Success Stories

Our successful students write for prestigious publications

Where do City College journalists end up - The Times, Vogue, New Statesman?

Well assuming they complete the course successfully, yes, these sorts of publications and more.

Last year we had 90%+ success rate of students getting staff or freelance positions on local newspapers/magazines, national magazines and websites.

So we now have staffers on Bizarre magazine, The Crawley News and a BBC local news website. With print media becoming part of the new media platform and mags and papers moving into online we find some students ending up in places they little expected: TV research, Radio, TV presenting even.

Students who have made a name for themselves include:

Claire French (2011)

Claire French

I may have come to City College with some experience of writing for print, but what I learnt on the fast-track NCTJ has been invaluable for where I am now. The knowledge passed on in the five month course - that at the time felt like information overload - could not be more valuable for any newly qualified journalist hoping to work in news.

Shorthand, legal knowledge and of course news writing skills are a necessity in the newsroom: the course provided at CCB thoroughly prepares every ambitious student for a future in a newsroom.

After recovering from the pressures of the NCTJ, which I completed in July 2011, I freelanced at ITV Meridian for a number of weeks before realising that television news was not something I enjoyed. I then landed maternity cover work at the Surrey Advertiser in Guildford and have recently been given a permanent staff position on the Elmbridge edition of the paper. My McNae law book, defaced by notes and post-its, has a prominent position on my desk.

The course at CCB was tough - deadlines can be strict and there is a lot to take in - but for anyone trying to get into journalism, this is the reality of the industry.

Sarah Furbank (2011)

Sarah Furbank

After studying the fast-track NCTJ magazine journalism course at City College, I got a job at the Friday Media Group a month or so after finishing the course. I now write for various websites that the Group run, including various classified sites and niche market websites, like Horsemart and Natives.

I spend most of my time working on a news and events website for Brighton and Hove – Brighton and Hove Free Press. I write news articles, events previews and reviews and other articles and features related to life in Brighton and Hove. I also spend a lot of my time sub-editing articles written by other contributors and help spread the word about the site to people interested in writing and other organisations in the city. We’re always looking for more contributors, so get in touch if you’d like to get involved! We also run two other Free Press sites: www.uckfieldfreepress.co.uk and www.wightbayfreepress.co.uk.

The NCTJ journalism course prepared me for the job by helping me develop my writing skills, in both feature and news writing, and helped give me the confidence to get out there and find things worth writing about. Studying subjects like Law and Public Affairs also equipped me with vital knowledge that I still use every day at work.

Finn Laurie-Scott (2009-10)

They'll tell you two things when you sign up for the course, both aimed to distinguish the browsing shoppers from the serious customers. First of all it's extremely hard. Within 18 weeks you'll have to essentially learn a new language (shorthand); negotiate the complexities of local and central government; and gain a basic legal understanding of what you can and can't say in print. Then there's the news writing itself, where you'll have to suspend all your essayist waffle in favour of sharp, economic language. Call it a classical training if you will - you'll learn that presenting information as simply and purely as possible will inevitably improve your voice away from news writing too.

The other main emphasis is on the industry and more specifically, the job sector. While the course is aimed at preparing you for work, you shouldn't ever feel entitled to a plum job - you need to work extremely hard at this as well. But with tutors fresh from the industry there's plenty of sound, practical advice at hand. Having finished the course in early February, I did a month of unpaid work experience at the West Sussex County Times, part of Johnston Press, a regional publisher that course leader Peter Lindsey has strong links with. From here I was offered an interview for a trainee reporter role, and after one week in the job I have covered the general election count and interviewed MPs. Getting your face known at regional papers is crucial to getting to the interview stage, especially when vacancies are attracting 100s of applications. By no means a passport into the industry, if you are determined to make it, this course is an invaluable stepping stone.

Caelainn Barr

Caelainn Barr (2009-10)

I started my NCTJ at City College Brighton and Hove in September 2009 after traveling and writing on and off for a couple of years. The course, stressful and all as it could be at times, gave me many of the skills I needed for working in the 'real-world'. The knowledge I gained through public affairs and law have both proved to be invaluable in my everyday work.

I chose the mags course, not because I wanted to write for one type of publication but because I was attracted to writing articles with a longer term focus. An article I wrote for my portfolio about children in detention in Yarl's Wood was what really gave my confidence a boost. The article was published in The Independent which pushed me to pitch more articles and apply for more jobs.

After the course I moved to London to work as an intern for a broadcast company. It's an incredibly diverse workplace and there are always new skills to learn and keep me on my toes. To date in my print related work, I have collaborated with the Guardian on FOI requests and continue to work with the Financial Times on EU topics.

Ben Ince

Ben Ince (2009-10)

I signed up for the magazine course, looking to hone my writing, proofing and sub-editing skills to enable me to transition from my previous job in broadcast journalism to print journalism.

The course provided me with the practical skills I needed to succeed as a writer, along with a host of invaluable insights into the nature of the industry itself, from tutors who have first-hand experience of working within it. The level of organisation, motivation and self-discipline required to complete the course was also excellent preparation for entering into an incredibly competitive job market.

