BBC application/interview

I've applied for a job at the BBC in the past- it didn't take long to hear back (I was rejected!)- but I imagine if they have 19 places then they will have literally hundreds of applications to work through. If you're unsure, there's definately no harm in calling them and asking.

I have an assessment and panel interview next week, so nervous! Any tips?

@Umbongo umbomgo

I went to an assessment day and two interviews for ITV and was successful, so I expect it to be similar:

Be YOURSELF and always be honest - if you ever lie or exaggerate then you will be sussed out!

Why do you want this job? Do you really watch BBC programmes? If not, then I wouldn't bother applying...

If you have a favourite show, what is your favourite bits? And don't be afraid to criticise too.

imo, the mentality is more important than your knowledge and qualifications.

Are you a confident and sociable person? Media production is always about TEAMWORK, not individuality.

Are you willing to do the most mundane boring repetitive jobs for a year? They're not going to let you direct or touch the cameras on your first day..

Are you after money? If so, choose banking or even sales - media production doesn't pay well.

Can you handle pressure and stress? You make a mistake, you may be shouted at and you won't be getting a second call for the next job.

How committed are you? Are you just planning to make it to work at 9am and clock off at 5pm, or be the last one to leave the office? Out of these two options, one of them will make you shine in the producer's eyes.

One more important tip:

Never give up.

Some great advice there gossipgirl, and even though I haven't applied for this (yet!) I can honestly answer all those questions positively. I have wanted to work in TV for so long, and I'm finally starting to make ground towards it and cannot wait for the challenge!

@gossipgirl

thanks for the advice, I was worried my lack of experience would stop me from breaking into the business, but I am definetly willing to pay my dues to get where I want to be in TV.

I applied for the production trainee scheme this year - the closing date was the 29th March and I haven't heard anything. The website said they are shortlisting between 30th march and the 14th may so i know I still have a week or two to go but is it a positive thing I haven't heard anything? Would they have already contacted me if my application had already been looked at and discarded? I guess I'm just really nervous as this job would be a fantastic opportunity but as I am graduating soon and have no contact hours or exams to do before graduation i can only wait so long on this position before I will have to look elsewhere. Is it worth phoning them or does that give the wrong impression?

Thanks for any help! I'm a newbie to the world of graduate jobs!

For one runner application we had recently, 400 people answered the call. That was a lot of CVs to sift through.. I would say hold on, as if you miss a call, someone else will be booked in for an interview instead of you.

Hey MissPitcher, have you heard anything yet?

I haven't yet. I mean I know they must have so many applications to go through. I think they had over 3000 applicants last year or something along those lines. Its incredible. Have you applied for it and heard anything? I'm not sure how they contact you - whether by phone or email. Also I had thought that if they were not going to give you an interview then they would send you a rejection email or something. A friend of mine said they might not contact you at all if they're not interested though which made me a little more concerned. I've scoured the internet for any information regarding whether or not they've contacted anyone yet but alas! It has been to no avail.

Yea I thought there would be more on student forums and such but you are the first person I've found.

I applied for work experience at the BBC last year, and I found out pretty quickly that they didn't want me, which gives me hope now. But the longer the more painful it is!

I am very sure they will send an e-mail of some kind.

Are you at uni? What degree do you have? I'm a bit worried that I will be competing with loads of media students, when I only have English lit which is a bit useless.

Best of luck, we can panic together!

Hurrah finally someone in the same pain as me! That does sound promising. Yeah I'm graduating this year (I'm 22) I took Drama and Theatre studies with Comparative literary studies. I kinda focused my course on direction and production management and journalism within the English bit of it. I reckon that English is a lot more relevant that some of the degree some people applying will have. There will be a lot of media students but there may well also be a load of applicants who are only interested in trying to get on TV! I saw there is some kind of facebook group about it (if you search for bbc production trainee scheme) but i requested to join it a few days ago and I still haven't been accepted so it may have been set up ages ago for a different scheme.

Have you applied for any of the Channel 4 Production Schemes, they're based at individual production companies rather than c4 but they do look really good. Apps close tomorrow.

Here's the link:

https://jobs.channel4.com/pages/default.aspx

Let me know as soon as you hear anything!

Cheers. I did have a look at it but wasn't sure about them. Will check it out again. Will let you know as soon as i hear anything, you let me know if you do! Good luck!

• getting tense*

As did I. Time to start submitting my proposal to other channels i thinky. Good luck! Please do let me know if you get an interview!

Wow, this must be the only place on the entire internet this is being discussed!

Has anyone heard yet? I made the application back in April and still have heard nothing...

"Hey love, A few friends of mine got rejections this morning... promising?"

/\ love this... My friends got rejected, awesome! Seriously though it does kinda bode well for those left!

JMN

I'm still waiting too and pretty nervous about it! I'm doing an MA and the 4 others from my course who applied got rejection e-mails last Thursday. I don't really know if that's significant, but don't worry Joanne, you're not alone! I'm going to phone in tomorrow if I haven't heard by the end of the day. Best of luck everyone! R

ditto that....just sick of manically checking emails on a daily basis...

thats the other option for september if i dont get on, start an MA...let me know how you get on with the phone call...

