Annual Salary
£25,000 to £50,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Data & network or Software & systems or go back to all job sectors
Newspaper and magazine editors manage the style and content of printed publications.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; flexibly
There will be
2.4% more Newspaper or magazine editor jobs in 2027.
Depending on the publication you work for as an editor, you could:
You could work in an office.
You can get into this job through:
You'll usually start by doing a degree in English, journalism or media studies.
You can do a postgraduate qualification in publishing or journalism if your first degree is not related to the industry.
If you want to work for a specialist publication like a medical or scientific journal, you'll likely need a:degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject; high level of specialist knowledge
You'll usually need:
You can start as a reporter or journalist with a regional newspaper or magazine and work your way up. There's a lot of competition for jobs so you may have an advantage if you've got a relevant degree.
You'll need to get some experience before applying for your first job in publishing. To build up your experience you can:
This is also a good way to develop contacts, as many jobs are not advertised.
You could take a proofreading or editing course, like the ones offered by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and The Publishing Training Centre.
You may find it useful to join organisations like the Society of Editors and Professional Publishers Association for professional recognition, training opportunities and to make industry contacts.
You can find out more about becoming a newspaper and magazine editor from the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
You can learn more about other editorial and media careers from Discover Creative Careers.
With experience as a local newspaper editor, you could move on to regional publications. Then you could work at national publications.
You could become editor-in-chief of a group of newspapers or magazine publishers.
The National Council for the Training of Journalists and the Professional Publishers Association have more information on journalism and becoming a newspaper or magazine editor.
You'll need: