A massive debate has sparked in the world of journalism in the UK: It's about the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and whether their examinations are really still needed, as leading colleges and universities drop the NCTJ modules from their syllabus.

And rightly so. The UK is the only country to have journalists trained at university coming out with degrees that are worthless unless top-up exams (read: NCTJ preliminaries) are being sat and passed.

My own degree did not provide me with full NCTJ qualification. The only exam I was allowed to sit was News Writing, and I see this as the most important exam. If you can't write at the end of a journalism degree, you chose the wrong profession. Simple as that. This should be the one exam that matters to editors... if they take somebody on who can take notes very quickly but cannot write a decent story, they simply picked the wrong employee.

Law was only briefly touched upon in my B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism degree, the title itself a bit misleading, as it was Journalism and Tourism Management, rather than Travel Writing. However, due to the title, potential employers now think that I'm not up to gathering hard-hitting news.

No, editors would not be able to send me to court right away. But I do have the book, (I even dished out for McNae's instead of going for one of the cheaper ones that cover exactly the same) and these things can be learned. They do not necessarily have to be taught. Then again, where I come from, there are dedicated court reporters, and those that cover other local news.

In Germany, where I come from, you don't even have to study journalism to become a journalist. In fact, a pure journalism degree is frowned upon. All you have to do is get a Bachelor's degree in a subject of your choice. This is meant to provide the journalist with insight and expertise in one topic, and also shows editors that they are determined. Once you have a Bachelor's degree, you start as a trainee and you learn on the job. There is no better way of learning than learning by doing.

Work experience is the keyword here. But the NCTJ and UK editors are equally discriminating against foreign journalists who try to get a job in this country. When I tried to hand in my portfolio, my cuttings from a German daily newspaper which I work as a freelance for, were not accepted by the NCTJ. And that's after I translated it all into English. It's not the foreign journalists' fault that people in Great Britain tend to be rather ignorant when it comes to living abroad or learning another language. Just because the cuttings are in another language, doesn't mean they are not newsworthy! Besides, translating them in a way that still makes them clearly written, grammatically correct and newsworthy in English is quite a skill. Work experience abroad is meant to be a good thing. Shows that you can adapt, that you can write in a different language and that you tend to have a wider general knowledge because of your experiences.

I have studied journalism in the UK for three years. I have done work experience in Ghana, South Africa, the UK and Germany. Most of it in Germany, though, because I used to spend my semester breaks in my hometown. Which means, I applied the skills learned in England to journalism in Germany and guess what? It worked just fine. The NCTJ's excuse that the systems are not compatible is a lie, and even so: Some of the best books on journalism are written in America... surely their system is different too.

The one skill everyone keeps going on about is Shorthand. No other country relies on shorthand as much as the UK does. The way I see it: If you didn't learn to take notes in your own longhand or your own abbreviations during at least 16 years of education (college + at least a Bachelor's degree) then even shorthand won't help. You only need it for court. Plus, it is much easier to prove what you have written if you don't have to transcribe it first. You could show me a piece of shorthand and then tell me what it means - I won't believe you. I can't read it, the shapes don't make sense. I believe what I can see. "You need to have passed 100 words per minute". Rubbish. I have never misquoted anyone. And if they speak so fast that you would really need over 100 words per minute there's a simple solution. It's called a dictaphone! Voice recording. Even my mobile phone comes with the software. The easiest way of proving that somebody actually said it, is to play it back to them. I did an interview in 2008 with German comedian Ralf Schmitz, who is known for talking at approximately 220 words per minute. Even with shorthand, there would not have been a chance to keep up. So I took an audio recording and took down some notes to remind me of what questions I need to ask and the really important quotes. I managed to write the interview up in the way Ralf Schmitz really talks, because I had it all, word for word.

Try your shorthand at this:



Some editors I have spoken to do not have or do not use their NCTJ skills. Why do they then insist on their employees to have them? Surely they are meant to set an example?!

I have survived in the world of journalism in Germany just fine without any NCTJ's. In fact, the local news editor for the daily Solinger Tageblatt asked me twice to continue working for the Tageblatt, gave me a pay rise thanks to the quality of my work (yes, in Germany, even work experience is paid!) and all that without Shorthand, PA or what they're all called. And why? Because quality of work, professionalism, a sense for news and the ability to work to a tight deadline still matter there.

