VIII|THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR MEDIA BBC PICTURESThe Daily TelegraphSARAH MONTAGUE, PRESENTER ON THE TODAY PROGRAMME, ARRIVED AT THE BBC VIA AN UNCONVENTIONAL ROUTE DID YOU START AS A GRADUATE TRAINEE AT THE BBC? No, after studying Biology at Bristol University I went into the City and worked at NatWest Stockbrokers and then selling Eurobonds, again for NatWest. This was all in the wake of the ‘87 crash and I was made redundant from both jobs, so I travelled around the world for 18 months — which was fantastic. When I came back I went to work with a university friend, but that was rather disastrous. So at 26 I’d been made redundant twice and fallen out with a friend over business. WHAT DID YOU DO NEXT? I went back to Guernsey, where my family are from, and approached the local TV station, Channel TV. I’d always wondered about broadcasting, but I hadn’t been sure how to start. There were about three people at my local station and I offered to make the coffee for two weeks if they would let me watch how they made programmes. Kindly, they let me, and after a couple of days a story needed covering and they were at full stretch, so they asked me. After that they gave me more stories then started paying me — but it was very ad hoc, with bookings of no more than a couple of weeks. Eventually Jersey TV offered me a year’s contract so I went there. DID YOU RECEIVE ANY TRAINING? No, at least nothing formal. But local TV can be a fantastic place to learn because you do everything: you know you have two programmes a day to fill and as a reporter you have to find the stories, film them and edit them — all very speedily. WHERE DID YOU GO FROM THERE? All along I’d wanted to move back to London, but my showreels were constantly sent back to me, virtually unopened. On holiday in London, I managed to get a day’s booking at ITN and that mushroomed into more days. So I took the leap, left Jersey, freelanced for ITN and started presenting for Sky and Reuters, too. When the BBC launched News 24 they asked me to present it alongside Gavin Esler. AND FROM NEWS 24? I started doing shifts for other BBC programmes: Newsnight, news bulletins, BBC Breakfast and Hard Talk (which I still do). In 2000 I did my first shift for Today and when Sue McGregor left I took over her shifts. The BBC are very good at moving you around and you can do short attachments to programmes which often open new doors. HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR JOB SATISFACTION? Very, very high — I love it. It’s a fantastic feeling when the interviews have gone well and we’ve presented a lively, interesting set of stories. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR ASPIRING BEEBITES? Keep plugging away, grab opportunities. And when you’ve got your foot in the door, be the busy boss’s solution — and who knows where that may lead. INTERVIEW BY FIONA DONALDTHEROAD TORADIO 4Behind the scenes: a reporter braves the snow, left, Phil Tufnell broadcasts for Radio 5 Live, top, and Simon Mayo interviews Prime Minister Gordon BrownTHE BEEB STATISTICS SHOW THE BBC IS TOP CHOICE AMONG STUDENTS, OFFERING A CAREER WITH WORLD-CLASS TRAINING, DIVERSITY AND INFLUENCE. BUT THE COMPETITION IS TOUGH, REPORTS LISA SEWARDS radio or online in more than 30 different languages. However, for those wanting to work for this giant, the competition is fierce. The jobs section on the company’s web site last year received 30 million hits and in excess of 100,000 applications. “We employ and develop people in a wide range of roles ranging from TV presenters, journalists, accountants, web site builders andSCREENED BY he BBC is the biggest broadcasting company in the world, employing 24,000 people in 43 countries. Started more than eight decades ago, the corporation’s global influence is unparalleled: it reaches hundreds of millions worldwide, broadcasting news by television, even violinists,” says Dorian Webb, Head of Resourcing, BBC People. All direct-entry vacancies are displayed at www.bbc.co.uk/jobs. Specifically-tailored entry-level schemes are designed to plug the corporation’s skills gaps, such as the production trainee scheme that opens for applications next month. It offers 18 months of training, including online learning and placements on real programmes and projects in TV,Tthe BBC can get affordable access to training (for more information go to: www.bbctraining.com). There are subsidies for courses that cover a range of broadcast skills, from working as a production assistant in a gallery toJob search Sector Education and TrainingSearch results 1630 job vacanciesLocation jobs.telegraph.co.ukFinding your perfect job could be easier than you think Search thousands of vacancies, from Education and Training to construction, online now at‘‘radio and new media, plus mentoring by a senior BBC manager. Steve Williams, 29, was a