Who are we all and who do we work for?

[John Thompson]

I'm John Thompson, the publisher of Journalism.co.uk, which is based in sunny (today!) Brighton in the UK.

Welcome to the forum.

Let's kick off things by introducing ourselves here and saying who we work for.

It makes for better and more respectful debate if participants know a bit more about each other.

[C.Mason]

Hi all, I'm Chris Mason, a student journalist (hope this is ok??!) from Worthing. Have had a bit of freelance work published for debt advice websites and am constantly scouring the internet for a job! Hoping to qualify next year.

[John Thompson]

Ah, just up the road from us here in Brighton then. And of course you are welcome as a student - where are you studying and for what qualification?

[C.Mason]

Yes indeed. I was at Southampton Solent on a journalism course, but dropped out a couple of years back. I did a bit of temporary work but still wanted to get my NCTJ qualifications. So, I checked around the internet for a distance-learning course which I could study whilst working. I'm on Cleland Thom's online journalism course, sports option, which covers sports journalism in addition to standard news journalism. So to that end, I'm working full time and studying in my spare time. Hard work, but hopefully worth it in the end!

I've been sort of putting out feelers in the area, I've emailed your good self regarding a job at journalism.co.uk and remember you gave me some excellent feedback and advice. I've enquired about work experience at various newspapers in the area and will be doing exactly that as soon as possible, and play football with a guy from the Worthing Herald who is going to let me know if their paper is employing any time soon.

I know it will be tricky to get a job without my NCTJ qualifications, but it wont stop me trying, and hopefully I should be qualified before too much longer anyway.

[geoff_simpson]

After many years in journalism and public relations, I am now freelance for the second time in my career, although I have always kept up my writing when working in public relations posts.

Currently I edit Rochdale Style, a quarterly lifestyle magazine which has a circulation of 30,000 in Rochdale and the surrounding villages and I also edit 1940, the (at the moment annual) magazine of the Friends of The Few, the support organisation for the National Memorial to the Battle of Britain aircrew at Capel le Ferne, Kent

I often write on military history topics, not least the Battle of Britain. A major feature of mine on the National Memorial recently appeared in Spirit of the Air, the magazine produced by the RAF for senior officers. Over the years I have written a good deal of historical material for RAF News, the service's official newspaper.

My travel writing is sometimes about Jersey, an island which I visit frequently and of which I have a detailed knowledge. I have written for the Jersey Evening Post.

Geoff Simpson

[mukymunky]

Hello all,
Yes I'm new to this site and still finding my way on it, with a look on me boat race like Father Ted's bemused apprentice (Ardal O'hanlon's character) looking like a boy who's just discovered the shop sells sweets.

Well, not that bemused really, but what a find. As a journalism and editorial design student at University of Wolverhampton (returning for 2nd year in Sep) this site seems like a cracking good place to discuss issues, get tips and advice from those in the trade, and in the know, make more contacts and hopefully have something interesting and worthy to contribute.

I have some reporting experience from doing short placements with regional newspapers and had work published, which surprised me considering I was a complete novice to writing for publication. My first piece went in the paper roughly one month after applying for work experience at Shropshire Star and have been hooked since. Further placements followed with more work published: pub reviews, local news, human interest stories and the best experience was having a 2700 word feature across two pages published in The Sentinel (Stoke on Trent).

Since then I have started the Journalism and Editorial Design degree and done quite well in the first year. But, what with having to find a summer job to pay the bills, have sort of fallen into a rut where my journalism is concerned and starting to feel like needing a helpful lift - just when I find this site.

I have recently been invited to write for a college NUS magazine, and always trying (without success so far) to get my creative writing (short stories & poetry) published in local arts magz.

Apart from writing about all sorts concerning life in general, comments and observations and anything that p's me off, I am just starting to gain more journalistic confidence and looking to specialise in writing about contemporary art and artists - I could use some advice on that front.

If anybody has any hints/top tips on how to find those elusive local stories and getting noticed by my friendly local newspaper editors and convince them that they should consider my good ideas, I would be very glad to hear from you (either reply here or drop a line to mukymunky@yahoo.co.uk).

Also, would like to invite you all to peruse my blog at www-pullthepin.blogspot.com [would be please to read your comments/advice]

[AndyDevine]

My name is Andy D. Rattigan. I have lived in Brighton for two and a half years. I have an MA in International Relations and  a BA in Political Science and Sociology. I'm 33 and originally from Ireland. I am keen to start a career in Journalism. I have had a few articles published on-line during the past year. However, I currently work in the social care sector with feral youths and I really hate it.

