Guest Speaker 1 - Tim Bowcock

08/10/08
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Tim Bowcock

Tim Bowcock is the Managing Director of Black Cat Public Relations and the former Communications Manager for First Great Western. Tim came in to talk to us about the two different kinds of public relations, in-house PR and agency PR, highlighting both the pros and cons of working within the two areas. At the beginning of the session we didn’t really know which area we would rather work in. Tim asked us all to stand up, and then indicated to us to sit back down again, firstly if we wanted to work in-house, and secondly if we wanted to work within an agency. The majority of the group was left standing due to not knowing which one they preferred. Throughout the talk we all gained more of an insight into what in-house and agency PR entail, drawing me, personally, more to in-house PR. This was mainly due to the fact that it enables you to promote one specific product that you have a real passion for, pouring your heart and soul into making it a success within the general public.

Even though in-house PR doesn’t have as many promotional opportunities compared to agency PR it gives you the opportunity to bounce ideas back and forth within the work place, possibly improving the project you are currently involved in and making it a success. An Account Executive working for an agency will only start off earning £19,800, compared to an in-house Press Officer earning £23,700. However, the likelihood of a constant wage increase for an agency employee is much greater than that of an in-house employee. Tim explained to us that a good career path to choose would be to start off initially working in-house, then after a few years transfer to an agency where the money is better. I felt that this advice was extremely beneficial to me, not only because of the opportunity of earning more money, but also because it would allow you the chance to experience both sides of PR.

Overall I Believe that Tim Bowcock’s talk was very helpful for all that was present. This was made apparant at the end of the talk when Tim asked us all the stand up again, then sit back down if we knew which area we wanted to work in. This time only a few people were left standing, compared to the majority of the class at the beginning of the presentation. I have now gained a good understanding about working within public relations, and I am slowly creating a career path in which I wish to follow.