Let's face it: I am less likely to get a break in journalism, because the university did not provide me with NCTJ qualifications. I'll have to pay another GBP 400 just to do the course (which covers a lot of things I already learned in my GBP 9.500 degree) just to have a paper to show that I have skills that I could either learn on the job or teach myself through books.

The NCTJ qualifications are overrated. A strong and diverse portfolio should be what matters. A wide range of publications and a wide range of topics covered to show that you can deal with anything that happens in your patch. If what matters most to editors are your NCTJ scores then stop doing (unpaid) work experience right now!! It might look good on your CV, but in reality, it's worthless!

Here are the first three articles I've published as a freelance for suite101.com.

The first article is about new World Heritage Sites just inscribed into the list, which are as diverse as Shrines and nuclear testing sites.

Then there are the basics of Air Passenger Rights when it comes to European Air Travel. And then there is a little bit about the phenomenom that is Couchsurfing.

My name is Cornelia Kaufmann, I am looking for work as a journalist in the North West of England and this is my Curriculum Vitae.

I was born on 11th July 1987 in Solingen, Germany and I am a German national who has been a resident in the UK since 2007. Currently, I am based in Southport, Merseyside.

On 16th July 2010, I graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with Upper Second Class honours in my Bachelor of Arts Travel Journalism degree. This course was not offered anywhere else in Europe, and I graduated as one of the two top students (same grade) in my class. And because this course is not offered anymore, we are also the top two students to ever have graduated with this degree. The degree was taught at the University of Cumbria, which was formerly University of Central Lancashire's Business School and the Cumbria Institute of the Arts. The course included journalism modules such as newspaper production, practical journalism, general law, print and photography, as well as tourism management modules on supply and demand, geography, society and postmodernity.

This is what I did to get there.

In 1997, when I entered Grammar School, I became one of the first students to be taught bilingually at Gymnasium Schwertstrasse Solingen. This means, I had geography, history and politics lessons in English instead of German. At the end of Year 10 I decided to spend a year in Auckland, New Zealand as an exchange student at Waitakere College. Here, I attended 6th and 7th Form classes, including Geography, Photography, Drama, Classical Studies and English while living with a host family and exploring the Land of the Long White Cloud at the age of 16. Returning home, I attended Years 12 and 13 at Gymnasium Schwertstrasse and graduated with Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur - the German university entrance qualification) in June 2006. Due to being taught bilingually, I also received a Certificate of Anglo-German language skills. My Final exams were sat in Advanced English, Advanced German, Biology and bilingual Geography.

After Grammar School, I decided to take a Gap Year and work all around the world. I was a journalist for weekly paper People & Places in Accra, Ghana reporting court cases for two weeks. However, since I don't speak local language Twi, I decided to teach children in a Day Care instead and so became a teacher for 5-year-olds at Little Angels Early Childhood Development Centre in Achimota. In my free time, I travelled with my host family and helped build an orphanage in a neighbouring village.

In South Africa, I spent three weeks in Johannesburg, where I acted as a substitute teacher for two local schools in Reiger Park. During these two weeks, I also translated STAESA's website from English to German (the website has been re-developed and does not include the German translation yet) and I also took Afrikaans lessons. In Cape Town, I was a reporter for local English and Afrikaans newspaper Daily Voice for five weeks before honing my photography skills on a four-week overland tour from Johannesburg to Nairobi.

In Australia, I completed a course and worked as a Jillaroo in New South Wales. I decided to work as a cowgirl in order to try something new and also to show that I am not afraid to get my hands dirty - literally. I then went into the Outback and around New Zealand, to practise my photography skills. My next assignment saw me as the photographer for the Parque Nacional Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. I was stationed in Puerto Villamil on Isla Isabela for seven weeks and it was my job to take photos of all aspects of island life, including the indigenous fauna and flora.

In May 2007, I reached the United States of America, where I studied Visual Communication in a summer session at the University of Nevada, Reno which I finished with grade A, before travelling across the northern states for three weeks. During my Gap Year, I published a series of articles with German Itchy Feet magazine.

Since I started university in September 2007 in the United Kingdom, I have done two months of work experience with the daily local newspaper Solinger Tageblatt in my hometown during semester breaks. I have contributed to all desks of local news, including the bi-weekly youth page Karl. for which I continue to contribute from the UK. I also contribute to the Solinger Tageblatt as a freelance and on story commissions everytime I'm back in my hometown, as of special request by the editor.

