Wannabe Hacks, we can reveal, will be recruiting five new Hacks in the coming weeks. 

Applications to fill one of the five roles will open next Monday 1st August for a two week period so this is a little heads-up for those who may be interested in applying.

Although tinged with a little sadness, this announcement is a really exciting moment for us. We always said we wanted the site to be passed onto the next generation of aspiring journalists and, as each of us starts to get a job, we’re arguably no longer ‘wannabes’ in the the classic sense of the word.

So we’re pleased to say be looking for a new quintet of young journalists to become the face of the site and to write and manage the content and social media output on a day-to-day basis. The five current Hacks will continue to be involved in the site in a more hands-off role.

What we’re looking for

We’re hoping to have five clued-up, switched-on people that are committed to becoming journalists.

We want a range of different pathways into journalism (that is, after all, what the site is about, the different ways to get into the industry) as we won’t to be sticking with the five roles we’ve currently got (e.g. The Student, The Intern etc).

We don’t necessarily want five people from London because we realise that journalism exists and flourishes outside the capital.

We’d like someone who can bring ideas and be creative but can work well within a small team.

And we’d need people who are 100% committed to the site. That might mean staying up till 1am if needs be to write that piece you promised you’d write and it might mean juggling things with friends to meet the other Hacks for a drink to talk about how the site is progressing. In a busy week we might do 8 hours of hacks stuff (1.5hrsish each week night) so if that’s too much, maybe this isn’t for you.

What we can offer

However, the benefits of being part Wannabe Hacks are many.

It’s a really good platform to write from and a great chance to get your name out there. Remember that Wannabe Hacks has played a part in each of us getting paid work so it has some reach.

It’s a brilliant place to learn about the industry, where it is now and where it is going, and to challenge it and think of new ways of doing things.

It forces you to learn online skills that are increasingly becoming so important in 21st century journalism practice.

Dates for your diary

As mentioned, applications open on Monday 1st August, when we’ll tell you how to apply and what to provide us with, and you’ll have two weeks to submit something before we put together a shortlist.

If you’re not already coming to our meetup on the 19th August, you should do – and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about what’s involved in the running of the site.

Ideally, we’ll have the five new Hacks in place by 5th September.

So, ahead of next week, have a think whether you want to be part of the next cohort of Wannabe Hacks and decide whether you have what it takes to take the site forward in the future.