Meet Jaguar and find out more about life as a DJ and presenter for BBC Introducing. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
Jaguar
My job at BBC Introducing is a lot of things. First of all, I'm a presenter for the Three Counties shows every Thursday and Saturday night and I also work for the central team, so that sort of involves being in the office a few days a week, listening to loads of tracks, sending artists to Radio 1, 1Xtra, 6Music and being at festivals like this.
My favourite thing to do is to make people dance, so whether that is by playing an amazing dance tune on the radio, or playing at a festival, in a club, just sort of having that connection with people and knowing they're responding to what I'm playing, for me is like the best thing.
It's been a long journey in terms of getting into the industry. I started off doing student radio when I was at uni in Leeds. Then I did an internship, actually, with Radio 1 and 1Xtra five years ago and it was incredible. I was working with Annie Mac, I was working on Radio 1's early breakfast show, 1Xtra and I thought I have to come back here and work here.
And then sort of fast forward to couple of years later, I started working with Introducing as a team assistant and doing interviews, listening to music and then that sort of progressed to me moving to London, working with the central team and presenting a show and here we are now at Glastonbury.
The skills you need to be successful in this sort of field is definitely good communication, be that on air or talking to your team members or writing, that's really key and just being creative, like, being creative in so many different ways, whether that's making fantastic radio packages or documentaries or, even if you're DJing, like the way you put together a mix and just being really creative with that or you could be creative with social media. There's so many different things now that you can sort of lend your creativity to and it's amazing.
My top tips for anyone at home watching and you want to get into this sort of thing is people love to share their knowledge in this industry, so remember that, and just reach out to them. The internet is a great thing – you can find people's Twitters or emails and, honestly, just keep going and just be positive, be creative, have fun and you'll get there, for sure.
My favourite thing to do is to make people dance, so whether that's by playing an amazing dance tune on the radio, or playing at a festival or in a club, just having that connection with people.
- Jaguar is a DJ and presenter for BBC Introducing. She presents the Three Counties show and also works in the office for the central team, listening to tracks and recommending artists to Radio 1, 6 Music and 1Xtra
- Having been involved in student radio and enjoying an internship at the BBC in Radio 1 and 1Xtra, Jaguar knew at that point she wanted to work at the BBC. After graduating, she worked as a team assistant for BBC Introducing in Sheffield before moving to London
- She says that you need good communication skills, good writing skills and creativity for this job. She loves her role as she can use her creativity in so many ways, whether that's working on a documentary, social media, or mixing music.
What to expect if you want to be DJ
- DJ average salary: Variable. You may be self-employed/freelance
- DJ typical working hours: 45 to 47 hours per week.
What qualifications do you need to be a DJ?
You could get into this role via a college course (such as a Level 2 certificate, a Level 3 Diploma or a T-level in Media, Broadcast and Production - England-only, from Sept 2023). You can also volunteer at community or hospital radio stations, or DJ at events like parties, weddings and charity shows. Alternative routes also include taking training courses or attending DJ workshops. You can also apply directly if you have relevant experience.
Sources: LMI for All, National Careers Service, GOV.UK
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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