Work Experience Dillema

Former Member

I am in my second year of university and next June we have to have a mandatory three weeks of work experience in the field of journalism.

So I applied to a magazine that I've read for a long time and enjoy for work experience and was really pleased to get a reply saying "yes".

However I received my information pack today and looking at what I'm actually going to be doing it's not exactly what I was expecting.

I know with most work experience you have to expect to be answering phones and making cups of tea and stuff. But I am at a point now where my work experience and my study has got me to the point where I am capable of subbing, writing my own editorials, writing features etc and I think that if I take the work placement here and do the stuff that I am going to do. Sure I will have the work experience to put on my CV but I won't get the experience i want.

I've done lots of work experience before at places like thesite (wooo) and News International. Both places where even at the age of 14 and 17 I was able to write my own editorials and got stuff published.

Should I continue my search for work experience that will actually get me to use my skills in subbing, editorial writing or stuff. Or should I keep it and make tea, answer phones and generally just get the experience for my CV.

Help please :chin:

Former Member

im so jealous of you

i only got to visit thesite.org

you got to work there

Former Member

MrG wrote:

im so jealous of you

i only got to visit thesite.org

you got to work there

Awww. Everybody is really cool aren't they? I bought some DVD's off Jim as well haha

Former Member

if it's a well respected magazine i shouldn't think it really matters what you do, does it? everyone has to start at the bottom anyway. have you spoke to friends doing the same thing?

Former Member

i had to do placements last year- i did one at a local newspaper and one at a well known national magazine. i got much more actual experience at the local paper, they gave me more opportunities to write, interview etc. i didn't do so much writing at the national magazine, it was more watching other people do it, filing etc but it gave me a really good opportunity to see how national magazines work, looks great on my CV and gave me loads on contacts which are gonna be so useful in the future.

so if i were you id stick with the magazine. as they've sent you a pack it sounds as though your placements going to be structured, just make sure you take all the opportunites they give you, volunteer to help out people etc.

out of interest, which magazine is it? (PM me if you dont want to put it on here!) just because ive done some placements at a few national magazines and it'd be interesting to see if any were in the same group as the one you're going to.)