Annual Salary
£0 to £0
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Performing arts or Games or go back to all job sectors
Film critics analyse films and produce reviews and articles for newspapers, magazines, radio, TV, social media channels and websites.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: freelance / self-employed; flexibly
There will be
2.4% more Film critic jobs in 2027.
In this role you could:
You could work at events, at a venue, from home or in an office.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a foundation degree, degree or postgraduate qualification in:
Courses like these will help you to develop the analysis and writing skills you'll need as a film critic.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you'll need for this job. Relevant courses include:
You'll need:
You can work towards this role by starting with a higher apprenticeship like a junior journalist or a senior journalist, before specialising in film reviewing and criticism.
You'll usually need:
Competition for jobs is strong, and you'll need to show you've got writing experience. You'll find it useful to keep examples of your published work in a portfolio.
To develop your experience and reputation you can:
You may be able to do short courses, which could help you to develop your critical writing skills, as well as expand your knowledge of film and different genres.
Short courses are offered by some colleges, adult education centres, university film departments. and film organisations online. Courses include:
It’s important to develop your own critical writing style and build up a good reputation to establish yourself as a film critic.
You’re likely to be self-employed or work freelance as a film critic, especially when starting out, and be paid per review. Some critics write about other media, for example TV, plays and books, to supplement their income.
You can find out more about creative industry careers from Discover Creative Careers and ScreenSkills.
You can find more general information about working and training in journalism from the National Union of Journalists and National Council for the Training of Journalists.
As an established film critic, you could combine your job with writing books on film, editing, or teaching criticism on film courses. You could also work in film archives.
You'll need: