My week at ITV West Country

The moment the email came through my heart dropped; I was going to do work experience at ITV. Not only was it something I could tick off my bucket list, it was something that will look great on my CV; I was one big step closer to becoming a real journalist.

So, on the 10th September I headed off to Bristol to a house I found online owned by a woman who I'd never met. Airbnb is a funny thing, advertising to stay in a strangers home but I was saving hundreds by not staying in a hotel. It was a quirky house and the bed was huge with more pillows than one person needed. I wish I'd slept like a baby but the nerves of the next day had other plans and all I could do was think about what questions I was going to ask everyone.

Thanks to technology and lost emails I didn't receive my schedule for the week so, I had no idea what time I started and came in as soon as they opened, 9am. Better to be safe rather than sorry, right? Of course my imagination had time to brew and the longer I waited the more nervous I got. I kept telling myself just smile, make tea, ask questions and you'll be fine.

Soon enough I was in the newsroom making phone calls and asking all the questions I could. Everyone was super nice, I had nothing to worry about. It was amazing to spend the week shadowing the professionals, getting their advice and learning how they got there. I watched what the editors, presenters, cameramen, reporters and even learned what traffic was! Out of everything I did from going out and doing a live, voxpopping, the bulletins, and getting there at 5am for the Good Morning Britain programme. Writing articles and them being put online was definitely my fave. Seeing my work up on the ITV website and being told to go for an internship there is a dream come true.

Oh and a puppy was brought into the newsroom...

It was a busy week, getting to do a voxpop about World Afro Day, making phonecalls about an air taxi and doing a live on Bristol Parkway train station closing. If there's one thing I learned it's that there are never enough questions you could ask. You're working with a group of people for a week who have the advice and experience to help you get to where you want to be, take advantage of that! And sometimes don't be told what to do, find something to do. There were times where I was sat with nothing to do because the editors didn't have anything to give me so I asked around to see if anyone wanted me to give them a hand. You're in a room full of people who would love it if you helped them out!