At KBPR we are really interested in hearing about people’s pensions journeys and how they become part of the pensions industry. We have spoken to many journalists and clients about their experiences, and it is extremely interesting hearing the variety of stories.
We spoke to Lulu at Pensions Expert about her journey into the pensions world and what she likes about it. Read below to find out more about Lulu’s choices to become a journalist in the pensions industry.
Let us know about you:
My name is Rolhat Lulu Zen-Aloush, I’m 24 years old and originally from Kurdistan
What’s your role?
I’m currently working as an FT Specialist Editorial Intern at Pensions Expert. I am asked to write articles on a daily basis, by reporting on pensions in the UK.
What have you done previously?
I graduated from East London University last year with a journalism degree and before that I studied film and photography at Croydon College. Throughout my degree at university, I really enjoyed learning what it takes to become a professional journalist by studying modules that challenged me to improve my writing skills, as well as doing some investigative reporting.
I ended up in Pensions Expert through a kick start scheme that is run by the government to help young people get back into employment. Before lockdown in November I was working as a temporary waitress while looking for jobs in journalism. I had a work coach help me apply for suitable jobs on a daily basis, he then found me an intern position with the Financial Times and got me to apply.
At the start, I didn’t think I would get the position because of how competitive journalism is, but I was surprised when I got an invitation for an interview. I was very excited but also nervous.
Why do you like working in pensions?
Before Pensions Expert, I had no expertise in the field nor in financial journalism so it was all very new to me. I originally had thought having a pension was something you would just pay into on a monthly basis, which would later help you have savings for when you retire. I was surprised to know that the pension industry is actually very broad and massively important. I never knew how important pensions were to the UK industry and how much is involved in it.
What I enjoy most about my position is writing about topics that challenge my knowledge and force me to understand subjects that many 24 year olds would find hard. Every day is new, I’m always writing articles on different topics so it really pushes me to research, conduct and improve my skills as a journalist.
Of course, writing about topics you have never come across can be challenging but it’s all a learning process, so I enjoy coming out of my comfort zone, and having a great team around me helps a lot more.
