Broadcast Journalist Review

The placement i went on was very enjoyable. I met some great people and made good industry connections. I was entrusted to do important jobs which made me feel respected and valued. I not only got to experience office environment but got to go out on location and conduct interviews and field work. This variety was exciting and very enjoyable

I felt very valued. The people i worked with would continually reassure me that i was capable of completing tasks which had big responsibility. I was treated with respect and spoken to as an equal. Additionally my role never felt superfluous as I was always given something to do. I was immediately made to feel comfortable and was even invited to spend my breaks with my colleges. The people there would always offer me support and guidance if i needed it.

A great deal. I was allowed to shadow one of my peers at the beginning to get a feel for the organisation as they wanted to ensure i wasn't thrown in at the deep end. When I was sent out to complete tasks as an individual the lines of communication were always open, and they made me feel like I could reach out to them if i needed help.

The skills i learnt were transferable to both real life and my university degree. I was able to nurture current skills such as communication and develop new ones like learning new programme software. This made me feel more competent when completing university assignments as I had a broader knowledge of my field. Furthermore, I was able to observe and fine tune workplace conduct so I can appear more profession for any future job interviews.

Very good. I worked appropriate hours and was allowed a lunch break in between. Working 10-4 was a great introduction as it was 2 hours shy of a typically working day. I believe this prevented me from becoming overwhelmed with the workload. Equally, I think it was great to allow me to have a day of shadowing/bedding in before I went into completing work by myself. I was able to observe my colleagues and implement some of their advice into my own work.

There was always a good atmosphere. This in turn had a positive impact on the work. There was never any pressure enforced on me which meant I was able to work in optimal conditions without stress. The people I worked with always spoke highly of their job roles which made me think I had made the correct decision to pursue a career in this field. My mentor was affable and made himself available to me if i had any issues. I immediately felt comfortable and relaxed.

My first day of placement was dedicated to me getting used to my environment and learning what role I’d be undertaking. I had a personal mentor who I could refer to if i was struggling. He gave me guidance and advice when I was unsure of how to work new software. I often asked for advice from him and he would rely to me his experiences in the business. He also told me of the best ways to network and get a start in the industry.

I believe my time on placement was an accurate reflection of what a full time role would look like. My workload wasn't altered and therefore was no different to that of my peers who had full time jobs. Equally, I was still expected to conduct myself in accordance to the company rules and wasn’t given special liberties just because I wasn't working full time. The only part that didn't reflect a full time role were my hours of work. However, I don't believe my understanding of the job role would change because of this.

Most of my understanding of the company’s culture came from my pre-existing perception and other people's opinions. I wasn't informed of any specifics in terms of the culture, but I feel they would have told me should I have inquired about such. I had already acquired a basic understanding through research and what i had learned on my degree course about the industry. I don't, however, think this effected how I was able to apply myself or the work I produced.

Extremely valuable. Feedback from my peers reinforced why I wanted to work in this field. The freedom and license for creativity I was afforded was something I didn't think i'd get so I was encouraged by this. I got to hone my ability for interviewing and script writing which are skills i enjoy practising. Furthermore, the environment and teamwork aspect made it enjoyable. The unpredictable nature of news creation meant I was never bored and was constantly motivated to produce interesting and varied content.

I had to travel to conduct interviews and I paid for this. However the amount was small so I never queried it.

While there were not any official events- I was able to meet with high up members of the team including the news editor for radio in the North West. Furthermore, I obtained the contact details of some of my peers to keep in touch with. A formal opportunity to meet people would have been extremely beneficial as it would have allowed for me to present the best version of myself and make a good impression.

As stated above- there was no official events. But when meeting individuals who worked for the company they did give me there contact details, so I could remain in touch.

I was not aware of any

Absolutely. It's a great way to network and build skills. It's also great to experience what working life is like so that you don't feel overwhelmed upon the completion of your degree, not knowing what a workplace is like. The experience made me more confident as an individual and more independent which are skills I have implemented into my everyday life. The work placement was invaluable for me.