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Journalism and Writing

Research careers and find opportunities in journalism and writing.

About journalism and writing

According to the latest census data, there are over 50,000 journalists working in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. That figure for the UK as a whole could be around 60,000. In the same census, over 70,000 people identified themselves as “authors, writers and translators.”

The Future of UK Journalism report outlines dramatic changes to the sector. Challenges include changes to traditional business models and a rise in ‘fake news’. Opportunities include new ways to engage with audiences and distribute content. For aspiring journalists, this also means new ways to build your platform.

The writing industry is also changing. The Writers Guild of Great Britain has expressed concerns about the impact of AI. However, if AI tools pay writers for the use of their work, there’s potential for increased income streams.

Roles, skills and salaries

The range of companies and sectors you can work in is huge and can suit graduates with a variety of skills. 

Job profiles

Have a look at Prospects and targetjobs to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:

Journalism

For information on undertaking a postgraduate or vocational training course, see Study & Training.

Writing

Skills employers look for

Employers look for skills including:

  • the ability to write quickly, clearly, succinctly and passionately
  • excellent grammar and spelling
  • commitment, perseverance and the ability to be comfortable asking strangers uncomfortable questions
  • curiosity: a lively and enquiring mind
  • the ability to strike up a rapport with all kinds of people
  • 100 words per minute shorthand
  • a knowledge of media law
  • multimedia skills including video and blogging, writing for search optimisation and multi platforms
Salaries

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in journalism and writing can vary depending on location and the type of role.

The average salary for someone working in journalism 6 months after completing an accredited postgraduate NCTJ diploma is £22,500.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.

Be inspired

It’s not always easy to know which roles to apply for. The resources in this section can help you find inspiration from previous students.

Inspiration from people working in the industry
  • browse our Work Experience and Graduate Employment directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed
  • use LinkedIn’s Alumni tool to find out what Newcastle graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Newcastle Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started. Also, watch our quick tutorial on Getting inspiration from others [3:13]
  • attend alumni events, such as Newcastle Develop, to hear directly from our graduates
  • sign up for mentoring support with Graduate Mentor and The 1 Hour Project. These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting
  • attend events, including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions
Online reviews

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

Not sure what you want to do?

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, we can help. You can book a guidance appointment via MyCareer. Our careers consultants can help you explore your options or plan your career.

Explore career planning advice
Making career choices
Exploring your options

Sector and industry insights

Researching the industry is essential, whether it’s to:

  • help you decide which area to work in
  • identify who to apply to
  • tailor your application
  • impress an interviewer with your knowledge of the sector

Here are some resources to help you get started.

Career guides

Read career guides for this sector, such as:  

Journalism career guides

Writing career guides

Useful blogs

Industry news

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

For North East sector insights, visit:

  • North East Times - printed magazines promoting achievements that impact the local economy.
Attend events

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See our Events and workshops page for upcoming events, including recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights.

Our Creative Careers event takes place in semester two. It often includes journalists, writers, editors and other creative industry professionals. Sign up to sessions to hear about their career experiences and advice on how to gain experience.

Student societies

Join relevant student societies such as the Creative Writing Society, or the Media and Journalism Society. Take the opportunity to learn new skills, share your work and meet people with shared interests.

Social media

Use social media to find industry insights.

Join sector-specific groups on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career.

Professional bodies

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

  • run networking events
  • have specialist groups you could join
  • post vacancies on behalf of their members
  • have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Journalism organisations

Writing organisations

Scientific and technical writing organisations

Media and creative organisations

Finding professional bodies worldwide

International Journalists' Network (IJNet) includes articles, job and internship opportunities, courses and scholarships

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.

Guide to finding opportunities

Gaining experience in this sector can be highly competitive and often unpaid.

Some recruiters advertise opportunities. You may need to contact others with a speculative approach.

Try not be disheartened by rejections. It can take a lot of persistence to find opportunities in this field.

If you are considering working on an unpaid basis, you may have questions about your rights. We offer advice on our unpaid work experience page, as well as Make it Happen funding which can cover expenses for attending work experience.

You might also be interested in:

There are various ways to find internships, placements and graduate opportunities. We’ve added some tips below to help you get started.

  • search for advertised vacancies using the vacancy sites listed below
  • create your own opportunity by working freelance
  • look at the careers sections on organisation websites for student and graduate opportunities. Use Researching Employers to help you gain insights into organisations
  • contact employers speculatively – see non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs to help you find organisations to approach
  • attend events such as recruitment fairs and employer and sector insights
  • follow organisations on social media for latest news and updates
  • register with EmployAbility if you are disabled, neurodivergent or have a mental health condition. They can offer advice and support on applications to Newcastle students. They also run first year, internship and graduate programmes with inclusive employer partners
  • ask family and friends if they have any useful contacts who may be able to offer you work experience
  • consider alternative ways to find relevant experience and develop your skills
  • consider registering with a recruitment agency for graduate jobs

Advertised work experience

Placements and summer internships are usually aimed at undergraduate students in and above their second or penultimate year of study. Some companies will also consider first and final year students.

