Problems with Student Finance

Today I found out that my student loan will not be payed for another 6-8 weeks. Yes, that's right. After enrolling back at Uni in September I can finally expect to receive my loan in January.

This has been frankly a complete nightmare, starting from as far back as April. Non-stop phonecalls have been made weekly, only to get told a different story each time. For the last month I've been told that my payment has been processed, and that my money will be in my account within 5 days, only for the 5th day to arrive and still no money. This has happened 3 times.

Now, I've eventually been told that my application has never even been processed.

For the last 2 months I've been completely strung along, getting told a variety of different stories, having to work out which ones are actually true. It is, with respect, a complete and utter joke. All they had to say for themselves was 'all I can do is apologise' whilst not sounding apologetic in the slightest.

This is not the first problem I've had, I actually received last years loan in November. Slightly better than this year, but still bad none the less. That is not the problem however. Mistakes are only human, and I can understand that they have a large volume of applications to get through, but what I can't tolerate is the way they treated me. To constantly mislead me on my application and not bother to inform me when I need to do something, whilst lying to my face and refusing to let me speak to a supervisor is unacceptable .

I'm sure there are many students out there who have had problems with student finance, infact I've heard a few stories myself. They need to come up with a new way of dealing with problems like this, and fast.

One Year On

Next Monday marks the beginning of my second year doing a Public Relations degree at Leed's Met. Things are getting real.

My first year passed unbelievably quickly, to be honest. After switching from PR with French to straight PR after 3 weeks, I knew I was in the right place, and doing the right thing. I'm not going to say I loved every single module, because I didn't, but I did enjoy learning about different aspects, and in different ways. I enjoyed many of the assignments, namely the portfolio and campaign brief, and struggled through demanding essays.

I've met some great people, been taught by some amazing lecturers and had the opportunity to hear from inspirational industry figures.

Not bad for my first year. Here's to another.

Warehouse nails social media

Social media is something that many brands are beginning to jump on board with (finally!), but it's still obvious that many do not know how to use it effectively.

Warehouse has been taking twitter by storm with its use of social media, ensuing great promotion whilst raising their reputation dramatically.

'#WareStyleTreats' has popped up in my timeline many times over the last few days, coming from several people I follow, and also from Warehouse (@warestyle) themselves. The idea is that they have been sending out treats, ranging from beauty products to cameras to random followers. This has resulted in the world of twitter literally buzzing about the brand.

The great thing about how Warehouse uses social media, however, is not just that they know how to give out freebies, but that they've learnt that interaction is absolutely key. They update their twitter regularly with updates on the brand, but most importantly they reply to their followers. 

Let's hope other major brands take note of this as a great example.

Twitter's most powerful?

Twitter is a tool that not so long ago would have had people laughing at the thought of it. A chance for companies and individuals alike to share a 140 character message with the world? Surely not worthwhile in the slightest.

Yet here we are, with most industry specialists worth hearing from having an account; and posting regularly; twitter is the place to be for people wanting to stay ahead of the game.

The people available to follow is endless, from reality show z-listers’ to celebrity superstars, major companies to ones you’ve never heard of, journalists and PR people aplenty. Twitter is now many peoples first port of call when looking for information.

So who should you be following? Apparently, Lady Gaga is the one. With around 10 million twitter followers, and estimated £55.6 million earnings this year, she has topped the Forbes 100 most influential celebrities poll, beating celebs such as Oprah Winfrey and Elton John.

Editor of Forbes magazine Dorothy Pomerantz said: "Lady Gaga beat Oprah this year because of her social media power. She's the best example of how celebrities will need to manage their careers in the coming years."

This goes for everyone, not just celebrities. The world is moving forward, and unless you make use of it wisely, there’s a definite chance of being left far behind.

Children in Need refreshed?

'Different' and 'suprising' are BBC Children in Needs plans after refreshing its PR campaign for this years big event. Acording to PR Week, the charity has taken on outside help in the form of agency EdenCancan in the hopes of shaking things up, hoping to create a new, fresher image.

It's rumoured that new strategies could include collaborations with A-list celebrities and fashion, which would be then sold to raise money for the charity. A bit like the Stella McCartney for TK Maxx? Hopefully that's not the only strategy.

