So, you want to become a journalist. And you’re wondering how much they earn per month. Do you want to know if one can make a living out of journalism?
You’ve come to the right place.
We are going to have a look at the journalist’s salary in South Africa and their roles. The figures are collected and calculated by some of the top recruiter websites in the country.
Before we get into the “how much“, let’s first talk about the role of a journalist. This will give us a clear understanding of journalist salary and how it is calculated.
What is the role of a journalist?
Journalism is a huge career which many families live by.
A journalist is a person that carries out research to write about stories. These stories are published in newspapers and online on a website.
Some news websites publish articles frequently. Be it, breaking news or opinions, journalism requires a lot of work and dedication. Journalists do a lot of research before publishing stories. They must make sure the article is relevant and is able to grab the reader’s attention.
For example:
You look at news titles from the Daily Sun newspaper, without a doubt, you would want to read the article from that eye-catching title.
According to Payscale, here are the tasks of a journalist:
- Collect and interpret facts about news events through interviews, investigations, and observation.
- Work with news editors and reporters to generate new content.
- Review and edit copy.
- Report and write stories for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, or the internet.
Now that you have a picture of what they do, let’s see how many journalists earn per month.
Journalist Salary
An estimation by Indeed, the average salary of a journalist is R9 728 per month.
The estimate is determined based on 73 salary submissions on the recruiter website.
Payscale estimates journalist salaries range from R59 057 to R311 792 per year. However, this would be for experienced journalists.
On average, Payscale estimates a journalist would make R124 376 per year.
When we divide the amount by 12, it gives us a salary close to what indeed estimated (R10 364 p/m).
What if I can’t live by that salary?
You’d agree with me when I say, one can’t live a better lifestyle with a R10k salary. Considering the fact that you’re also looking after your family with that salary.
Many journalists turn to do a lot of freelance work for passive income. To make more from journalism, you will have to come up with other ideas that’ll give you more income.
Check out these ideas for passive income if you want to make extra income.