Radio 1's Calum Leslie: 'I didn’t like talking out loud'

Katie Thistleton

Hello and welcome to the BBC Bitesize Careers Podcast. I'm Katie Thistleton. Have you ever wondered what the point in a school subject is? Now have you ever been sat there thinking, how is this actually going to help me with my future? Well, today we're going to have a little bit of a discussion about that. We're going to take a look at all the amazing skills your school subjects give you and how they might come in handy when you start work.

Katie Thistleton

I am joined by our wonderful, amazing careers expert, Arit Eminue, who is an award winning careers coach. How many awards have you got?

Arit Eminue

Four

Katie Thistleton

She's won four baby! And we're also joined by the wonderful, fantastic, my colleague, my friend and yours, Calum Leslie from Radio 1’s Newsbeat.

Calum Leslie

Hello. How you doing? You alright?

Katie Thistleton

Yeah good to see you!

Calum Leslie

This is fun isn’t it?

Katie Thistleton

This is so fun. So myself and Calum work together at Radio 1. I will often have to say “here’s Newsbeat with Calum Leslie”. For people who don't know, tell us about your job, Calum.

Calum Leslie

I, like you said, read the news on Radio 1 on the Breakfast show, usually with Craig James, but sometimes with you too. Usually that involves obviously reading it on the radio, but also writing the bulletins, deciding what stories go into it, researching what we want to put in the news. There's lots of stuff goes on behind the scenes as well.

Calum Leslie

It's not just that 2 minutes on the radio. But it means lots of early alarms.

Katie Thistleton

You actually got a bit of a lie-in today, did you?

Calum Leslie

I wasn't working as normal today. So, this is refreshed, Calum.

Katie Thistleton

Well, that's good because we're about to play a quick fire game.

Calum Leslie

Oh good!

Katie Thistleton

I need you nice and alert. So, in this game called subject matchup, I am going to read out the name of a subject

Calum Leslie

Ok.

Katie Thistleton

and I want you, Calum, to tell me the first job that comes into your head that links to that subject.

Calum Leslie

Okay.

Katie Thistleton

Does that make sense?

Calum Leslie

I think so.

Katie Thistleton

And I don't want any boring or obvious ones either. So, if I say Maths, don’t you say Maths teacher because that's too easy. You guys play along at home or at school as well wherever you’re watching or listening and see if you can beat Calum. You ready?

Calum Leslie

I'm ready. Let's do it.

Katie Thistleton

Let's go.

Katie Thistleton

Maths

Calum Leslie

A rocket scientist

Katie Thistleton

English

Calum Leslie

Playwright

Katie Thistleton

Geography

Calum Leslie

Someone who writes travel guides.

Katie Thistleton

PE

Calum Leslie

Hockey player.

Katie Thistleton

Drama

Calum Leslie

Drama. You could be a radio DJ.

Katie Thistleton

German, Spanish, French - a language basically

Calum Leslie

An interpreter - that’s got to be a good one.

Katie Thistleton

Good! You did well there. You did well and that's why we're here to talk about this today. How can we use those subjects in school actually, in the future, in our future careers? Why is it so hard with some of those subjects to directly think of a job that corresponds with it, Arit?

Arit Eminue

Because we're not always thinking about the skills that we're developing within those subjects? If you think about, in History, you learn research skills, you learn and communication skills both written and verbal, and you could translate those skills into, say, a job such as a TV researcher or even a journalist where you're having to research different areas, speaking to contributors, having to communicate that message in a language that an audience will understand.

Katie Thistleton

Pretty interesting, isn't it? Because there are loads of jobs out there that we wouldn't necessarily know were right for us

Arit Eminue

Exactly

Katie Thistleton

until we maybe sort of stumble across them. I know when I was at school, I mean, I never shut up talking. So English was my favourite subject and that was my strongest subject. And when I look now, everybody I work with in radio and TV, they're all just storytellers and they might be telling made up stories.

