How To Become A Correspondent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a correspondent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Assistant Amy Eisman

Correspondents play a great role in keeping the public informed about current events. They do this by gathering information on particular topics and reporting their findings on the news, be it through TV programs, online videos, or online news sources.

If the career of a correspondent seems to be the right one for you, here are the job duties that you can expect: traveling to places that are relevant in their story, conducting research, interviewing sources, directing the cameraman, taking photographs, and writing up comprehensive reports on their findings. Many correspondents also specialize in a particular field, such as science, lifestyle, politics, or crime.

Most correspondents have a bachelor's degree in journalism, but it is also possible to attain this position with a lower degree or a different major, such as communication. On top of education, anyone who wants to pursue this role must have exemplary skills in reporting, writing, presentation, and, of course, both written and verbal communication.

The average annual salary of a correspondent is $71,000. As correspondents gain more experience (and fame, in the process), they may also increase their earning potential.

What general advice would you give to a correspondent?

Assistant Amy Eisman

Assistant Professor, American University

One skill is easy: be flexible. The technology is changing at lightning speed. At the moment, it helps to be strong at data journalism and understanding emergent technology, such as AI. Topic areas of interest include climate coverage, health and education. It also helps to be a great team player; the speed of news means you rarely work alone. Overall, make sure you embrace the basics in the field: accuracy, fairness, transparency, independence and accountability. Be a solid writer and an even better editor and producer. No one can predict what is next for technology. Employers therefore will look for people who uphold the values of the past, are enthusiastic about the present and are curious about the future.

ScoreCorrespondentUS Average

Salary

6.4

Avg. Salary $82,217

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate -10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.29%

Asian 9.70%

Black or African American 6.40%

Hispanic or Latino 12.67%

Unknown 4.39%

White 66.55%

Gender

female 55.01%

male 44.99%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.1

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a correspondent

Explore correspondent education requirements

Most common correspondent degrees

Bachelor's

74.4 %

Master's

10.5 %

Associate

7.7 %

Start to develop specific correspondent skills

Skills	Percentages
News Stories	17.19%
News Coverage	10.77%
Feature Stories	7.40%
Instagram	5.77%
Financial Statements	5.72%

Complete relevant correspondent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New correspondents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a correspondent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real correspondent resumes.

Research correspondent duties and responsibilities

Lead reporting in Mongolia, representing AFP's regional headquarters in Beijing.
Manage constituent relations regarding financial services, housing, budget, judiciary, homeland security, and government oversight issues.
Develop Facebook strategy, execute launch and manage content.
Handle education, foreign affairs, judiciary and natural resources issues; assist with appropriations requests.

Prepare your correspondent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your correspondent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a correspondent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable correspondent resume templates

Build a professional correspondent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your correspondent resume.