Testimonials
See below some testimonials from individuals who were placed through the Global Academy in 2009/2010:
“Thank you so much for the opportunity. It’s been absolutely fantastic! I’ve learnt loads and built on other things I knew vaguely before I started. Also, when you have time, would you be able to say thanks (on my behalf) to the dept. Everyone was fantastic.” - Jack Stuart, internship with the Broadcast Technology team, London
“I feel like I have learnt an incredible amount and have a much better grasp of how a working newsroom actually functions. I also now have a clear idea of what being a reporter would really be like and thankfully can say that I am still keen to pursue a career in broadcasting! A big thanks to everyone in the newsroom for being so friendly and helpful.” – Emma Wright, 2 week placement at LBC news, London
“Many thanks for the two weeks work experience at Global Radio. I thoroughly enjoyed heading out with a Marantz and doing the various interviews, whether it was the youngest person to sail around the world, or a Campaign Against Arms Trade protestor on the 4th plinth. It was very satisfying helping to put together the London debate on “How safe is London?” A lot of effort went into that and it was very rewarding to hear it come together on the Thursday night. I also found it very interesting shadowing the different bulletin readers and seeing how they catered for their various audiences. It was great to be working with such a friendly bunch of people. Not only was working at Global Radio really enjoyable, it also could not have been better preparation for my Broadcast Journalism Masters. If you need any further help in the coming months I’d be more than willing to lend a hand.” - Benjie Guy, 2 week placement at LBC news, London
“I really wanted to thank you for all your help and the organization of the work experience. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Global Radio, it was a completely new experience for me. I now have a far greater appreciation for radio, and have actually started to listen to the radio far more than I used to. What was brilliant about the work experience was that it was so varied, and hence I saw how the organization is made up from many different angles. One tends to think when thinking about radio that its just the presenter/DJ and very few people assisting. in reality, its so very different.” - Curran Vedi, 2 week placement in programming, London
“My time here (without sounding over the top) has been one of the best experiences of my life. I think what helped was being introduced to various members of the team getting to know what happens on various floors. I think it was great that I had my own desk and telephone extension, it made things more official and made me feel like a regular worker here. Having experience over a prolonged period was another great feature as it allowed me to become immersed into my surroundings and become familiar with different people, equipment, protocol and also has given me a developed understanding of what it is within radio that I would like to do, without sounding corny, I would not have changed a thing about the experience, I believe I made it work for me and have gained a lot of experience from it and even more passion and enthusiasm for working in radio.” – Alex Deleon, internship in Commercial Programming, London
“I found my placement at with Global Radio to be a real stepping stone in terms of skill building and gathering opportunities for my career. It enabled me to gain a wide variety of experience’s, from online media copy writing to multimedia editing and public promotion. The staff were friendly and focused on helping us get the most from our experience whilst we had the chance, and there were always opportunities to assist or work in other departments should we be willing to try. It has now opened up my eyes to the possibilities of freelance or fulltime roles in similar positions and given me the foundations of experience at the very top level, from which to enter industry at running pace.” - Richard Webb, internship with Classic online, London
“Thank you for the fantastic summer you have given me at Heart. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly and I have learnt so much from the experience. It has also made me totally sure that I would like to go into the industry and made up my mind for a university course, so has helped me so much! I just wanted to thank you once again for everything you have done and helped me with and for the opportunity in itself. It really was such an enjoyable summer and I will hope to see you and the rest of the team soon. Thank you again for everything you have done. It means a lot that you took your time and effort to take me in and give me the chance to work with you and the team!” - Francesca Mclaven, internship with Heart Oxford
“I found my internship with Global, but specifically Capital FM, an incredibly valuable experience for a number of reasons. Due to the fact that I was only half way through my four years at university, I had not fully decided on a career path for when I finished, and I was using the internship as much to aid me in direction, as well as to learn as much as I could about Radio as an industry. The two and a half months which I spent as a co-producer for the Rich and Kat show provided both answers and insight, and this was because of the all-round involvement which was offered to me both within the show itself and the everyday workings of the station. The areas which I became involved with are numerous; show preparation, brainstorming ideas, competition organisation and execution, getting grabs from callers, cutting the best bits from interviews and being involved in the workings of a live show. It was due to the involvement I had in these things and the friendly atmosphere of the station which made the internship experience so enjoyable. Aaron, the producer for the Rich and Kat show, acted as a kind of 'mentor' and was always very helpful in explaining unfamiliar things to me aswell as allowing me to express some of my own ideas, and Rich and Kat were always great to be around, taking time for a chat and offering any help needed.
