CAMP 2018: Girls Gone Global Tip Sheet

By Katie Jickling

Presenters/Panelists

Alison Bethel McKenzie, Executive Director, Society of Professional Journalists (@bethelmckenzie)

Amy Bracken, independent reporter and radio producer (@brackenamy)

Elise Hu, NPR staff reporter/host and former Korea  and Japan bureau chief (@elisewho)

Moderated by Monica Williams, Training Manager at Society of Professional Journalists (@monicalwilliams)

The lead

Journalists who have reported abroad offered tips for how to find international work — and how to survive once you’re there.

The Top Five

      • Looking for jobs overseas? Be open to different opportunities: fellowships, short-term projects, and jobs in local news outlets in your destination country. Consider a variety of feature stories, writing for airline magazines, travel publications, etc. Be creative!
      • If you’re just dipping a toe in the water of overseas reporting, go someplace where you know the language.
      • When reporting in other countries, be willing to lay down your assumptions about how you’ll be treated as a woman and where you’ll live. Learn the local norms and language. Be wise about which battles you choose to fight.
      • If you can’t find a journalism job, consider a hybrid gig, and work part-time with a nonprofit.

The Surprise

Start working for under-covered countries. Jobs are hard to get in places like Europe, where there are more amenities and more interest from journalists. Get a first job under your belt, then go to your country of choice.

The Resources

Federation of American Women’s Club Overseas
International New York Times
Financial Times
Round Earth Media
IJnet