They might be writing a TV show that's made up, they might be telling real stories like me. I tell silly stories about my life. Calum tells really important stories about world events and things that are going on. Calum, what about you? What subjects did you do at school that you think corresponds well with your job now?

Calum Leslie

Well, same as you. I loved English. That was something I really loved when I was in school. I loved writing. I loved reading as well. Really, weirdly, I didn't like talking out loud, which is crazy when you think about my job now is to stand in front of a microphone and talk to lots of people. I liked history as well, but that sometimes is quite useful.

In what I do know as well,

Arit Eminue

Yeah, completely.

Calum Leslie

when news events happen that relate to stuff that's happened in the past, you are aware of that? I didn't actually maybe think at 15 I wanted to be a journalist or be a radio newsreader, but when I look back at those subjects, I enjoyed, they kind of all come together.

Katie Thistleton

So Arit, even if you don't particularly enjoy a subject, there might be some skills that you're learning that are transferable.

Arit Eminue

Yeah, for sure. So, I hate maths, I hated Maths and was at school, but skills such as problem solving and critical thinking, analysing data stand me in good stead in the job that I have now. So, I always recommend, there's a subject, but then there is the skills that you’re developing and focus on the skills, particularly if you don't like the subject.

Katie Thistleton

Very good tips. Thank you so much, Arit. But now it's time for this.

Katie Thistleton

Don't be alarmed Calum. It's time for the big job interview. I'm going to interview you now. That's why I'm dressed as a scary interviewer. I’m going to ask you some lovely questions about your career Calum, and that's what I'm going to do throughout the series. So, question number one Calum.

Calum Leslie

Okay.

Katie Thistleton

Okay. What has been your career highlight so far?

Calum Leslie

I think it was the first time I read news on Radio 1

Arit Eminue

Wow.

Calum Leslie

because I've been listening to Radio 1 since I was at school.

Arit Eminue

That would be amazing.

Calum Leslie

That was pretty cool.

Arit Eminue

Love that.

Katie Thistleton

What's been the scariest moment of your career so far? Was also your first time?

Calum Leslie

Yeah! The exact same one!

[All laugh]

Calum Leslie

Millions of people, never done it, shaking.

Katie Thistleton

What was the first step you took towards your current career?

Calum Leslie

I started doing some football reports when I was at uni for a radio station when I was just voluntary, wasn't paid or anything. I went along, watched the football and spoke into the radio. That was really good fun but made me realise I wanted to do radio.

Katie Thistleton

What advice would you give your younger self about your future career?

Calum Leslie

Good question. I think maybe not to panic so much about the plan.

Arit Eminue

Yeah.

Calum Leslie

Have to have an idea of what you want to do if you can, that's great. But don’t panic, probably about stuff.

Katie Thistleton

Final question, the big one. Would you say that you are doing your dream career?

Calum Leslie

Yeah, I think I think I probably am. I think I would say I am. It's like I said it’s what I wanted to do for a long time.

Katie Thistleton

You so much for sharing. You did very well in your interview, didn’t he do well Arit?

Arit Eminue

Yes. Got the job.

Katie Thistleton

Well we've learnt a lot today, Arit. What would be the one thing that you'd like everyone who is watching and listening at home our schools take away today?

Arit Eminue

Two quick things. One, don't fret if you don't have a plan, that's okay. Second thing is focus on the skills that you're learning from your subjects as opposed to the subject itself. So History is not your thing, but you love research, focus on the research.

Katie Thistleton

Thank you so much Arit. Thank you, Calum.

Calum Leslie

Thank you.

Arit Eminue

Thank you.

Calum Leslie

It’s been fun.

Katie Thistleton

If you like the sound of Calum's job and you want to do something like that one day, then why don't you get to the “Careers in Media" section on the BBC Bitesize Careers website?

Also, if you're not really sure where your favourite subject could take you or you're not sure what to study next, then check out the “Jobs that use…” section on the Bitesize Careers website.

It has loads of information about where your favourite subject could take you. We'll see you next time on the BBC Bitesize Careers podcast.