces failed to sell.
Tony O’Malley’s Inscape ‘Mozaga’ and Louis Le Brocquy tapestry ‘The Massing of the Armies’ did not secure the reserve price and were therefore withdrawn.
Le Brocquy’s Taín was sold for €102,542, while William Scott’s Abstract Painting sold for €219,113.
The broadcaster had to split the final sale amount for both of these artworks 50/50 with the Arts Council, who co-funded the original purchases.
A painting by George Campbell titled Symphony Orchestra was sold privately. Auctioneer house Sotheby’s did not disclose the sale amount, so it must be assumed it reached its maximum reserve price of €35,000.
The sales do not include the vendors commission which is normally around 15 to 20 percent. RTÉ has said that the commission agreed with Sotheby’s was “considerably below the EU tender level”.
The broadcaster decided to take the pieces to auction in a bid to undercut its €13m deficit.
In a statement RTÉ said they were aware that the sale of the artworks would not solve their financial crisis.
“While the proceeds raised in the auction will be reinvested in the organisation, as previously stated, RTÉ is well aware that this sale will not solve our financial issues.
“In this regard, RTÉ recently published a plan which we are confident can address many of the challenges we face and bring Ireland’s national public media to stability”.
