Company details

London, UK

HEADCOUNT

10000+

ORG TYPE

Corporate

SECTOR

Media & Comms

WEBSITE

https://www.penguin.co.uk

About the company

Penguin Random House is a global trade book publisher that releases adult, children’s, and young adult books across a large portfolio of imprints. Penguin Random House publishes print, ebooks, and audiobooks, and works with authors from debut to bestselling. Penguin Random House operates internationally across multiple markets and languages, with major publishing operations in the US and UK. Penguin Random House is owned by Bertelsmann.

Locations and presence

Penguin Random House is headquartered in New York City and has a major UK presence in London, alongside other offices and operations across many countries. Working patterns vary by role and region, with US corporate publishing roles often advertised with remote options and UK early-career roles commonly set up as hybrid.

Palpable Score

77.3

/ 100

Penguin Random House is unusually accessible for early-career candidates because paid internships recur across many functions, and the UK “Scheme” style pathways reduce common barriers like CV gatekeeping. Pay signals are better than the publishing industry baseline, including paid internships and a raised US entry-level salary floor, backed by a benefits package that helps early-career stability. The limiting factor is outcomes evidence: public proof of typical progression and retention is patchy outside of individual stories and review-site sentiment.

Pillar 1: Early-career access

Score

16.8

/ 20

The company runs paid internships in the US that recur across fall/spring and summer cycles, with roles spanning editorial, marketing, design, sales, legal, IT, and other corporate functions.
Penguin Random House UK advertises multiple early-career routes such as paid summer internships and the long-running “Scheme” traineeship model, alongside structured work experience opportunities.
The company posts specialist early-career placements with clear eligibility rules, such as discipline-specific internships (for example, legal-track internships tied to current study status).

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Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency

Score

15.8

/ 20

The company explains key internship stages publicly, including an initial recruiter interview followed by a hiring-manager or supervisor interview.
Penguin Random House UK has used an application format for “The Scheme” that replaces CVs and cover letters with short-question responses, scored anonymously through the Applied platform in at least some recent cohorts.
The company publishes practical applicant guidance (cover letter and interview prep), but public information rarely covers feedback norms or rejection communications for most early-career roles.

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Pillar 3: Learning and support

Score

16.5

/ 20

The company builds learning into internships through structured exposure to publishing via panels, networking events, and employee speaker series.
Penguin Random House lists Learning and Development opportunities and a formal mentoring program as part of the employee experience, alongside broader “Life at PRH” support.
The company has described UK work experience placements as including induction and a buddy-style support setup, but newer public detail on onboarding quality across all early-career pathways is uneven by region.

Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability

Score

15.7

/ 20

The company pays interns in the US (commonly listed at $21/hour) with defined weekly hours that avoid the “always on” trap for students and career changers.
Penguin Random House raised the US entry-level base salary floor to $51,000 effective January 1, 2025, and the same announcement referenced minimums across multiple job levels.
The company offers stabilising benefits that matter early-career, including health coverage, 401(k) matching, paid parental leave, and a student loan repayment program (with waiting periods).

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Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes

Score

12.5

/ 20

The company shares early-career stories where internships have led to full-time offers when roles open, which supports the idea that conversion happens for at least some interns.
Penguin Random House has mixed third-party sentiment on progression, with review-site data pointing to “career opportunities” landing mid-pack rather than standout.
The company’s public careers information does not provide cohort-style outcomes like internship-to-offer rates, time-to-promotion ranges, or retention metrics, which limits confidence about typical early-career trajectories.

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