Are you an ambitious school leaver looking for an exciting and rewarding job here in Dorset?

Perhaps you have just sat your A-level results, and have loads of ambition but don’t fancy taking on the debt that university entails.

This could be what you have been waiting for!

The Dorset Echo and Bridport & Lyme Regis News are offering someone with no background in publishing or writing the chance to become an apprentice journalist.

If your dream is to be a journalist, and you are hard-working, enthusiastic and determined, this could be the perfect job for you.

You will work hard, learn to write in the concise technical style that is the hallmark of a trained reporter, and find out where to unearth the stories people want to read.

You will also be interested in local life: how people spend their leisure time, what information they need to know, what makes them happy about living in Dorset… and what annoys them.

You will be comfortable talking to people face to face and on the phone. You will be a whizz at using social media, and keen to learn about the analytical tools that will show which of your stories are being well-read and which are not.

You will understand that news does not just happen between 9 am and 5 pm and will be willing to work the unsocial hours that reporting sometimes entails.

Most importantly, you must be full of ideas and keen to hit the ground running.

It is essential for this job that you live, or are able to live, in Dorset.

In return, you will get free first-class training, including coaching from experts in social media, and you’ll be on your way to a fulfilling and purposeful career.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.

The Dorset Echo and Bridport & Lyme Regis News are part of Newsquest Media Group, one of the UK's largest newspaper and website publishers.

Here’s what Charlotte Moreau has to say about being a journalist. She joined one of our sister titles the Hereford Times as an apprentice reporter with no previous experience five years ago. She’s since become a qualified senior reporter and now leads our news team as a digital audience and content editor.

I had always wanted to go into journalism but had struggled to do so without qualifications or experience in the industry.

Being able to earn while I trained made all the difference and made it possible for me to make the move from my previous job in the NHS.

An apprenticeship with the Hereford Times really did mean learning on the job, and I was writing stories for publication from day one, while also studying for my first journalistic qualification.

Within weeks I was blogging about emergency callouts, including crashes and bomb scares, and after just a couple of months, I was reporting live from a National Lottery press conference as the winner of the £71 million jackpot was revealed to be a man from Hereford.

It was anything but boring!

An apprenticeship is a brilliant route into a career in journalism, offering unrivalled newsroom experience for anyone wanting to train as a journalist, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. As well as a competitive salary, we also offer generous benefits including:

• Contributory Pension

• Perks & Discounts at various retail outlets

• Opportunities for team building and training days

• 25 days paid holiday + statutory bank holidays + your birthday day off.

• Structured career progression, ongoing training, and personal performance reviews

• Discount Vouchers

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Mental Health Support via Lifeworks

• Eye test vouchers plus £50 towards new glasses.

• Annual Volunteer Charity Day

• Hybrid Working

 

Newsquest Media Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

To apply now simply e-mail your CV to Diarmuid MacDonagh Editor Diarmuid MacDonagh diarmuid.macdonagh@dorsetecho.co.uk Closing date for applications Thursday, December 19th 2024