Your Guide To Applying To The Financial Times Newsroom Apprenticeship — From Someone Who Did It

Applications are currently open for the Financial Times Newsroom Apprenticeship, run in collaboration with the Manchester Evening News (MEN). This year, applications on Journo Resources close on Wednesday, May 21, but applications can still be made through Creative Access until Monday, May 26. Whichever route you choose, please mention that we sent you!

This scheme, specifically for people who haven’t undertaken a degree or have a current university application pending, really packs a punch. Not only will you receive a starting salary of £28,808pa, but you’ll also get the chance to work across three separate newsroom placements and get your NCTJ Level 5 Diploma. Accommodation support is also available to help you move across the country.

We won’t lie, it’s a pretty sweet deal. So, how can you make sure you put your best foot forward and make your application stand out? Well, the first piece of good news is that it doesn’t matter if you’ve only just spotted this — former apprentice and current FT money reporter Maisie Grice tells us she only spotted the opportunity two days before it closed.

‘I Found It Two Days Before It Shut’

“I stumbled across the role completely accidentally, not intending to look for it,” she tells Journo Resources. “But I read the application through and I thought, you know, I could go for this, why not. I got there two days before it shut, when I found it. So, there was no hesitation.”

For anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, Maisie is keen to stress that it’s not too late and is just a case of focusing and prioritising. She recalls: “It was like, I need to get to Starbucks tomorrow morning, immediately, and get the application finished and send it over straight away.”

Maisie Grice (L) was successful in becoming an apprentice with the FT (R)

Thankfully, for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, the initial application process isn’t lengthy. First off, you’ll need to put together a CV, in which the team are keen to hear about any social media, language, or data skills. You’ll also need to include a short cover letter, which should talk about why you think you’d make a great reporter.

Maisie is keen to stress that you shouldn’t overthink a lack of journalism experience. “With this job, the process is made for someone with no journalism experience,” she explains. Instead, she recommends thinking about how your previous jobs, volunteering, or other experiences could lend themselves to a career as a journalist.

“I was working in a hospital at the time,” says Maisie. “So, I put in [how] quite a lot of my role there could flip into what I do now [at the FT], to try and show how the aspects of the other experience would benefit me in the job I do now. The job you’ve had prior [to journalism] is always going to be unique, so definitely show them what you’ve done, that you’re able to adapt to different jobs, you can work in different environments. My experience of working in a hospital in Salford? I knew the area, which was great for regional news.”

Think About Different Structures For Your Application

Similarly, be wary of falling into a formulaic trap with your cover letters; all too often, we can end up just writing the same thing. Just think how many cover letters follow the format of: “Hi, my name is X, and I’m applying for the role of Y.” While you’ll, of course, want to showcase your experiences in detail, ask yourself if there’s a more engaging way of starting or presenting yourself. For Maisie, this meant raiding the bookshelves.

“I was looking through my Goodreads and through my wardrobes, seeing what I’d read recently; I read quite a lot when I was working at the hospital. Then, in the cover letter, I put the books I’d read recently. If you show them these non-fiction books that you’re reading that cover a wide range of topics, even the things you don’t agree with or don’t know much about, because it’s how you learn. Show them that you are proactively learning and taking in these different worldviews, opinions, and facts that can help you going forward.”

If you’re successful in making it to the shortlist, you’ll then be invited to interview. For Maisie, this was a two-stage process involving staff from both the Manchester Evening News and the FT. “That first interview was going through my cover letter, asking me further questions, and what pieces I’ve read recently in the FT and the MEN, and what would I like to write for them both, respectively,” she recalls. “The second was more of an informal chat, getting to know who I am, which was really nice. I really enjoyed that one, that was just her asking about what I thought of journalism, what books I read recently, that kind of thing.”

‘Have A Plan Of What You’d Want To Write About’

The key to preparation is simple, though — make sure you’ve read and understand both outlets, as well as what you can bring to them. Maisie explains: “Read the FT, read the MEN, definitely. Know what you’re ready to talk about, what kind of thing you want to say. Definitely go in there knowing what the target audiences are, what the FT does, what the MEN does. And, then, be prepared to say what ideas are sparking for you, what would you want to write about?”

“Have a plan of what you’d want to write about, who you would speak to, how you would get there, that sort of thing. And, then, just show them that you’re passionate. Let them know that you want it with everything that you’ve got. My advice is to show that you’re willing.”

For the FT‘s part, they say they’re keen to hear from people who are “curious about people, governments, business, and money, [are] open-minded and interested in different perspectives, [and] willing to learn.” You’ll also be expected to be flexible, conscientious, and have strong communication skills in both written and spoken English.

While the scheme isn’t suitable for those who are studying or have studied a degree, you will need a Level 3 Qualification; this could be A/AS Levels, an NVQ, BTEC, T Level, or anything else of the same standard.

In return, you’ll get an industry-leading scheme where you get to produce real work that’s sent out into the world. For Maisie, a highlight was working on her endpoint assessment for her apprenticeship. “I had to do a 900-word story that was completely, utterly mine. Just me, pitching, getting it over the line, sticking with it, having everyone at work support me. Doing that was kind of like: ‘Ok, yeah, this is what I want to keep doing with and keep doing this. Now I’ve proven that I can do these very hard stories at times that are quite challenging.”

And, she says, the cliché is true — every day really is different. “I would say the MEN is the most unpredictable, in a good way! It’s unpredictable, it’s fun. You never know what you’re going to get. Working the scene, doing lives and sending out tweets, it laid out to me that I can do this. I’m capable of doing this job, and I can do it well. That was a kind of pinch-me moment, if you will.”

Applications for the FT Newsroom Apprenticeship Scheme with the Manchester Evening News are open on Journo Resources until Wednesday, May 21, but applications can still be made through Creative Access until Monday, May 26.

Maisie Grice (L) was successful in becoming an apprentice with the FT (R)

Thankfully, for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation, the initial application process isn’t lengthy. First off, you’ll need to put together a CV, in which the team are keen to hear about any social media, language, or data skills. You’ll also need to include a short cover letter, which should talk about why you think you’d make a great reporter.

Maisie is keen to stress that you shouldn’t overthink a lack of journalism experience. “With this job, the process is made for someone with no journalism experience,” she explains. Instead, she recommends thinking about how your previous jobs, volunteering, or other experiences could lend themselves to a career as a journalist.

“I was working in a hospital at the time,” says Maisie. “So, I put in [how] quite a lot of my role there could flip into what I do now [at the FT], to try and show how the aspects of the other experience would benefit me in the job I do now. The job you’ve had prior [to journalism] is always going to be unique, so definitely show them what you’ve done, that you’re able to adapt to different jobs, you can work in different environments. My experience of working in a hospital in Salford? I knew the area, which was great for regional news.”

Think About Different Structures For Your Application

Similarly, be wary of falling into a formulaic trap with your cover letters; all too often, we can end up just writing the same thing. Just think how many cover letters follow the format of: “Hi, my name is X, and I’m applying for the role of Y.” While you’ll, of course, want to showcase your experiences in detail, ask yourself if there’s a more engaging way of starting or presenting yourself. For Maisie, this meant raiding the bookshelves.

“I was looking through my Goodreads and through my wardrobes, seeing what I’d read recently; I read quite a lot when I was working at the hospital. Then, in the cover letter, I put the books I’d read recently. If you show them these non-fiction books that you’re reading that cover a wide range of topics, even the things you don’t agree with or don’t know much about, because it’s how you learn. Show them that you are proactively learning and taking in these different worldviews, opinions, and facts that can help you going forward.”