Michael Jones – Sports Journalist with The Independent

This week’s Throwback Thursday is inspiration for anyone considering a career in journalism.

Former student, Michael Jones attended Winstanley College between 2009 and 2011 studying for A-levels in History, Maths, Politics and Economics. He is now a journalist for The Independent covering football, cricket, rugby, horse racing and many other sports across the country.

Michael told us:

‘I attended The Deanery C. of E. High School before coming to Winstanley to study for my A-levels. I have some very happy memories of my time there including a History trip to Normandy to learn about the medieval Norman Conquest and visit the beaches of the D-Day landings.

After college I went to the University of Liverpool to study History. It was stark change to the intense education of school and college but one that worked in my favour. After three years developing my understanding of history, as well as learning new social and life skills, I got a seasonal job at Argos.

My first full-time position was for Ryobi Tools and I travelled East Anglia on a daily basis selling power tools and restocking displays in various B&Qs and Homebase stores. Deciding that life wasn’t heading in the direction I had hoped, after eight months working for Ryobi I took a gap year and travelled New Zealand and Australia with two university friends.

On my return to the UK, I got a full-time position as a customer service advisor at Homebase while I saved money to pay for an NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism.

It took almost a year of further study to qualify, and I spent three years freelancing before becoming a full-time reporter with The Independent in 2022.

My advice to any students lucky enough to already be considering a career in the media should practice. Write for the college newspaper, if there isn’t one, create and write a blog. Practice speaking to a camera, go and talk to strangers (you’re old enough now), cultivate an interest in the people around you and stack up a portfolio of work outside of your lessons that you can show employers and universities.

Also, look at your options. University courses in journalism all have different levels of qualification and the best are the ones that are NCTJ certified. After graduating, I did a fast-track course with the News Associates who offer similar courses for university students, and I would recommend considering it.’

Thanks to Michael for his sharing his story and advice for current students.