In August 2009, I did work experience with the Champion Media Group in Southport and have since contributed reviews for their weekly series of papers, as well as for their website. I have also contributed the photography for some GR8 Life magazine features. During my time at university, I was also part of the editorial team for The Informer, the student newspaper in Carlisle. At The Informer, I held positions as reporter, proofreader, page designer, sub-editor, pictire editor, webmaster and editor and published articles for three years. The Informer team also published the official magazine for Words by the Water literature festival which was called Write On!, as well as several student magazines like Horizons, and the magazine for the Carlisle Arts Festival C.A.F.ine.

Over the Easter break 2010, I worked at Wanderlust travel magazine in Windsor, to finally gain some experience in the travel sector. There I was working in editorial and helped research and write destination guides, as well as sourcing and editing pictures.

My final project was a travel magazine entitled Shoestring, for which I was editor, photographer and designer.

Next to my native language German I also speak English fluently. My spoken English is without any sign of a German accent and I am able to translate from one language to the other instantly. Next to German and English, I've had French lessons at school, speak French on a basic level and hold the DELF A1 certificate. I learned Spanish through private lessons, and spent seven weeks in Ecuador, but due to not having had to speak any Spanish in three years, my language skills are only basic. I took British Sign Language classes and I am always trying to learn a few words in other languages as well.

During my degree, I sat and passed the NCTJ News Writing exam, and will continue to study towards the other NCTJ preliminaries by distance learning, as my degree was not accredited by the NCTJ. I did, however, gain excellent computer skills and knowledge using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, as well as publishing software QuarkXpress and Adobe programmes such as Photoshop and Acrobat and basic html skills which I practised as webmaster for Write On! as well as on this blog. I have basic working knowledge of Burli and Final Cut Pro programmes, and have published my photography in a variety of outlets such as newpapers, magazines and a book.

While I work very well on a team, I am also able to take initiative, motivate myself and work independently. I am always determined to get the job done to the very best of my abilities and I am enthusiastic about what I do as various recommendations can testify. I've held a full German/European driving licence since 2005 and I have a car at my disposal.

So if you think I'm qualified, experienced and enthusiastic enough for a media job in the North West of England, please contact me either through this blog, by email on kaufmann.cornelia@gmail.com or by phone on 07517226 100.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Here's the thing: I have recently applied for a job with the local weekly paper. And although my interview was apparently really good, and they know me, I've published with them before and could start right away - they took someone else.

Apparently seven years of doing work experience during free time is not enough to get a job when you're a journalism graduate. I spent my Gap Year doing work experience as a journalist and photographer, studied Visual Communication and wrote for a German magazine while I was on the road. During my Gap Year, I really got convinced that writing is what I want to do, and applied for a place on the B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism degree at the University of Central Lancashire while I was working for Cape Town paper Daily Voice.

I have now graduated with upper second class honours. During university breaks, I did work experience at my local daily paper Solinger Tageblatt and was asked by the editor to continue to work for them as a freelance and on commissioned stories whenever I'm in town. Even from England, I continued to write features for their youth page Karl. and have my own, irregular column "Post aus..."

During my third year, I did work experience at Wanderlust magazine in Windsor while writing my dissertation (which by the way was twice as long - 16.000 words - than single honours journalism dissertations) and creating my Final Project, travel magazine Shoestring.

But apparently all that is not enough. Editors want somebody with work experience, but how are you meant to get any more work experience if nobody gives you a job?? I am past unpaid internships. There are bills to pay. And quite honestly, I am done offering my services for free. And the excuse, that it gives you work experience and enhances your portfolio is clearly not of importance if it doesn't get you a job you are more than qualified for.

Which is why I have just gone freelance. I have successfully applied for a job as freelance with suite101.com. I have to write at least 10 articles of between 400 and 600 words every three months and I can write about whatever I like. Finally a chance to actually write about travel.

To be a journalist in the UK, you will need to pass your NCTJ (national Council for the Training of Journalists) exams at some point. These include News Writing, Public Affairs, Law, Shorthand and a Portfolio.

Studying journalism on an accredited course will get you these qualifications, or at least give you the lessons needed. When I enrolled for my B.A. (Hons) Travel Journalism course, nobody at the university told me that even though the Single Honours B.A. Journalism degree is accredited, mine isn't.