After the two and bit months, I feel that I have a fairly good grasp of what is needed to both be involved in broadcasting and the standards expected of Global and Capital FM- this is simply due to the experiences and insight I gained whilst there. However, the most important point I would make, is the nature of tasks or jobs I was set to do. I have friends who have done internships in other commercial companies in order to gain experience into a potential career path, and often they said that all they did were menial tasks such as 'data entry' and other time consuming but unchallenging jobs. With Capital, it was a different case entirely; I had longer term projects to work on as well as varying daily things, which made the experience always fresh and interesting. Overall, it was a hugely enjoyable and productive (no pun intended) two and a half months.” - Will Sowerby, internship with Capital Radio, London
“I did my work placement at Heart Sussex just after I’d completed my BJTC course. It was great because Tim and Rob helped me build on what I’d learnt and put it into practice, as well as giving me lots of voice coaching and sending me out reporting. By the end of my two weeks they’d helped me record a brand new demo and let me record voicers – some of which went on air. I got loads of advice on how to get started in radio and because they’d helped me so much with my writing and my demo I managed to get freelance work almost straightaway – including at Heart. Not only did the placement help kickstart my career, there was also a constant supply of tea and biscuits so I’m very glad to have had the chance to go there!” - Corinne Rhoades, 2 week placement at Heart Sussex
“I did work experience for two weeks with the news team in June. Tim and Rob helped me out with voice training and writing news scripts for the Heart brand. Whilst I was there I was sent out to report on local news stories, including a scoop on Peter Andre! From my experience with the Heart News Team I got my first job in journalism!” - Lindsay Brown, 2 week placement at Heart Sussex
“The week that I spent with the news team at Heart FM was, quite simply, amazing. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, the people on the team were approachable and the work was always fun. Unlike some placements where the most exciting thing that you get to do is to make coffee, at Heart FM I was allowed to tag along with reporters on stories, voxpop members of the public, conduct interviews, write copy for bulletins and generally assist in editing packages together. For anyone looking to enter the world of commercial radio, this placement would be a brilliant start. (now making TV documentaries in Afghanistan!)” - Makez Rikweda - 1 week placement at Heart Sussex
“The two weeks I spent at Heart were brilliant. I learnt so much ‘hands-on’ stuff that I won't learn at university. Being sent out to the streets by myself with very expensive equipment on my first day filled me with confidence. The guidance I got from Neil, Angie, Victoria, and Chris in programming has really set me up for life. Everyone there were so friendly and welcoming I really felt part of the team and at the end of my placement it was sad to leave. I can't thank everyone enough as I know when I go to university I will now have a head start on everyone else!" - Claire Chambers, two week placement at Heart Norwich
“My work experience at the Mercury FM newsroom was fantastic! As an aspiring journalist, the opportunity to build up some experience in the industry is so important, and Cheryl really did provide me with the most authentic experience possible. Rather than giving me an admin role for the week (as I have had at other work placements), Cheryl took the time to get a sense of what I have done previously and what I would be capable of, and then entrusted me with roles that would help the news-team. Alongside that, Cheryl and Julia really made me feel welcome; they were very friendly and supportive if I was ever in doubt about a task I had been set.I enjoyed my placement and learnt so much that I asked to come back a second time, which Cheryl kindly allowed me to do! Since then Cheryl has been a real support to me, giving me advice to do with my Post Graduate education and the industry in general, which I can't thank her enough for; I don't have anyone in my family or friends who I can approach for advice about this industry, so for Cheryl to take the time to give me that support is, in my opinion, above and beyond her position at the station, and I am extremely grateful.” – Jade Howard, 2 week placement, Mercury FM
“My placement at Heart was a great hands-on experience. Instead of just making the tea, I was treated as an employee and given the responsibility to tackle some very serious stories in the area. Including, reporting on two court cases that were covered nationally. The other journalists were very flexible, encouraging and great to learn from. It’s the best placement I have been on and really hope to work there again.” – Tom Fleetwood, placement at Heart Norwich
