Journo Resources is delighted to be working with the Journalists’ Charity to offer the Moving Forwards Mentoring Scheme. We believe in the power of one-to-one advice — and that you can get a lot even from just one dedicated session, which is why we’ve launched Moving Forwards Mentoring.
Our experts are on hand every week to talk through a range of issues, including:
- Taking the next step in your career;
- Honing your skills as a freelancer;
- Job application reviews;
- Building your confidence and resilience;
- Exploring options outside of journalism;
- And much more.
The scheme is open to all UK-based journalists who are currently working, offering one bookable session within a six-month period. New slots are released weekly at 12pm on Fridays, so check back regularly.
Essential Info & How To Book
Please make sure to read all the information below before booking your session, so you can make sure you get the most out of it. If you have any questions, drop us an email on mentoring@journoresources.org.uk.
Support You’ll Receive
As part of the scheme, you can book a one-to-one mentoring session up to 45 minutes with one of our experts. The session will take place on Zoom with a mentor who is best matched to your interests. All our mentors have more than a decade of experience working in the journalism industry.
After your session, you’ll receive an overview email from your mentor, running over the discussion and any relevant resources or practical next steps to action. Depending on the nature of the discussion, you may be offered a follow-up session.
Eligibility
For this scheme, we are currently accepting applications from working journalists based in the UK. To book a place, you must be:
- Currently living in the United Kingdom;
- Working primarily as a journalist for at least 12 months;
- You have not undertaken a mentoring session on this scheme within the last six months, or are currently involved in another mentoring scheme, either now or within the past six months.
Please note, if you do not fulfil these criteria and attempt to book a place, it will be rejected. While we hope to be able to offer additional schemes to service more people in future, currently, this isn’t possible — we’re a tiny team and have specific funding constraints due to our team’s charitable objectives.
If you fall outside of this scope, we’d recommend taking a look at our mentoring list here, which offers lots of different options that may be more relevant to your needs.
How To Book
Booking for our mentoring sessions takes place in two parts. Firstly, you’ll need to register for a ticket on the mentoring hub — new tickets are released on this page every Friday at 12pm, so please check back regularly if there are none available.
When registering for a ticket, you will be asked to fill out some information to determine your eligibility for the scheme as well as the type of support you are looking for. Please give us as much information as possible; this will help us find you the best mentor for your session.
Once you have booked a ticket, one of our mentoring team will assess your application, usually, this is completed within two working days. You’ll then be sent a calendar booking link to schedule a convenient time to book your appointment, as well as send any files needed.
FAQs
What If I Need To Rearrange My Session?
We know that sometimes plans change, so just let us know if you need to reschedule a session. Because we’re a small team, please do let us know at least 24 hours in advance, or we might not be able to reschedule your session.
Who Are The Mentors?
Our team currently has three in-house mentors and is also able to call on our wider network when required. While you can’t request a specific mentor, we will try to pair you with someone who most understands your needs:
- Jem Collins: Jem is the founder of Journo Resources and has more than a decade of experience working in journalism. She is able to talk about building confidence, job applications, freelance work, and more.
- Kayleigh Watson: Kayleigh is the deputy editor of Journo Resources and has more than a decade of experience working in music journalism. She is able to talk about freelancing, building confidence, and more.
- Jack Dearlove: Jack is the co-director at Journo Resources and left journalism seven years ago to work in marketing. He is able to talk about moving on from journalism and assessing your skill sets.
- Karen Edwards: Karen is a mentor for Journo Resources and has a background in travel and sustainability. She is able to speak about freelancing, developing a niche, growing confidence, and more.
Why Is It Only Open To Working Journalists In The UK?
We hope to be able to open up this scheme to more journalists in the future, but during this pilot, we’re only able to offer the scheme within the criteria specified. This is due to us being a tiny team and the charitable objectives tied to the funding.
As a charity, the Journalists’ Charity can only support working journalists in the UK, something which was written into its purpose when it was founded. Journo Resources is also a very small team, with just one full-time member of staff, so we are unable to fund further work ourselves.
Where Else Can I Find Mentoring Support?
You can find more information about other mentoring schemes that might suit you on our mentoring page here and by signing up for our free newsletter.