My quest to get hired at the BBC: Paying the way in

Money may not be able to buy happiness, but for a total of £25.95, I got through the doors and into BBC studios, and really, that’s close enough for me. 

The outside of BBC Birmingham's studios.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

I managed to keep my emotions in check and didn’t burst into tears (of joy) when I walked through the sliding glass doors into the BBC Birmingham headquarters. I want to say it’s because I’m an adult who’s in complete control of my emotions, but in reality I think it’s because I was expecting something much larger and obvious.

Instead, the studio is on the third floor of The Mailbox, a building made up of different office spaces and a lot of high-end shops I wouldn’t expect anyone earning a journalism salary to be able to afford. It’s definitely not what I had imagined the home of one of the biggest broadcasting companies in the world to look like, even in the (somewhat) smaller market of Birmingham. I’m not the only one who felt that way. A man actually walked in and after looking around for a few minutes said, “I saw the beautiful display of flowers in the window and came in. I had no idea it was a TV studio.”

I ended up in Birmingham after a last-minute decision to take a BBC tour. I would have booked a tour in London’s studios, but when I checked on the website, that idea was shot down with a message that read, “We’re sorry but the tour of BBC Broadcasting House in London is no longer operating.” Later on I found out this was probably because most of the filming previously done at the BBC Broadcasting House had been moved to Manchester. Such a shame.   

Originally, I had planned to be at the Birmingham studios sometime during my trip, because through the magic of social media, I found out I shared a mutual friend with one of the radio personalities who works there. Unfortunately, despite connecting ahead of my visit, that all fell through, and it wasn’t looking like I’d be able to ever get into my dream newsroom – even as a visitor.

So I took matters into my own hands, and on Monday night I booked the £9.95 ticket for the Tuesday morning tour. I also found a fairly cheap round-trip train ticket to Birmingham (instead of paying something ridiculous like £48 one way, I paid a total of £16. Talk about savings!). It was a small expense considering the experience.

The view on the main level of the studio.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

After walking around the fairly small first floor in awe for about 10 minutes, I finally started interacting with the other people on the tour. There was a lovely couple who watched and listened to BBC programming and had always wanted to be part of the tour, and a journalism student who was on the same wavelength as me – she said her plan was to come on these tours every week and harass the people she saw until she got a job.

The tour was informative and in-depth (kind of like the BBC's programming), and we got to see the newsroom, the BBC academy (where all new employees receive their training), the web area (the majority of online content is produced at the Birmingham location), the main studio where BBC Midlands is filmed, the gallery (where the crew who help put together the news broadcasts are during the show), the radio studios, and even the room where the engineers work.

         

News desk for the BBC Midlands program.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

Partial view from the producer's chair in the gallery.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

     

What struck me the most during the tour was the fact that despite all the similarities, there are quite a few differences when it comes to creating news broadcasts at the BBC compared to Canadian news organizations.

Some of these differences are minor. For example, at my current workplace, we use Burli to record, edit and produce our newscasts. At the BBC, a program called RadioMan is used for radio shows. 

One of the major differences is the fact that for every story aired, the producer is required to confirm the details it by contacting three verified and trustworthy sources. Until this happens, the organization cannot share the information. That is definitely not how we do things at my current news station, although it is something I’d be willing to put into practice.

My favourite part of the tour?

Um, ALL OF IT. Duh.

Okay. I really did have a favourite part. When we all went to see the gallery, we were told to sit in whatever seats our hearts desired. I was first in the room, so I had first pick, and I chose the seat that gave me a good view of everything. After we’d all settled in, our guide started explaining how news happens, and the roles of each person in the chairs. Turns out, completely by accident, I’d sat in the producer’s chair. After that came out, I contemplated refusing to leave my spot until the BBC got me to sign a two-year contract as an employee, because Hello, this was fate. Instead, I just shared a photo of my very excited self in the seat on Snapchat (along with many other photos from the tour).  

