It's been a busy few weeks and therefore my blogging had taken a bit of a back seat on my list of things to do but I'm back and I have so much to write about I'm not quite sure where to start.
A couple of weeks ago I did a weeks work experience with Perfect Wedding Magazine. I can tell you now, it certainly was an experience. I spent the week staying in a complete strangers house in the middle of Bristol completely by myself, in - I must add - a seriously dodgy area! I didn't think she double locked the flat for nothing! When I first mentioned I was doing working experience in Bristol my flat mate instantly piped up: "Oh you can stay with my friend." With out another thought the plans was made.
A couple of months later and there I was arriving in rainy Bristol by train, with a huge pink suitcase that I couldn't hardly manage to stay as I said, in a strangers house. Thankfully I was made extremely welcome and the flat was very cute and cosy but sadly I'd be spending the week there on my own while she was needed away else where. I figured it wouldn't be a huge issue but as I was left on my own that, I realised it was going to be a long and lonely week.
All of that being said, the reason I was there in the first place was for my work experience placement at Perfect Wedding Magazine. I was so incredibly nervous as I caught the lift to the 9th floor reception and waited to be met by the editorial assistant. I didn't really have any idea what to expect. Would I be making tea all day? Would they be nice? Will they thing I'm useless? Will they talk to me? It turned out I hadn't needed to have worried about it.
The office was smaller that I thought and there were less people working on the magazine that I'd expected but that made friendlier and relaxed. Everyone was lovely and made me feel very welcome which was of course very settling. On the first day I was given small photo sourcing jobs to do for their new website which will be launching soon. Basically I spent the first day looking at stunning wedding dresses and breathtaking honeymoon destinations. Easy yes, but also pretty tedious.
By the end of the week I'd had the chance to work on things which would be appearing in the magazine, admittedly not huge features and not masses of writing but it's all experience right? I wrote out captions to images, found out the prices of products and found appropriate pictures for some articles. I also sourced images for two regular pages: "Get the celebrity bridal look," and "Get the celebrity bridesmaid look." So when the issue goes on sale in August I can say, I created those pages. That pleases me quite a lot. The other page I can take credit for is the very back page. You know how Glamour does something like "10 Reasons to emigrate." (Or something similar, that's only my mind because it is raining." Well I wrote Perfect Weddings, "13 reasons we love a budget wedding!"
So there we have it, by the end of the week it felt like I'd learned a lot about how a magazine gets put together, from initial planning to going to print. It was my first my placement and I am excited to see where else I can get some work experience because I loved it, despite my initial worrying. When the week was over I went to London to stay with my boyfriend in Kingston and now I am home again preparing for the move to the house in Southampton, it's all happening very fast. I swear I only started University a couple of months ago.
Showing posts with label Perfect Wedding Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perfect Wedding Magazine. Show all posts
Monday, 27 June 2011
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Journalism Internships Abroad
Recently I have been seriously thinking about what I want to get out of the next few years, besides a degree. Let's be honest, I have long summer holidays and although this is all well and good I don't want to waste the months I have free, I want to do fun and exciting things.
So I've been looking in to the idea of travelling, something that has been at the back of mind since I left school but I've never really thought about it too much. I figured, one day it will happen but it hasn't yet. I know I chose to go to University anyway so that kind of ruled out travelling for a while but now I'm thinking about it again. I don't mean a year of travelling Australia, Newzealand and America, more a couple of months doing something that justifies me going travelling while studying and University. I googled, Journalism Internships Abroad.
There were so many websites, programs, countries to look at and I must admit it overwhelmed me a little. There are so many opportunities out there, not just journalism related but if there's something you want to do in a particular place I guarantee Google will find it for you. I spent about an hour reading through different journalism internship programs in different countries and the more I read the more excited I began to feel. The experience would be invaluable.
I've been told many times that in the journalism industry it's your experience that get's you places and I know that, this experience in another country would make it twice as invaluable. One program in particular caught my eye, it's based in a wine making region of Argentina called Mendoza at a leisure magazine. I found it on a website for a organisation called Travellers Worldwide. Volunteers get the chance to write and research articles, assist with proof reading, assist with graphic design and photography and you get the chance to travel around the area to find things and places to write about.
It's also mentioned that in some cases you may have to go out on leisure days such as skiing and horse riding in order to write about them!
