Five key questions every journalism student should ask their tutors

Whether you are about to embark on a fast track course, are looking forward to a longer course beginning in the autumn, or are still considering what course to take, there are five key questions you should ask any tutor.

What have you had published this week?
Or, more broadly, what journalism are you doing right now?
Never mind what they did a few years ago, or even last year. What are they doing this week? Things move so fast now that anyone teaching should also be practising journalism currently.

If they aren’t, then question their ability to teach you what you need to know.

Ok, so -- for example -- a features writer’s skills haven’t changed that much over the years, but markets have. I’d expect my features tutor to be writing and getting published right now. If not, how can you be sure they know the market?

Do you work on the web?
If your tutor has worked on the web, great, but how long ago was that? When I began in online in 1997, things were radically different to now. A tutor who used to work on the web is no use to you.

They need to be up to speed with all current practices, and to have a clear insight into what comes next. What can they tell you about Web 3.0, for example? What views do they have on the replacement for Twitter?

Do you blog, tweet and use RSS?
If they don’t, they aren’t part of the conversation. And a journalist who is not a part of the conversation is failing at their job. So will make a lousy tutor.

What jobs did the last cohort get?
And jobs means full time, paid jobs, not unpaid work experience or the occasional freelance shift or commission. Even in these hard times, there are jobs and they are being filled – with graduates from the most successful courses. Successful courses will make sure you meet past students who are in work. If they don't, ask also if you can contact them for a chat.

Are you getting paid on time?
While the cheaper public sector is still solvent, some private sector courses are struggling to attract the students they need to remain solvent.

Private sector courses are some of the most commercially attuned, and successful at placing graduates in jobs, but more than one has hit hard times. So are they up to date with payments to tutors? If they aren’t, you need to know. Because an unpaid tutor is an unhappy tutor, and no good to you.

Shome mistake, off-shorely

Ugly word, off-shoreing. But I like the sound of it.

In what the NUJ believes to be a first, News International is exporting much of the work done by 30 TV listings journalists to India.

It’s been happening to call-centre staff and others for some time; now it seems it is the turn of some sectors of journalism.

The work has been sub-contracted to PA, Press Gazette reports, which has two production centres in India, as well as one in the north of England.

Presumably this is not going to be an isolated event. Many more such moves are likely to follow. When I was at the Sunday Express, many subbing jobs were transferred to Preston, so it’s only one small step further to shift them abroad.

But here’s the question: Is this a threat, or an opportunity?

Obviously, if your job could be whisked from under you, it’s a threat. But that can’t happen with many journalistic jobs. The pool of those who can do high value reporting and editing, for an English-speaking audience, is severely limited.

Many currently UK-based journalists will fall into this highly-valued category. But while they need you – or someone of your calibre - to do your job, you often don’t need to do it in the UK.

So the smart move might be to off-shore yourself.

After all, for many journalists these days, where you are based is not important. Unless you have to regularly make face-to-face contact with the people you write about, or attend some form of proceedings routinely, you can work from pretty much anywhere, as along as there is broadband.

Last week I was in the south of France, training journalists for a company that decided, a few years ago, that it could base its web publications anywhere. So the founders decided where they’d like to live, and moved.

It certainly seemed a step up from cold grey November London as we sat outside a restaurant for lunch. At under 10 euros for two courses and a glass of wine, the meal was a damn sight better than what you’d get in your average office lunch spot in England.

Could all publishers up-sticks like this? Maybe not all – but plenty.

For many of us, the world really ought to be our lobster. There is really no reason why we can’t live and work somewhere warm, where the food is fantastic and the wine cheap, where it’s 10 minutes from the airport to the office, crime is low and property a fraction of UK prices.

Off-shoreing? Don’t mind if I do.