There are two distinct ways to become a foreign correspondent. The first option is to get a job at a national newspaper and work hard for many years, trying to climb up the greasy ladder. The alternative option is to go to the country where you want to be based and freelance.

It would certainly help if you find countries that don’t have many foreign correspondents, as this would provide you with unique access and make you stand out from the crowd. Make sure that you tell people you are going, speak to the editors of all the national news providers, as these people will become your paymasters.

It is probably a good idea to make and keep friends whilst you are operating on the ground in the country you have chosen. Be nice and multi-task; don’t just file text stories also think about pictures, audio and video.

There are other stories out there apart from straight news. Remember editors are only interested in violence or controversy, so unless the country you are in is on the top of the news agenda, you might find it hard to eat.

Remember your audience, as the bottom line is you have to explain what is going on to your audience.

Apparently a journalist’s best work is done in the first 12 months of entering a country as your eyes are open. Record a note of everything that you come across from smells, scents, colours, weather, building materials, landscapes, road surfaces, etc.

Being naive is bad, a journalist needs to understand the politics of the country you are in. Speaking to people and reading books, especially if there is only limited Internet coverage can help you to find this out.

So with the demise of foreign stories in the daily press is it really worth taking the plunge?

Consider the top stories throughout the month of February and that should help you in your decision. Here are a few to help jog your mind: Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, and New Zealand, to name but a few.

You have a duty to the audience and the people who you write about. The other duty is to tell the story as accurately as you can.

Lastly before you go, find out who the foreign editors are for all the British media and get in touch with bureau chiefs to find out whether they would give you the in.

Good luck!