Getting a Job and Starting out As a Freelance

ICS CAREERS DAY

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 6 – GUEST BIOGRAPHIES

1-2pm ICS LT G12

Getting a job and starting out as a freelance

Panel Chair: Ingrid Bale, Careers Consultant

Panellists:

Ellie Henman, Bauer media (Closer magazine), former political researcher

Richard Main, BBC freelance& trainee teacher

Ellie Jones, Royal Horticultural Society Show producer

Adam Taylor former Parliamentary researcher, now Cicero Group PR

Ellie Henman:Closer magazine

On graduation, Ellie worked full time in a bar before managing to get an unpaid seven month internship in parliament working as a diary secretary and communication strategist. During this time she worked in London for three days and then in a bar in Leicester for four, to afford to do it.

Upon leaving, Ellie was unable to find a job so applied for a MA and was accepted at Goldsmith’s – it seemed like the next best step. Sadly, she was unable to continue due to financial reasons so went back to working full time in a bar at night and full time in internships during the day.

Through these applications Ellie was accepted, very luckily, onto a TV programme The Exclusives, which she won. She now has a yearlong traineeship with Bauer Media. So far she has worked for Heat and More. She is now a freelance for both magazines at night and at the weekends and is currently working at Closer magazine.

Richard Main:Reporter and producer, BBC London radio 94.9.

After graduating in the summer of 2010 Richard did his best to carve out a career in the media backwaters of East Anglia. Having reacquainted himself with BBC Radio Suffolk, where during his teens he had fulfilled a range of roles from sports reporter to Pudsey Bear, he began freelancing as a drive time producer and reporter at BBC Radio Norfolk.

This led to a spell at BBC Radio Leicester, a few weeks at Look North and shifts spent reading news bulletins for six different commercial stations; rather conveniently all six were based in a converted warehouse outside Ipswich.

After finally getting sick of being the only Ipswich Town fan in the Norwich newsroom Richard upped sticks to London in April 2012, where he has been fortunate enough to work on BBC London 94.9's coverage of the mayoral election, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and this summer's Olympics. In the last 10 months he has also continued to freelance at BBC Radio Kent and BBC Sussex & Surrey where he has just completed a stint as their breakfast producer.

Wednesday 6th Feb should be Richard’s third day of his new contract back at BBC London, but he is sure they'll understand it is all for a good cause!In summer 2013 Richard will be changing career path once again after being accepted on to the Teach First programme.

Ellie Jones:Assistant Show Manager at the Royal Horticultural Society

Ellie started her career in BBC Local Radio as a freelancer. She then had a series of fixed term contracts ranging from mid-morning programme production to project managing the broadcasting of all 40 of the BBC's Local Radio Stations at the RHSFlower Shows: Chelsea, Hampton Court Palace and Tatton Park.

In July 2012, Ellie left the BBC to pursue a permanent role with the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society, UK's leading gardening charity) and in December was promoted to 'Assistant Show Manager - RHS London'.

Adam Taylor:Cicero Group

Adam graduated from the University of Leeds in 2008. He has since worked for RBS in the Business Services Department and more recently as a Parliamentary researcher for a Conservative MP.

He currently works for Cicero Group, a public affairs and corporate communications agency, where he has worked for clients including Aberdeen Asset Management, Barclays, Brewin Dolphin and Tomorrow's People.

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