I think it must be a good thing we havent heard yet...right?!? (fingers crossed **)

Good luck!!

Yup, I'm going to my email every 5 mins too! I'm doing an MA in TV Production...I've found it very useful and has given me a lot of confidence to apply for schemes such as this BBC Production traineeship...although I'll only find quite how useful it will ultimately be when/if I manage to land a job in the industry! Let me know if you want some more details about the course. And if you hear from The Beeb today/tomorrow let me know!

I must be very impatient....

still nothing....

I am willing my email to produce....but to no avail!

RT6885, where is your tv prod course? I have been looking into journalism post grads , but it is certainly the production route that interest me the most.

oh when will we hear!!!

I know, I hate this waiting game! I can't concentrate on my work, hitting the email bookmark every time I navigate to another page...aagghh!

The TV Production Course is at University College Falmouth and is a broad course that covers every aspect of modern television production such as media law, production office skills, research, development, commissioning, directing, lighting, camera skills, studio & gallery work, sound, editing and after effects. Basically you learn all these skills to a basic level in the first term, then you naturally focus your work on any number of these disciplines; basically, if you're proactive then it's a great course because you have access to highly experienced tutors and technicians who have worked in the industry, but if you don't make the effort then you lose out and the masters will not be value for money.

Falmouth also offer courses in Multimedia Broadcast Journalism and International Journalism. They concentrate more specifically on the technical and presentational skills needed by modern freelance journalists, but the courses seem more structured than TV Production and if you really want to be a presenter or correspondent then it's much better than the TVP course. If you want more info, go to famouth.ac.uk or find me on facebook (Rufus Tanner) and I can tell you more.

Generally speaking I've found that a media related masters does not put you at a massive advantage when applying for schemes such as the BBC PTS or Channel 4 PTS (basically the golden entry jobs) but does help you in approaching production companies with confidence, and obviously having a showreel of work you will have produced over the course of the masters is a very good way of starting conversations with industry professionals.

Hope you hear soon! R

I know, I hate this waiting game! I can't concentrate on my work, hitting the email bookmark every time I navigate to another page...aagghh!

The TV Production Course is at University College Falmouth and is a broad course that covers every aspect of modern television production such as media law, production office skills, research, development, commissioning, directing, lighting, camera skills, studio & gallery work, sound, editing and after effects. Basically you learn all these skills to a basic level in the first term, then you naturally focus your work on any number of these disciplines; basically, if you're proactive then it's a great course because you have access to highly experienced tutors and technicians who have worked in the industry, but if you don't make the effort then you lose out and the masters will not be value for money.

Falmouth also offer courses in Multimedia Broadcast Journalism and International Journalism. They concentrate more specifically on the technical and presentational skills needed by modern freelance journalists, but the courses seem more structured than TV Production and if you really want to be a presenter or correspondent then it's much better than the TVP course. If you want more info, go to famouth.ac.uk or find me on facebook (Rufus Tanner) and I can tell you more.

Generally speaking I've found that a media related masters does not put you at a massive advantage when applying for schemes such as the BBC PTS or Channel 4 PTS (basically the golden entry jobs) but does help you in approaching production companies with confidence, and obviously having a showreel of work you will have produced over the course of the masters is a very good way of starting conversations with industry professionals.

Hope you hear soon! R

@jojojoloppy:

Any news from the BBC today? I've still heard nothing.

nope nothing,
am getting a bit manic now... arghhh

think i had built myself up to thinking i would find out either way today....

im going to brave it out over the weekend, and if still nothing i am phoning on monday to demand an explantion ---- more like politley enquire as to the status of my application... haha

i reckon they will have been inundated with applications and its taking longer than anticipated to sort them out...

i am taking the motto no news is good news on board!

i have started daydreaming about being on the scheme....this is a bad sign!!!

Haha you wouldn't be the only one daydreaming of such things!

I just bit the bullet and called up to find out what's going on.

Apparently the applications are still being reviewed at this stage, and the HR team said they couldn't give an estimate as to when we may find out because the scheme was even more heavily subscribed this year. I also suggested they update their Production Twitter account saying we probably wouldn't hear by the end of the day, as it currently states that we should hear by May 14th.

I'm starting to embrace the 'no news is good news' motto, but if it is indeed a rejection I receive , then I wish I could have got it along with everyone else last week! This waiting game is painful! I suspect they contacted people for flat rejections and are possibly now going through a 'maybes' pile...but again, this is just my brain going into overdrive and coming up with possible explanations!

This is going to be a very nervous weekend. R

No news for me so far - what's going on?? Have any of you guys heard?

They didn't say we would hear before the 14th, they said that they would be deciding between the application date and May 14th and that we would hear in late May. Chill your beans.
Lol.... but I do get that it is frustrating.

They didn't say we would hear before the 14th, they said that they would be deciding between the application date and May 14th and that we would hear in late May. Chill your beans.
Lol.... but I do get that it is frustrating.

