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Newspaper journalist: Salary and conditions

• Few people enter journalism for the money. The starting salary for a trainee reporter on a local/regional paper may be as low as £12,000 according to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) . You can expect rises of £1,500 - £3,000 as you progress through training (salary data collected July 09 from the NUJ).
• The average salary for all journalists is £24,500, but there is wide variation between regional papers and national newspapers. Salaries for journalists with between one to four years of experience are £14,900 - £24,350. For those with five to nine years of experience it is between £21,700 to £35,000. With over ten years’ experience you can expect a salary starting at £22,000 to £39,000 (salary data collected July 09).
• Salaries for senior editors on regional daily papers are often negotiable and range from £50,000 to £85,000. On national papers, salaries can be even higher. Share options and bonuses, reflecting the paper's performance, may bolster salaries.
• Offices are usually open plan and may be noisy. You will spend much of your time working on a computer and on the telephone, plus some travelling to meet people, or cover events.
• Journalists quite often work long or unsocial hours. Early in your career, you are likely to work an early or late shift pattern. You need to be flexible to accommodate breaking news and deadlines.
• Journalists can spend part or all of their career working on a freelance basis. Demand for experienced freelancers has been high, especially for feature writing. Young journalists often work freelance to build up experience and contacts; some retired journalists continue to work on a freelance basis. The NUJ issues a guide to freelance fees in their NUJ Freelance Fees Guide .
• Career breaks may be possible. Returners sometimes move back into the profession via a sub-editing role, or through freelance work.
• The NUJ reports a 60/40 male/female gender split in the industry. Women are increasingly present at senior level.
• The profession is predominantly white, but efforts are being made to recruit from ethnic minority backgrounds, with initiatives such as the Journalism Diversity Fund .
• Opportunities with regional papers exist throughout the UK. Three in four journalists working for national papers are based in London. Geographical mobility is important, especially at the beginning of a journalism career.
• The role can be stressful. Competition between rival publications - and hence their reporters - can be fierce and you may often need to put awkward or unwanted questions to people who do not wish to answer.
• Because of the need to work long and unpredictable hours at times - sometimes between 50-60 hours per week - your social and working life may become intertwined.
• Travel within a working day can be common. Absence from home overnight is rarely required. There may be opportunities to work abroad.

AGCAS

Written by Tim Reed, University of Kent

Last updated:

September 2009

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