Breaking into the media industry can appear to be a daunting task, but it is entirely possible to secure a dream job role in TV, radio or print if you have the confidence to develop your skills, contacts and experience.
The UK offers an abundance of exciting career opportunities with world-class universities and renowned corporations such as the BBC. The emergence of YouTube and other online platforms has also increased the scope for media and the arts.
Higher education
The FDA in Media Production at Bolton University features in a list of top 25 courses for media on the website Academic Courses. This foundation degree will provide you with knowledge about working in a range of media channels and platforms, including radio and TV, visual communications and interactive and games media. Cross-platform skills are more important in the digital age as professionals in the industry now need to create, design, edit and publish content across a variety of channels. This two to three-year course is a great entry point for those with a broad interest in media.
Warwick is ranked second in the league table for media and film studies in the latest university guide by the Guardian. Undergraduates could opt for the Theatre and Performance Studies course, which is focused on the arts and features practical and seminar-based modules on subjects such as Writing for Performance, Historiography and Marketing. Meanwhile, the MA in Global Media and Communication at Warwick is centred on the production and consumption of media around the world.
Loughborough also features in the Guardian’s top ten for media courses. Its Media and Creative Industries degree is open to postgraduates who have attained an honours degree of 2:1 or above in an associated media or social sciences subject. The course, which can last one year full-time or up to four years part-time, aims to educate students about the economic, cultural, political and social aspects of creative industries for further analysis.
UK students have a wealth of options to choose from for general media studies. Queen Mary University of London tops the UK universities list, but Kent, Southampton, Cardiff, King’s College London, Newcastle, Swansea and Leeds are among other great media-focused institutions with high satisfaction rates.
Work experience
Formal education is generally a prerequisite for opening up exciting media opportunities and laying the foundation for a career in the industry, but it should be supplemented by work experience.
The BBC, which has extensive media centres at its Salford Quays headquarters in Manchester, as well as in Bristol and London, is one of the best corporations for media opportunities. It offers numerous work experience placements in News and Journalism, TV, Radio and Business support, each of which last two weeks. Meanwhile, the BBC Kick Off Trainee Sports Reporter Scheme is an eight-week placement for those aged 18 and over, and no previous journalism or media experience is required.
For those looking to get into print media and magazines, Hearst Magazines UK offers internships and work experience across each of its brands, which includes Men’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Elle and Company. To apply for the four-week work experience placements, you need to contact the brands directly. Guardian News & Media also has unpaid two-day to two-week placements for budding journalists and media enthusiasts.