"I wouldn't read much into the fact people have started getting rejections and that you haven't yet - it's probably because you applied near the end of the application window. HR are probably going through the apps from the top. It is ludicrously competitive. A friend managed to get onto the journalism trainee scheme - I think they take on about 20 people for that too, and they assessed 60. So if the PTS is similar there's a very good chance should you get to that stage!"

You're probably right not to get hopes too high, but my sister got rejected on 5 May even though she applied at about 1 minute to midnight on the deadline day.

Thanks @PitcherPerfect, I couldn't remember what they'd said and it didn't say much on the email. But it seems a bit strange that they'd decided by May 14th but are waiting until the end of the month to tell us...

Out of curiosity, what did people give as their programme pitches?

Balls, mine too.

Got an email from the BBC this morning, so they're starting to get back those of us who remain in the mix. Anyone else?

 RT6885 what did your email say? 

Me too heard back this morning,
Assessment in Manchester....on to round two!!

Congrats!

Yeah got an assessment day in London in June...very happy! Best of luck to everyone waiting to hear!

Ohhh, people have heard! Nice one those who got through!

Still waiting, not optimistic though... I figure the process goes a little something like this:

1. Early rejections.
2. Offers.
3. Late rejections of those who aren't quite as awesome as those they invited. Maybe a few of these 'seconds' make it through if people don't want to come to the assessment day. But lets get serious - who wouldn't come to the assessment day!?

Anyone else in this boat?

JMN

Have faith jimmy!

I don't quite understand why my assessment day will be in Glasgow - I live in London!

Also, does anyone know how many people get shortlisted?

I thought it was a case of where your current address is...but clearly not. A friend from another course at my uni has got through too, but he's going to Manchester and I'm going to London - despite the fact we live 2 roads away from each other in Cornwall! Must be done more or less at random. But Glasgow is a pretty wicked place - at least try and make a night of it when you're there if you can afford not to come back the same day!

I'm going to have to go up the night before. I've emailed them though, just to check they definitely want me up there.

Does anyone know what sort of things we'll be expected to do at the assessment day? ....I presume everyone got emails saying the exact details are not yet confirmed and they'll send another email by the end of next week?

Hi guys! Congrats on getting through! I've made it through to the Manchester assessment day too. Woohoo! Yep, DS2104, got that same email. No idea what we'll have to do though, or how many people have been shortlisted, or anything else that's been asked! I would like to find out though, if anyone else has any ideas?...

Also, what does everyone do? Students, media jobs etc...? x

I'm a student - just about to graduate. Doing English Language at King's College London.

I don't like knowing so little about this!! I think it's safe to say there will have been around 2000-3000 initial applicants, but surely a *short*list from these isn't going to be that short. Maybe they just cull loads more at the assessment days.

Hi Guys, I'm through to the Glasgow Assesment Day. I'm a Media Graduate from Newcastle University. I've spent the last year working in Music, setting up my own management company and releasing the records of a band called Polarsets. I also work in youth work and community radio.

I think what we need to find out is more info on what will happen at the assessment days. If their are three centers London, Manchester and Glasgow then I think there must still be a large number of people in the pool at the moment.

Former trainees? People who have been rejected? Any info will be really useful.

Tomo

I haven't heard anything either, oh boo. Oh well if it is bad news I'm really flattered to have not been culled as of yet!

Anyone heard anything from Channel 4 yet?

Nothing from channel 4 yet, no.

I'm doing an MA in TV Production having done an undergrad in languages after which spent a year in dead-end jobs to pay for the Masters. To be honest I was incredibly surprised to get through as I heard from a few sources that they really like taking raw talent and training them up regardless of experience in the media, which might have made my Masters study somewhat counter-productive. But I won't question it, and by the looks of things, successful trainees have come from pretty diverse backgrounds. But as I say, I think they're not looking for in-depth industry knowledge, rather raw creative talent and ideas generation / development skills that can be nurtured and then complemented with on-the-job technical training and experience working professionally within the industry.

This is all speculation and I could be massively wrong, but I doubt they would invite more than 50 to each assessment, and probably wouldn't go less than 25. So I'd say there are anywhere between 75 and 150 candidates left. Not that I'm thinking about the competition of course...!

Anyone else on the London assessment day? Best of luck everyone.

-

I still haven't heard anything back! Well done everyone who has got in, this is a very long long wait and it's a little unnerving that they have already put people through for assessment days.

I keep getting job updates from the BBC, new positions that have opened and every time I see one of those in my inbox my heart jumps for a second! I know there are a lot of applicants, but aching to know one way or the other!

This also seems to be the only place this is being discussed, us trainee hopefuls seem to be a mysterious bunch, holding cards close to our chest and all that!

fingers crossed and again, well done those of you who are in...show 'em what you've got! oh yea!

J x

Still waiting...

I think they are just going to give us unconditional offers next week - that must be why we haven't heard. Seems obvious to me. :p

JMN