There is a famous saying that journalism is “a first rough draft of history.” Could you see drafting history as your future? Well, you’re not alone. Broadcast news is a hugely competitive profession, and it continues to be the most trusted, and arguably most influential, source of news among the British public.
If you are 18 to 21, check out Television & Young People (TVYP). It is a free, five-day event that runs alongside the annual Edinburgh International Television Festival in August – the industry event of the year. Each summer 150 young people looking to get into TV are picked (via an online application) to attend what is a jam-packed series of masterclasses, workshops (and parties) with top industry professionals, who will be on hand to dish out invaluable advice.
The advice for aspiring journalists that Chris Gibson, an assistant news editor at ITV National News, gives is “Work experience, work experience, work experience. Without it you’ve lost before you’ve begun. Anything from your student paper, your local paper, websites, radio, TV… Employers are looking to see your commitment. If you turn up for an interview without having spent anytime in a newsroom, you’re unlikely to impress.”
Chris started out on a broadcast journalism postgraduate diploma accredited by the Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC). Lis Howell is Director of Broadcasting at City University, which has spawned the likes of Sophie Raworth, Dermot Murnaghan, and Jo Whiley. Lis says, “A postgraduate journalism course from a recognisable institution is now the common currency for anyone entering broadcasting. It instantly communicates to potential employers that you have covered the basics, and that you have survived what is often a tough regime of learning and work experience.”
Enrolling on a journalism course is not cheap, but help with funding is available. ITV News offers bursaries to students on BJTC-accredited courses; successful applicants get their fees paid, monthly living expenses, a placement in an ITV regional newsroom and a mentor. Commercial radio company GCap also offers a number of bursaries.
There are also initiatives aimed at black and Asian students. The George Viner Memorial Fund offers financial assistance and career mentoring specifically for ethnic minorities; and Aspire is a free support network for BME journalists – the Yahoo! Group has over 350 members.
Graduates with an arts or humanities degree may be eligible for funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) – they offer a contribution towards your fees and a generous living expenses allowance. It’s also worth checking out the universities and what financial support they have available. Some banks offer Career Development Loans, where you can borrow up to £8,000 and it’s interest-free until one month after you finish your course.
Ask any journalist how they got into news and they will tell you a different story; there is no single way to get in. The BBC’s new Journalism Trainee Scheme, for example, is aimed at people whose background is not necessarily in journalism. Radio reporter Chris Wands worked as a bar manager for six years before deciding to become a journalist. “I was asked onto a radio show to promote a charity do we were organising in our bar’s function room… and completely fell for it all.”
Like many journalists in the industry, Chris works freelance. “You have to take work when you’re offered it, especially when you’re starting. But as you get more established you can begin to allow yourself a social life again.”
Chris says there are benefits to freelancing: “It allows you to try new workplaces, it generally pays better if you’re getting enough hours, and you can take as much holiday as you can afford.”
However, if you are looking for a 9 to 5 job with a luxurious pay packet, then journalism is probably not for you. Chris adds, “If you’re ill you don’t get paid, there’s no pension plan unless you organise it yourself and you’ve got to do your own tax.”
To quote the infamous words of Trevor MacDonald, and finally... if after all that you are still enthusiastic about a career in journalism, then you have past the first challenge, and the hard work starts now. Lis Howell’s advice to wannabe journalists: “Get absorbed in news. Watch TV news and topical factual programmes; listen to quality factual radio, read more than one newspaper each day. Tap up everyone you know who might be able to let you have work experience or ‘shadow’ them. Do not be scared about writing/emailing broadcast organisations and asking for work experience.
“Don’t get upset when they say no, just try another one!” Notice how Lis uses ‘when’, not ‘if’?!
By Jimmy Tam
USEFUL LINKS
Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
www.ahrc.ac.uk
Aspire Network
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspire
BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme
www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/jts
BBC Work Experience
www.bbc.co.uk/workexperience
Broadcast Journalism Training Council (BJTC)
www.bjtc.org.uk
Career Development Loans
www.direct.gov.uk/cdl
GCap
www.gcapmedia.com
George Viner Memorial Fund
www.georgeviner.org.uk
ITV Jobs
www.itvjobs.com
