Annual Salary
£20,000 to £50,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Maths or Science or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Maths or Science or go back to all job sectors
Technical authors write documents and guides that explain how to use products and services.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
There will be
0.5% more Technical author jobs in 2027.
In your day-to-day duties you could:
You could work in an office or from home.
You can get into this job through:
You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification in a subject like:
You can do technical or science communication and writing courses at postgraduate level.
You'll usually need:
You can apply to companies directly. Employers will expect you to have in-depth industry knowledge and experience of writing and editing in their sector.
You'll need to show you can research and interpret complex information and communicate it clearly. You'll also need to know about:
You may be able to find work after doing short, specialised training courses in:
The Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators may have details of short courses like these and how to find them.
You can find out more about becoming a technical author from the Institute of Science and Technical Communicators and the Association of British Science Writers has more information on becoming a science journalist.
With experience, you could become a technical author for a larger organisation, or move into technical editing.
You could move into supervisory or management roles or work as a freelance consultant.
The Institute of Science and Technical Communicators has more information about this career.
You'll need: