I'm an arts/media uni student with a graduate job AMA.

job? pay? hours you'll work?

What did you do subject wise for A Levels what did you get?

Project Administrator (i.e. The entry-level version of project manager). 17k with pay review after 3 months. 37.5 hours/wk.



I actually dropped out after AS levels. I got an A in Media, D in Business & U in Politics.

So how did you get into uni?

Went to college and did OCR Nationals. Condensed a year and a half's worth of modules into one year so that I didn't fall behind with my year group.

(Media - 2 Distinctions, before you ask)

Aw that is pretty cool. I am doing an OCR Cambridge Technical in Media at A Level and it can be demanding. I want to drop it but it is a bit late now so I'll carry on alongside my other subjects. Did you get any work experience before getting a job? I hear for a job in media it is valuable.

Project Administrator (i.e. The entry-level version of project manager). 17k with pay review after 3 months. 37.5 hours/wk.



I actually dropped out after AS levels. I got an A in Media, D in Business & U in Politics.

I'd say it's more a creative industries job than media, it's an agency that build e-commerce stores for clients.

Yes, work experience is the make/break factor for getting a grad job. I've been extremely fortunate that I'm having to be selective with what goes on my CV. I've worked within my university's marketing department for the last year, at a supermarket for a few years before that, did a load of internships when I was living at home... 900 hours of volunteering while at uni. It all adds up and is something to talk about at the interview.

Graduate jobs start from 22k+, 17k is almost like min wage, project admin in which industry televiosn/media/newspapers? Anything media releated?

£17k is a good salary but at the lower end of the graduate wage scale. A lot depends on where the job is, you expect more if it was in London or the South East and if there are other benefits like profit share, private healthcare, subsidised lunch, free parking and membership of gyms and clubs.

Aw that is cool. I am going to work at a hospital radio to build my experience to get a job in the media industry. But I want to do an English degree, a lot of people have put me off a Media degree.

Birmingham. I wouldn't have taken below 21k for London. Also will go up to £19k and beyond quite quickly as the company grows.



Do a joint honours if possible, then you've got a double edge for employability and still doing a degree with elements of what you might want to do in the future. Keep up the hospital radio stuff, as that'll be invaluable.

I might look into it - although most of them are non RG unis and my dream is to go to UCL haha. And yeah I have a trial soon and then I do my own thing. That is how many people got their big break.

Are you a graduate? Third-year student? Have you seen the job market? My dissertation was all about this kind of thing and it's actually really quite rare to get 22k+ to start with.

None of the above. It's a digital agency that make web stores for some quite big clients.

Honestly, RG isn't everything. It doesn't mean a lot for your graduate employment prospects - especially if you're going to do media. Sometimes it actually can make you less employable as people will think you're using them as a stepping stone.

Hmm I see, I graduated 2 years ago, did 6-7 months internship and got grad caliber job 25k salary (south east).

(I'll be honest, knowing 3 European languages fluently helped a lot)

True but I don't know any decent RG unis that offer English and is one of their top subjects.

Birmingham. I wouldn't have taken below 21k for London. Also will go up to £19k and beyond quite quickly as the company grows.



Do a joint honours if possible, then you've got a double edge for employability and still doing a degree with elements of what you might want to do in the future. Keep up the hospital radio stuff, as that'll be invaluable.

I think that actually having a job in industry is worth more than the salary anyway. I'm happy to live off £1.2k take-home pay as it'll give me a lot more money per month than I've had before. Getting a nice flat still.

One thing that grads, or third-years forget is that the industry want industry experience. A lot will go home to find themselves a bit more and work a retail job, which isn't really that helpful in getting them a job in their field.



Remember that you need to ensure that you're happy about the course. There are a few articles on TSR that you should read before you make choices for uni. I can dig out some reading for you if you want.