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As life at News Associates reaches its eleventh hour, I’ve been racking my brains to come up with a fitting epilogue for the time I’ve spent training in Wimbledon, and to offer some advice to anyone reading this as a prospective student.
I won’t for one second deny that the last four months have been tough – as with any fast-track qualification, they’ve been pretty intense – but they’ve also been more rewarding than I ever expected. I can write in shorthand now, I know what contempt of court is, and a little bit more about how the EU works. I’ve built up a portfolio of articles which I am proud to take to interviews and talk about. I’ve even been to City Hall to see Boris Johnson.
As well as all this though, I’ve had great fun. I’ve made some lifelong friends of all different ages and backgrounds, who without a doubt have made the whole process easier. So when it came to putting this last blog post together it only seemed appropriate that I drag them in on the action, harassing them in true journalistic style for their thoughts on life at News Associates. They didn’t disappoint. Here are some of their words of wisdom:
On starting the course...
“When I walked in on the very first day I was hit with a room of nearly 65 people and it panicked me! Didn't think I would ever have enough time to make good friends, but a week away from finishing, I'm going to be leaving with a massive group of friends I'll have for life.”
The highs?
“The best thing about the course is the work ethic. It's about what you get out of it and getting there is all that counts, and the teaching is geared towards that.”
“Another highlight has, weirdly, been shorthand! I remember all too well in the first month almost crying at times because I just couldn't get the alphabet right and then a few months on I’m bashing out the 100 wpm exam and it's the best feeling in the world!”
“The pub nights have been legendary.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know people on my course - without them it wouldn't be half as fun.”
“Moorhouse. Morris. McKean.”
“I enjoyed the patch pages - quite stressful but it was good fun being unleashed into London - gate crashing Stephen Lambert and the Thai supreme commander was a good moment.”
“I've never actually enjoyed going somewhere and learning so intensely before...in fact I don't think I have enjoyed learning that much before this course! 9.30 - 5.30 just flies by!!!”
“I think ultimately apart from being massively fun at times the course leaves no stone unturned, equips you with everything you will need and makes sure you have the best possible start in journalism.”
“While understanding law or PA might be something of a challenge, attempting to comprehend the amount of work the staff at News Associates put in is a totally different proposition. The thing that struck me the most is simply how much they care. They really do write every word and every outline with us. They are as thrilled as when one of us passes a module, as we are. They’re the first to ask how an exam went, and the first to console us when things haven’t gone quite so well.
It’s easy to quote the awards the centre gets for how good its course is, and how successful its students have been, but it’s not until you experience firsthand the quality of the teaching that you can value why this centre is held in such high regard.”
The lows?
“Some of the most challenging, tiring, stressful, exhausting and emotional times I have ever had in my life! There will be nights when you're ready to sack it all in, but honestly don't give up. You'll find you have good and bad days, and it's the good days that will keep you going.”
“The work has meant my social life has been put on hold which I suppose isn't a bad thing. When you are pursuing a lifelong dream, you have to put the hard yards in and you will reap the rewards in return.”
“Shorthand has arguably been the bane of my life, practising countless hours a day trying to crack 100wpm, but it is immensely satisfying when you do get it down. Though Angela ran a tight ship, I look back and think that she had our best interests at heart.”
“The only low point is we won't have more time on the course!”
On surviving News Associates...
“Work hard, play hard. There is so much work to be done is class time (and plenty out of hours too) that you need to make the most of your time with your class mates when you're not learning. The most important thing for this course is knowing where your priorities lie. Concentrate on shorthand for those first 3 months. If you've put the hours in learning the theory you will save yourself a lot of hassle later on. With reporting, then just listen to the formula they suggest and you can't go far wrong. Also, learn to be hungover on placement and deal with it. This should be the eighth module.”
“Work bloody hard at shorthand in the first 6 weeks (I didn't). Get a good placement. Start work on your portfolio early.”
“I don't think you could ever prepare yourself enough beforehand to know exactly how hard it's going to be. You will learn more than you ever thought you could learn in the space of 20 weeks. You will make the most incredible group of friends and you will go away from this course, not only having achieved something great, but also ready to take on any challenge that is thrown at you. It's exciting guys, and I promise you, it's a journey and challenge you will not want to miss out on.”
Warms your heart a little, doesn’t it? If, before you started reading this, you were umm-ing and ahh-ing over whether News Associates is the right place for you, I hope their little anecdotes have been of some use. Many of them already have jobs lined up for when they finish the course. One even runs his own fanzine, although he doesn’t like to brag about it.
If you approach this course with enthusiasm, attend every lesson, pay attention and put in the hard work, you’ll reap the benefits. It’s not for no reason that News Associates has recently been named as the best journalism course in the UK; you really are in the best possible hands.
Only you can decide whether to take on the challenge, but we promise that if you do, it won’t disappoint.
Nicola Hine
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