`Working in the media is currently considered glamorous or sexy. I heard or read somewhere recently the women working in journalism or PR were considered to be the most desirable date, and that these careers along with finance and marketing were the `sexiest' professions," says Bernadette O'Sullivan, of NUI Galway.

But she cautions that young people need to be reminded that training for, and working in, the media, is hard work, and they will not be earning as much at entry level as their friends with engineering, IT or business qualifications. They also have long and, sometimes, unsociable hours.

NUI Galway offers a one-year full-time postgraduate diploma in applied communications which includes modules on broadcast journalism, news writing, feature writing, photojournalism and public relations. There is also an eight-week placement with a newspaper, radio or television station or public relations organisation. The entry requirement is a primary degree, from any discipline, preferably at honours level.

For second-level students interested in a career in public relations, the old way of working your way in may no longer be feasible. There are a number of full- and part-time courses accredited by the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.

Francis Xavier Carty, of DIT Aungier Street, which offers a master's in public relations, advises second-level students to apply for the degree of their choice on leaving school and to specialise in public relations later. The minimum entry requirement is an honours degree (2.2). There is a lot of competition for places; last year, the first year of the master's programme (it was previously a postgrad diploma) more than 200 students applied for some 25 places.

Carty says applicants should have done their homework and realise the job is for people who want to work in a strategic management function rather than hand out drinks at parties. They should have good written and oral communication skills.

Job prospects are excellent, says Carty, of the 22 students who graduated this summer, 17 are working in PR.

The Public Relations Institute of Ireland accredits a number of courses (see fact file). Orla Flynn, who co-ordinates the two-year part-time course in CIT, says the PRII prescribes the syllabus and corrects the exam scripts. The college offers the course at night and it is open to students of 20 years of age and older, who are of Leaving Cert standard. Many of the students who take the course are already employed and they use the course within their own job rather than looking for a job as a PR specialist.

Dun Laoghaire College of Further Education offers the course on a full-time basis. Again, students must be 20 years of age, and they usually have a third-level qualification, says course director Ann Jennings.

Students take 14 subjects: marketing, legal environment, writing skills (journalism), communication theory, television, radio and video, presentation skills, design and print, writing skills (public relations), advertising, sales promotion and marketing, financial environment, social psychology, management and political and public affairs. There is also a three-week work placement with a PR consultancy or agency in January.

Of last year's graduates, one found work locally in Dun Laoghaire, while others went further afield - to Brussels and Dubai. Jennings says some students go into media PR and event management while others, for instance arts students, use the course as a means of getting into the business area. Some graduates also find work in journalism, in design and in desktop publishing. The course has a lot of contacts with employers in the PR business, says Jennings, and they may offer jobs to students.