Have you ever considered coming to London from abroad or maybe even elsewhere in the UK to explore internship opportunities? Or maybe you’re already here living the city life working in another industry but dream of starting a new career path in journalism and media.
I have written before about the benefits of work experience which I am a strong advocate for, particularly while at college or university and making those critical decisions about your future career.
What is an internship?
Internships take work experience a step further, they last longer and fully immerse you (likely a student or graduate) into your chosen field of work as you learn the ropes of the job and gain knowledge about the industry and its key people. There may be a degree of tea making, but internships are treated as real jobs and therefore the expectation of you and your fellow interns is higher.
Having a good internship under your belt and listed on your CV can be worth its weight in gold, particularly if you’re ambitious and looking to fast track yourself into higher paid positions of employment quicker.
Internships also differ in their style of format, some are brand or company hosted, meaning that you go to work for an often large organisation in-house that funds their own internship program to attract the best (graduate) talent. Fabulous if you can snap up a lucrative place on one of these programs, but they are hugely competitive and often require a long and intense application process.
Journalism internships London
Alternatively you can opt for an internship that operates like a course, where your learning and work cover a number of companies and/or brands that you may later be employed by.
This is what Journalism internships London offers and while it is a paid for course, it offers a broader experience in journalism which at the beginning of your career, can support a better foundation of learning as you’re not constrained by one set of ideas and way to do things that an in-house internship program might do.
If the prospect of an internship wasn’t exciting enough, London is an amazing city, bustling with a diverse multi-cultured array of people, art, music, theater, and history, and a wealth of magnificent sightseeing to list just a few reasons to visit and study here; you would never be without things to do.
Four reasons why London is great for starting your journalism and media career
Abundance of work opportunities – Many of the world’s top media organisations and publishing houses run their UK operations from London, as well as hundreds of other small and medium sized companies and marketing agencies.
Contacts – with Journalism internships London the course has been designed so that during your time in the city, you are given a wealth of networking opportunities to meet key individuals and teams who can help steer your career path in the right direction beyond your internship.
There is a lot of truth in the saying, “it’s not about what you know, it’s who you know” and while your internship will provide you with that essential foundation of learning, you must be proactive about making those key connections to be exposed to suitable job opportunities and industry events both during your time in the city on your course, and beyond.
Culture -London is a bustling hub of diversity, there is something here for everyone and anyone.
Inspiration around every corner -creative people find ideas everywhere and London will give you inspiration in bucket loads.
Summary
Internships aren’t for everyone, in the same way university might not be the preferred route for everyone in their pursuit of a career. You might decide that ploughing straight into the world of work and progressing yourself over time as your experience develops is best.
I’ve explored a multitude of career routes since leaving school, some of which included undertaking various courses leading to new qualifications, before settling on a career in marketing.
Deciding what you want to do in life is drilled into us from a young age and as we near the end of secondary school the decisions we make about our next steps intensify, but after a while you realise that nothing is set in stone and few things these days are a forever commitment.
Remember, it’s never too late to change career direction, or take opportunities such as internships and other further education courses to enhance your knowledge and skills to broaden your horizons. The world is your oyster and only the hungry push the boundaries of what can be achieved in a lifetime.
Until next time x
*Paid for blog post. All writing and opinions are my own.
