Join The Ubyssey

You should apply if

• You're interested in journalism and service to your community
• You want to be a better researcher, writer, designer, photographer, or illustrator
• You love to read in your free time
• You enjoy talking to other people about things you're passionate about
• You want to become a better news consumer, better citizen, or learn how to participate in public life while making democracy work better
• You're frustrated and curious about why the world works the way it does
• You're the kind of person who will always go the extra mile and isn't afraid of being passionate about something
• You don't use artificial intelligence for researching, writing, summarizing texts or making decisions
• You want to do something you can be proud of
• You want to do something that matters
• Ongoing learning is a part of who you are

Whenever we have a vacancy, we'll post openings here. We expect to open hiring for many positions in our newsroom in September.

Write an email to the head of the unit for that position and explain your interest. We are constantly assessing our staffing needs, so we may have openings beyond what is posted here.

It depends on what you're applying for, but generally no.

We don't expect anyone to have journalism experience, since we train everyone in journalism on an ongoing basis. But we do expect you to have some subject-matter familiarity if the role you're interested in is organized around it. For example, if you're applying to be a Housing Reporter, we expect you'd have insights on zoning policy.

We expect applicants for Visuals and Product roles to have some relevant experience (i.e., if you're applying for a photojournalist role, you've hopefully used a professional camera before).

It's great if you worked for your high school newspaper, if your school had one, but it's not a problem if you don't have that experience.

Use the application form to indicate all the roles you're interested in applying for. All applications are considered separately.

Roles differ widely in the patterns of commitment. A few of us have shift-based roles, such as Copy Editors and Print Designers, but most of us are doing assignment-based work on strict deadlines. We're comfortable saying all volunteers put in at least several hours a week.

You get out of The Ubyssey what you put in. We do this because while it's an incredible learning experience, we're not a simulation of journalism. This is a real newspaper with thousands of alumni worldwide and over a century of history, serving tens of thousands of people in the Lower Mainland and elsewhere every day. Realizing your potential at The Ubyssey takes time and a willingness to make this a priority. Most of us don't have more than one additional commitment outside The Ubyssey that isn't school.

Our ideal applicants are people who know that if they are hired, this is something they want to dedicate a lot of time to becoming really good at, whether that's reporting, editing, taking photos, illustrating, designing our print or digital products or building newsroom applications. We and the public have high expectations of our work, so this is not a casual commitment.

People often ask for tips about how we balance this with school. The honest answer is that all of us who already work here just find a way, much in the same way everyone finds a way to balance whatever else they are doing with going to class. It's as simple and as complex as that.

Ubyssey alumni are everywhere. The ones that did go into journalism have gone on to work at The Globe and Mail, New York Times, Guardian, Maclean’s, Walrus, Haaretz, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, Tyee, Logic, Winnipeg Free Press, Texas Tribune, Telegraph-Journal, Forward, Hong Kong Free Press, Narwhal, CBC, BBC, Bloomberg, Canadian Press, AFP, Investigative Journalism Foundation, and Al Jazeera.

Outside journalism, our alumni include lawyers, politicians, scientists, public servants, professors, librarians, marketers, physicians, technicians, writers, photographers, videographers, UI/UX designers, illustrators, spokespeople, data analysts, developers, industry researchers, translators, constituency assistants, physicists, financial advisers, bankers, teachers, filmmakers, economists, a few café owners and a wine specialist.

It's hard to overstate the value of reliable local news in our time. Our work is fun, but everyone here recognizes that covering politics, sports, arts, and culture is an essential service to democracy. All of it matters.

Students get few opportunities to be taken seriously. This is one of them. We have the privilege of enacting accountability; moving the public discussion; elevating the profile of artists and athletes; holding a mirror to people and systems of power; and writing the first rough draft of history. Our work is uniquely constitutionally protected from government interference in section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and we take pride in participating in a profession that builds community every day we publish.

A world without journalists is not one we want to live in. You'll feel the meaning of that every day here.

What you'll learn and the skills you'll develop differ based on role. But in general, you can expect to become

• familiar with core journalism concepts like ethics, news judgment, newsgathering, and storytelling
• capable of working in large and interdisciplinary teams
• a significantly better researcher and writer
• comfortable working on short, strict deadlines
• expertly acquainted with matters of public interest, particularly if you're in an editorial role
• more confident in your understanding of the way the world works, and more prepared to change it when you graduate

No. As a campus organization, we're in a class of our own. We're best described as a student-run service.

The Ubyssey is the newspaper published by The Ubyssey Publications Society, which is a registered non-profit under the Societies Act. The Ubyssey was originally published by the AMS until we became an independent society in 1995. Ever since, we've answered directly to our readers and have been funded mostly by student fees.

This is all to say that although this is a student-driven publication, this isn't a simulation. This is a real newspaper.

No. Once you are hired into a role, you are with The Ubyssey until you graduate.

Every unit at The Ubyssey has a head, and some of them have a deputy head as well. The Masthead consists of all heads and deputy heads, as well as the senior editors who lead the publication: the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, and Assistant Managing Editors.

Masthead members are paid employees, usually working either full- or half-time at The Ubyssey in addition to their studies. Hiring for Masthead roles takes place internally in the second semester of each year.

If you're interested in joining the Masthead one day, think of your eventual formal application as the end of the process: your application actually begins when you join The Ubyssey. Sustained demonstration of your commitment, passion, and care is the essence of what the Masthead looks for when choosing successors.

However, you don't have to join the Masthead if that's not your thing. Several years in the same role will make you incredibly knowledgeable and highly skilled when you graduate.

See the map below for one possible timeline of working at The Ubyssey over 4 or 5 years.