Want to get into journalism? Going through university to achieve this goal is not always the best route. You’ll need to pick up the skills and experience that will help you secure your dream job; but when it comes to job sectors such as journalism these are skills often best learnt on the job. Although there may be exams or qualifications some publications will want you to have there is often an opportunity to take these on a part time basis whilst working or even through the organisation you work for.
To get your first job you’re most likely to need experience; internships and work experience are a great way to get to know how media works in the real world. These placements can be hard to get in the UK however, with many people having the same idea and competition for any work these days being tough. One way around this is to do a journalism internship abroad. You can get the opportunity to work on newspapers, magazines, radio or television stations in countries such as China, Tanzania, Ecuador and India.
Working on an English language publication abroad gives you a much greater challenge as you’ll have to adapt to the working world at the same time as learning about a new country. Or if you can speak another language why not try out your skills on a native newspaper. This will make the experience all the more valuable when it comes to adding it to your CV.
You’ll be able to bring your own interests to the placement, working on the things you want to, at the same time as getting a general overview of the whole journalism process. Try your hand at carrying out interviews, conducting research, writing articles and taking photographs to name just a few.
Working on national, local or campaign outlets, you can gain journalism practice that will help you on your way to your dream career at home or abroad. Even if you decide after your placement that journalism wasn’t for you, you’ll have had a memorable experience volunteering in another country and will have gained transferrable skills which will help with university, apprenticeship or job applications.
By Jenny Collins
Jenny Collins works for Frontier, a non-profit conservation NGO that helps people plan their gap year with over 300 opportunities to volunteer abroad and take part in adventure travel across the globe.
