Newspaper journalists investigate and write up stories for local, regional and national newspapers.
£15,000 Starter
to£50,000 Experienced
37 to 39 variable
evenings / weekends / bank holidays flexibly
You can get into this job through:
You can get into this career through a degree in journalism or English, or a postgraduate journalism qualification.
If you have a degree, you may be able to do an 18 to 22 week Fast Track NCTJ Diploma in Journalism course offered by National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).
You'll usually need:
You could start as a trainee on a local or regional newspaper.
You'll need a minimum of five GCSE grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, or equivalent qualifications. Many recruits may have A levels or degree level qualifications.
Opportunities are rare and you'll need to show you've got writing experience. It's a good idea to start building a portfolio of your published work to show to potential employers, especially if these include your name.
To build up your experience you can:
You could take a journalism qualification like those offered by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) like:
You can study towards some NCTJ qualifications by distance learning. To follow this route you would need to arrange work experience so that you can practise your skills.
There are a number of bursaries available to eligible journalism students. These include:
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has more careers information.
You'll need:
Your day-to-day tasks may include:
You could work in an office.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
With experience, you could become a chief reporter or a specialist writer, covering areas like politics, business or particular regions of the country. You could move to a national newspaper or work as a critic.
You could move into other areas such as magazine, broadcast or online journalism. Or you could work in a press office or public relations.