Fast-Track Courses
If you are interested in pursuing a career in journalism after university then you can enrol on a fast-track journalism course. These last for around 20 weeks and will teach you the basic skills necessary for a journalism career. They include teaching in news reporting, interviewing, sub-editing, writing features and page layout.

The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) is the organisation that oversees the training of journalists in the UK and accredits the courses that meet their standards.. An NCTJ or equivalent qualification is usually required before you can start work as a junior reporter.

Visit the NCTJ website for a list of accredited courses at different centres across the UK.

All graduates are eligible for these courses and so it doesn’t matter whether or not you think you particular degree is relevant to a career in journalism.

Work Experience
Most journalism courses will require the applicant to complete a period of work experience as part of their study and it remains one of the best routes into a full time career in this field. However, not all newspapers take on interns and some may require you to have a journalism degree in the first place.

Doing work experience on national newspapers and magazines may look good on your CV but it is worth doing some research beforehand, as it has often been said that in bigger companies the tasks you are given may be less useful in the long run, such as making tea and working on reception. However, smaller magazines and local newspapers can offer you better opportunities to get some real hand on experience.

So how to get work experience? Make sure you read the relevant magazines or newspapers before you apply and be ready to demonstrate what you know if you are asked. Be keen and enthusiastic – find out the name of the person who deals with work experience applications and send your letter of application straight to them. Be persistent without being pushy and follow up in a couple of weeks with a phone call if you haven’t heard anything from them.

Finding a Job
Journalism is a highly competitive business and life as a journalist can be extremely challenging. Therefore before trying to get a job make sure you know exactly why you want to do it. However, if you decide this is the career path for you then there are ways of improving your chances.

Search for jobs speculatively, write a strong cover letter (with perfect grammar and spelling!) and CV and send them to editors of all the magazines and newspapers you would like to work for.

Follow up on any applications a week or so later and keep trying until you have a definite response as persistence is a valued attribute in the world of journalism.

LinkVisit the NCTJ website for a list of accredited courses at different centres across the UK.