Find funding opportunities, communities of support, tools and training that will help you carve out a career for yourself
So you are a journalism student wondering what lies ahead. You probably hear quite often that the industry is competitive, jobs are uncertain and opportunities few and far between. But don't despair - there are plenty of ways to market yourself and impress future employers.
Here, we sift through the noise to give you useful resources for your career journey. Good luck!
This is not a complete list and we welcome suggestions. Let us know what you use and we will add them in.
More often than not, students are strapped for cash. Luckily, there are some cash injections available, like the Scott Trust Bursary from the Guardian Foundation open exclusively to students from six minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, disabled or lower socio-economic backgrounds. This also includes mentorship and work experience with the Guardian.
Get your skates on, this opportunity closes on 24 March 2025. Do not worry if you miss the cut-off window, there are other funding opportunities for aspiring journalists that run throughout the year and on a rolling basis. One to check out is Journalists' Charity, one of the oldest non-profit organisations for journalists in the UK founded by none other than Charles Dickens.
It is also worth bookmarking the Journo Resources' (JR) regularly updated list of awards for journalism students.
Students also need to build a portfolio to show their talents when applying for jobs.
Many newsrooms specialise in working with students and providing hands-on guidance.
Voice Magazine, covering the arts sector, is one of those. Contact editor Tom Beasley if you want to get involved. Non-profit VIEW Digital, covering social affairs, is another. Contact the co-founder Una Murphy for more information.
Citizen journalism-led Bylines Network is another organisation that actively wants to provide opportunities for journalism students. Are you into sports? Look no further than the GRV Media's Writer Lab.
There are also student-led organisations like Empoword Journalism, which has a detailed pitching guide, or The Tab, which has a history of writers who have gone on to work for the biggest titles.
And there is us! Journalism.co.uk loves to work with talented, witty and creative journalism students. We have had them host and produce podcasts, do live blogs reporting at our journalism conference Newsrewired and create brilliant news articles.
Get in touch if you want to work with us.
Contacts are everything and finding the right community can give your career a real boost.
The Student Publication Association (SPA) offers a free membership, so you can stay on top of its events, workshops and training. Its annual conference is a great networking and learning opportunity, and the SPA has a Financial Assistance Scheme.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) also offers membership, but it costs £10 a year (a considerable markdown from its various memberships which start at £265 a year). The NUJ can help if you get involved in a dispute over payments, copyright infringement or disciplinary action, or problems with authorities. There is a range of other benefits, not least a free UK press card, providing a crucial form of ID that journalists can use for access and the right to report.
Are We Europe offers a free, pan-European (which still includes the UK) creative community for journalists, as well as other creative fields. The idea is to amplify opportunities to join collaborative projects, and students are more than welcome to join in.
Need a refresher or an extra bit of training? The National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) offers a range of short and free e-courses, but you will need to create an account for access. Note that not all of the courses are free, though.
Free courses include court reporting restrictions, IPSO guidelines, reporting on climate change, reporting on migration and teeline shorthand. Details on all other paid courses are here.
The SPA hosts free workshops and masterclasses throughout the year as well, so keep an eye on its calendar.
Yes, there are lots of jobs posted on LinkedIn and Indeed. But it is also good to check specialist websites like Journalism.co.uk, which posts the latest journalism jobs from news organisations. The NCTJ and JR are also other great options.
Kudos to JR as well for its invaluable salary and freelance benchmarking guide, so you know how much money to ask for.
There are lots of free journalism tools out there which would be wise to learn and dazzle employers with. These are good to put on your CV once you learn the ropes. Keep an eye on our tools section, where we post more in-depth explainers and round-ups.
Some basic ones would include:
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