By the time the tour came to an end, I hadn’t managed to run into anyone who could get me a job there. I did, however, get rid of any bit of doubt I had about my dream. While it’s next to impossible, it’s what I want more than anything at this point in my life. And that’s enough to make me work harder than ever to make it happen. 

Because let’s be honest; I can fork over £10 for a tour, but getting a job with BBC London would be priceless.  

My quest to get hired at the BBC: First World problems

You know your life is pretty great when one of the biggest problems you’re dealing with is not being able to find a place with free Wi-Fi.

Trying to find free Wi-Fi in London is
not as easy as some might expect.
Photo by Gobind Prihar. 

And yes, I used the word “problem.” For the journalist in me who wants to live-tweet all the things happening as I walk the streets of London (where I am more often than not lost because I can’t use Google Maps), it totally counts as one.

That being said, since I’m not here covering major news stories (or any news, really), it might actually be a blessing that I can’t tweet whatever comes to mind. I’ve had some pretty unintelligent moments during my three weeks here, and I could end up sabotaging myself online before even getting a chance to prove I’m a half-decent journalist. Not ideal.

Also, as mentioned a bit earlier, not knowing where I am is another problem I have here. My sense of direction is already absolutely terrible. Add in London’s lack of proper signage when it comes to displaying street names (I never appreciated those poles we have on every street corner at home that tell you what intersection you’re at before this trip) and you’re just asking for trouble. I kick it old school by writing down directions and using an actual map to try and figure out where I am and where I need to be, but most of the time these steps don’t help. Luckily, Londoners seem to quickly pick up on the fact that I’m hopelessly lost, and are very willing to offer assistance. I’m just thankful I don’t have to be at any news conferences or live on scene anywhere, because I’d be late… all the time.

One of the easier to see street signs
on a building in London.
Photo by Gobind Prihar

Not sounding like I’m completely confused when I talk to locals is an issue as well. Sure, I meet kind people who try to answer my questions and will sometimes correct me when I use wrong terms, but it doesn’t leave a good impression when you seem like you have no clue what’s happening, especially as a journalist. It’s key to be sure about things and make confident statements. I can’t convince news editors and directors – or the general public – that I can report on London’s day-to-day news stories if I can’t even properly order a latte to go. (Is it “may I have a latte in a takeaway cup,” “may I have a latte to takeaway,” or “may I have a latte as a takeaway”? I still don’t know.)

Now, I realize all of these things are just , and I want to clarify that I definitely realize how fortunate I am. I’m in London on vacation for an entire month. I have a wonderful and very supportive group of family members and friends. I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and a bed to sleep in every night. I don’t worry about my safety, I’ve never had to think twice about my right to vote or go to school, and I have so many opportunities to chase my absurd and very-unlikely-to-come-true dreams (like the one that inspired this blog series).

I'm not immune to complaining about my First World problems.
But then I remember: I'm in London chasing my dream.
Life's pretty great.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

Despite all of this, I’m still not immune to complaining about the First World problems I deal with. Maybe I can add becoming someone who doesn't complain to my list of big dreams to chase, right after not needing Google to ensure I don’t get lost. But until I get that BBC job, I don't see either of those goals being achieved. Sorry. 

If you want more from my trip, check out my Instagram and Twitter accounts (I update them when I do have Wi-Fi. Obviously).

My quest to get hired at the BBC: Conversation with Crumbs

"It's not easy, what you've chosen." 

Those words from Claire McDonald, one of the two sisters behind Crumbs Food, a blog and YouTube channel that focuses on eating well and finding a balance between working, enjoying life, and being moms. 

Claire and Lucy McDonald are journalists
who blog and vlog about food and life.
Photo courtesy of Facebook

Before I landed in London, I knew that the only way to get an idea of what exactly I needed to do to get my dream job at the BBC was to get to London and talk to journalists. 

