How to become Newspaper or magazine editor
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- working towards this role
- training with a professional body
University
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
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
- a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
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Work
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.
Volunteering
You'll need to get some experience before applying for your first job in publishing. To build up your experience you can:
- volunteer for student and community newspapers
- keep an online blog
- have an online presence on sites such as Twitter
- submit articles and reviews to local papers or websites
This is also a good way to develop contacts, as many jobs are not advertised.
Other Routes
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.
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Professional and industry bodies
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.
Further information
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.