Intern trainee reporter Review

Working as an intern trainee at two local newspapers gave me a strong insight into working in a newsdesk environment. Even though I was working at a weekly local paper, I had deadlines to meet each day, was given hands-on experience and was given the flexibility needed to pitch and research ideas for stories. The only negative is that, being a work experience student (degree level), you're often met with points in the day which seem much more idle than others. However overall the experience was enjoyable.

My mentors/employers made sure to communicate with me my tasks and duties once I started. It's quite an independently driven job to do, as you are often given press releases which help with writing stories but most of the work is done using your own initiative. I liaised with other reporters to work on some stories, and was invited to a meeting between the reporters which provided an insight into teamwork within such an independently driven environment.

I received enough guidance/support to enable me to fulfill day-to-day tasks & duties. I was thrown in the deep end on my second day, and was tasked with conducting vox pops (short public interviews aimed at gathering opinions), which I was completely new to. Overall, guidance and support was more than adequate considering how busy my mentors were.

I developed an indispensable wealth of industry knowledge, especially regarding knowledge of getting into reporting for a living (i.e. NCTJ training, some aspects of media law and punchy news writing). This work experience supplemented my course well: as an English student, wondering what line of work you want to get into often reaches a lot of dead-ends. This experience (which I did as a part of the work experience module at uni) helped me boost my confidence in journalistic ability and my will to go in the direction of working in the media.

There wasn't technically a structure to the experience other than the day-to-day experience. Reporting is known to be quite sporadic, and there were moments during which more things would crop up than at other times in the day. Because of this, I didn't necessarily expect there to be a structure other than hands-on experience, which I believe I obtained.

The atmosphere was mostly good. The experience was mostly individual-driven, though you sometimes (rarely) get the chance to collaborate and rendezvous with others on certain tasks. The people I worked with were lovely; however if you're looking to work in a lively environment, work experience in local reporting doesn't necessarily assure this.

No goals were necessarily laid out, however the experience itself moulds you very much, enhancing confidence and giving you the chance to learn. My first few articles were met with ruthless edits, as I just wasn't aware enough of the inhouse style (the style is adopted by most local news tabloids). Interviewing was quite difficult, as I wasn't equipped with a knowledge of shorthand. Naturally, it would be impossible to learn shorthand within two weeks anyway, but some knowledge of this would have helped In summary, the training and development is very much a learning curve, and built on muscle memory. I know that I need to train for an NCTJ diploma to learn shorthand for interviews.

The insight gave a good understanding of what it would be like working in the role full-time. I was made vaguely aware of the Archant Ltd. brand, although the focus is mostly on the local papers I worked for. I would be interested in returning to work for them again, as I am currently hoping to obtain the diploma qualification I need to enter the industry at a local level and hopefully move onto national news subsequently in later years.

The insight gave me some insight into the culture of the local press. I gained an understanding that local papers are just as concerned about which angle they take as national and international press. I gained an understanding (independently rather than taught) of what differentiates a press release (copywriting - writing for an advertising purpose) from a news piece (journalistic reporting - writing to provoke a response from the public). I didn't really gain any further insight into the culture of the company itself however.

The value of day-to-day actives was very important in helping me decide what I want to do. Although I am currently working as an administrator with a university, I want to find as much further experience in news reporting and some opinion writing as I can, and take the next step i.e. passing my NCTJ diploma course for the newspaper journalism industry standard, gaining vital knowledge in shorthand, media law, publishing online, etc.

I was neither paid or reimbursed, and though this was disappointing as I worked for a total of 10 weeks from 9-5, I could somewhat understand that funding is not exceptional for local newspapers. It is understandable that local papers do not pay interns or work placement students/graduates as they don't necessarily have the resources to do so. It was a challenge to fulfill the two week placement whilst studying for my degree and not being able to work part-time at my job, which provided vital income.

There were no opportunities to network with other employees. The experience was more about getting hands-on experience of daily activities, meeting with colleagues whenever I had the time, and liaising with other employees on certain pieces. This did not necessarily entail introductions, and staff writers are often busy which means you might not be able to get the chance to speak with them. Of the reporters/staff that I did meet and get the chance to network with through my own efforts though, they are very lovely people and could provide an avenue into working in the local press in the future.

Please refer to my previous answer. I did network with employees during my own free time and worked with them when it was important to collaborate to make developments on a story. Other than this, networking opportunities were next to none. I do have some of my former colleagues on LinkedIN, and have connected with one on Facebook, so those contacts are still there should I return to the local papers.

I did not. I wasn't made aware of any, but - as a two-week work placement student - was expectant of a lack of activities with employees outside of work.

I would recommend the insight to a friend. The experience is necessary for anyone hoping to gain an entry into the industry. I myself have not yet successfully made it into that industry yet, however it has pushed me to want to make it my long-term career ambition. It provided some well-needed experience and knowledge in news writing, interviewing and being able to collaborate with reporters on some projects. I would happily go back for some more experience, and am thinking of applying for two further weeks once I start my NCTJ course.