PAs in Newspapers

You won't find many workplaces where it's easier to cross the barrier from PA to executive staff than on a newspaper. Just think of Jilly Cooper who was in the '60s, by her own account, one of the world's very worst secretaries - just another lovable, dizzy blond enjoying everything that swinging London could throw at her. On work-day mornings she had her boss in stitches with stories of her bachelor-girl adventures - so much so that he ordered her to write them down. Within months she had a regular column in The Sunday Times and from there it was just a literary bed-hop to her world of million-selling bonk-busters.

And there's more to newspapers than journalism . Every publication is kept afloat by advertising so if business is your thing there are opportunities just waiting for you in sales.

Where to start in newsapers? Well, it could be wise to cut your teeth in the regions before thinking about the nationals. Forget any misconceptions you may have about these being media backwaters - this is where you can most easily get your first break. Just consider the opportunities that are available. In the UK 84% of adults read a local newspaper. Some 4.067 local newsapapers are sold in the UK every minute and we spend more than £670million on them.

But what's it like to work as a PA on a local newsaper? Simon Kent, the author of Getting a Top Job in Arts and the Media says, "The work is varied and career opportunities really do open up. Unlike on national titles, where journalists and PAs often have their own territory, on a local paper everyone mucks in and this extends to PAs, who often write copy.
"The reason for this is that the turnover of journalists on a local paper is often high, so the PA who stands in for the regular columnist sometimes inherits the column.

Joanne Fulker, 39, the PA to Brien Beharrell, the editor of the Newbury Weekly News, takes on jobs which extend way beyond a PAs normal responsibilities. "I organise the diary and see to the editor's engagements but write only about five or six letters a day for her," she says. " The rest of my time is spent setting up special features to run with advertisement supplements, organising competitions and writing the children's page. It's a brilliant job with loads of variety.

"I was lucky because I found the job by a fluke. I'd had a spell temping here when I came to Newbury from Leeds, where I ran my own printing business. Then I got the permanent job when it became available."

What skills are needed to work as a PA on a local newsaper? Joanne's editor, Brien Beharrell says, " New technology has transformed everyone's work in newspapers in recent years, so a modern PA must now be able to play a part in the production process. She must be unflappable, organised and skilled at dealing with people calmly - particularly on press day when things can get pretty fraught."

"As part of the community we are in closer contact with our readers than national newspaper journalists. That's great because feedback is nearly always friendly but it's not unusual for Joanne to have to explain to people, tactfully, why we have to report a court case they'd prefer to be overlooked. Important people in the local community who are caught drink-driving can be particularly techy."

Take care to check out any local newspaper you may be applying to for a job - they aren't all as good as the 136 year-old Newbury Weekly News. Tim Gopsill, the editor of The Journalist, the magazine for The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) says, "Anyone thinking of working on a local title should do careful research beforehand because working conditions vary enormously - with some PAs earning less than £10,000 a year.

"There is an over-supply of journalists nowadays and some youngsters are taking jobs as secretaries just to get a foot in the door of a newspaper. Consequently on some local papers PAs are stressed and over-worked and there have even been reported cases of staff bullying."

More than half of local newspapers are now owned by conglomerates and these often offer the best career prospects for PAs. The Archant media group, based in Norwich, owns four regional newspapers and fifty weekly titles with a combined circulation of 2.6 million copies a week. Bryony Beales, the human resources manager says, "We have several examples of administrative staff who have moved into managerial roles within sales support, editorial and training departments."

Julie Brown started at Archant as a part-time filing clerk with the advertisements sales team. She has since been promoted twice, once to PA and later to her current post as a sales administration manager. This involves overseeing and motivating five other staff, organising supplements and checking that clients are happy with their advertisements.

She says, "There's a real buzz to the place, which I love. It's not a job for a clock-watcher: my 9-to-5 day is often 8-to-6. It's also deadline driven and quite stressful. But it's an atmosphere where new ideas are encouraged and where you get real job satisfaction."