TRAIN AS A JOURNALIST – SOME CAREERS ADVICE
Newspaper journalism is often seen as glamorous and exciting but, as with any occupation, success comes only after much hard work and routine activity. However, each day in newspapers is different and the training you receive will give you the flexibility to cover a wide range of news stories and features.
Newspaper journalism draws on all the knowledge and skills you have acquired and can give you a tremendous sense of achievement. If you’ve got what it takes, journalism could be the career for you.
What qualities do newspaper editors look for?
To convince an editor you are worth appointing you will need to be able to demonstrate the following:
· an interest in current affairs at all levels
· a lively interest in people, places and events
· an ability to write in a style which is easy to understand
· good spelling, grammar and punctuation
· an appreciation of the part a local newspaper plays in the community
· a willingness to accept irregular hours
· an ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines
· determination and persistence.
Which way do you want to go?
Let’s keep it simple to start with. There are five main branches of journalism: newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and online.
You can start a career in any one of them, and it’s not a necessity to start on a small newspaper, niche magazine or tiny cable channel. You could quite easily begin on a large regional daily, top consumer title or at the BBC.
Some journalists have learned their trade on the job, but many will have undergone some kind of formal training.
Not everyone who has undergone formal training is brilliant at their job, and by no means everyone who picked things up as they went along is a bad journalist.
But training gives able people a short cut. It saves them time by teaching them the basics of journalism quickly, accurately and effectively. It means they don’t need to learn by trial and error. They can get it right first time.
And the NCTJ is second-to-none in setting the standards for journalism training. Through its examinations and the courses which carry its accreditation, it equips would-be journalists to find their first job in the profession, and helps working journalists to progress to the next rung up the ladder.
An NCTJ qualification equips you with the skills you need to be an effective reporter. It gives you a solid grounding in shorthand, law and how government works. With an NCTJ certificate on your CV, a prospective employer knows you have grasped the basics.
Many successful journalists, in all branches of the trade, are thankful for their NCTJ training. And many others, who didn’t have that advantage, recognise it would have been a huge help if they did.
HOW DO I GET INTO THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY?
Route 1 – Direct Entry
Trainee reporters and photographers are recruited directly by regional or local newspapers and carry out their basic training under the terms of a training contract. There are also those who may have secured employment with a newspaper group which runs its own training scheme.
Apply directly to the editor of a regional or local newspaper for employment as a trainee. Their names and addresses can be obtained from current editions of Benn’s UK Media Directory and Willings Press Guide. Copies are available at libraries under the reference section.
What qualifications do I need?
The entry requirement for reporters is a minimum of five GCSE passes (grades A-C) or equivalent - one of these must be in English. However, in recent years it has become rare for a trainee to come into the industry at this level. Currently more than 60 per cent of recruits are university graduates and the others have achieved at least two A-levels or equivalent.
Exceptions
There have been occasions when individuals who have shown exceptional talent but have not achieved the minimum academic qualifications have been granted a waiver. However, this is unusual. The majority of new entrants to journalism are graduates.
Mature entrants
Each year the industry receives many career enquiries from mature people. Some editors like to employ these people because of their considerable local knowledge and their settled lifestyle.
Over the age of 30, training is a matter for arrangement by the editor.
Training
If you have been recruited into the industry from school or university, you will be regarded as a direct entrant. Most companies will expect you to enter into a two-year training contract during which time you will receive basic training. The first six months of employment is likely to be a probationary period during which you will be able to decide whether you have got what it takes to become a successful journalist. Most companies will register you with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and provide you with a distance learning foundation course to study.
You should ideally attend a block-release or day-release course at college, during which time you will sit the NCTJ’s preliminary Certificates in Journalism examinations. Following a further period of employment, you will have the opportunity to prove that you are competent to obtain the NCTJ’s National Certificate.
Trainees recruited by in-company training schemes will undertake off-the-job training at their company training centres. The NCTJ currently accredits one in-company training scheme: Midland News Association (contact Crispin Clark on 01902 319982). Training will be directed to the achievement of professional standards and to the attainment of a competence-based qualification.
