Fashion Journalism- Some pointers please! - Freelance UK Forums

sammy b · 04-09-2009, 08:03 AM

Hi,

I have wanted to work in a fashion magazine since i was young, unfortunatley due to financial difficulties i never went to university but gained great grades at A level.

I have since seen you can get a NCTJ qualification in 20 weeks!!!

Will this be worth my time as i believe it specialises in newspaper journalism, and not fashion.

I am really stuck at what to do and any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

mike4455 · 04-10-2009, 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammy b

Hi,

I have wanted to work in a fashion magazine since i was young, unfortunatley due to financial difficulties i never went to university but gained great grades at A level.

I have since seen you can get a NCTJ qualification in 20 weeks!!!

Will this be worth my time as i believe it specialises in newspaper journalism, and not fashion.

I am really stuck at what to do and any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

If you have good grades in alevels then i advice you go to university
there loads of ways to help you fianacial afford it. go to you local connections office and they will help you make a choice.

Having a degree really helps in life look at the current economic crisis even those that vahe degrees anre being ht imagine those that never went to uni some of them are far worse off. We cannot predict the future but we can prepare for it and going uni in my point of view is the best way to do this.

Gud luck with your decision anayway

LondonSarita · 04-14-2009, 03:44 PM

Hi

I work for a lot of fashion magazines (as a sub not a fashion person). I'd say you deffo need a higher qualification, if not a degree, then a HND or equivalent. I went to London College of Fashion and did a brilliant fashion journalism HND. Wide variety of subjects covered, including non fashion stuff. Really well rounded - look on their website to see if they still do it. If not they will probably offer something equally useful.

Also write to all your favourite fashion mags and be prepared to do months and months of unpaid work as an intern. If you're lucky you'll get your expenses paid, but that's it. Be prepared to do lots of tea-making and photo copying. If you do this without a word of complaint (and many do moan, believe me) they'll take a shine to you and let you do more important stuff. Always be prepared to stay late if necessary and always offer to help people doing mundane tasks if you're at a loose end.

You'll have to give a lot more than you get back at the start but if you prove you can be hardworking and cheerful, your name will get passed around to other people and they'll start telling you about other jobs in the fashion field. Don't for one minute think you can sit on your butt and they'll sort you out with a job. They're way too busy and they'll forget about you the next intern comes along. Make sure you're the best!

Good luck

S

modelsandmoguls · 04-16-2009, 04:38 AM

We currently have 2 fashion journalist positions open for freelancers - payment is $300 CDN for 4 articles per month. While we'd prefer writers with degrees and/or publication history, we're willing to consider anyone who has a strong command of writing style and unique approaches to common topics.

For example, we recently published an article by one of our writers on Oscar awards fashions. While others were writing about which celebrity was wearing which designer, our writer submitted a story to us about how much celebrities get paid to wear the frocks and what happens to the clothing when the party is over.

I encourage you to submit your writing to publications that suit your writing style; there is no better education than gaining real-world experience.

sharonk868 · 12-27-2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammy b

Hi,

I have wanted to work in a fashion magazine since i was young, unfortunatley due to financial difficulties i never went to university but gained great grades at A level.

I have since seen you can get a NCTJ qualification in 20 weeks!!!

Will this be worth my time as i believe it specialises in newspaper journalism, and not fashion.

I am really stuck at what to do and any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Thanks you for the post.
Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.

storageclothing · 01-15-2010, 10:55 AM

It is always better to get a degree from university so I suggest you to go to a university first and get a degree, about financial problems you are saying i dont think its a big deal you can get a loan from any bank. And about NCTJ you can check their website.

Louise Hansen · 03-31-2010, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammy b

Hi,

I have wanted to work in a fashion magazine since i was young, unfortunatley due to financial difficulties i never went to university but gained great grades at A level.

I have since seen you can get a NCTJ qualification in 20 weeks!!!

Will this be worth my time as i believe it specialises in newspaper journalism, and not fashion.

I am really stuck at what to do and any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

Hi there Sammy :-)

I don't know if you've gone to college by now but how about starting writing your own fashion pieces and publishing them for free online? There are loads and loads of sites where you can publish them and get some awareness to your skills.

There's a great one called PressPort. You can publish the stories for free and journalists get rss-feeds on different topics so if they'll see a great written story they might contact you. I think it's worth giving it a try.

If you're up for it you could actually go and get your own VAT no. and maybe start writing for people needing something to be written. It might not be fashion at first but at least you'd make a bit of money. And then you could publish it various places - like the PressPort site - or if they pay you enough you can also send it out to the media for your (potential) customers.

