Reflections from Anisha Gamblin, 2020-21

Anisha Gamblin, English Literature

This academic year, I have attended four career sessions and one career consultant session.

In October, I listened into the 'Media Futures' talk in which Benjamin De Pear discussed his career as editor of Channel 4 News. He spoke to us about how he became foreign editor in 2008 and appointed editor in 2012 which was inspiring to hear (especially as he studied at Leeds)!

One piece of advice that I will always remember is that, if you are looking to get into journalism and news reporting, firstly, start off writing of anything, just get out there and find interesting scenarios, fascinating people, their habits and ways of life, and begin writing on them! Second, a tip for what to write on: Ben made it clear that, more often than not, in small towns and areas, there will always be something quaint, perhaps funny, or uplifting that you can write on and share with your community. Ben, himself, started off by reporting on small stories in his own hometown and it is these that often catches people’s attention, brightens their day or at least adds something to it. One of his mentees once reported on a cat being saved by the local fire services after getting  itself stuck in a tree. Although simple, the story was lovely to read for the local community and, for me, highlighted how there are always a multitude of stories waiting to be recognised and written on right before our eyes.

Then there was ‘Careers that challenge the status quo’ event. I found this really helpful because there was a student who had since graduated and gave a lot of advice about what to do post graduation (especially in the context of a global pandemic). She recommended Young Citizens, a charity that seeks to help children and young people make a positive difference to society, working towards a more diverse and inclusive society and reinforcing a strong and secure democracy for them.

She also gave advice about the importance of LinkedIn and how this can forge new connections and networks with people who you would not otherwise be put in contact with. her advice was really reassuring about the future and opened up a lot of new avenues I could go into.

I also attended a Red Kite Teacher Training workshop. This was incredibly helpful especially because I am considering a future career in teaching. It involved a trainee Progress Leader and Ex Headteacher called Matthew Browne who delivered a very informed presentation for students interested in entering teaching post graduation. He outlined the various routes into teaching and, in general, was so enthusiastic and passionate about teaching as a career. His positivity was so uplifting to see and left me feeling excited about the future.

I remember how he spoke about teaching being the “best career in the world”. He really drove home the point of making a difference in student’s lives and made the interesting observation of how, most of us attending the workshop, would’ve had a past high school/primary school teacher that inspired us to become teachers ourselves. For me, this was true - it left me thinking about the possibility of inspiring another student in the future to go into teaching.

Another ‘Media Futures’ event I attended was titled ‘ Working at Russia Today: Nothing is True and Everything is Possible’. this was a really interesting event because it featured Nadira Tudor, who had just left Russia Today as a senior News Anchor and Correspondence and Moscow. She reflected on the relationship between the State and Media and spoke about how best she dealt with controversial issues such as Brexit, Russia versus China, Russia versus Venezuela and freedom of speech in the West. I found these topics so fascinating and it was really inspiring to hear her story, her life and the events that have helped shaped it. One thing that struck me about the event was the range of scandals Nadira covered e.g Russian oligarchs who had left Russia with ongoing cases. Nadira, interestingly, refused to use the word ‘we’ when reporting to emphasise objectivity. This allowed her to report what the Chinese, Russian or UK government were saying but enabled her to remain objective due to specific phrasing.  Even now, she still continues to use this terminology. I think this is a good rule of thumb as a journalist as it retains objectivity while permitting the exploration of ‘controversial’ debates.

(Other events I attended included ‘ Q & A with the Civil Service Fast Stream’ and ‘Starting your Teacher Training Journey – Top Tips from Teach North’)

With regards to my Careers Guidance Appointment, it was nice to just talk through my thoughts about the future with a career consultant. We discussed Teach First and the process of completing a PGCE and the ways in which teaching can be taken internationally and across the continents which was really good to hear.

Overall, the various sessions I attended this year were incredibly useful and eye-opening. It was particularly great to see professionals such as Nadira and Ben talking and answering questions from undergrads.