English Teaching Journalist (Mandarin)

Job Requisition ID: 30090

Job Closing Date: 12 October 2025

London, GBR, W1A 1AA

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: C
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News
LOCATION: London – Agile working
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £27,600 – £37,050 (plus London Weighting) depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. If you’d like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

BBC Learning English is the award-winning, English language teaching arm of the BBC World Service. The department primarily creates digital content for English language learners on its web, app and social media platforms and via podcasts. It also syndicates content to partner networks which includes social media, web and to a lesser extent radio and TV. We are now aiming to increase reach to our young, underserved audiences by broadening our ELT offer to our China partners and Mandarin speaking audiences in general.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM
To support the delivery of BBC Learning English’s digital-first strategy to help audiences learn English. To work as part of a team of Mandarin-speaking, experienced English language teaching professionals to originate, create, present and publish English language teaching audio, video, text and image-based content for our Chinese English language learners. To collaborate with the other departmental teams to ensure all products achieve high levels of valued reach among audiences. To participate in and work across other areas of BBC Learning English’s output as required.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:
• To originate English language teaching content and reversion existing department content and/or BBC content for our web and app platforms. Content includes but is not limited to image, text, video, audio and interactive elements and programmes. To present, and to support others to present, video, audio and live streaming programmes as required
• To write and teach grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and other related ELT content in a simple and engaging way for different platforms and for Chinese and global audiences with different levels of English. To be fully responsible for the educational and journalistic accuracy of all materials produced by yourself
• To be fully involved in every stage of the production process, from scoping out initial ideas, to providing guidance and feedback to the team, completing all associated administrative paperwork and ensuring content is delivered on time and to spec
• To find contributor, interviewees, language learners and experts as well as other sources of material and/or actuality, as appropriate. To be responsible for thinking through and around editorial and educational challenges, developing realistic alternative strategies and approaches
• To ensure content is produced to BBC Editorial guidelines and to all relevant legal, contractual and copyright requirements – referring upwards in cases of difficulty or doubt
• To monitor the growth of the Learning English and other associated ELT websites, analysing patterns of use and identifying areas for expansion. To identify opportunities for building audience reach and engagement
• To direct a Journalism Coordinator in preparation of programme material for which the role is responsible

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Proficiency in Mandarin at a professional level (simplified) in all forms is essential
• Excellent working knowledge of English in all forms with first-class translations skills from one language to the other
• Recent experience in the creation of and delivery of English language teaching materials for a Mandarin audience learning within a school environment and also for Mandarin audiences who self-study via different media platforms
• Enthusiasm and curiosity for and an in-depth understanding of digital production and content, particularly in relation to English language teaching
• Experience of creating English language teaching content for various Chinese social media platforms
• Strong technical knowledge – particularly the use Photoshop and Final Cut Pro for image, audio and video editing

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: [email protected]

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.