A Day in the Life of a Migrant:

A Day in the Life of a Migrant:

Nishit is a former intern at Migrant Voice with a passion for journalism on an international scale. Having lived in London for a few years, Nishit sat down with us to talk about his experiences studying and working, and to describe his hopes for the future.

As we spoke, Nishit looked confident, as if ready for anything the world was about to bring him, even if unsure what exactly that is. He looks forward to a future in journalism, but that future no longer involves staying in the UK. With his work visa soon to expire, Nishit has no choice but to leave the country. Despite this, Nishit is not sad to go. He has aspirations to travel and to work as a journalist in North and West Africa, places that he says don’t traditionally get a lot of news coverage.

Born and raised in Bombay, India, Nishit studied journalism for his undergraduate degree. He always knew he wanted to be a journalist because he loves writing, and he is particularly interested in conflict journalism and foreign news. That may be why, at the age of 20, he decided to head abroad and get his 1st Master’s degree in international journalism at London’s City University. “India is insulated in terms of news, and the UK is a better place for international journalism than most places.”

Another Master’s and a couple of internships later, Nishit found himself working at SKY news as a text producer. His duties includee looking at the news agenda and what’s being covered, and prepping and getting relevant information on screen, such as breaking news and updates. Typical days would run from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with night shifts being 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Nishit enjoys his work, which was possible because of a two-year work visa after his graduation. He emphasized that his was the last year of students to receive such visas upon graduation, and he is unhappy to see the changed situation for international students. Nishit believes that due to the ending of the visas, students today are “less likely” to come study, especially in journalism, because they can’t get experience immediately after graduating.

His time in London has given Nishit his own unique views of London. London is accepting and open and easy to get used to, but not as easy to integrate into as cities such as Singapore or Hong Kong. “As an immigrant in London, you will always feel like an immigrant.” Nishit does believe that London is a diverse city that embraces other cultures, but he doesn’t feel that it is a true “international city.” He feels London maintains a sense of British identity that can serve to alienate foreigners not used to it.

Despite this, he walks away with a lot of positives on his time here. “London is an exhilarating city with so much to offer intellectually and culturally. There are many other cities that aren’t as diverse, where you hit a ceiling with what you can get.” The opportunities afforded to him by this city provide him with a base with which to move forward, and he intends to do just that.