Children in Need is something I've watched every time religiously, as I'm sure many people have. Whilst I agree that a bit of modernisation cannot be a bad thing, I really hope it doesn't take away from what millions already love.

Is PR a profession?

And more importantly, do we want it to be.

Today as part of our PPE module, we took part in a lecture about Public Relations as a profession. As a student, I’d never really thought about it before. It’s a career yes, but not a profession, and I’d never really made that distinction before. Now I’m going to raise the question: Does it really matter?

The profession type jobs are obvious, really. Medicine. Architecture. Law. You know the score. With PR however, there is currently nothing standing in the way of someone wanting to work in PR. No qualifications are ‘needed’ (I say needed because of course the knowledge gained from doing a degree is always worthwhile in my book), and neither is membership to a professional body.

Becoming a profession would mean closing the door to those without qualifications. Through the Leeds Met guest lectures I’ve had the pleasure of learning how many practitioners came to be in their job, and not all of them took the degree route. In fact one leading consultancy owner admitted to almost getting into the business by accident. Closing the door would mean losing out on people like that. People who might not think to study PR at university, but end up being excellent when coming across it by chance.

Public Relations does not need the ‘profession’ status to keep on being professional in what it does. The CIPR has a strict code of conduct that all members must follow, including to uphold highest standards, have regard to public interest, respect the truth and not disseminate misleading information, keep confidences and declare interests. Should all practitioners agree to; and practice, these rules, then the industry is doing its bit for society.

Of course, the other side to this is that not all practitioners are members of the CIPR. Infact there is estimated to be around 48,000 people working in PR, whilst only around 9000 members of the CIPR. This raises the question of how many practitioners follow this code, and who is enforcing it.

There is always going to be people who do not act ethically whilst doing their job (for example there has been many cases of people of different professions being ‘struck off’), and for me PR becoming a profession won’t change that. The Public Relations industry is an exciting place to be right now, with many different qualifications becoming available to those who want it. I sincerely hope the industry keep progressing to gain and accepted and trusted place in society.

Interview with Victoria Tomlinson

Upon first meeting Victoria Tomlinson, founder of PR consultancy Northern Lights, you can tell she’s a fierce business woman.  However through the tough-love exterior, I also sense that she’s extremely loyal, and that those deserving of her respect will be looked after well.  When Victoria agreed to answer several questions via email, I was excited to see what I would discover.

It takes a lot of guts to even think about starting a business from scratch, so what inspired Victoria to take that leap? ‘I had wanted my own business for a number of years.’ Still, wanting and doing are two very different things. She cites two key reasons for taking the leap, ‘the merger of my firm to become Ernst & Young; and my own merger!  I married and moved north and decided this was the moment to set up a business.’ Her philosophy? ‘To create the business that I would want to employ.  Very business-focused and fantastic service’

From Victoria attitude is would seem like this was something she had strived for all her working life, but no, it would seem she stumbled upon the PR industry quite by chance. ‘I was asked to join a charitable committee on a voluntary basis.  My job was in international sales and when I was away travelling, they gave me PR to lead for the charity – thinking sales was PR!’ As with everything it would seem Victoria does, she quickly  threw herself into the role, asking for help learning about the industry from friends working in PR and the media,’ I would cook supper as a thank you in return!’

Never planning to get into PR, Victoria’s education took a different route’ I have an HND in business studies.’ It goes without doubt, however, that these skills helped her to get where she is today. ‘It is my business background that has proved the most important in my PR career and I’ve learned my PR skills in a whole variety of ways.’

Having such a varied career, from charity work, to working in a consultancy, to setting up her own business, Victoria must have many successes to brag about, but when asked about the highlight of her career, she simply says ‘says ‘the most satisfying is having very long term relationships and adding value to  businesses, and achieving tangible results for clients.’

From listening to Victoria talk about her career to date, it’s clear how she has come so far. She has a certain charm that makes you want to listen intently and take on board her advice. She has the knowledge, experience and mind set to be a real inspiration to people wanting to break into the PR world,  but what qualities does she believe are most important for a successful career? ‘Passion above all, whatever you are in.  A constant desire to learn and improve.’

Finally, with so many graduates fighting over an incredibly small number of jobs, it’s safe to say everyone will be wondering what she deems her best piece of advice. Putting it quite simply, she replies ‘stand out.’