Since completing the course I have freelanced for various publications including Outdoor Photography magazine, The Argus and MMA Unltd magazine amongst others. I am currently attending interviews for a number of journalism vacancies in London and am hoping to secure a salaried staff job in the coming months.

Sophie Baker

Sophie Baker (2008-09)

Congratulations to former student Sophie who has just been made editor of FST Magazine, a leading business titles for IT decision makers in the UK and European financial services sector

Sophie had a triple page spread in Company magazine (on honour killings), after just seven weeks on the magazine course. A highly organised and motivated student Sophie had an excellent contacts base and used these people constructively during the course.

Dan Hunter (2008-09)

The course helped me get a job and learn how to write properly, which is essential for any PR company.

Although It is a journalism course, I would not have got my PR job without it, it looks great on a CV and without the work experience weeks, I would have had no reference to give to my employer.

Lauren Greatorex (2008-09))

As a child I considered becoming a journalist.
Once I graduated aged 22 (with an MA in History and bleak job prospects) I decided to pull myself together and actively pursue journalism as a career. From a practical point of view the NCTJ newspaper course suited me perfectly as a way to get into this highly competitive industry.

However, it was actually much more than that. I loved my time on the course. I met amazing people, learnt invaluable skills and was one of the few people to thoroughly enjoy shorthand.
Since leaving the course I have undertaken LOTS of work experience but as a result opened myself up to lots of opportunities.

I was offered roles on local newspapers but decided to pursue a career in the not dissimilar world of Public Relations.
I now work as an Account Executive at a national PR firm - Man Bites Dog – based in Hove. My job is varied, exciting, creative and uses all of the same skills I learnt at City College. The skills I acquired on the NCTJ undoubtedly got me my job. On a day-to-day basis I liase with national journalists, write press releases and attempt to ‘hijack’ any news stories I can get my hands on.

A knowledge of the newspaper industry, an understanding of journalists in general and solid writing skills are must-haves. Areas of the course which seem very newspaper-specific such as shorthand and public affairs also give me a definite edge.
The course is extremely hard work - and requires dedication - but I would recommend the NCTJ to anyone looking to work in a media-related industry.
It certainly worked for me!

Alex Therrien (2008-09)

The NCTJ newspaper course at City College Brighton gave me a strong grounding in journalism and directly contributed to me landing the job I wanted. From the beginning, the course leader, Pete Lindsey, introduced us not only to the essentials of news writing but also to the things it takes to succeed in such a competitive industry.

Pete's experience as a journalist and editor was also a massive help when it came to gaining work experience, which can often lead to the opportunities that result in jobs.

But the course isn't just about news writing, and we learned to develop our feature writing skills, as well as shorthand, public affairs and law. For those of us not sure which direction we wanted to take in our journalism careers the regular speakers proved really useful. Journalists from national and local newspapers and magazines explained not only their experiences but also the steps they had taken to secure jobs and climb the professional ladder. Two months after completing the course I was able to gain a job as a reporter on a local paper. It's far and away the best job I've ever had, and one that is never the same from day to day. It's also one I never could have gained without taking the course.

Nowadays the NCTJ prelims are often essential just to secure work experience, let alone an interview or a job, so anyone who wants a career in journalism needs them. City College Brighton, with its strong lessons and friendly atmosphere, is a great place to take them.

Andy Potter (2008-9)

Andy Potter

The NCTJ course prepares our students for a variety of careers where they can apply their journalistic skills - Marketing being one of them.

Andy Potter is a recent City College graduate who has landed his dream job Millivres Prowler Group, one of the world’s leading and longest-established media companies that specialise in reaching the gay and lesbian market. Andy is a Marketing Assistant in the Brands Development Department following a successful work experience placement.

So there you have it - dedication and commitment to the course here can lead to an exciting, if demanding, future!

Olivia Laing (2005-6)

Olivia Laing

Olivia is a former magazine student is now reviewer and editor for the Guardian and Observer, and writes for the Times Literary Supplement.

Olivia started out with a highly successful blog which was literary in style and very outré in subject matter.

A natural to writing, she has moved from an occasional reviewer for the Observer, which came from a very successful work placement there while on the course, to the post of Deputy Literary editor.

Justin McKeating (2003-4)

Justin McKeating

Justin is a respected political blogger who has been featured in the heavies and edited last year's annual Blog Digest book.

He started out in blogging with his own Chicken Yoghurt site, before moving into the popular leftfield, and now sadly defunct, Friday Thing: a one time compendium of the most biting political satire from the UK.

Justin is currently the lead man for Greenpeace on nuclear energy reporting and writes a daily blog on their respected and widely read national and international website.

Claire Truscott (2003-4)

Claire Truscott

Claire has a highly prestigious posting as Pakistan-Afghanistan correspondent for Agence France Presse, having previously worked for the global wire agency in Thailand covering breaking news and features in South-east Asia.

Claire has been part of the panel on the BBC South East Politics show and has worked for Channel 4 News and the Guardian website, having previously done a stint with the Mail on Sunday. Claire has long had the desire for her reporting to make a difference ever since her time working for the Africa desk of the BBC World Service.

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