post-production trainee in 2001. He became an assistant editor in 2003 and an editor in 2005, all in post-production. Williams has worked on the Beijing Olympic Games, Match of the Day, Springwatch and Blue Peter. He says: “I received excellent training with some of the country’s best editors and the advantage of the BBC’s broad base of skills and genres. The BBC’s ethos of sharing and taking the time to help trainees is instilled in me and has helped me to move up the ladder quickly. It’s the perfect place to learn and progress.” There is also an annual scheme, also opening for applications next month, which recruits trainees in the fields of set, costume, makeup and interactive design. They work on a variety of placements alongside designers and programme-makers across the broadcast industry. BBC Training Development also makes courses available to outsiders. Last year the corporation delivered the equivalent of 70,490 training days to 63,487 delegates, many from the independent sector and wider media industry. By working with funding body Skillset, those not employed by‘‘Big shots: the Match of the Day teamThe ethos of taking time to help trainees has helped me move up the ladder quicklyproducing television programmes in high-definition. Some BBC online training courses are free. Another entry point is unpaid work experience; application is via the BBC web site but there is a lot of competition. In 2007 they sifted nearly 30,000 applications to place students in around 200 departments across the UK. Andy Hassall, 25, a broadcast researcher for Radio 5 Live, worked his way to a full-time job after a twoweek work experience placement with BBC Radio Lancashire. “I spent the first two weeks answering the phones, then I was asked to stay on for another two weeks to help out writing scripts. That led to me covering sick leave for a colleague which, in turn, led to a regular eight-hour weekly shift on the BBC Radio Lancashire bus doing short live inserts into programmes,” he explains. “I was in a prime position when a full-time job for a broadcast assistant came up. From there I moved up the ladder to become a researcher on Radio 5 Live, which is halfway to becoming a broadcast journalist. So it shows that persistence pays off.” JOBS ONLINE: jobs.telegraph.co.uk/ careers-insider@Searchjobs.telegraph.co.uk
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHGREATER REWARDS FOR HELPING OTHERS page 2At your serviceVocation, vocation, vocation WORKING AT THE SHARP END OF THE COMMUNITY page 5BBC IS THE STUDENTS’ FAVOURITE page 8Screen testMILES DONOVANThe Public Sector Thursday, February 19, 2009CAREERS INTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009The D
II|THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OVERVIEW GETTYThe Daily TelegraphTGOING PUBLIC THEA JOURDAN SAYS PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY ARE BEING OFFERED MORE DYNAMIC CAREER OPPORTUNITIESestimates calculated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings.
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009| IIIThe Daily TelegraphTRANSFERRING SKILLS CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTORCROSSING THEDIVIDE SKILLS DEVELOPED IN THE PRIVATE SPHERE ARE IN DEMAND AMONG PUBLIC SERVICES. BY JO CLARKE “I am a psychology graduate specialising in applied psychology, which took
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009| VThe Daily TelegraphVOCATIONS CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR MILES DONOVAN; WELLCOME TRUST; RCNNURSING’SWEARING THE UNIFORM WITH PRIDENEW he modern nurse would perhaps be barely recognisable to Florence Nightingale — with the profession taking over more
IV|THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHDirector of Policy London SE1 Full time Salary – £55,000 to £70,000 (more for an exceptional candidate) Do you share our dedication to supporting the 11 million children young people in England and improving the world in which they live? 11 MILLION l
VI|THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTThe Daily TelegraphAOf those trained, 90 per cent are still in the public sectorAfter a rigorous recruitment process, successful graduates complete four six-month placements in departments within their host
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009| VIIThe Daily TelegraphTHE NHS CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTORA DAY IN THE LIFE DR JENNY STEPHENSON IS A GP PRINCIPAL, GP TRAINER AND PRIMARY CARE TRUST DIABETES LEAD WITH SHEFFIELD PCT. HER PRACTICE OVERSEES 10,300 PATIENTS.SEARCHINGFOR NEW BLOOD DANIEL M
VIII|THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR MEDIA BBC PICTURESThe Daily TelegraphSARAH MONTAGUE, PRESENTER ON THE TODAY PROGRAMME, ARRIVED AT THE BBC VIA AN UNCONVENTIONAL ROUTE DID YOU START AS A GRADUATE TRAINEE AT THE BBC? No, after studying Biology at Bristol
