BBC Radio News myChance trainee journalist scheme
Frequently asked questions
When does the myChance trainee scheme start?
You must be available to start on 3 rd September 2007. Your first week will be spent in London.
How long is the trainee scheme?
It's a 12 month scheme but there will be a review after three months, six months and nine months to see how you are getting on. If all is going well, you will continue with the traineeship.
Where will I be based?
Week 1: Television Centre in west London
Rest of the first six months: Nottingham, Leicester or Derby (whichever is closest) with several more days in London at the BBC College of Journalism Foundation Scheme.
Second half of the year: Split between the Asian Network newsroom in Leicester and Radio Five Live in west London.
Is it essential that I spend time in London if selected?
Yes it is. The myChance scheme is a partnership between Radio Nottingham, Radio Leicester and Radio Derby and BBC Radio News. Our ambition is that the two people we select will gain the skills, experience and confidence to compete for jobs with BBC Radio News. And if such jobs come up, the chances are that they will be in London. Our two trainees must be willing – and able – to spend three months with Five Live in London.
How much will I be paid?
The salary is £15,616 per annum. You will also be paid London weighting when you work in west London.
Will my expenses be met?
We won't expect to reimburse you for any expenses during your six months with Radio Derby, Radio Leicester or Radio Nottingham (or during your three months with the Asian Network in Leicester) except for attending any training courses away from base which we may decide to send you on.
We will reimburse you for reasonable travel, accommodation and meal expenses during your first week at Television Centre in London, during any subsequent visits to the BBC College of Journalism Foundation Scheme and during the three months at Radio Five Live. Please note detailed receipts will be essential.
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I don't have any journalism experience or training. Should I still apply?
Yes! As we said in the ad, we're trying to find talented and creative people who might have been put off the idea of a career as a broadcast journalist because of the training costs involved. By the way, we are very keen to hear from people who have perhaps had a long-time ambition to work in broadcast news but who - for whatever reason - have been pursuing a different career. If you look at our case studies elsewhere on this site, you'll see that Joanne Fagon changed direction and became a trainee broadcast journalist at BBC Radio Leicester.
I'm working as a journalist. Can I apply?
If by that you mean that you are earning a living from journalism then you will not be eligible to apply. But if you contribute the occasional article to a newspaper or magazine or, say, cover sport as a sideline for a local paper then we would be happy to consider you.
And if you do stints on a community or hospital radio station which include news reading then we would be pleased to consider an application from you.
We are seeking two people who have the potential to become journalists and who will bring a fresh perspective to our coverage, helping us to reach out to parts of our audience that we haven't been serving very well.
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I'm already training to be a journalist. Can I apply?
If by that you mean that you are studying journalism at undergraduate or post graduate level then we are sorry but this scheme is not aimed at you. We want to find and train two people from scratch. But we wish you every success with your training and with whatever you do afterwards.
However, we would not wish to exclude an application from someone who has, for example, taken part in media studies or done a creative writing course.
What sort of people are you hoping to hear from?
We want to hear from people with a good understanding – or direct experience – of the issues facing the communities who live in the heart of Leicester, Nottingham or Derby.
You will need to have a genuine interest in what's going on in one of those cities and, more generally, what's making headlines in the news.
You'll need to be able to make sense of information, sort out what's likely to be important and interesting to a radio audience, and then write it in simple English.
We will need to be sure that you can write fast while still getting your facts straight because we have lots of tight deadlines in radio – and we can't afford to keep our listeners waiting.
On top of all that, we will be looking for signs that you've got good ideas that can be turned into great radio. It's what we call creativity.
Oh and we'll be looking for signs of flair in the way you write. It's hard for us to say what flair is, but we know it when we see it – or hear it on the radio. You could say that we want people who can write in a compelling and engaging way.
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What do I need to do before applying?
We'll be asking you to write about some aspect of life in Leicester, Nottingham or Derby. So you would do well to keep your ears and eyes open, check the local papers and listen to the local BBC station.
Just in case you don't know how to find your local station, here are the frequencies:
- Radio Derby: 104.5, 95.3 & 96 FM 1116 - MW and online
- Radio Nottingham: 103.8 & 95.5 FM 1584 MW – digital Radio and online
- Radio Leicester: 104.9 FM and digital radio
Look at Where I Live websites:
What support will I get while I am on the scheme?
We want to do all we can to help you to succeed.
To help you find your feet in your first week, we'll put you through our two-day Upfront induction course in London. You'll be with other new joiners. People who've been through Upfront have said they found it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
There'll be an experienced journalist from London who'll be your mentor. He'll meet you once a month to see how you're getting on and to offer advice and encouragement.
During your first six months, the editor of the local station you join, together with the rest of the team, will want to help you settle in and cope with all the new things you'll be encountering.
During your time at the Asian Network and Five Live, a member of each team will be assigned to give you help, support and encouragement.
You'll also be going through the Foundation Scheme which is being launched by the BBC College of Journalism for all new entrants. The team there will take a close look at your training needs and help you to develop your skills and know-how.
What is a mentor?
The word mentor means trusted adviser, friend, teacher and wise person. We will give you the information you need to get the most out of your mentoring experience.
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How will you select the two trainees?
We will mark all the application forms carefully and then select a small number of people who'll be invited to an assessment day in Nottingham on Thursday, July 12. If you are going to apply, you will have to be sure to keep that day clear in your diary.
What is an assessment day?
When we recruit we often use a number of techniques to enable candidates to show themselves at their best. These can include:
Competency based interview
Competency simply means the skills we require from our staff and our trainees. The interview would consist of a number of questions which would assess your ability in a number of areas. Please don't be put off. We don't expect you to have all of these skills, we are willing to train you; we are looking for potential.
Group exercise
You would be given some time to look at the exercise – this will be something similar to what you might be expected to do in the job – e.g. to decide a running order (a running order in local radio would be ordering the stories that are required for a news bulletin). You would then work as part of a team to decide on the final order.
Voice test
As a broadcaster we would be looking for potential good broadcasting voices. If you want to hear what we mean by a ‘good broadcasting voice' you could listen to some BBC output. We are looking for voices that are clear, authoritative and well-paced. The exercise might consist of you recording a news item you have written. An expert would be on hand to make the recording.
General knowledge
We are looking for people with a passion for news and current affairs and an awareness of what is happening. You should therefore be prepared to answer some questions around what's going on in the news. So be sure to listen, watch and read the news if you are invited to the assessment day.
What can I expect at the end of the trainee scheme?
Our ambition is that you'll gain the skills, experience and confidence to be able to compete for jobs with BBC Radio News.
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