I'm stuck in the situation of no experience, no job. However, I'm taking steps to rectify that at the moment. I was naively under the impression when I graduated last year, that finding work with an MA would be easy. In fact, it's been the exact opposite. I have just set up my own blog and I am currently contacting papers trying to get some experience.

[deba]

I am Denis Barea, 39 y.o., based in the outskirt of Venice (Italy), I work in a local news agency. I am a qualified professional journalist (to call yourself that, here, you have to pass a State Exam). More on my long...too long..post.

[lingarde]

Hi
I work for East Coast Media in Grimsby (which is not as grim as it sounds!) and am involved in training post graduates for the TV industry. Our Institute is lucky, in that it has two TV stations for students to output their work, so they get real production experience.
Prior to delving into the world of training I worked for the BBC, but started out life as a print journalist. As well as training postgrads, I teach journalism undergraduates and still manage to produce my own material for TV.
I've been given the task of securing wider work placements for undergraduates....so if they're any takers out there I would love to hear from you!

Emma Lingard

[Gilbert]

I work for a consultancy firm in Leeds. I have written a number of articles for trade journals but have incredibly limited experience within journalism - other than a work placement. I am looking to expand my abilities by travelling around Africa and volunteering for newspapers.

At the moment I earn enough to justify not taking a step onto the media ladder to gain experience or qualifications. I know that at some stage I am going to have to admit defeat, as journalism is my preferred profession.

Hopefully a lottery win, or some financial windfall, will find such a venture.

So really I am just on here to pick up tips from experienced writers and students who were sensible enough to take the route I should have ventured onto 5 years ago.

[Wadebarry]

Hi, I'm Barry Wade and I edit a magazine for a B2B title called MQR in Nottingham. It deals with quarrying and recycling issues and damn it can be dull. But as someone said to me once, there is no such thing as a dull subject just dull writing. I trained at London College of Printing in 1999 and worked for on-line and business titles as well as being a freelance. I changed over from being a teacher in the late 90s as I felt stuck in a rut. I now feel stuck in a rut again. Most jobs are in the circle of the M25 – unless you want to earn £8,000 a year on a local rag – and I want a job to get my teeth into as a journalist. Any suggestions gratefully accepted. 

[pawlu]

I'm Paul Grech and I come from Malta which has made it slightly harder for me to break into the UK market.  I write about sports but primarily about athletics. I've written for the IAAF, EAA and most recently Athletics Weekly.  I also write about football for a site called www.squarefootball.net which covers my expenses which is great.  Of course, I write locally as well for the Times of Malta and am seriously thinking of setting up my PR company to focus on local sports who as a general rule have terrible PR.

Anyway, writing for me is a way of release - something that I keep reminding myself when I find myself trying to meet deadlines at 2 am - so there isn't really any pressure to earn all my income from there.

However, in time I've managed to work myself into revenue earning commissions but it has been long and hard.  I've been at it for ten years but it is only for the past two years that it has been generating any serious revenue for me.  That said, I'm 31 so if it keeps improving then the ground work would be worth it.

Apart from the PR thing, I've also started dabbling in blogging, just like the rest of the world I guess, and am pleasantly surprised that it has started to generate revenue quite quickly.

Anyway, if anyone out there is ever over here, drop me a line!

[Harty]

Hi.
I am Steve Hart. Born in Essex, NCTJ at Harlow College many, many, years ago.
Worked in regional newspapers, radio, and now work as a freelance reporter in Auckland, New Zealand.
Glad to be here.

See: www.stevehart.co.nz for more...


Steve

[Nuala]

Hi!

Well this seems as good a place to start as any other.
I'm Nuala Gallagher. I graduated from the BA Hons Journalism degree at Sheffield University earlier this year (cannot recommend the course highly enough to anyone considering it!)

I have landed my first full-time job as the in-house journalist for an online promotions and casino company here in London and it's brilliant!

I work as a TV Presenter on Rockworld TV (since my second year of uni) and write freelance for some of the nat music mags - mostly of the rock/indie persuasion.

I do a lot of human rights personal projects - a continuance of the things I became interested in at university - in particular prison and national security concerns.

That's about it!

N

[jaynetoyne]

Im Jayne, I did NCTJ press photography in sheffield around 11 years ago
I freelanced in chesterfield and sheffield at first then moved south
I work at IPC Media in Croydon for a monthly motorbike magazine as an art ed.

i specialise in images, artworking, image manipulation etc.