I feel a bit cheated, to be honest. If I'd known from the start - instead of finding out halfway through the degree - I could have changed courses. Now I am doomed to somehow get my NCTJ preliminaries on top of this degree.

I have therefore decided, to sit the News Writing exam at the end of the academic year (the one module within my degree that is accredited) and hand in my portfolio. Since I will have to work, and don't have money, time or enthusiams to do more university studies or a full-time top-up course, I will do it via distance learning from the NCTJ itself.

Funnily enough, studying journalism at university costs £3000+ per year., plus all teh books and other materials needed. With this distance learning course, you learn everything you need to know, have between 6 months and two years time to complete it, get your books and exam fees covered in the price and it only costs a little less than £400. And the NCTJ has already told me that although I would have to repeat the module as part of the course, I wouldn't have to repeat my exams.

Just wish I'd known about this earlier.

Sorry for going on about my university, the University of Cumbria.

But this interview with my friend and course mate Stephen Graham made the front page of local newspaper News & Star today:

Cumbria university students claim they have been let down by lack of cash
By Thom Kennedy
Last updated at 13:34, Monday, 08 February 2010

Furious students from the University of Cumbria say they have been let down by a lack of investment in new facilities.

Plans to regenerate the city’s Viaduct Estate with a large £70m flagship university campus – including a theatre and arts centre for the city – have been put on hold because of financial problems.

That leaves students coming to Carlisle facing swingeing cuts to the university’s ambitious plans, including the dropping of some courses including law.

Final year journalism student Stephen Graham, 29, of Chatsworth Square in the city centre, said: “I started at the university in the first intake when it first formed, and over the three years the quality has degraded and I am glad to be leaving it now.

“Things like Brampton Road library closing have made it harder to study for my dissertation. It’s all very disappointing for students in Cumbria as they are going to have to travel away to go to university. It’s bad for the area.

“I feel really sorry for the next generation of students coming here. If I was going to stay on after I finish and do a Masters, I wouldn’t do it at the University of Cumbria. If it carries on the way it is, it’s going to implode.”
Steven Ramshay, of Kingstown Road, Carlisle is in his first year at the university, studying journalism. He said: “We were promised the library in Brampton Road, and we’ve been disappointed. I have been let down.
“It has turned out nearly the complete opposite of what I expected when I came to university. My sixth form college is better. The facilities available are very mediocre for a university.”

Recent MA graduate Kevin Murphy added: “They are reducing the facilities tremendously. Students will have signed up 12 months ago being promised a library and all these facilities, and now they are just reducing them.
“The library was a key part of the university as that’s where most of the research goes on.”

The Students’ Union launched a campaign last autumn to save the library when university bosses relocated it to Fusehill Street following a boost in student recruitment at the Brampton Road site.

Other students have expressed their anger at the university’s proposal to cut the law course next year, prompting a group of students to start a Facebook campaign to save the course. A plea to students reads: “The powers-that-be are proposing to axe the law degree at University of Cumbria after only two intakes of students.

“Why can’t we have a local university with prestigious degree courses like law in Carlisle? Why must we focus purely on agriculture, nursing or teaching? Why not have a wide range of courses to ensure local firms employ local people?”

Lecturers at the university’s Ambleside campus, which is set to be mothballed as a £2m cost-cutting measure, have refused to rule out strike action over the plans.

South Lakes MP Tim Farron, who is fighting to keep the Ambleside campus open amid the budget cuts, described a decision to allow outdoor studies students to continue using Ambleside as ‘a partial victory’.
However, he added: “I’m devastated for teacher training students who are still being asked to move, and for dozens of hard-working and long-suffering members of staff who may now face redundancy. Many who have given their life to the campus and to its generations of students face redundancy and an uncertain future.”

I just wanted to show you that it's not just me, who's complaining about the way this university handles things. But UoC is not the only university facing cuts. For more, read the article that was featured in The Guardian today!

We are finally putting the finishing touches on the 53rd edition of our university paper "The Informer."

It is the last Informer that we third year journalism students will work on. It is weird, in a way. But then again: We only have two Informers per year, the other two issues are a "Words by the Water" magazine and a magazine we can choose ourselves.

But with all of us now focussing on dissertations and final projects, the second year's now have to replace us as sub-editors, page designers and proof-readers.

Production days are always mental, and I am glad, this was our last one!