“I got to do a week placement at Heart and Gold in Norwich, and I loved every minute of it! I got the chance to put all my skills into practice and was given the chance to act as a reporter...writing scripts, doing my own interviews and even one-to-one voice training. It's really helped me improve on the things I was struggling with for my final year at university. The news team were all such a big help, and really made me feel part of the team!” - Rowena Harris Doughty, 1 week placement at Heart Norwich
“If you’re given the chance to work at Heart for a week or 2 weeks and want to learn about how a radio station works this is perfect for you. Everyone is friendly and makes you welcome any questions you have and they will answer them. If anyone thinks radio is easy maybe they should apply and see how it all works.” – Anthony Cope, 2 week placement at Heart Wrexham
"After applying for work experience through the Global Academy, I was accepted onto a week-long placement with Galaxy Scotland. I had an action-packed week working with the team at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - all of us packed on a double decker bus in the midst of the carnival. I found myself doing a range of things, from producing audio for the website, and helping edit some of the content that went out on air, to filming scantily clad chipmunks doing press-ups with the presenters and helping out with show preparation. And, of course, making the odd cup of tea!
"Having finished what was a really fun week, I'd met some amazing Fringe performers, been involved in a successful nationwide broadcast, and most importantly, I'd made some brilliant contacts - the Programme Controller of the entire Galaxy Network was on the bus with us all week! I've kept in touch with the guys at Galaxy Scotland as a result and I would recommend anyone who's thinking about a career in radio to apply and get some quality experience at the highest level." - Dan Moss - 1 week placement with Galaxy Scotland
"I thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks at Global Radio, everyone was very friendly and I learned a lot during my stay. I particularly enjoyed reporting and found that my confidence grew with each story I covered - something that is going to benefit me greatly next year. Overall it was a great experience." - James West, placement in London news
“Working at Heart for two weeks has been an invaluable experience. As a student in Media Production, I had an understanding of how the industry worked, but I had no idea what it would be like to work in the industry. It originally came as a shock and the newsroom as it is so fast paced, but I soon got to grips with the speed and it just made the job more exciting. Neil, Angie and Victoria made me feel so welcome, and it was a wonderful place to work.
Originally I was started off doing small tasks and little jobs, but as time went on I found myself being trusted with more responsibility when it came to writing scripts, online articles, interviewing and editing. I was never left with nothing to do, or with too much to do, everybody was very understanding and would never let me struggle. With the gradual responsibility, it made me very conscious, but proud of the work I produced, and as I became more and more trusted, I felt more and more of part of the team. The experience has been an overwhelming one, so much so that I have joined to Heart Angels so that I can stay connected to the station. I have loved working at Heart, and I feel safe in the fact that if the entire radio industry is anything like Heart and Global, the future looks very bright”. - Eleanor Cunningham, 2 week placement at Heart in Norwich
“I've thoroughly enjoyed my internship at Galaxy in Glasgow. What struck me most about the station was the feeling of team spirit and camaraderie within the building. I think it's because of this that I was made to feel so welcome, and I felt very much at home more or less straight away. I feel my technical knowledge, in a production capacity, has definitely improved during the course of my time at Galaxy. I'm a lot less wary about getting stuck into using programmes to mix together short demos, create breakfast trailers, and edit interviews and on-air pieces etc. Again, the staff, particularly breakfast producer Jennie Cook, couldn't have been more patient and helpful as I asked numerous questions.
I think the internship idea is a worthwhile exercise for those contemplating a career in radio, because I got to see exactly how the Galaxy programs are put together, and how the Galaxy network of stations operate and communicate with each other. It gave me a good general overview of the day-to-day working of a radio station. I feel more confident and determined about pursuing a career in radio, and it's all thanks to Galaxy in Glasgow really. I hope I can work with the team again at some point in the near future, and I'd like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Stuart and the rest of the staff for giving me a chance to learn, and also to remember why I started to pursue a career in broadcasting and presenting in the first place.” - Josie Smith, internship placement at Galaxy Glasgow.