Shiter job?

[scruff]

http://www.gorkanajobs.co.uk/job/12862/classic-car-buyer-staff-writer/

[eddyramrod]

Thank you Mr Scruff! Application sent.

[dollywobbler]

Go for it folks! Was going to post that up here myself but got called out to rescue a Mini...

 

Earn peanuts but you get to write about old cars! The only downside is Peterborough but I can confirm that this publisher judges you by whether you can write about cars, not whether you've got a degree in English, journalism or whether you've been published in other titles. Written for Blogs, forums and car club magazines? Well done. You've got a portfolio already.

[Pete-M]

I'd love to do that, but I suspect my writing skillz aren't up to scratch.

[scruff]

Having subbed many, many pages of copy and having also enjoyed your postings on here for the last few years - Pete, I can assure you that you are much better than many so-called 'professionals'!

 

Like Dolly (I think?), I had zero journo experience but tons of enthusiasm, so applied for a staff writer position on a Land Rover mag, got it and it went from there. If you're good and enthusiastic it seems you can move up the food chain pretty rapidly.

 

You'll never be a millionaire from it but the opportunities and experiences (kind of) make up for it.

[ProgRocker]

If I still had my previous shitty job I'd seriously apply for it, as it happens I'm now in a fab full time role.

 

Doing something like that on a casual basis would be fab though.

[dollywobbler]

I'm just like you Mr Scruff - no experience really before I started. All you need is the ability to string a few words together. A journo who visited Shitefest commented that he was amazed at the standard of literacy on this forum. That makes me smile in a world of shitty text talk. Folk here can really write proper y'see.

 

Either you sit around wishing you could do something like this, or you go for it. You might not get it - I didn't get the nod at my first interview. That's hard to take, but I'd got my foot in the door and when a different position came up, I was called up. Rejection is part and parcel of this whole thing. You probably won't end up as wealthy as Clarkson, or even your own friends, but it is fun.

[Cavcraft]

That must be a pretty mega job. I take it the lucky sod would have to work out of the Peterboghorror office/s?

[Fat_Pirate]

Can somebody let me know when the position of editor becomes free at Classic & Sportscar? It's become quite stale and I reckon I'm the man to point it in a new and exciting direction:

 

[dollywobbler]

That must be a pretty mega job. I take it the lucky sod would have to work out of the Peterboghorror office/s?

 

Yup. Being a weekly, there'd be very little scope for working from home. Believe me. Working on a weekly is hard work!

 

I like Fat Pirate's Classic and Shite Car idea. Now there's a web-mag that needs to happen...

[dollywobbler]

I suspect they don't want 6 page articles about the Kia Clarus, so I'll decline.

 

Clarus and Shite Car then. You can be editor-at-large, occasionally submitting features from random places on how you managed to get stuck in a city centre car park in some hilarious manner.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Hm, that's interesting. I wouldn't mind moving back to Leicester, and Peterhorror isn't too far from there. Are half-decent writing skillz and a general interest in shite sufficient to get you the job, or do they expect you to have a massive garage and a fleet of Sherpa Coupes in order to be able to write 5 pages a week for the 'our cars' column?

[gtd2000]

Where have you been hiding Luxo - or did you just fix the Greek economy and keeping it all hush hush?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I had been running for (and in) the elections! Of course we didn't manage to get into parliament, so we can blame the voters for the oncoming disaster.

[gtd2000]

It's a travesty!

[mouseflakes]

Sourcing, writing and generating news

 

Generating news? Does this mean making things up?

[Shep Shepherd]

I wonder if the publication would benefit from the input of a crazy Volvo lover who pretends to be a dog online?

[messerschmitt owner]

so, does anyone have an idea of the woefully pitiful salary?

[meggersdog]

That Peter Simpson is/was the editor of Classic Car Buyer.He does have a Rover 825 coupe for sale on ebay at the moment (his own car for many years) so Sherpa coupe content could be sparse.I once had an article published in Car Mechanics when he was editor of that so maybe I should apply.

[dollywobbler]

I have no idea what the salary is, but I'd imagine it'll be less than £20k per year. Possibly quite a lot less. This isn't a job you do to get wealthy! There is sometimes an assumption that all people who write about cars are as wealthy as Clarkson - a myth I try to bust by driving around in cheap, knackered old shite.

[messerschmitt owner]

I have no idea what the salary is, but I'd imagine it'll be less than £20k per year. Possibly quite a lot less. This isn't a job you do to get wealthy! There is sometimes an assumption that all people who write about cars are as wealthy as Clarkson - a myth I try to bust by driving around in cheap, knackered old shite.

lol - DoE - does vary quite a lot!

 

I know journalism is poorly paid, after all I work in publishing - lol.

 

Anyway, the penance for writing about old cars is having to move to Peterboghorror!

[idiotboy]

Petriboghorror - possibly the shite capital of the world.

[jarkle]

I’ve been a staff writer for just over a year now. Once I realised I lacked the money or talent to be a WRC driver I decided I’d love to write about cars for a living. (about 14 years old) I applied for the same position on Classic Ford but missed out (ironically the fella who was picked over me is now my housemate and a good friend), then applied for TV a year later. I was lucky in that the interview was mainly based around writing about Belmonts and discussing Super Touring BTCC cars. I got offered the job a day later and haven’t looked back since.

 

The money isn’t great – a situation compounded by living in Bath – but the job is brilliant, rewarding and an absolute hoot. If you’ve got a passion for cars (and if you’re on Autoshite then that’s a given) then you’ll do well and certainly won’t regret it.

[eddyramrod]

Well I went for it. Speedily sent what I thought was a beautifully-crafted, good-humoured, original and factual email. Money won't be a problem, I've always been low-paid (or lower!) so I know I can live on it. Petebog: well I've been looking at houses to rent and found a couple of really nice ones for not much more than the return we get on the Barrow house; although having given our existing tenants notice because we wanted to live in it, telling the agency "actually it's available again" might be a tad embarrassing. Never mind, small price to pay. I know I can do it; I want to do it.

 

All I have to do now is wait for a reply to my email, and negotiate the remaining stages of the selection process. From 2000 miles away.

[whitevanman]

Peterborough is OK, I lived there for a couple of years and it's no worse than most other places, however make sure where you get your house is an OK area if your hoping to keep any of your cars safe from some of the Pikeys around there.....

[scruff]

Good luck Eddy. I moved up from Sussex for my job and shared a house in Peterborough for 8 months before getting a place and moving out to one of the villages. Even then it's pretty reasonably priced. PEterborough's not a bad place really. We're out near Stamford so if you end up getting it we're not too far away for a beer or two.

[jarkle]

Good luck mate, hope it all goes to plan.

[dollywobbler]

What you on about Mr Scruff? Peterborough's bloomin' horrible! That's why you live a safe distance away from it.

 

Good luck Eddy. Let us know if you get through to the interview stage!

[eddyramrod]

Good luck Eddy. Let us know if you get through to the interview stage!

 

Thanks guys. Ian, did you ever imagine otherwise????

[messerschmitt owner]

I already write for Kelsey. But for ships monthly. Have an article to finish this weekend. Good luck eddy.

You never know, you may see me there too lol