Editor
Last updated · Confirm dates, fees and eligibility on the official website before you apply.
Shapes and corrects other people's writing for accuracy, structure and house style, in publishing, journalism, academia or content teams. Judgement about what to leave alone is as important as what to change.
- Route in
- Earliest entry: Undergraduate. Also entered at: Undergraduate, Postgraduate. Direct entry. 3 courses lead here
- Entry pay
- ₹15,000 – ₹30,000 / monthly Any experience
- Where you work
- Corporate HR and communications, Coaching institutes, Government departments and civil services, Schools and colleges
How people get in
Getting in
Earliest entry point. Undergraduate level.
Other levels people enter from. Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where people work
Outlook
Corporate HR and communications, Coaching institutes, Government departments and civil services, Schools and colleges.
Indicative starting salary
Understand the role
15,000 - 30,000 per month at entry level.
This is an indicative range, not a quote. Actual pay varies with employer, city, sector and the specific role.
The route in, step by step
6 steps from where you are now.
Class 12, any stream Required
Reading widely matters more than the stream.
A degree, ideally in journalism, English or mass communication Required
Three years. Editors also come from subject backgrounds - a science editor with a science degree is more valuable than one without.
Write and get published Required
Reporting, freelance pieces, campus publications or a blog with real readers. You cannot edit well without having written badly and been edited.
Work as a sub-editor or copy editor Required
Headlines, structure, fact-checking, style and legal risk. Sub-editing is where the craft is learned, and the discipline of a house style is not optional.
Take charge of a section or a desk Required
Commissioning, planning, managing writers and deciding what runs. Judgement about what is worth publishing is the actual editorial skill.
Senior editor, or publishing and digital content Optional
Editorship, or a move into book publishing, digital content or communications - all of which pay better than most newsroom roles.
Courses that lead here
3 mapped routes into this career.
What it pays
Indicative bands.
| Stage | Pay band | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Any experience | ₹15,000 – ₹30,000 / monthly | Varies by employer |
These are ranges, not offers. Pay varies by city, employer size, sector and your own skill more than by job title. Treat the band as the shape of the market, not as a number you can hold anyone to.
Common questions
The ones people actually ask about this work.
What qualification do you need to become a Editor?
The earliest entry point is undergraduate level. People also enter from: Undergraduate, Postgraduate.
Where does a Editor usually work?
Corporate HR and communications, Coaching institutes, Government departments and civil services, Schools and colleges.
What does a Editor earn to start?
15,000 - 30,000 per month is a typical entry-level range. Pay varies with employer, city and sector.
Test this against your own priorities
Pay, hours and entry route matter differently to different people. Compare this against the alternative you are actually weighing, rather than against the average.