Police Officer: Thinking about joining the force?

    They are very common, wear a uniform and drive vans with flashing blue lights, yes that's right, I'm referring to police officers. As of recently in Trinidad and Tobago, police officers can be seen all over the country.

     It's a very difficult job. Being an officer means you will be on call and have odd working hours. But if it's an area you are definitely passionately about, my advice is for your to continue reading this post, then apply!

     So one must enter the force as a trainee. A person seeking to be a trainee shall complete an application form and submit it to the Police Officer in charge of the Police Station nearest to which the applicant resides. And of course, similar to that of a fire-fighter there are restrictions and provisions that should be met.

The applicant must:

i. be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago;

ii. be required to pass a medical examination conducted by a Government Medical Officer nominated for the purpose;

iii. be required to undergo a polygraph test, psychological test and be tested for dangerous drugs at the cost of the Service;

iv. be of good character as evidenced by a police certificate of character;

v. be not less than eighteen years and not more than thirty-five years of age on the 1st January of the year in which the appointment is made;

vi. in the case of a male, be of good physique and at least one hundred and sixty-seven centimetres in height; or

vii. a female, be of good physique and at least one hundred and fifty centimetres in height;

viii. possess passes in five subjects in the CXC Examinations, including English Language, at General Proficiency at Grade I, II, or III or at Basic Proficiency at Grade I in all five subjects, or five G.C.E. 0’ Level passes, including English, at Grade A, B or C in all five subjects, or produce proof of having reached an equivalent or higher standard of education;

ix. possess a Trinidad and Tobago driver’s permit with a class 3 endorsement to drive light motor vehicles;

x. be required to pass a physical examination and an agility test; and

xi. be required to pass a written examination.

     According to a senior members of the Southern CID, during the training process the trainee will receive a stipend of $4000.00 - $4500.00 and upon entering the force should receive $8000.00 - $9000.00. So please if you are interested in this field, consider the requirements above and join the force! 

And as usual, ending this Blog post with a quote:

"Law enforcement officers are never 'off duty.' They are dedicated public servants who are sworn to protect public safety at any time and place that the peace is threatened. They need all the help that they can get." - Barbara Boxer

I wanna be a firefighter!

     Hey kid, what do you wanna be when you grow up? Ask any kid this question and you'll definitely get the response being 'a fireman' along with the ever so popular, police man, doctor and lawyer. But today we are going to be focusing on being a fireman!

    Yes it's a dangerous job but imagine being a superhero? Saving lives and solving problems it's all in a days work of a fireman. In Trinidad and Tobago it's fairly easy to get into the field.

What are the requirements you may ask?

• Need to be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.
• At least 18 years of age at the time of screening, but no older than 35 years of age.
• Possess a minimum of three Ordinary (O) Level subjects including English and any other two subjects (CXC General Proficiency grade 1, 2 or 3; CXC Basic Proficiency grade 1; or GCE grade A, B or C).
• Are at least 166.25 centimetres tall if male or 160 cm if female.

     Its pretty easy to qualify to be a firefighter but the process is a bit long and tedious. The recruitment process begins with the Fire Service publishing media advertisements for selection sessions. Session dates, times and locations will be included in the advertisements. 

     You must attend a selection session if you are interested in joining the Fire Service. and you will be required to bring the original and one copy of each of the following to the session:

• Birth Certificate with supporting affidavit, if necessary.
• Proof of identification in the form of a valid Trinidad and Tobago Passport, Driver's Permit or National ID card.
• Police Certificate of Character issued not more than three months before the selection session. More information about the Police Certificate of Character can be found by following the link at the end of this section.
• Proof of educational qualifications in the form of examination certificates.

     If you are successful at the screening, you will be required to write an entrance examination set by the Fire Service Examination Board. Upon successful completion of the exam, you will then be required to take an aptitude test. 

     

     If you pass that test, you will then be required to undergo a medical examination. If your medical fitness certificate indicates that you are physically fit, you will then be interviewed by a Fire Service selection committee.

     If you pass the final interview, you will become a Trainee and be required to undergo a course of training at the Fire Service School.

     So as mentioned before, it is a great field to get into, it's easy to qualify but the process is tedious and like every career you must be passionate about it! 

Ending this blog post off with a quote:

"Firefighters go where they're needed, sometimes ignoring the dangers even when no one is inside a burning building to be saved." - Bill Dedman

Librarian?!?

     Contrary to popular belief, not all librarians are old, wear spectacles and read all day. Librarians are very diverse and are given little credit for the amount they do. In Trinidad and Tobago the field of Library studies is expanding, as more and more people are becoming interested in becoming a librarian or having a job in a library setting.

    So you may ask...What do librarians actually do? I start by saying "no they do not pack shelves and read all day". Librarians organize, promote and disseminate a wide range of resources to meet the diverse needs of the many people who may require information. They support independent learning and encourage reader development. This can be seen in any library throughout the country. Challenge your self to enter a public library and speak to a librarian, you'll see for yourself.

    Public librarians can also be seen running events in the library for the local community and work with local schools and colleges. This is seen around public holidays.