Top tips for applying for work experience
  • know and love the medium you want to work in
  • whoever you apply for, make sure you're familiar with their content and show enthusiasm for it
  • do your homework and find out staff names, roles and everything you can about the company
  • call them to find out who's in charge of work experience and address your recipient by name
  • write a brief email, introducing yourself, explaining what you're looking for and your skills
  • tailor each email to the specific publication
Search for internships and placement years

Use our resources to get started:

The following organisations offer opportunities for work experience or internships

Search the following external sites for more opportunities:

For further advice on finding work experience, see targetjobs: Getting graduate work experience in journalism.

NCL internships

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage and often include content writing projects.

Search for these under Vacancies on MyCareer. Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.

Worldwide experience

IJNet: Opportunities advertises internships and scholarship opportunities around the world.

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world
Looking for ideas

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our NU Work Experience Directory. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.

Advertised graduate opportunities

There are some graduate training schemes available in journalism - competition for these is fierce.

Examples of employers that run such schemes include Thomson Reuters and the Financial Times.

For a full list of journalism graduate and trainee schemes, see Journo Resources.

When to apply

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.

For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible.

UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.

Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.

Vacancy sites

Use our resources to get started:

  • MyCareer – search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
  • Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites

Journalism vacancy sites

Writing vacancy sites

Writers are almost exclusively self-employed. Most publishing houses will not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so consider employing an agent. The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook lists literary agents.

You could look for opportunities using the following resources:

Worldwide vacancy sites

See International jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites.

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

  • additional vacancy websites
  • CV, application and interview advice
  • advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

Non-advertised work experience and graduate jobs

Not all internships, placements and graduate jobs are advertised. In fact, most people in this sector create opportunities through:

A speculative approach is common for finding work experience and graduate jobs. This is where you approach a company directly to ask if they have any opportunities available.

How to access hidden opportunities

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:

  1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
  2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
  3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
  4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!
When to contact organisations

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you:

  • start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts
  • contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin
How to find organisations
UK organisations
  • targetjobs - search employers by sector
  • HoldtheFrontPage – UK media directory. Includes all daily and weekly newspapers as well as media companies
  • Media UK - searchable directories for the British media industry
  • The National Association of Press Agencies (NAPA) gives details of press agencies
  • Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.
  • Who Pays Writers? – a crowd-sourced database. Offers information about pay rates across print and digital media publications
  • Where to pitch – find relevant publications based on topic
Worldwide organisations

Find a global list of newspapers at Online Newspapers

Search GoinGlobal’s employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world.

Specialist recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies can be useful for finding graduate jobs.

These tend to be for immediate start positions. See recruitment agencies to find more agencies. 

Finding overseas recruitment agencies

GoinGlobal’s country guides include details of recruitment agencies in specific countries. They are listed under the following headings:

  • staffing agencies and temporary help firms
  • executive recruiters and search firms

Recruitment agencies may not operate in the same way in different countries. In the UK agencies are free for job seekers, but this may not be the case elsewhere. Explore the terms and conditions of an agency before signing up to use them.

Other ways to gain relevant experience

Student media

Getting involved in media while at University is a great way to develop and showcase your skills

Hospital and community radio

You can find volunteer vacancies and build up broadcasting experience.

Competitions

Get feedback on your work, showcase your skills, make contacts and, of course, win prizes.

More suggestions

To help you develop your skills and gain relevant experience, you could:

  • consider creating your own blog, vlog or website to showcase your work. Contribute to websites or forums which allow users to submit reviews or comments
  • sign up for free online courses to develop new skills. Eg if you’re interested in copywriting skills, you could look at SEO or keyword research courses
  • complete a free virtual internship. For example, with Forage, you can filter by career interest to find job simulations
  • attend events and network to make contacts and connections, eg through ScreenSkills
  • see volunteering for potential opportunities

Work for yourself

Working as self-employed or freelance is common in this sector. Use the following guides for advice and information about how to get started.

Journalism
Writing

Our START UP team can help you explore working for yourself at any stage. Whether you want to explore an idea or have already launched a business or freelance career, you can access the following help:

  • support with idea generation
  • provide tailored advice
  • help you develop your skills
  • introduce you to like-minded peers
  • refer you to further support from mentors
  • award grant funding up to £3,000

Study and training

Employers in journalism are most interested in real experience and relevant practical skills.

Entry with a postgraduate journalism degree can improve your chances. This is especially true if it is NCTJ accredited or includes relevant work experience.

Courses can also provide valuable training in media law, ethics and shorthand. For newspaper journalism, pre-entry routes include one-year full-time postgraduate courses. These lead to a postgraduate diploma or Master's degree.

There are also fast-track, 18 to 20-week postgraduate courses. These are intensive, practical courses usually leading to the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism.

It's worth researching potential employers to find out which qualifications they prefer.

Postgraduate entry is the most common route to a career in broadcast journalism. The BJTC and NCTJ accredit postgraduate courses that offer both theoretical and practical training.

For more information, read Journo Resources’ Do I Need An NCTJ?

Finding courses
Scholarships and awards

For more information on postgraduate courses and funding, see Further Study.

Related sectors

Our occupational guides can help you explore and consider your options. If you’re interested in journalism and writing you may also be interested in:

Find vacancies
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