"Without Up To Speed I would not have been able to get a job in journalism. The facilities there are first class and it was a great atmosphere to take my first few steps as a journalist."
Ryan Jennings, Reporter, Maldon Standard
"Up to Speed is friendly and supportive, with brilliantly helpful tutors. Up to Speed has definitely prepared me well for my career, and I know my editor thinks so too!"
Helen Tunnicliffe, Senior Reporter, The Chemical Engineer
"I find that I use my knowledge of Public Affairs every day. I often find myself writing political stories."
Daniel Shane, Editor, Network Middle East
"It is fantastic to have got something to do in my chosen field after taking the course at Up To Speed"
Sean Raymond, Sports Content Writer
"I'm pretty sure that my work experience at the Echo was responsible for me getting the job ... and of course obtaining 100wpm shorthand!"
Alana Lewis, News Editor, Llanelli Star
"We are here to give you the skills to succeed. Contact us now to make sure you are Up To Speed."
Tom Hill, Up To Speed's Founder
"I would recommend a course at Up To Speed to anyone seeking a career in journalism. The tuition is first-rate, the facilities are excellent, and the staff are knowledgeable and supportive."
Timothy John, Assistant Editor, Training Journal
"I really enjoyed my time here and I couldn't have asked for better teachers. It's amazing how much I have learned in these last couple of months. Doing this course has opened many doors for me."
Chrissy Symmons, Reporter, Shropshire Star
"The course is housed in a fantastic setup, giving students the facilities and guidance to develop their own style of journalism to a professional standard. I'm not surprised to hear of the success of past students."
Neil Lancefield, Press Association Multi-Media Journalist
"I'm so grateful for the tuition and help I received during my time at Up To Speed and also after the course finished."
Rebecca Greenow, Celebrity Writer, Reveal
"I learned about Twitter and blogging at Up To Speed and that's how I became an online columnist writing about Formula 1. It's so exciting."
Laura Allard, F1 Blogger and Social Media Executive, Cunard
"Tom could not have been more helpful when it came to advice and help with job applications. "
Ruth Norris, Assistant Editor, Cambridge University Press
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Up to Speed and it set me up well to begin my first job as a reporter; I use the knowledge I gained on the course on a daily basis. Mastering 100wpm shorthand was the best thing I've ever done."
Hannah White, Senior reporter, Salisbury Journal
"Up To Speed was a real springboard into sports journalism and the skills I learnt on the course have been highly valuable to my work at Sky Sports."
Rachel Griffiths, Football writer, Skysports.com
"If you're considering working in journalism, the NCTJ is the only place to start. I'd have no hesitation in recommending Up To Speed as the place to begin that career."
Rory White, Used Car Writer, What Car?
"I definitely wouldn't have stood a chance of getting my job if I hadn't been on this course, so thanks for everything."
Jack Kitson, Sports content writer
"The course has set me up really well for the job and I am loving it."
James Bass, Freelance editor, ESPN
"I am so pleased to have found a job writing about sport, it's something I have always wanted to do."
Chris Knight, Sports content writer
"Tom does a great job at Up To Speed. I went from knowing very little about journalism to earning some fantastic grades, invaluable contacts and top-end freelance work."
Michael Dias, Founder, Fame Awaits
"My editor on placement just kept saying that it was a brilliant idea to qualify before going to university."
Becca Parlby, Gap Year NCTJ student
"It's always been a dream of mine to work for a magazine, and I couldn't be happier as I am now the editor of a title."
Alice Rook, Editor, Do More Magazine
"I am really pleased that it has all worked out for me and that my decision to do something different, and not just follow all my friends to university, has paid off."
Heather Findlay, Features Writer, That's Life magazine
"It was absolutely excellent as I got the qualifications I needed and my boss was really impressed that I hadn't just followed everyone else and gone to university."
