Calling all journalists!!

[YummyorSlummy]

I'm currently doing an OU degree in English with the hope of doing a postgrad masters in journalism afterwards. How important is it that a course is accredited by the National Council For Training Of Journalists? Also, I would love to eventually do features writing, but would it be best to do a Newspaper course and get some experience first, or do the course in magazine journalism?

The Journalism course my son did was not accreditted. He got a job on a local paper, but had several years of having to slog through the professional qualifications, though I seem to remember that the paper subsidised him. I'm not sure if this answer would have been any help, as the whole area is changing so quickly. The only other suggestion is that you get as much experience as you can in digital media journalism, as the whole area is moving that way.

hi, it's way more important to get practical experience of writing and reporting, and getting stuff published, than it is to get paper qualifications. try to get some work experience at your local or evening paper. (Gorkana advertises lots of intern positions on magazines too.) The best thing you can do while you're on work experience is come up with some story ideas that actually work and get printed. Newspaper/magazine editors are not particularly bothered whether you have a degree in this or that -what matters is that you can write well, and know how to find stories. the truth is they'd take a 16 year old with no GCSE's at all, if that 16 year old produced a few really good stories. you need to be very pushy and persistent to get anywhere.

Actually having NCTJ is important. It's like a 'gold standard' for journalists, particularly print journalists. You will find it easier to get a job if you have it, especially in regional press where you will be expected to have 100wpm shorthand and be safe to send to court.

Look at www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk to see what they are looking for.

Good luck with it. It won't make you a millionaire though :)

Def get your NCTJ. It puts you one step ahead of the thousands of people who just decide to become a journalist one day. You learn real skills that are too hard to teach in a busy newsroom. Not just newswriting, but interviewing, legal stuff, public affairs and shorthand.

If you want to do features and women's magazine kind of stuff do that freelance while spending a couple of years getting your head down as a newspaper hack.

Newspapers might not be the best paid but they are very highly respected. By TV and mags. They would much rather take someone with an NCTJ background that a vague 'journalism and media' degree.

The course i did was a fast track one of 19 weeks and only cost a grand. I did mine at Harlow college - where Piers Morgan went! Being a mum will mean you have a bank of case studies to write about as well. Loads of good contacts. Good luck with it!

Agree with evian - it's essential, especially as journalism is more competitive than ever.

There are a lot of students being sold down the river, frankly, by studying journalism at undergrad level on non-accredited courses then discovering that doesn't qualify them for the job.

If you want to be a news journo (print journo) NCTJ accreditation is pretty important. But work experience and getting published counts for more.