Magazine journalist : Salary and conditions

• For magazine journalists entering the profession at graduate level, job titles include staff writer, graduate writer and journalism trainee. Typical starting salaries range from £15,000 - £26,000, but may be as low as £12,000.
• Many graduates have to work unpaid, sometimes for long periods of time, before securing a paid job.
• If you have some experience, salaries are often negotiable. Senior staff (senior staff writer, sub-editor or features editor) usually earn between £18,000 and £35,000.
• If you work on a major publication, or become editor-in-chief of a magazine, your salary can be anything from £22,000 to £65,000+.
• Freelance fees vary according to your experience and ability, but the average freelance fee per 1,000 words is £700 for a large magazine or £420 for a smaller consumer magazine. See the National Union of Journalists (NUJ)  for a comprehensive guide to freelance rates.
• Salary levels depend mainly on the location, size and popularity of the magazine. Salaries in London and the South East are generally higher, and opportunities more plentiful.
• This is not a nine to five job; copy deadlines may mean irregular hours. Unsocial hours are common.
• Part-time work and career breaks are possible.
• With much of magazine journalism now being outsourced, freelancing is more common and up to 80% of magazine copy is written by freelancers. Many people make successful careers as freelance magazine journalists, contributing pieces to a wide variety of publications.
• Women are well represented on consumer magazines. Women in Journalism  provides networking and training opportunities to members.
• The work provides the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people beyond your own circle of colleagues, but long hours, tight deadlines, and writing for the public domain can be stressful.
• Travel within the working day is often necessary and you may occasionally need to be away from home overnight.
• Overseas work and travel is not uncommon, especially if you are working for a travel or international trade magazine.

Salary figures are intended as a guide only.