I didn't have an exact plan of attack, and my original plan of spending every day in front of the BBC headquarters and approaching all the people who went in or out seemed a sure-fire way to get me permanently banned from the area, and maybe even the country. Clearly, I needed a Plan B. 

I decided to use the one method that always seems to work when I'm trying to find sources for a news story; I reached out to people. I sent a few e-mails to London journalists, hoping they'd be willing to help me on my quest. 

That's how I ended up meeting with Claire in central London on an unseasonably warm Wednesday evening. 

As we walked along a street parallel to the River Thames, Claire told me she still considers herself a journalist, but is currently working in the marketing and advertising field. Journalism in general is not an easy career to pursue, she said, and it gets even more difficult to be great at your job when you start to grow your family. 

Claire worked as a writer and editor at The Times of London for more than a decade. But after having her second child, she knew it was time to find something else. That's how her blog started up, which was followed by a YouTube channel. 

Unfortunately, according to Claire, blogging alone does not generate a livable income, which is how she ended up in her current role. The good news is that it allows her to use her journalism-based skills, as well as the ones she’s picked up as a blogger and vlogger, a little more creatively. One of the major projects she’s worked on is a Christmas ad campaign for one of the biggest grocery store chains in the UK. Not a bad thing to add to a resume.

Along with the low probability of getting a full-time gig at the BBC, Claire expressed concern about the cost of living in the city. When I asked about possible salaries, she told me that just like in Canada, journalism doesn’t pay well in the UK. And when I asked if I could realistically make enough to cover the basics, she had some uncertainty in her voice.

This lead to both of us trying to do math. We got off to a rough start with the multiplication (we’re journalists for a reason – very little math required) but eventually determine it is in fact possible to rent a flat (with others… none of this “living on my own” business), buy groceries, and lead a very basic life being paid minimum wage in London. (I know we don’t make much in news, but I’m really hoping I would be getting more than minimum wage.) 

It’s another factor that won’t make achieving my goal easy – something that seems to be a constant in this plan of mine.

Despite the difficulties, Claire is full of hope. Maybe, she said, I could document the trials and tribulations I face while trying to chase my dream in a podcast or vlog. The idea was genius, so obviously I stole it. To try and make it seem slightly original, I kept it in simple blog form.

She didn’t stop there. As well as offering me a brilliant way to keep a public record of my trip, she promised to try and contact the few people in the industry who she’s still in touch to see if they could share advice on how to work my way into the BBC.

Now all I have to do is hope she makes me sound like a stellar journalist who must be hired at all costs so they get back to her and agree to meet with me. And then impress them myself. Minor details.

For photos and more timely updates on my trip, check out my Instagram and Twitter accounts. 

My quest to get hired at the BBC: A not-so-successful (journalistic) start

London, England.

Buckingham Palace.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

The London Bridge.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

View of the Shard from the Tower of London.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

It’s the city where, according to my mom, “All it ever does is rain.”

It’s also home to the British Broadcasting Corporation, known more commonly as the BBC, my dream employer.

So what does a journalism grad with only a few years of post-grad experience do to turn that dream into a reality?

I’m hoping my 28 day trip to London will help me figure that out.

I’ve put a lot of planning into this trip. Almost a year before I even got on the eight hour and 50 minute flight, I had to sit down and make a budget. Considering the exchange rate at the time, the plummeting loonie, dropping oil prices and an overall poor economic outlook, budgeting was not the most fun of tasks.

After crunching the numbers, it was clear. I had to work… a lot. Between two part-time jobs and freelancing, I earned enough money to buy a round-trip ticket, rent a flat, and buy groceries and other basic necessities for the month.

You’d think someone with my Type A personality would be set for smooth sailing the day of my flight. Maybe, if real life weren’t a thing. I was a stress case the night before, worried I’d forget something important, or that something would come up that would put my plans to an abrupt halt. Instead, I just woke up with the typical symptoms of the common cold.

