Newspaper journalist : Entry requirements

This area of work is open to graduates of any discipline but an undergraduate degree in journalism may improve your chances. However, experience and personal qualities are considered extremely important as well.

Entry without a degree, HND or foundation degree is possible, but becoming increasingly difficult.

More than 60% of new entrants to newspaper journalism industry are graduates. Graduates can choose to several pre-entry routes into newspaper journalism. There are full-time one year postgraduate courses, which result in a postgraduate diploma or Masters degree. There are also fast track 18-20 week postgraduate courses. Students should check that their courses will be well-regarded by potential employers.

A course accredited by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ)  is generally highly regarded and will usually include your preliminary NCTJ examinations. These include exams on news writing, public affairs, government, media law, including court reporting, and shorthand. These exams are essential to sit the National Certificate Examination (NCE), which you would take once you have been in employment for 18 months.

The NCTJ also runs distance learning courses in newspaper and magazine journalism. The Newspaper Society  lists NCTJ-accredited courses and local newspaper web addresses on its website.

Entry with an HND or foundation degree is possible if you have relevant skills and experience. Some foundation degrees in journalism are recognised by the NCTJ, including the foundation course in journalism from the Press Association Training . Direct entry, whereby individuals are recruited by newspapers onto a two-year training contract, is possible, but increasingly rare.

Entry with a postgraduate degree is possible especially if this is NCTJ accredited or includes relevant work experience. Postgraduate students from subjects not related to journalism will still have to gain experience and writing skills and may need to consider a relevant pre-entry course in journalism.

Potential candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

• strong written and oral communication skills;
• a keen interest in news, current affairs, business and people;
• accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation;
• good organisation skills and the ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines;
• an ability to grasp complex issues quickly and explain them in simple, concise language;
• resilience, determination, flexibility, persistence and motivation.

Competition for the limited graduate trainee places with large newspaper groups and national papers is extremely fierce. Programmes vary from year to year and details may not be widely circulated, as editors rely on candidates to take the initiative to research opportunities. This is particularly true in times of recession and reduced staff numbers.

You will need a good record of relevant work experience, accompanied by a professional file of cuttings (i.e. samples of your published writing). Take every opportunity to write articles and reviews for local, free, national or specialist publications. Get involved in student newspapers and try to build up a network of sources.

Join the National Union of Journalists (NUJ)  as a student and keep an eye on publications like the MediaGuardian  or the Press Gazette  for work experience. Pressure on work experience is greatest in June and July, so be proactive and try at other times in the year too. Do not despair at rejections; editors appreciate and respect persistence and the desire to succeed.

Initiatives like the NUJ's George Viner Memorial Fund  aim to support black and Asian students through training. The Journalism Diversity Fund    supports the training of journalists from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds onto NCTJ accredited courses. The Society of Editors  also have a campaign backed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) .The Guardian Media Group ’s The Scott Trust Bursary Scheme  offers bursaries to 10 postgraduate students each year.

For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.