Soton Tab Editor Applications 2013 NOW OPEN

The top quality articles you read every day on the Soton Tab don’t just appear out of nowhere. Behind the scenes, we have a team of dedicated editors who bring the […]


The top quality articles you read every day on the Soton Tab don’t just appear out of nowhere. Behind the scenes, we have a team of dedicated editors who bring the very best content to you, the students of Southampton (and a few University and Union staff too…) Sadly, the current editorial team’s reign of terror is almost over, but it does mean we are looking for fresh blood to continue The Tab’s anarchic style of journalism.

We’re looking for committed, literate and fun loving individuals to take the reins of one of the UK’s most popular student news sites. You’ve got to have a bit of responsibility too, with our articles being read HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of times each month. We’ll be announcing who has got the jobs at our AGM, 6PM Thursday 2nd of May in Murray Lecture Theatre B (58/1003)

We do serious journalism as well as the fun stuff, and our articles have ended up on the Huffington Post, Daily Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday. Tab contributors have gone on to bigger and better things at The Guardian, Men’s Health and others. With employment prospects bleak for everyone nowadays, having experience with The Tab on your CV is invaluable.

You DON’T need to have written for us before to apply, but you DO need to be familiar with the style of the site and have some ideas about where you want to see it going in the future.

Deadline is the 29th of April!

There are ten positions to be filled, here are some brief summaries of what they entail. Have a read and then fill out the form below:

Editor-in-Chief

In a role akin to herding cats, you run the show. From co-ordinating writers, planning events and dealing with legal threats (yes, they do happen more than we’d perhaps like…); the buck stops with you. Fantastically fun and incredibly rewarding, it is the most enjoyment you can have in front of your computer with your clothes on. Oh, and you’ll probably get a really cool hoody, too.

News Editor

As news editor, you’re all about getting the scoops and publishing the scandal before anyone else. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t hack phones or bug offices but it does help having your fingers in a few campus pies. We’ve got tips and tricks from the professionals on sourcing fast, fun news relevant to students which is guaranteed to rake in the hits. The current Tab team will show you the ropes and clue you up on news reporting and editing, and in no time you’ll see your articles go viral across Southampton (and often, wider).

Opinion Editor

We’ve gained a reputation for publishing opinion columns which provoke furious debates, and as an independent site, this is what The Tab is all about. Your job is to find angry people, get them to write articles for us and then edit pieces just enough so that we don’t get sued. We also run a lot of parody pieces in this section, so a keen eye for the subtleties of satire is important.

Entertainment Editor

As the Entertainment Editor, it’s your job to organise, select and edit content for the Ents section.
– Maintaining and building contacts within the music industry in order to acquire Press tickets to concerts, performances and other shows etc.
– Responsible for the growth and development of Entertainment writers.
– Liase with various PRs to ensure availability of interviews, further events and also new cinematic and music releases.

Our Entertainment Editor this year has been building working relationships with several members of local music PR, managing to secure press tickets for big names like Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs. This area is key for development and expansion as the Soton Tab becomes more widely known in the region.

Sports Editor

There is always so much sport going on in Southampton, and as a sports editor, you’ll be covering and compiling the latest results from the biggest games. Varsity is the annual big one, and with all the kerfuffle over this year’s result, next year is sure to be fascinating! However, sport stretches further than just the AU. With Saints representing Southampton in the Premier League and Hampshire being based at the Rose Bowl, there is top level sport available to cover wherever you turn!

Lifestyle Editor

Our readers love reading witty articles about those uni staples – work, sex and nightlife. Your job is to come up with a fresh spin on these old themes, and finding a balance between informative and LOL-inducing is crucial.

Degree Break Editor

The Degree Break Editor should be on the lookout for funny, absurd articles that pique the curiosity of our large readership base. This year has seen our writers and editors indulge in a variety of obscure student societies, some of them among our most read. We’ve interviewed lock-breakers and assassin-wannabes, rooted out some of the worst and greatest student stories that won’t go down in history and offered our rather salty and unique take on just about anything the average student would abandon his or her essay for. A Degree Break editor should know that students looking to procrastinate fall into the Degree Break section with great ease–the more silly and provocative articles in here, the better.

Marketing and Publicity Director

For this role it helps if you’re addicted to social media, especially Facebook and Twitter. Alongside the Editors-in-Chief, you’ll be helping put out all of our content to our readers. You’ll also be in charge of any publicity events throughout the year, with Freshers being the main one. It’s your job to make sure that every student is talking about the Tab. You’ll also be working closely with the Finance Director to get new advertisers on the site that are relevant to our students. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never written for us before, however, a good understanding of our style and content is key.

Finance Director

The Tab is a private business and so doesn’t get any financial support from the students union. It will be your job to make sure that all of the accounts are kept in check and that the beer fund is always in tip-top shape. The site has paying advertisers and it will be your responsibility to invoice them each month and chase up any unpaid debts. There are also other costs associated with running the Tab which will be your responsibility to manage. You’ll be working closely with the Publicity and Marketing Director to get new advertisers on the site, and to help plan for any publicity events as they inevitably cost money. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never written for us before, however, a good understanding of our style and content is ideal. Any financial or accounting experience is great, but by no means necessary. We will give you all the training and help you need in this role.

Technical Director

Being an online only publication, the Technical Director is key to making sure our readers can get the experience they expect. Whether it’s creating a new feature at the request of the editors, keeping the site online when it comes under attack or just improving the look and feel of the website, you need to be able to do it all! A good knowledge of PHP, HTML and CSS is essential and an understanding of JavaScript and WordPress is also beneficial. On top of all that you need to be accessible and eager to take on any challenges the Soton Tab may throw at you.