Best place to do an NCTJ in newspaper journalism?

[Brighton Breezy]

Anyone got any advice? Would ideally like to stay in Sussex but considering Nottingham Trent.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

I thought you were planning on Brighton in your "best place to live" thread?

 

[London Irish]

I'd try and do it as close as possible to where you want to get your first job - so you can badger them for as much work experience and shifts as possible.

Out of interest, do you have a clear idea of where you want to work?

 

[Brighton Breezy]

No idea of where I want to work, but preferably in the south east, either London or Brighton...but to be honest I would be happy to be working in journalism anywhere.

Watch the London Irish v gloucester game? My mate came on, spoke to him today and he was happy with how he propped..bit of a mission against Vickery.

 

[Bobby's Gull]

Brighton Uni - based in Eastbourne though!

 

[London Irish]

Watch the London Irish v gloucester game? My mate came on, spoke to him today and he was happy with how he propped..bit of a mission against Vickery.

He was one of the few good things about a rough old day in the West Country! Hope the west is a luckier hunting ground on Saturday.

Meet Richie's mate:

http://www.london-irish.com/sub_newsview.ink?nid=11478

 

[Gwylan]

Kelly Osbourne? Weirdo.

To answer the original question, surely it's the place that you'd rather be. The NCTJ is a standard qualification and it will be other factors that come into play.

I think London Irish's suggestion on work experience is a good one though. Getting that first job is often based on who you know.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

Kelly Osbourne? Weirdo.

To answer the original question, surely it's the place that you'd rather be. The NCTJ is a standard qualification and it will be other factors that come into play.

I think London Irish's suggestion on work experience is a good one though. Getting that first job is often based on who you know.

I'd just add that where you know can often be damned near as useful as who you know if you are going to be starting your career on a provincial paper. Given that you are taking a standard qualification, it might be better to choose somewhere you aren't going to want to make a hasty escape from as soon as the course is over.

 

[Beeneys gloves]

I'd just add that where you know can often be damned near as useful as who you know if you are going to be starting your career on a provincial paper. Given that you are taking a standard qualification, it might be better to choose somewhere you aren't going to want to make a hasty escape from as soon as the course is over.

Agree with this entirely, I got into newspapers after badgering people getting some freelance work and then when a job came up at the paper I was asked to come along to interview and the rest went from there.
Havent actually got NCTJ exam so just getting it doesnt necessarily mean it guarantees a job. Stay in touch with whoever u do work exp with so that u are always in their mind when something comes up is the best advice. Most jobs do want NCTJ tho so studying it cant do u any harm.

 

[Brighton Breezy]

In my friends defence I think some answers were tongue in cheek.

Im trying to get some free lance stuff published and what have you and building up a decent portfolio.

If anyone owns a publication they want articles written for just let me know

 

[Storer68]

Did mine at Portsmouth (Higbury College as was - now part of Portsmouth Uni I think). handy for albion home matches - well it was closer than Stockport

As someone else, it doesn't guarantee a job tho it does give editors an assurance of comptence.

Is the pay still crap - that's why I left

 

[Man of Harveys]

I did the newspaper NCTJ at Highbury College back in 1992. Didn't much rate the course or most of the lecturers, to be honest, although it is apparently well thought-of.

I quit after two terms and landed a job with my current employer (!) and was apparently the best paid person who'd been on the course...sounds cocky (how different I was...) but I'd learnt all I was going to from them by then.

 

[Josky]

Anyone got any advice? Would ideally like to stay in Sussex but considering Nottingham Trent.

Why not Brighton College of Journalism at City College Brighton and Hove?

They do the one-year NCTJ news journalism course - although the quality of the teaching is questionable...

 

[On the Left Wing]

Richie
I am a former newspaper editor and national journalist ... I still have loads of contacts in the industry and if you need any help/advice please feel welcome to PM me and I will try to help in any way I can.
Among the best current NCTJ training colleges are Darlington, Preston and Portsmouth ... but there are many other good places to train and many of the Uni's are now offering post-grad training which is threatening to replace NCTJ. Edinburgh and Glasgow for instance ended their NCTJ courses four years ago in favour of graduate and post-grad training ....

 

[Albion Rob]

I can only speak from my own experience, I went to Highbury and thoroughly enjoyed the course. It seemed quite well run and lasts 20 weeks, so you really plough through it, which I found useful.

Having said that, I think there have been staff changes in the department, so I don't know if the course is as good now.

For those who have been to Highbury I have two words which make one name. Dave Kett.

 

[London Irish]

Dave Kett.

f***ing LEGEND

 

[Brighton Breezy]

Cheers everyone.

 

[Man of Harveys]

f***ing LEGEND

Blimey, seems we have quite a few Highbury College old boys here.

Was Dave Kett the diminutive politics lecturer/teacher?

Can't remember the names of the rest of them though, Bernie someone (bearded, burly), Garry someone (moustachioed, talked about Madonna a lot), Bob somone (posh, smiled a lot, used to edit the Portsmouth News), Steve Wood (?), a man seemingly endlessly fascinated by the then infamous porn channel Red Hot Dutch.

I liked the magistrates court reporting best: the turgid fall-out from drunken pikeys clobbering each other to bits on estates in Hilsea.

 

[Gwylan]

I went to London College of Printing.

I loved court reporting too...dodgy dealings in south London's least salubrious areas

 

[jonnyboylennon]

Currently doing NCTJ at City College in Brighton, as I said Richie if you want any advice or contacts for my particular course/college just send me a PM.