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How to become a journalist: Aisha’s story

Part of Careers

Meet Aisha, 25, a journalist for The New Arab, an online news outlet based in London. Find out more about how she uses Arabic in her role. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.

Aisha is a news and current affairs journalist focusing on the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. Aisha's specific areas of focus are Syria, the Arab diaspora and Muslims in the west. As she has to communicate with Arabic sources on a daily basis, her knowledge and understanding of the Arabic language is invaluable.

As someone who is Irish and Syrian, it's very important to me to have both those elements of my life and be connected to them.

  • The main skills Aisha uses in her role include the ability to pay close attention to detail, remain calm in stressful situations and accept criticism
  • As well as her father speaking in Arabic to her during childhood, Aisha went to Arabic school. She did this alongside her English school, to boost her language skills
  • She has always had an interest in journalism but after her A-levels, she actually applied to do Midwifery at university. She quickly realised that this wasn't her ion and so decided to do Communication and Media Studies instead
  • When she graduated, she got experience working at lots of different media outlets, before doing a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism
  • A key part of her role as a journalist involves finding news stories and pitching them to the editors of the news outlet
  • Aisha's ability to translate, write, read and speak the Arabic language allows her to communicate with sources in their preferred way, such as phone calls, voice notes, texts or via email
  • Aisha loves being able to use her Arabic to learn about other people's lives from across the word, before telling their stories
  • Her job allows her to stay connected to both her Irish and Arabic heritage, which is really fulfilling and important to her.
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Top tips

  • Practise using foreign languages as soon as you can, especially for topics or hobbies you're particularly interested in. For example, Aisha was always really interested in music, so she would listen to Arabic songs, before translating them and learning more about what they meant
  • When it comes to journalism, look at the different kinds of outlets that you might be interested in, do your research and look to see where your values align most. Research what kind of stories and topics they're covering and how they're covering them. This should really help with keeping you motivated at work!
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What to expect if you want to be a broadcast journalist

  • Broadcast journalist average salary: £14,000 to £60,000 per year
  • Broadcast journalist typical working hours: 37 to 39 hours per week

What qualifications do you need to be a broadcast journalist?

You could get into this role via a university course, an apprenticeship, working towards this role or applying directly.

Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed.

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