Despite immediately and diligently taking medicine, including Emergen-C, Cold-FX Extra and DayQuil, nothing helped, and at 6:30 p.m. I boarded the plane feeling a lot less than stellar, despite the fact that I’d very soon be in the city where my dreams could potentially come true.

After surviving the very full, very cramped, very-little-legroom-available flight, I landed in Gatwick, made it through almost 45 minutes of waiting in a line to prove I wasn’t a threat to the country, and got into the cab to my flat.

I managed to only fall asleep twice on the drive there, and stayed awake for the entire tour and quick run-through of basic London living. Then I went to sleep, around 2 p.m. local time, and I didn’t wake up feeling any better that evening, so I went back to bed.

The next day I tried to start my first full day in the city off by going big, but I just ended up getting very dizzy and returning home after about 15 minutes. My second and final trip outside that day was to the grocery store, to stock up on all the cold fighting essentials possible. It was also the first time I’d been asked for ID when buying over-the-counter drugs. According to my good friend Google, some medicines have ingredients that are used to make methamphetamines, so stores have to keep track of who buys how much here. The more you know…

Some basic supplies picked up to battle the cold.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

After two days of being almost completely useless, I decided I was sick of being sick, and it was time to suck it up and start doing things.

I managed to have a packed first week, which started off with a visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral, included making friends with a couple of lovely Austrians while waiting in line to meet a local band, visiting a few different green spaces in central London, checking out multiple museums, and, in pure tourist fashion, heading to Big Ben and Buckingham Palace.

St. Paul's Cathedral.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

St. James Park.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

Big Ben.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

Gates at Buckingham Palace.
Photo by Yasmin Jaswal

And as it turns out, my mom was actually wrong (that never happens, like, ever, so I was pretty shocked). The first five days of my visit were abnormally warm, with temperatures sticking in the high 20s and low 30s, and the sun constantly shining. It only "rained" in my area once all week, and even that was almost too light to count. 

Despite fighting a cold for the past 10 days, my first week was overall quite successful from a tourist point of view. When it comes to getting any closer to the dream job though, I have some (okay, lots) of work to do. I might have to revert back to my original plan of sitting outside BBC headquarters for hours every day and talking to everyone who goes in and out of the building until someone finally gives me an interview. The only downside with that plan is instead of an interview I might get kicked off the premises by security... for good. 

For now, let's just hope the next post is more fruitful in terms of my journalistic endeavours.

If you want even more from my trip, be sure to follow my Instagram and Twitter accounts. 

Profile: Sun Jung Im (Get Gelled)

   

Get Gelled can be found on Irwin Avenue in Toronto.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.

In between the hustle and bustle of Bay Street and the eclectic personality of Yonge Street, just south of high-end shopping centres on Bloor Street, sits Irwin Avenue, a quiet side street in Toronto made up of mostly small townhouses. It’s here, in an unassuming brick building, that you’ll find the nail boutique Get Gelled. Once inside, you’ll find it’s the exact opposite of the street it’s on - it’s charming, elegant and well put-together; it stands out. And so does its owner, Sun Jung Im.

The 30-year-old, who goes simply by Sun, can’t remember a time in her life when nails were not important to her.

“My mom was telling me that when I was in kindergarten, if my nails aren’t painted, I wouldn’t go to school. So she’d always paint my nails a bright red colour,” she says. “When I heard that story, I opened up the old albums, and in every single photo, if you see my nails, they’re painted red.”

  

Im says she's been passionate about
nails since she was a child.
Photo courtesy of Sun Jung Im. 

However, Im never thought about owning a nail salon. In fact, she has a diploma in hotel management, and moved across the country from London, Ont., to Whistler, B.C. to work at the Four Seasons hotel in 2008.

But when the economy experienced a downturn in 2008, Im found herself back in London, Ont., living with her mom, without a job.

