Every magazine has a different number of people on staff. Some features-focused magazines (like Vanity Fair and Conde Nast Traveler)have mostly copy, features and research editors; fashion publications have large fashion, photo and art departments; and so on. What follows is a general list of entry level editorial, fashion, and art department positions, plus the scoop on getting promoted to the next level.
Editorial Assistants - An Introduction
An unspoken rule here is that the level at which you assist has a great bearing on how far you will go and how quickly you will get there. Assisting lower level Associate Editors, some of which have just been promoted and given their first-ever assistant, may include more menial tasks and doesn't allow for the direct experience you'd get assisting someone on an Executive level.
With most assistant level positions, salaries are usually in the same, low range. Executive Assistants (usually for an Editor in Chief, who has both editorial and executive assistants), however, get paid almost as much as the Assistant Editors, in some cases more. But you aren't in it for the money remember?
Generally, you could be an assistant for anywhere from one to five years before you are promoted from within. It all depends on how much you learn, how fast you master your menial tasks and what kind of changes may be happening within the magazine. If you are given extra editorial writing and editing responsibilities, or if you work for an Executive Editor or Director for 1-2 years, you may be able to score an Assistant Editor's post by moving to another magazine.
The department you choose to work in will have direct bearing on how you move within the magazine. Switching directions just wastes time, so choose wisely. Select something you have a personal interest in and can dedicate yourself to for the long-term.
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