My First Day at The Telegraph

I took my seat inside the UK’s number one newsroom. Gazed across the expansive, colossal space in which many widely acclaimed journalists were hard at work. I had entered the belly of the beast.

My 5:45am wake up call was all too easy for my nineteen year-old body; the adrenaline driving me out of bed. An hour train ride down to the capital and a busy London commute later, I found myself purchasing a pack of Extra chewing gum for 95 pence. It was clear I had reached my destination.

I entered the building, rode the long escalators upwards to the second floor and was greeted by a welcoming Monday morning smile from the receptionist.

Firstly, I was given a tour of the building. I was amazed by the facilities that the Telegraph Media Group had.

I was then ushered into a conference room, where some Telegraph employees went through a presentation. I was surrounded by financial wiz-kids, Ox-bridge graduates and experts in telemarketing and advertising. Learning more and more about the UK’s number one quality newspaper filled me with pride that I was given such a fantastic opportunity.

Itching to get going, I was finally called into the sports desk. Usually I would write my articles sitting upright on the end of my bed, or even lying under the covers. However today was very different. I was rubbing shoulders with some of the best journalists that the UK has to offer.

Once settled, I was given the task of researching information to hand over to the Sports Editor, Andrew Fifield. Hard at work, I kept glancing over the top of my PC screen staring into the centre of the newsroom; amazed at how relaxed yet productive the vibe of the room was.My researching was then halted whilst I joined some of the heads of the different departments for a meeting to discuss the news stories that would be run that night. At the head of the table was the Editor of The Telegraph, Chris Evans. Understanding that the meeting was of great importance, I remained quiet yet listened intensely. The duration of the meeting was as expected however the speed and productivity was astounding. So many big decisions being made so quickly.

After the meeting, I returned back to my desk to finish my research. Once finished, I closed my applications and prepared my things. I had completed my first ever day at a national newspaper; I left the building with a grin ear to ear.

I knew this is where I wanted to belong one day. Now I had a taste of it, I wanted to achieve it more than ever.