‘’Always be your authentic self, it’s more hassle pretending to be someone else’’- Dan O'Brien, Management Apprentice

‘’Always be your authentic self, it’s more hassle pretending to be someone else’’

Hello, My name is Dan and I am a 30 year old apprentice currently working at the BBC on the Chartered Management Degree scheme. Since my scheme began, I have worked in the Children’s department and worked in the TV team with the Media Planning department (Marketing & Audiences).

When I was told that I had been one of the 12 successful applicants that had been selected for the scheme, I was overjoyed, overwhelmed and somewhat over proud. I was so proud that I had got my ‘dream job’ and was going to work for a corporation I had always admired.

In other ways, I was so proud that I was able to represent different aspects of my life and character within this juggernaut of a British Institution. I am gay and had only come to terms with this myself a few years previously so there was a still a lot for me to learn about myself and I have strong working class roots, so I couldn’t wait to try and help represent somebody from a different socio-economic background within the Beeb as well.

If truth be told, I ashamedly thought that the BBC was going to lack different characters and walks of life in the inside. I thought that I would arrive on my first day within my team and it would consist of 13 heterosexual upper class white men of a certain age (not that there would have been anything wrong with that necessarily).

When I arrived for my induction and then on my first day in my placement, I couldn’t have been more wrong. The BBC couldn’t be more diverse if it tried! I have met so many different people from different backgrounds and it has really heightened my apprenticeship experience. Why on earth I had that initial unconscious bias about the BBC is beyond me. Especially when I had been a fan of how diversity and LGBTQ plus representation had been promoted on air within its programmes and content.

Not only did I learn I was very wrong in that respect and that I wouldn’t be expected to fly the flag for LGBTQ plus solo, I also realised that the BBC wanted every single one of their employees to be their ‘authentic self’ and true to themselves and this is what I have always tried to do throughout my life. I have never felt more comfortable in my own skin at a workplace than I have the BBC.

I was even more elated to hear that there are different community groups and socials that are dedicated to different diversity groups such as LGBTQ plus and that the BBC have allyship programmes as well.

I will always be grateful to the BBC and my managers for taking a chance in me and giving a gay, late 20 something year old man from a mining town with no experience in the industry his dream job and a chance to be my best authentic self.

I would urge anyone with an interest in a pursuing a business based career in the media industry to apply to one of the schemes, I have never looked back. Remember, when you do apply – be your authentic self, it’s more hassle pretending to be someone else!