Details of how to apply for a new reporter role at Sports Mole.

Have you always dreamed of a role in sport? Do you have a passion for watching and writing about football? Do you need a flexible, home-based role to earn extra money?

If so, Sports Mole has the perfect opportunity for you!

We have entered the transfer market to bolster our ranks, and we are giving you the chance to join our team.

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THE ROLE

We are looking for budding sports reporters to join our team of freelancers, producing match previews and news articles with a view to advancing on to other features in the future.

Successful applicants will join on a self-employed basis and must be available to work at busy times - most importantly Thursdays and Fridays. Availability on most weekends and evenings would also be a major advantage in any application.

We allow 30 minutes for our previews to be written. The time of day you choose to write them is flexible and up to you, they just need to be written at some point on the day in question (two days before the match). This is usually on Thursdays and Fridays, so good availability on those days is essential for this role.

The role is a home-based one and ideal for any University students or recent graduates looking to get their feet on the journalism ladder, or for anyone looking to earn extra cash by monetising their hobby and passion.

Successful applicants will be paid the equivalent of the national living wage on an hourly basis, to be submitted via an invoice at the end of each month. As we allot 30 minutes for each preview, that means two previews equals one hour of pay.

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THE APPLICANT

Successful applicants will have:

• A passion for and deep-rooted knowledge of sport, especially football. Any specific interests in sports other than football should be highlighted in the application.


• A flair for writing engaging, informative and interesting articles at pace without compromising on quality.


• Strong self-subediting skills - we trust our reporters to put articles live on the site before they are checked by the editor, so producing error-free copy is of paramount importance.


• Self-motivation and an exceptional work ethic - our reporters work from home and so therefore must be motivated to produce their best work without the presence of a manager. We are after someone whose own high personal standards demand that they drive themselves to perform shift in, shift out.


• A fast and reliable home internet connection is essential, as is access to an alternative connection in the event of the former being unavailable.


• The ability to source and select news suitable for coverage on the site.


• A burning desire, commitment and ambition to improve their journalistic skills and make both themselves and the website better.

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THE HOURS

Hours are allocated on a weekly basis and are dependent on the availability of the applicant and the wider team. The number of hours allocated per week is variable, but greater individual availability will result in more opportunities.

Applicants able to work weekends, evenings and other busy sporting occasions will be preferred.

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WHAT DO WE NEED FROM YOU?

To apply for this role, please send the following to editorial@sportsmole.co.uk:

• A cover letter explaining why you would be suitable for the role. An example of your availability in a typical week should also be included, as should any details of football leagues you have a specific knowledge of or interest in, and any sports aside from football you have a specific knowledge of or interest in. Specific knowledge of or expertise in rugby union and/or rugby league would be an advantage.


• Your CV.


• One sample preview written in the house style. This should be written specifically for the purpose of the application - previous clippings/personal blogs will not be read. A description of the house style can be found below - applicants should familiarise themselves with the site's style prior to submitting samples.


• One sample news story written in the house style. This should be written specifically for the purpose of the application - previous clippings/personal blogs will not be read. A description of the house style can be found below - applicants should familiarise themselves with the site's style prior to submitting samples.


• Applications missing any of these components will not be considered or acknowledged.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

You will be required to submit sample previews and news pieces written in our house style (outlined below) via email. These will not be used on the website and so would be unpaid trial articles.

The first sample you submit in the initial application should be for a game and a news story of your choosing. Should that be deemed of sufficient quality, you will then received feedback on that piece and be asked to submit a second sample for a game of our choosing, involving teams and leagues you are less familiar with.

Should both rounds of samples be deemed good enough, you will then be invited for a Google Meet video call to discuss the role before a final decision is made.

If you are successful, you will be introduced to our CMS and then any articles you provide for us would be used on the website and would therefore be paid work. New members of the team will have a one-month probationary period, with their progress assessed at the end of that time.

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HOUSE STYLE NOTES

NEWS

Our house style is impartial, concise and to-the-point for news articles. The optimal length for a Sports Mole news article is 6-8 paragraphs, and the absolute minimum is five paragraphs. Efficiency and speed of writing is important - we eventually expect five news articles in an hour from our reporters - but at first accuracy, quality and error-free content is more important.

Wherever possible, the opening paragraph should be in the past tense. You should also provide a description which would be viewed away from the article and should concisely sum up what the article is about - this should be written in the present tense.

PREVIEWS

You can find examples of our previews here: https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/preview/

We strongly recommend having a read through some and getting a handle on our house style. For now there is no need to worry about images, but you should try to replicate the format of the article, guidelines of which are as follows...

INTRO - Two paragraphs to set the scene

MATCH PREVIEW - A minimum of eight paragraphs on the game, making sure you speak about both teams in a decent amount of detail (it doesn't have to be split 50-50, but neither should you have 90% about one team and 10% about the other). Note that eight paragraphs is a minimum and should almost always be exceeded. Note also the form guides at the bottom (which do not count towards the paragraph count).

TEAM NEWS - A minimum of four paragraphs on the team news, plus predicted lineups. The same guidelines for minimums apply - the team news section should be given whatever it deserves as the amount of news will vary per game. Note also the style of the predicted lineups, with semi-colons separating GK; DF; MF; FW and commas separating players within those sections.

PREDICTION - A score prediction for the match and one or two paragraphs of justification for your prediction.

Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you!

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