What do magazine contributors do

Working hours A 9am to 5pm day is common, with occasional late nights to meet deadlines. What to expect Most work is office based, although networking, particularly at industry events, can be an important part of the job. There's an equal gender balance, although features editors for men's magazines will usually be male, just as features editors for women's publications tend to be female. To help black and ethnic minority students get the training they need, the National Union of Journalists NUJ has set up the George Viner Memorial Fund to address the shortfall of ethnic minorities in the media industry and to broaden diversity.

Many of the larger national magazines are based in London. The work includes a lot of responsibility and tight deadlines, which can make the job stressful. Travel opportunities vary with each employer, but most require only a limited amount of travel. You may be expected to attend industry events, press trips and social events, and this can mean absences from home overnight. Overseas travel is not common, but you may travel abroad for research and networking events. This is more common for publications that rely on information from overseas, such as international business or travel magazines.

Qualifications The profession is open to non-graduates, but most entrants do have degrees or related qualifications. Postgraduate qualifications are useful, but are not essential. It's possible to take courses and qualifications at colleges and via distance learning. Skills You'll need to show: an interest in a range of topics the ability to multitask attention to detail, combined with an appreciation of the 'bigger picture' the ability to think on your feet and respond to events as they happen excellent writing skills and the ability to spell and delete jargon the ability to understand complex subjects and explain them clearly to readers the ability to take constructive criticism.

Work experience Magazine journalism, as with journalism generally, is oversubscribed, and competition can be fierce. Employers The biggest employers in the industry are the large multi-title publishing companies, but opportunities are available with small, independent publishers and in-house magazines.

Online magazines are also becoming an increasingly useful vacancy source. There are opportunities in many different areas, including: newspaper supplements online publications general consumer magazines specialist consumer magazines business-to-business or trade magazines customer or in-house publications directory and data publishing.

Professional development Once in employment, the variety of training opportunities available varies between employers. It's unlikely that smaller publishing houses will be in a position to offer such a package. It includes the following core subjects: essential journalism e-portfolio ethics and regulation essential media law and regulation.

Career prospects The first experience of journalism you're likely to get is with a student newspaper or free local paper or magazine. These positions include: junior writer editorial assistant proofreader. How would you rate this page? On a scale where 1 is dislike and 5 is like Something went wrong.

Please try again. Tell us why Magazine features editors oversee the content and quality of magazine publications and ensure that features are topical, interesting and informative. What do features editors do? Typical employers Qualifications and training Key skills. Vacancies are advertised via the internet, in the publication that is recruiting, Press Gazette , Campaign , Broadcast and their respective websites.

Speculative applications are advisable because some jobs are not advertised. Using contacts within the industry can be a good way to find out about opportunities. A few employers operate graduate trainee schemes. Although you do not technically need a degree to become a features editor, entry into the profession without a degree is now unusual. The role is not available to entry-level candidates, so previous experience and training is essential. Recent graduates typically enter in the role of editorial assistant.

The NCTJ offers a qualification in magazine journalism that covers many of the fundamental skills required for the position. Proofreading entails looking for objective errors, such as typos and grammatical errors. Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards.

He is an internationally traveled sport science writer and lecturer. Edmunds has a bachelor's degree in journalism. By Steve Milano Updated March 30, Related Articles.

Beyond the stop staff positions, there are a variety of types of editors in journalism. Staff editors hold titles such as senior editor, assistant editor and editorial assistant. With the advent of social media and online news sources, new types of editors in journalism have also emerged. These include social media editors, online content editors, e-newsletter editors and content marketing editors.

As more types of magazines exit print publication and either disappear or move to an online presence, the job opportunities for magazine editors has shifted. While there is no shortage of online publications to write for, many magazines opt to keep staff slim and costs down and have fewer editors perform a wider range of work.

For instance, the managing editor of a print publication may also manage the online version of the same publication instead of having an editor devoted to that. Sam Ashe-Edmunds has been writing and lecturing for decades. He has worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas as a C-Suite executive, serving on several nonprofit boards.