What it’s really like to work in London

Rebecca Stewart asks the editor-in-chief of a digital news agency: how glamorous really is working in London?

London – you’ve probably been told a thousand times that it’s the only place to be if your aim is to get a good job (or even any job). But if you haven’t lived there, it can be pretty easy to be disillusioned about the realities of working in the biggest and busiest city in the country. One writer chats to Hannah Ferrett, a Cornwall girl who moved to London to pursue her career.

Boar Lifestyle: So, what is your current job?

Hannah Ferrett: I’m the editor-in-chief of Cover Media, which is a digital news agency. We provide websites around the world with entertainment, fashion, celebrity style, beauty and health and fitness news and features, plus movie reviews. I manage ten people in London and Los Angeles and we send out around 50 stories a day, plus pictures and image galleries. We’ve got teams in other countries too and it’s my job to ensure our 16 daily deadlines are met, plus deal with any problems which arise, pitch for new business, train staff members and edit the copy.

BL: How long have you lived and worked in London?

HF: I moved to London a couple of months after I graduated in 2003, so I’m coming up to my 11th anniversary here. I’ve worked here that whole time, bar a two week period when I was made redundant and had to find another job.

BL: What does a typical work-day look like for you in the City?

HF: I think a lot of people think working in London is very glamorous and all about coming into the office for about 10am, having long boozey lunches with clients and then going out for cocktails. That pretty much doesn’t happen anymore, sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

… a lot of people think working in London is very glamorous … coming into the office for about 10am, having long boozey lunches with clients and then going out for cocktails. That pretty much doesn’t happen anymore, sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

My working day starts in the office at 7.15am. I’ve got my morning routine down so I can spend as much time in bed as possible, so I’m usually up about 6am and at my desk by 7.15am. I have to find stories for the team to write, so that first 30 minutes is doing that. Then between 7.45am and 8.40am I have a team of four who are writing, editing and uploading eight stories. It’s a fast-paced and pressurised environment so you have to think carefully about whether journalism is for you. You need to be able to write quickly and accurately, my team files 300–350 words in 15 minutes.

Photo: Phil Whitehouse/ Flickr

The rest of the day continues in that way, finding, writing and editing stories. We have more deadlines at 11am, 1.45pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4.30pm. Most days are spent writing and proofing at my desk, but sometimes I’ll go out too. Mostly that’s to movie screenings or press conferences with stars which is good fun, plus there can be premieres to attend at night. When you go to an event it’s all about getting the best quotes from people and then transcribing them and writing the story as quickly as possible.

I finish around 4.30pm most days and a couple a times a week I’ll have work events to go to in the evening, things like make-up launches or fashion shows. They are good fun but because of the early starts it can get pretty tiring as it’s not unusual for a work day to last from 7.15am until about 10.30pm.

As I manage a team in LA sometimes I have to work with them too, especially when there is a new starter as it’s my job to train them. On those days I usually do split shifts, so I work with my UK team from 10.30am until about 3pm, then I have a break for a bit. Then between 9.30pm and 4.30am I’m working with the American group via Skype.

Obviously there is variety in my job in terms of the stories I write and edit, but as journalism is so deadline-driven your day is structured to reflect that.

BL: Did you always want to work in London? How did you find out about and secure your current job?

HF: Yes I did always want to live and work in London. I come from Cornwall and wanted to see what living in a big city was like. Plus local newspapers weren’t for me and so to kickstart my career I really had to be in London.

I’ve been at my current company for about five years and I was one of the people who set up the company. Previously I worked at another news agency and I was asked to help launch Cover Media so I thought I’d give it a go. Opportunities like that don’t come around that much so I thought I’d grab it. It’s been a lot of hard work, long days (and nights) but we’ve grown from a team of four to about 40 so we’re doing well.

BL: What do you enjoy most about London Living?

HF: There are loads of great things about London, tonnes of things to see and do and there is a buzz in the city. I like how varied it is. No matter how random the thing you’re into is, you’ll find it here. Plus there is a huge variety of people here which I love and I’ve made my best friends since being here. I like how big it is too.

There are loads of great things about London, tonnes of things to see and do and there is a buzz in the city. I like how varied it is. No matter how random the thing you’re into is, you’ll find it here.

BL: Any negatives? Do you ever miss living at ‘home’?

HF: I don’t miss living at home, I see London as my home now. This is where I got married, bought a flat and started my career. When I’m older I might move away but at the moment I’m very happy here.

There are downsides – rent is extortionate, it’s busy and grimy and it can be hard to relax as it’s so fast-moving. But I’ve settled in a quiet area of town which is still quite central and that helps. People moan about public transport and not knowing your neighbours here too, so it depends what you’re looking for. I came from a village with one bus a day into town, so I find it hard to get stressed about waiting three minutes for a tube. And I know my neighbours to nod to, which is fine for me.

BL: Do you get much time to unwind? What’s your favourite thing to do in London at the end of a challenging week?

HF: Someone has to be on call at weekends in my job just in case a big story breaks. We take it in turns to do that, so when I’m not working the weekends are my down time. I don’t have much time to relax in the week, so on Saturday and Sunday I always have a lie in. I like spending time with my dog then too, and I will usually spend Friday evening with my husband. My favourite thing to do is go out for drinks with a group of friends. There are some great sky bars in London for cocktails, plus I like the Southbank in summer and Camden for Saturday nights.

My favourite thing to do is go out for drinks with a group of friends. There are some great sky bars in London for cocktails, plus I like the Southbank in summer and Camden for Saturday nights.

Photo: Matt Brown/ Flickr

BL: Would you choose to live and work anywhere else, doing something entirely different to what you do now?

HF: I wouldn’t change jobs because I love journalism. I’m not against moving away from the city if something good came up elsewhere and it’s probable that I will live somewhere else at some point. I think it’d be to another city though.

BL: What would be three pieces of advice you would give to someone thinking of moving to the City for work?

HF: Save money first – London is expensive! Don’t rush finding a place to live, you need to be happy there and it’s going to cost a bomb so you want to get it right (have a good look around the area before you sign a lease). Finally, be realistic about the kind of job you’ll get. You might want to write features for Vogue or be part of a major law firm, but that won’t come straight away. You’ll need to begin right at the bottom, probably doing a job you find a bit boring, and work your way up. Having a good attitude, being helpful and using your initiative will always get your noticed.