Here are 12 reasons why you should write for The Tab Nottingham

We’re recruiting new writers to join our team!

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Here at The Tab Nottingham we are always looking for new writers to join our team. You don’t need to be an experienced writer to join us – just a fun and passionate individual who wants to join a team of leading student journalists.

There’s also a lot more to The Tab than just writing articles, and we hope this list of 12 reasons why you should write for us proves that.

If you’re interested in writing for us, send us a DM over on our Instagram or Facebook page!

We are having an open meeting at Mooch on Tuesday 8th February at 4pm. Mooch is located on the bottom floor of the Portland Building on East Drive.  If you have any questions, are thinking about getting involved, or just want to meet some fellow student journalists, come along and say hi! You can find the Facebook event here.

1. You can write almost anything

The more passionate you are about the topic, the better the article will be. Therefore, we welcome and encourage you to pitch all the whacky and wonderful article ideas that pop into your mind.

From intensely strong opinion pieces to stupidly ridiculous quizzes, you can write almost anything as long as it’s something Nottingham students would actually want to read.

2. You get to use your platform to talk about issues you care about

On a slightly more serious note, writing for The Tab gives you a platform that’s unrivalled in student media. Many of our most talented writers have used this platform to draw attention to the issues that matter to them.

Be that important pieces on topics such as harassment, mental health and racism – or reporting on news stories that deserve to be talked about that otherwise wouldn’t get the attention they deserve.

The Tab sets the agenda of what people talk about on campus – and if you write for us, you can be a part of that.

3. We’re open to everyone with all levels of experience

Want to get involved in writing for us but have no experience? No problem! There is absolutely no experience needed in order to write for us. Our team of editors are super friendly and are there to support all of our writers. They will be with you along every step of the writing process and help you perfect your article for publication.

We promise we’re not scary!

It also doesn’t matter what year you’re in, from Freshers to PhD, as long as you’re a student at UoN or Trent then you can join our team.

4. You will be at the cutting edge of on-campus news and get to break the stories students care about

We take a very different definition of news than you might think. In The Tab’s eyes, news is anything you’d be excited tell your mates about down the pub or share to the group chat.

Breaking news stories that matter to students is what we do best. In the past we’ve had writers literally sprint up The Downs to get to a story that was happening at that very second. Being passionate in this way means we get the best exclusives – often before anyone else.

5. We get the best on-campus gossip

The secret to being a good Tab writer is just knowing people and being the kind of person people go to with interesting stories to tell.

We have a tips chat for our writers where we share leads about the latest murmurs on campus.

We often joke the best Tab stories are the ones that are never published. (Side note: you’ll learn lots about media law).

6. We’re the most widely read Nottingham student newspaper and your stories can get tens of thousands of views

We have a total of over 25,000 social media followers – that’s almost the same as the amount of undergrads at the University of Nottingham.

Many of our best performing stories get upwards of 10,000 views, rivaling the numbers many major national media outlets get on their stories.

7. It’s an unbeatable way to build up a portfolio

If you’re applying for any writing or editing job, having a fab portfolio is key. The Tab lets you write across a wide range of topics and formats – so you’re really able to show what you can do and our portfolios are easy to find.

Recent Notts writers have leveraged their experience from The Tab to write for national news sites and papers, such as The Guardian, Sky News, The Telegraph and The Daily Express.

8. You’ll be writing for a nationally recognised newspaper and our stories regularly get picked up by national newspapers

We know our website is looked at by writers and editors at national newspapers – and many of our original news stories get written up in them.

Stories from The Tab have reached far and wide, regularly being picked up by national papers such as The Times, The Daily Mail, the BBC and more.

9. It looks amazing on your CV and is a unique way to get professional experience at uni

Alongside being a really fun thing to do, writing for The Tab is actually a really useful thing for you to do too, as it looks great on your CV.

If you’re thinking of a future career in journalism, becoming a writer for The Tab is unbeatable experience and the pinnacle of student journalism. Future employers are certain to know who The Tab are, and having a strong writer’s portfolio will really boost your application.

Even if you don’t want a future job in journalism, writing for The Tab gives you invaluable experience in working as part of a professional team for a nationally renowned media outlet. Ex-Tab writers have gone on to get jobs in areas as varied as law, teaching, management consulting and marketing/PR.

10. You’ll be joining a national team and be supported in your writing by full time journalists

Even though we’re The Nottingham Tab, we still have very a very close relationship to The Tab’s national team. The national team are run by full time, experienced journalists, and are always here to offer advice to grow your skills and help on any pieces you are working on.

This is another invaluable opportunity to get personal, one-on-one advice from real journalists who are here to support you in becoming the best writer possible.

Many of the national writers started their careers by writing for their uni Tab teams, so they’ve been in your exact shoes and can offer the best help.

11. It’s an opportunity to meet some fun and interesting people

Not only will you get to work and socialise with a great team of writers, but you’ll also get to meet and interact with the coolest and most interesting people on campus.

In the past, we’ve interviewed ex-Notts student turned drag queen Tia Kofi, leader of the now-defunct political party The Independent Group Anna Soubry, and the iconic owner of Ocean Andy Hoe, to name a few.

12. We have regular meetings and our socials are legendary

Writing for The Tab doesn’t mean sitting alone with your laptop 24/7. We’re actually a really fun team of students who will soon become some of your closest friends in Nottingham if you choose to join us.

All of the current and previous Tab teams started as strangers but have become super close friends thanks to The Tab bringing us together.

We have regular pitch meetings, which give you a chance to share any article ideas you have, as well as providing time to catch up with your fellow witers. We also throw regular socials such as club and quiz nights, which are just the best time ever.

Our open meeting is open to anyone interested in writing for The Tab so be sure to pop along – you don’t need any experience or ideas! The link to the Facebook event is here and we hope to see lots of you on Monday October 4th, 5pm at Mooch.