A Caribbean daily newspaper is looking for an exchange partner to give one of its young journalists first-hand experience of life at a UK regional paper.

In exchange, The Tribune in Nassau, Bahamas, is willing to host a young British journalist who wants a taste of international experience.

Tribune managing editorJohn Marquis, who is a former regional newspaper journalist himself, believes it is important for his staff to know how things are done in other countries.

He said: "The Bahamas is an island nation and, while our journalists get opportunities to travel abroad on assignments, it's not the same as getting to know how a foreign newspaper goes about its business at a day-to-day level.

"I have some excellent young Bahamian journalists who would benefit from exposure on a British daily. They would be there as observers, not workers, so there would be no breach of immigration law.

"It's an arrangement that would stretch to only two or three weeks, but the benefits would be enormous."

The Tribune would pay for its own journalists' travel and accommodation and would expect any British paper sending a journalist to the Bahamas to do the same.

John, a former West Country editor who has been in the Bahamas for eight years, added: "The idea is to treat the trip as a kind of holiday during which the journalist would be able to broaden his or her professional experience.

"For me, it would be a way of rewarding the kind of people we want to keep on board, and give young British journalists a chance to see first-hand what newspaper life is like in the tropics.

"The reason I have specified dailies is that the experience would be more relevant for those taking part."

He said the idea could lead to an annual exchange between The Tribune and a British daily.

Editors interested in exploring the possibilities can reach him at jmarquis@tribunemedia.net or by telephone at 242-322-2270.