Attention Manchester students, budding journalists and meme lovers – 2026 is getting good early, because The Manchester Tab has opened applications for its editorial team!
Do you want to expand your writing portfolio? Be the first to hear about the biggest campus gossip? Make the best Instagram posts the student population has seen? You can join us in our newly opened roles: News Editor, Social Media Editor and co-Editor in Chief.
You can apply via the Google Form at the bottom of this article, with applications closing at 23:59pm on Thursday 29th January 2026.
The Manchester Tab is part of The Tab, a UK-wide student media website which sees nine million readers each month. Editors at The Tab’s university sites have previously hit 300,000 page views in two years and gone on to work at major organisations like the BBC, Vogue and even The Tab’s incredible HQ in London.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to develop your journalism skills and meet some incredible student writers across the country. You’ll even get an invite to some of The Tab HQ’s amazing training and social events in London.
Applications are open to students in any Manchester university – it doesn’t matter if you’re from Salford or MMU, Uni of Manchester or Uni of Greater Manchester. You also don’t need to have loads of experience, all we look for are students who can demonstrate a desire to get into the world of student media and develop their skills. You’ll be helped out by our existing team and the experienced professional journalists at our London HQ, so you’ll never be confused about which step to take.
Our open meeting will take place on 2nd February at 7pm in Studio Bar, Fallowfield, so if you’ve applied and want to meet more of the team – or want to get involved as a writer – you can come and meet us! Our Instagram messages are always open for questions, and for requests to join our writers’ group chat on Messenger.
You can read more about each role below.
Editor in Chief
The Editor in Chief oversees every article published on The Manchester Tab’s website, writing their own pieces as well as commissioning and editing pieces from our team of writers.
You’ll lead the direction of our coverage and be the main point of contact for all section editors, making sure we’re finding and covering breaking news stories as quickly as possible – whilst balancing our content with some fun features. You’ll also be responsible for running our weekly meetings in Manchester, and will work alongside our current Editor in Chief to make sure our articles follow legal, ethical and stylistic guidelines.
The Editor in Chief should be consistently keeping an eye out for emerging stories and maintaining the hight quality of our published pieces, so you’ll need an eye for detail and a great dedication.
This role is perfect for someone with great leadership skills, who is motivated to help our team produce the best content in Manchester and has incredible organisation skills. It’s fantastic experience for journalism hopefuls and will look amazing on your CV. You’ll be supported by our Assistant Editor from HQ and the Co-Editor in Chief, who are always available to offer support.
As Editor in Chief, you’ll be writing and editing articles like these:
- ‘Sloppy work’: University of Manchester staff member wins tribunal over misgendering claim
- Refurb concerns after asbestos found in 196 locations in Manchester Metropolitan Library
- Watch: Students evacuated after fire broke out at University of Salford accommodation
News Editor
As News Editor for The Manchester Tab, there’s always something to do. You’ll be constantly researching new stories and sending pitches to our writers’ group chat, as well as writing and editing pieces to be published on our website.
Whether it’s shocking campus gossip, local crime news or covering student protests, you’ll be the first to hear what’s going on in Manchester.
A News Editor needs to be independent, with the ability to take initiative. You’ll be responsible for finding stories quickly and reliably and making sure our pitch list is up to date, so it’s important you can fact check quickly and keep the quality of our work to a high standard. Applicants will need a keen eye for detail, too, as the News Editor is responsible for editing articles that our writers submit before they’re published.
You’ll also be responsible for contacting press offices and individuals named in articles for comment, so applicants should be able to keep a professional tone in their written contact.
The News Editor will be able to access support from the Editor in Chief and the rest of our editors, and will build a strong portfolio from their weekly writing.
You’ll be writing and editing stories like these:
- Uni of Manchester VC’s relocation benefits worth more than median staff salary
- Survey finds 36 per cent of Manchester students use AI daily, including for mental health
- University of Greater Manchester faces inquiry from Office for Students amid fraud claims
- Manchester council promises Pride 2026 will go ahead with more community involvement
Social Media Editor
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The successful applicant for Social Media Editor will manage our Instagram and Facebook, promoting our stories and coming up with creative ways to reach new audiences.
This includes sharing articles on our stories and grids, producing memes and uploading footage related to breaking news stories. It also means you’ll be keeping in contact with societies and organisations through our DMs and responding to messages and comments. You’ll need to be creative and confident in front of a camera, with good time management and communication skills.
The Social Media Editor must also keep up to date with messages from our editorial team to ensure all articles are being posted and key trends and stories are represented within a quick timeline.
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You will have to be aware of the latest trends, memes and student culture moments, so you can produce funny and engaging posts that Manchester’s students can relate to. Alongside our TikTok Editor, you’ll produce a mixture of fun and serious content and strengthen our online brand.
Experience with Canva and/or other editing software is needed for this role.
Applications for all roles can be completed via the form below – the deadline for completed applications is 23:59pm on Thursday 29th January 2026.
