What Interview and Story Craft Training Costs and What Moves the Price

Reporters who ask me about our interview and story craft training usually ask about the price in the second sentence, and they are right to. A course that shapes how you question people, build a narrative and choose shots is an investment, often paid from your own pocket in the early years of a career. So this note sets the numbers and the reasoning out in plain terms before you write to us.

I coach on delivery and scripting here at currenlu in Oxford, and I see the same pattern each term. People who know what a course includes before they enrol use the time better. People who are surprised by an extra cost halfway through tend to resent it. The fuller picture is on our Prices page, and this article explains the thinking behind it.

Nothing here is a promise about where the training will take you. It is simply an account of what you pay for and why.

The fee for Interview and Story Craft pays for tutor time in small classroom sessions, supervised practice interviews, and recorded feedback on each exercise. A session is built around one part of the work: preparing questions, listening for the answer that matters, structuring the story around it, and choosing the shots that carry the piece.

It also covers the use of our cameras, microphones and recording space during supervised practice, so you do not need to bring kit of your own. You leave each exercise with your recording and written notes from the tutor, which you can return to when you start working on real stories.

What the fee does not cover is travel to Oxford, accommodation, or any editing time beyond what a session includes. Cutting a finished package is taught in our Editing for Broadcast course, which is priced separately, and we keep the two apart so you only pay for what you choose.

• Tutor-led classroom sessions in small groups
• Supervised practice interviews with recorded feedback
• Use of cameras, microphones and recording space
• Written notes from the tutor after each exercise

The biggest single driver of price is how much individual attention you receive. Interview technique is hard to teach to a crowd. You learn by doing it, being watched, and hearing what you missed. A small group means each person gets a real turn in the interviewer's chair and a proper discussion afterwards.

Smaller groups cost more per head because the tutor's time is shared among fewer people. A one-to-one arrangement sits at the top of the range, since the tutor works with you alone and can follow your own weak spots rather than a general plan. A shared session costs less and suits many people well, especially those who learn from watching colleagues make mistakes too.

When you write to us, say which format you prefer and why. If you are unsure, tell us what you already do on shoots and where you feel least confident, and we will suggest the format that fits.

The second factor is how long you train. A short block introduces the structure of an interview and the basics of building a story from it. A longer programme adds more practice rounds, more varied subjects, and time to work on stories with awkward interviewees, tight deadlines or little usable footage.

More rounds cost more because each one uses tutor time and recording space. But repetition is where the skill settles. A reporter who has run ten interviews under supervision handles a nervous contributor differently from one who has run two. We would rather you choose a length that matches your experience than pay for hours you will not use.

Early-career reporters often start with the shorter block and return later for more. That is perfectly sensible, and it spreads the cost over time instead of asking for it all at once.

• Shorter blocks for the structure of an interview
• Longer programmes with more supervised practice rounds
• Option to return later for further sessions

Several smaller choices move the total. Adding on-location practice, where we take the exercise out of the classroom and onto the street, needs more preparation and often more equipment, so it costs more than a seated session. Asking for extra written feedback on a story you bring from your own work adds tutor reading time.

Combining Interview and Story Craft with another course, such as On-Camera Reporting, can change how the whole is quoted, because the sessions can be planned together. We confirm any such arrangement in writing so there is no doubt about what is included.

Each of these is a choice, not a requirement. The base course stands on its own and is enough for most people starting out. Extras are there for those who know they want them.

• On-location practice instead of a seated session
• Extra written feedback on a story you bring
• Planning sessions together with another course

There is nothing to buy on this website. You send an enquiry through the contact page, telling us which course you are interested in and what you hope to cover. We reply with a written quotation or confirmation that sets out the format, the dates and the fee.

Once you agree, we send an invoice, which you pay by bank transfer. If your plans change, cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy, which you can read in full before you commit to anything.

I would encourage you to ask questions at the enquiry stage. A clear conversation about cost and content at the start saves both sides trouble later, and it lets us suggest something smaller if that serves you better.