Laura Herbert, Reporter, Reading Post
"I have no hesitation in describing the knowledge, skills and experience both the course and Tom himself has provided me with as invaluable for securing a job in journalism."
Paul Briden, Writer, Know Your Mobile
"Without Tom's journalism school, I would never have landed my first job. Likewise, my every subsequent career success can be directly or indirectly ascribed to the education I received at Up to Speed."
Alexander Shaw, Parliamentary Researcher
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 6:11 pm
Neil Turner: Sticking up for press photographers
Up To Speed’s press photography tutor Neil Turner will be giving evidence at the Leveson Inquiry next Tuesday.
Neil has been called to address the hearing on press ethics after helping to prepare a defence of photojournalism in his role as Vice-chairman of the British Press Photographers’ Association.
You can see more on the BPPA’s blog.
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011 at 11:11 am
Photography tutor Neil Turner is BPPA Vice-Chairman
Up To Speed’s photography tutor Neil Turner has been helping to stand up for press photographers at the Leveson Inquiry.
Neil is Vice-Chairman of the British Press Photographers’ Association, which has submitted written evidence to the hearing into ethical and professional standards in the press.
The association has asked to be given “core participant” status at the inquiry, which would allow a lawyer to present evidence on behalf of its members.
The BPPA feels reputable press photographers have been unfairly described as paparazzi by some witnesses.
Neil was interviewed by The Guardian last week. He teaches on the NCTJ-accredited photojournalism course at Up To Speed.
Sunday, August 28th, 2011 at 4:03 pm
3. Top Tutors
Any school is only as good as its students and teachers. If you are a willing student, we have some of the finest journalism and photography tutors in the land, who have extensive experience of national news and magazines.
Our sports journalism tutor Rick Broadbent is the Athletics Correspondent of the Times and the author of six books. Where else can you learn your trade from someone who is at the top of his game with a highly respected national newspaper?
Our magazine journalism course is taught by Ali Wood, who rose from work experience helper to magazine owner and publisher within a few, short years. Ali worked as a staff writer and sub-editor with one of Britain’s biggest magazine companies, IPC before creating her own successful lifestyle, listings and entertainment title for the South coast – Listed.
Our photojournalism courses are taught by Neil Turner, Vice-Chairman of the British Press Photographers’ Association. Neil has a thriving editorial and PR freelance portfolio and draws on more than ten years of experience of working for a national newspaper. His pictures have appeared in most national newspapers and he has extensive contacts within the industry. Neil also writes for photography magazines.
Our tutors on the core subjects of Media Law, Public Affairs, Reporting and Writing and Shorthand have all taught part-time on Bournemouth University’s BA (Hons) in Multi-Media Journalism.
Up To Speed’s founder Tom Hill taught television journalism at Bournemouth University for ten years and before that he worked as a producer on award-winning programmes for ITN, BBC News, Sky and GMTV.
There are still limited spaces available on our next courses starting on September 26th.
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 at 7:37 am
When the first nationals hit the news stands and door mats this morning two photographs dominated the front pages.
Both shots were taken by photographers working for agencies.
Peter Macdiarmid’s image of a youth walking through Hackney with a scarf around his neck and clutching a can of strong lager was used by the Daily Telegraph, The Mirror and Metro.
Peter is an award-winning photographer working for Getty images and you can see samples of his work on their site.
Kerim Okten’s shot was also taken in Hackney and shows a man in an adidas hoody and mask walking past a flaming car.
Kerim works for European Press Photo Agency(EPA) and his image was used on first editions of the Daily Star, Daily Mail, i, Daily Express and The Sun,
You can see more of his work including his award-winning sports photography on EPA’s site.
Another incredible image from the night was taken by a WENN photographer in Croydon. It shows a woman jumping from a burning building into the arms of bystanders. You can see more shots from their coverage of the riots on their website.
The Times has an excellent slideshow of these pictures and other striking images from the London riots. You can also see a gallery of all the first edition front pages on Sky’s site.