Route 2 – pre-entry via college/university courses
The majority of trainees are recruited into the industry after attending full-time vocational training courses for both post A-level students and graduates. Such courses are held at colleges and universities accredited by the NCTJ. Some of these courses are for graduates only; others require five GCSEs including English and two A-levels. This route is known as pre-entry.
Download an application form from the accredited courses section of the website or write to the NCTJ at the address on the homepage enclosing an A4 stamped addressed envelope. The form must be returned at least six weeks prior to the start of the course.
Suitable applicants are required to take a written test, and if successful, will be invited to attend a selection interview at the college of their choice.
Fast-track courses are run at various colleges - see separate list for details.
Most colleges will only grant places if the applicants have already been on a brief work experience placement at a newspaper. You should write to a number of local newspaper editors, explain why you think you would make a good reporter and ask if they will allow you to join their team for a few days. Try to pick a time other than June or July, when pressure on work experience places is at its greatest.
Paying for a college course
A few local educational authorities may award grants to meet part of the cost. Early enquiries should be made to local authorities, because grants are extremely limited.
Before applying for a full-time course in newspaper journalism it is essential candidates establish their financial situation. Contact the college direct for course fees.
Candidates who wish to pursue their application and who are unable to obtain a grant should consider carefully what arrangements they will have to make to cover costs.
Depending on the college to which a candidate is allocated, tuition fees can be as high as £1,300 for the year. There are also subsistence costs, travel, exam fees and textbooks to be considered.
Career Development Loans may also be available. Contact your local careers office or job centre.
For post-graduate courses at universities, apply direct to the university. For degree courses apply through UCAS.
Bursary schemes
The Journalism Diversity Fund has been set up by those in the industry who want to support the training of journalists from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds.
It is aimed at people without the financial means to attend NCTJ training courses. Applicants will need to demonstrate a genuine commitment to journalism and the potential to be successful.
Please visit the website: www.journalismdiversityfund.com for details of the selection criteria and the application process.
What do I have to study?
Training courses lead to a variety of qualifications. All NCTJ-accredited courses cover those aspects of media law, public affairs and news writing necessary to enable a journalist to perform competently by the end of the training period. As well as demonstrating competence in these and other practical areas, trainees are expected to achieve 100wpm shorthand.
Training
If you have attended a full-time journalism course before obtaining employment, you will probably enter into an 18-month training contract - the first three months is likely to be a probationary period. As with direct entrants, you will still be expected to prove your competence after a period of employment, and obtain the NCTJ’s National Certificate.
WHAT ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY?
Photo-journalism, as the term implies, is a journalism-based course with photography as its foundation. Tutors will help you to develop natural news sense in tune with an ability to use a camera and ancillary equipment to the best advantage. There is also a comprehensive reporter module.
The press photography course contains all the above elements without the reporter’s module.
The qualities you need to be accepted on the NCTJ course and to be a photo-journalist/press photographer are energy; drive; commitment; single-mindedness; personality and an enquiring mind which can look at the obvious and see something different - or better - by way of a “news line” and picture.
If you are successful in obtaining a place on a course, you will undergo intensive practical and theoretical training to prepare you for your career.
Download an application form from the courses section of the website or write to the NCTJ at the address on the homepage, enclosing an A4 stamped addressed envelope.
Suitable applicants are required to take a written test, and if successful, will be invited to attend a selection interview.
In most companies, the NCTJ’s National Certificate in Press Photography/Photo-journalism will be available after a successful period of employment.
WHAT ABOUT MAGAZINES?
Courses are run at various colleges - see separate list for details.
The courses cover media law, ethics, government, shorthand to 80wpm, news & feature writing, production and design, sub-editing and background to the magazine industry.
There is also a mandatory period of work experience on a magazine. NCTJ preliminary examinations will be undertaken, together with the assessment of a portfolio of work produced on the course.
Download an application form from the courses section of the website or write to the NCTJ at the address on the homepage, enclosing an A4 stamped addressed envelope. Forms must be returned at least six weeks prior to the start of the course.
Suitable applicants are required to take a written test, and if successful, will be invited to attend a selection interview at the college of their choice.
For all other enquiries please contact info@nctj.com
