So what's your background? I started interning in fashion PR soon after leaving university. It was a young, vibrant environment and at first it all seemed very glamorous, although the shine soon wore off under the extremely heavy work load. I decided that there must be something more worthwhile than trying to get a celebrity pictured wearing a certain brand of shoes and decided to work in charity PR.
How did you get this job, and did getting it fulfil a long-held ambition?
It was a hard slog! I studied drama at university, so I had to learn about written communications on the job. I interned in various PR positions, did lots of research and cold calling and asked anyone I met who worked in a charity whether I could volunteer in their press team. And yes, it did fill a long held ambition - it took me a while to decide what I wanted to do but I’m glad I took my time as I now do a job that really satisfies me.
How long have you worked at your current organisation for?
One year - it’s flown by.
What was your first charity job? And your first communications role?
I worked for three months in the media team at Shelter, the housing and homeless charity. I really enjoyed working for such a great cause, and realised I was suited to charity comms.
What do you actually do on a daily basis?
I search for and file all the daily Howard League press coverage, and then look at stories in the press that relate to the criminal justice system. If there has been a change in policy, or something significant that highlights failings in the system, I’ll draft a statement in response and send it to our press contacts.
As well as responding to things in the press, it’s my job to identify media opportunities to raise the Howard League’s profile, and publicise any reports or campaigns that we are running. An overarching part of my job is to get more members: we do not accept money from government and rely on membership donations to continue the vital, independent work that we do. I also sit on the website committee as well as the campaigns team. I am the only press officer for the Howard League and have to manage quite a varied work load which is very enjoyable.
What's been your biggest achievement in this role so far?
Every time we get something in the media I get a sense of achievement. I particularly enjoy the items of press coverage that snowball onto something else - a features or news article that is then picked up by broadcast and elsewhere.
What are the most challenging parts of your role?
Trying to work with the media with very little access to case studies. The Howard League legal team represent children in custody. Most of our clients are extremely vulnerable and live chaotic lifestyles and in the majority of cases it would be completely inappropriate to put them in front of a journalist. In addition, we must be careful to protect the feelings of any of our clients’ victims. We are very protective of our clients.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Reading the papers. It’s great when you can see the fruits of your labour in a national paper, reported in a responsible and informative way. I really enjoy it when the article starts a debate; people write comments under the article and get involved in the issues.
Anything you don't enjoy?
Reading the papers. Journalists deliberately mislead the public, particularly when it comes to reporting sentencing, in order to shift papers. Papers offer a very superficial view of what goes on in our criminal justice system. Unfortunately ‘man sentenced to community payback scheme goes onto live a law abiding life’ isn’t newsworthy.
What kind of personality is best suited to working in a job like yours?
Someone who works well under pressure, can write well, and has a keen interest in how the media works. You must really believe in the cause you are working for as the passion must come through in your writing.
Any top tips for people wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Be prepared to work for free at first - I worked 7 days a week for about 6 months interning and working in a shop at weekends. It’s difficult to get your foot in the door - speak to people you know to see if there’s a press office where they work. You could see if you could work there for a couple of days a week to get some experience on your CV.
Also, find something you are passionate about. It’s really easy to apply for every single job going but you don’t want to be stuck doing something you hate. Remember: you’ll be working for about 50 years so it’s worth holding out for the job that you’ll really enjoy.
Published July 2010