    Yes yes I know you all are intrigued by all this information on librarians, so here's the easiest way to join the field. If you are within the ages of 18-25 you can enter through the government's On the Job program (OJT) and you are paid a stipend based on your level of education.

     So this could be a way into the field and then you can pursue a degree in Library studies to become more advanced. According to Erica Beache, a fellow blogger and librarian working in Trinidad, "Promotional opportunities are grim without a degree in Library and Information Science or a Masters degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) so if you are serious about this field, get your stuff together. 

    Here are some basic duties of a librarian: 

• keeping up to date with newly released publications in order to select library resources;
• managing budgets;
• organising resources in an accessible way;
• stock maintenance, including the weeding out of old resources;
• anticipating community needs and trends to ensure library services are used as much as possible;
• promoting the use of the library through displays, talks and community events, which may involve work in the library or going out into the community;
• providing reader, advisory and information services to the public and local businesses;
• organising library provision for specific community groups, such as minority ethnic groups, schools, youth organisations, adult learners and pre-school groups;
• developing the use of ICT to improve service delivery;
• dealing with enquiries and assisting library users in accessing ICT and other resources;
• undertaking reader development activities, which may or may not be directed at specific groups;
• providing services to socially excluded groups;
• working with other agencies and bodies, such as museums and educational services, to develop services and initiatives in the community.

Ending this blog with a quote: 

“Google can bring you back 100,000 answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.” - Neil Gaiman

Public Relations in the real world!

     So we learnt about Journalism in my last Blog post, and I'm hoping that I encouraged a few people to enter the profession. But in this Blog post I'll be covering the amazing field of Public Relations.


    What is Public Relations? Public Relations (PR) is universally defined as a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics. Let me just break that down a bit. The job of a Public Relations Officer (PRO) is to maintain the image of a company/ person by communicating regularly with the company's/ person's publics (essentially those who are affected by the company/ person).


    If you are outgoing and a great public speaker this is definitely a career you would want to get into. It's a pretty exciting field to jump into. Your role would be that of an adviser, so if you are into that sought of thing, I would definitely recommend this field.

    Some of the academic qualifications you may be required to have in order to practice/ enter into this field would be, a diploma in public relations, and 5 CXC subjects. The basic salary can vary anywhere between the figures of $4500.00 - $7000.00 and it's all depending on who/ what you would be representing and the different industries.

    Here are some general duties a PRO may be required to do in T&T:

• planning, developing and implementing PR strategies;
• liaising with colleagues and key spokespeople;
• liaising with and answering enquiries from media, individuals and other organisations, often via telephone and email;
• devising and coordinating photo opportunities;
• organising events including press conferences, exhibitions, open days and press tours;
• fostering community relations through events such as open days and through involvement in community initiatives;
• managing the PR aspect of a potential crisis situation.

Ending this Blog with a quote:

"The history of PR is… a history of a battle for what is reality and how people will see and understand reality." - Stuart Ewen

A Peak into Journalism!

     Hello everyone! How are my job seekers today? So I know you guys have been eagerly waiting a new blog post from me...so wait no further. I've decided to bring this blog home. Who am I? and What's my profession? For those who don't know me, I'm Nicholas Ramcharan and I work as a Journalist/ News Reporter for a radio station based in San Fernando, Trinidad.

     And yes you've guessed it, I'm going to focus on Journalism for this blog. (the title didn't give it away or anything...) So what really is Journalism? In a nutshell Journalism is the activity of gathering, assessing, creating, and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities.

     To me Journalism and Broadcast News is one of the best fields ever! If you love the rush of getting the story first, if you really love current affairs and love to write and investigate, I think you may fall in love with this field. I'm a bit young in the game, I stated the profession at the age of 18 and I've been doing it for two years so far.

     In Trinidad & Tobago you must have the ability to write, you MUST have that skill, if you want to go into broadcast news you must be able write and read for broadcast. So basically all you need is the skill and an Associates Degree in Journalism and Public Relations to join the field. That's the basic requirements. If you are currently studying Journalism and you have the skill you'll also be accepted into the field.

     The job of a News Reporter is a very high pressured one. You don't know when the next big story is going to break. You usually don't have a fixed working time. You are ALWAYS on duty. You may need to know some history and must be able to communicate. But put all that aside it's a great field...(maybe a biased statement)

    A topic in T&T that usually turn away potential journalists is the saying that "Journalism doesn't pay" which is somewhat true. You may earn a basic salary of $3500.00 - $5000.00 when starting the field, however this will increase with time. Most of the people in T&T who are journalists do it because of the passion for news and reporting. It's all about the love for the field.

Here are some official duties a Journalist may have:

• Interviewing people in a wide range of circumstances
• Writing copy for publication on a tight deadline
• Building contacts and sources for use in future stories
• Fact-checking the information given to you by a source

If you have any more questions on  Journalism and News Reporting please feel free to comment and message me, I'll be more than happy to assist.

Ending the blog with a quote on Journalism: 

"I am grateful to journalism for waking me up to the realities of the world." - Eduardo Galeano