After a year of an unsuccessful job search, a lot of tears, and settling for part-time work as a bartender, Hye Sook Park, Im's mother, came up with an idea.

“She told me, ‘Sun, you love to do your nails, why don’t you learn it? I think it’s a good time to learn it,’” Im recalls. She agreed, thinking of it as something that would be fun, and could help her decide if she wanted to enter the nail industry.

Unsatisfied with the limited options for learning nail art in Canada, Im began looking into the Asian market, where she says nail art has exploded in the past decade. She settled on a school in Jongno, a district in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.

Im says her program was unlike anything offered in Canada. Instead of learning cosmetology as a whole, her entire year and a half was spent focusing on nails, whether it was nail design, different nail products, or gel nails. While attending the school, she entered national nail competitions, and ended up taking first-place in one, and third in another. She also received her teaching license, and worked part-time as an educator.

After two years full of school, teaching, winning awards at national competitions, and working for local nail salons, Im had made up her mind. She wanted to do nails for the rest of her life, and she wanted to open a business in Canada. She worked out a plan with her mother, and together they decided to start up the business in Toronto. They found a condo in the city before flying back, and once they were both settled in, Im began working for all kinds of salons.

Her plan was to find out what salons in Toronto had to offer, at all levels, starting from the bottom. She started at a quick in-and-out salon, where she worked for a total of two days.

Im (left) says her mom Hye Sook Park (right)
played a big role in helping her 
get to where she is now.
Photo courtesy of Sun Jung Im.

“I didn’t want to work there for more than that,” Im says. “It was brutal. It was so dirty, and had awful customer service. They didn’t even talk to their customers!”

After that, she went on to work at a higher-end nail salon in the city. Im says after a few months of working there, she realized that there were only two types of salons available in Toronto, and both were on opposite sides of the spectrum.

“There’s nothing in the middle. So I though, okay, I’ll make this. Right in the middle. Pretty sure there are a lot of people looking for nail places that are a good price, but not too high-end, where they can get a good price and good service,” she says.

And that’s how Get Gelled came about. It wasn’t easy to get it to where it is now, in its fourth year of business. Im found the building, but knew there was serious work to be done, as the space she chose hadn’t been renovated in 30 some years. Luckily, Im’s older sister Sun Hee Im, who is an interior designer, offered a helping hand. She not only completely redesigned the interior of the salon, but she also created the company name and logo.

The salon owner also credits her mom for helping her realize her true passion, and then working with her to turn her dream into a reality.

“My mom is the world’s greatest supporter,” Im says. “She is always with me, taking good care of me, and supporting me in everything I do.”

Im officially opened the salon on Jan. 7, 2012. While business has been steady since the opening, she says she hasn’t reached the peak just yet.

“If I’m still getting a good clientele after five years, then I can say we are really successful and I’m a successful woman. But right now I can’t say anything,” she says.

For her, the most important thing about her business is to always be able to provide her clients with the best service, and to keep up-to-date with the latest trends in nail art. She says she’s always researching and studying to stay current. 

     

Im's older sister Sun Hee Im (right) created the
salon's logo and also redesigned the salon's interior.
Photo courtesy of Sun Jung Im.

As for the future, there are still a few big dreams she wants to turn into realities. Opening more Get Gelled salons around Toronto, and later down the road, across Canada, is one of them.

Another is to win the big nail competitions around the world, including in Russia, Germany, Las Vegas and Asia – all to prove to herself that she is good at what she does.

But Im’s biggest goal is the most challenging: changing people’s perceptions of her craft by teaching it.

“I want to teach whoever wants to learn. If they have a passion for learning designs I would love to teach them and share it with them,” she says. “People still think that doing nails are still a low job. They don’t see that it’s a professional job. I want to make nail artists a thing. Nail technicians… it makes it sounds like people working in a factory. This is really professional work. You have to train, and you have to go to school, which is the same as becoming a doctor, right?”

You can find more information about the salon on its website or Facebook page.