As I have noticed inhere a lot of people actually need someone to write bits for them for websites etc but if you could offer them more publicity spreading the news online even more that would be a great for you to get some exposure as well :-)

Cheers and good luck :-)

Louise

Brighton Journalist Works · 06-15-2010, 02:41 PM

While a degree is good to have, editors are more interested in talent, drive and enthusiasm and the NCTJ qualification. The other must-have is work experience. NCTJ colleges are dotted all over the country - just do a google search and see what you can find.
Take a look at this page on our website to read about Sophie Eager who did our course without a degree and got a job as a national celebrity journalist. Becoming a journalist with Journalist Works
While you're thinking about your options, the best thing you can try to do is get some relevant work experience, or maybe start a fashion blog to get yourself noticed?
Just add, follow, tweet and stalk as many successful fashion journalists as
you can!
Good luck!
Paula

James A · 08-23-2010, 05:38 AM

Hi..!!
The work of a fashion journalist can be quite varied. Typical work includes writing or editing articles, or helping to formulate and style a fashion shoot. A fashion journalist typically spends a lot of time researching or conducting interviews and it is essential that he or she has good contacts with people in the fashion industry, including photographers, designers, and public relations specialists.

04-09-2009, 08:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
sammy b New Poster Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Kent Posts: 1	Fashion Journalism- Some pointers please! Hi, I have wanted to work in a fashion magazine since i was young, unfortunatley due to financial difficulties i never went to university but gained great grades at A level. I have since seen you can get a NCTJ qualification in 20 weeks!!! Will this be worth my time as i believe it specialises in newspaper journalism, and not fashion. I am really stuck at what to do and any help would be really appreciated. Thanks

01-15-2010, 10:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
storageclothing New Poster Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3	It is always better to get a degree from university so I suggest you to go to a university first and get a degree, about financial problems you are saying i dont think its a big deal you can get a loan from any bank. And about NCTJ you can check their website. __________________ (advertising URL deleted please see our T&CS)

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04-14-2009, 03:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
LondonSarita New Poster Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1	Hi I work for a lot of fashion magazines (as a sub not a fashion person). I'd say you deffo need a higher qualification, if not a degree, then a HND or equivalent. I went to London College of Fashion and did a brilliant fashion journalism HND. Wide variety of subjects covered, including non fashion stuff. Really well rounded - look on their website to see if they still do it. If not they will probably offer something equally useful. Also write to all your favourite fashion mags and be prepared to do months and months of unpaid work as an intern. If you're lucky you'll get your expenses paid, but that's it. Be prepared to do lots of tea-making and photo copying. If you do this without a word of complaint (and many do moan, believe me) they'll take a shine to you and let you do more important stuff. Always be prepared to stay late if necessary and always offer to help people doing mundane tasks if you're at a loose end. You'll have to give a lot more than you get back at the start but if you prove you can be hardworking and cheerful, your name will get passed around to other people and they'll start telling you about other jobs in the fashion field. Don't for one minute think you can sit on your butt and they'll sort you out with a job. They're way too busy and they'll forget about you the next intern comes along. Make sure you're the best! Good luck S

04-16-2009, 04:38 AM	#4 (permalink)
modelsandmoguls New Poster Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Canada Posts: 4	We currently have 2 fashion journalist positions open for freelancers - payment is $300 CDN for 4 articles per month. While we'd prefer writers with degrees and/or publication history, we're willing to consider anyone who has a strong command of writing style and unique approaches to common topics. For example, we recently published an article by one of our writers on Oscar awards fashions. While others were writing about which celebrity was wearing which designer, our writer submitted a story to us about how much celebrities get paid to wear the frocks and what happens to the clothing when the party is over. I encourage you to submit your writing to publications that suit your writing style; there is no better education than gaining real-world experience.

06-15-2010, 02:41 PM	#8 (permalink)
Brighton Journalist Works New Poster Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Brighton, The Argus Posts: 3	While a degree is good to have, editors are more interested in talent, drive and enthusiasm and the NCTJ qualification. The other must-have is work experience. NCTJ colleges are dotted all over the country - just do a google search and see what you can find. Take a look at this page on our website to read about Sophie Eager who did our course without a degree and got a job as a national celebrity journalist. Becoming a journalist with Journalist Works While you're thinking about your options, the best thing you can try to do is get some relevant work experience, or maybe start a fashion blog to get yourself noticed? Just add, follow, tweet and stalk as many successful fashion journalists as you can! Good luck! Paula

08-23-2010, 05:38 AM	#9 (permalink)
James A New Poster Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 9	Hi..!! The work of a fashion journalist can be quite varied. Typical work includes writing or editing articles, or helping to formulate and style a fashion shoot. A fashion journalist typically spends a lot of time researching or conducting interviews and it is essential that he or she has good contacts with people in the fashion industry, including photographers, designers, and public relations specialists.