The idea is that you stay with a host family, which will almost always cook for you and care for you while you are there. Admittedly, staying with complete strangers in different country where you don't really speak the language scares the hell out of me, but that's all part of the experience isn't it? As well as all this you can opt to take classes along side your program in, Salsa, Tango, Spanish and Photography. Personally, it would be between either Spanish or Photography. I have always loved the idea of photography and obviously it goes hand in hand with journalism but at the same time Spanish would be a brilliant language to learn but I don't think I would grasp it easily, it would be a struggle. I haven't learnt a language since I was about 14 now, I regret so much not continueing to learn French, speaking another language is always such a benefit in anything that you do.
It sounds amazing doesn't it? An experience never to forget, will look amazing on my CV, I would learn so much, improve my writing and help me achieve all that I want to do. Then I come back to reality and remember that I can't just fly to Argentina and get on with it, I have to pay for the program, my flights, Insurance, Visas, some transfers and I need money while I am there. Doesn't sounds so easy anymore does it? To go travelling, in any shape or form you need money and the reality is that from July I will be paying rent every month to live in a shared house to continue my degree, I have to pay for the rest of my New York trip in December and I have to pay to live in general.
I'm not going to forget this idea, I'm going to work hard at everything I am doing and I am going to earn some money and then I am going to aim for the next two summers to come. If I can't afford it this summer I'll aim for next summer, I'm determined to make it happen. Not necessarily in Argentina, the opportunities are endless. It could be China, Australia, Ghana or Kenya. For now I'll stick to seeking work experience in this country, in June I have a weeks work experience with Perfect Wedding Magazine in Bristol and I have a possible chance to contribute to an English magazine in the Alicante area of the Costa Blanca in Spain. I'll start small and see where I end up.
So I've been looking in to the idea of travelling, something that has been at the back of mind since I left school but I've never really thought about it too much. I figured, one day it will happen but it hasn't yet. I know I chose to go to University anyway so that kind of ruled out travelling for a while but now I'm thinking about it again. I don't mean a year of travelling Australia, Newzealand and America, more a couple of months doing something that justifies me going travelling while studying and University. I googled, Journalism Internships Abroad.
There were so many websites, programs, countries to look at and I must admit it overwhelmed me a little. There are so many opportunities out there, not just journalism related but if there's something you want to do in a particular place I guarantee Google will find it for you. I spent about an hour reading through different journalism internship programs in different countries and the more I read the more excited I began to feel. The experience would be invaluable.
I've been told many times that in the journalism industry it's your experience that get's you places and I know that, this experience in another country would make it twice as invaluable. One program in particular caught my eye, it's based in a wine making region of Argentina called Mendoza at a leisure magazine. I found it on a website for a organisation called Travellers Worldwide. Volunteers get the chance to write and research articles, assist with proof reading, assist with graphic design and photography and you get the chance to travel around the area to find things and places to write about.
It's also mentioned that in some cases you may have to go out on leisure days such as skiing and horse riding in order to write about them!
The idea is that you stay with a host family, which will almost always cook for you and care for you while you are there. Admittedly, staying with complete strangers in different country where you don't really speak the language scares the hell out of me, but that's all part of the experience isn't it? As well as all this you can opt to take classes along side your program in, Salsa, Tango, Spanish and Photography. Personally, it would be between either Spanish or Photography. I have always loved the idea of photography and obviously it goes hand in hand with journalism but at the same time Spanish would be a brilliant language to learn but I don't think I would grasp it easily, it would be a struggle. I haven't learnt a language since I was about 14 now, I regret so much not continueing to learn French, speaking another language is always such a benefit in anything that you do.
It sounds amazing doesn't it? An experience never to forget, will look amazing on my CV, I would learn so much, improve my writing and help me achieve all that I want to do. Then I come back to reality and remember that I can't just fly to Argentina and get on with it, I have to pay for the program, my flights, Insurance, Visas, some transfers and I need money while I am there. Doesn't sounds so easy anymore does it? To go travelling, in any shape or form you need money and the reality is that from July I will be paying rent every month to live in a shared house to continue my degree, I have to pay for the rest of my New York trip in December and I have to pay to live in general.
I'm not going to forget this idea, I'm going to work hard at everything I am doing and I am going to earn some money and then I am going to aim for the next two summers to come. If I can't afford it this summer I'll aim for next summer, I'm determined to make it happen. Not necessarily in Argentina, the opportunities are endless. It could be China, Australia, Ghana or Kenya. For now I'll stick to seeking work experience in this country, in June I have a weeks work experience with Perfect Wedding Magazine in Bristol and I have a possible chance to contribute to an English magazine in the Alicante area of the Costa Blanca in Spain. I'll start small and see where I end up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)