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Editorial internship vs assistant editor

The differences between editorial interns and assistant editors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an editorial internship and an assistant editor. Additionally, an assistant editor has an average salary of $52,284, which is higher than the $32,356 average annual salary of an editorial internship.

The top three skills for an editorial internship include fact-check, editorial intern and web content. The most important skills for an assistant editor are editorial content, video footage, and web content.

Editorial internship vs assistant editor overview

Editorial InternshipAssistant Editor
Yearly salary$32,356$52,284
Hourly rate$15.56$25.14
Growth rate-5%-5%
Number of jobs51,6678,716
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does an editorial internship do?

An editorial intern is responsible for assisting the editorial team in publishing digital and media content, writing articles, and managing readers' reviews. Editorial interns must have excellent knowledge of the industry they work for, suggesting the latest trends and featured topics, taking notes of the tenured employees' advice and observations, and actively joining brainstorming sessions. An editorial intern must be detail-oriented and take constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn. It is also crucial to have outstanding communication and proofreading skills and keep all the materials confidential until release.

What does an assistant editor do?

An assistant editor is an individual responsible for assisting an editor-in-chief or editor-at-large of a newspaper, magazine, radio program, or website. Assistant editors hold meetings with staff and freelance writers to discuss new, fresh and original content for projects on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. They review assignments handed in by writers or reporters for sense, accuracy, readability, and content. Assistant editors must also utilize new media applications such as Twitter and Facebook to draw attention to an article or cause.

Editorial internship vs assistant editor salary

Editorial interns and assistant editors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Editorial InternshipAssistant Editor
Average salary$32,356$52,284
Salary rangeBetween $26,000 And $39,000Between $34,000 And $78,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCHuntington, NY
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyOxford University PressApple
Best paying industryMediaMedia

Differences between editorial internship and assistant editor education

There are a few differences between an editorial internship and an assistant editor in terms of educational background:

Editorial InternshipAssistant Editor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 86%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorEnglishEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Editorial internship vs assistant editor demographics

Here are the differences between editorial interns' and assistant editors' demographics:

Editorial InternshipAssistant Editor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 26.4% Female, 73.6%Male, 45.9% Female, 54.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 76.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between editorial internship and assistant editor duties and responsibilities

Editorial internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage content uploads onto corporate website for continuous relevancy and improve SEO rankings.
  • Contribute through blogging, copy editing, participating in weekly editorial meetings, and managing social channels
  • Upload all content into the CMS and assume all editor responsibilities
  • Upload, edit and maintain articles on the websites' CMS.
  • Create 15-30 seconds teasers to post to social media, specifically Instagram and Facebook.
  • Fix technical problems with uploading files to Lexis-Nexis through basic HTML coding and working with technicians over the phone.
  • Show more

Assistant editor example responsibilities.

  • Lead bureau newsgathering in high-pressure, breaking news situations.
  • Manage the budget for all of VOA s primary newsgathering.
  • Produce e-newsletters, manage website content, write headlines and captions, utilize SEO and analyze digital traffic.
  • Communicate with transportation managers, administrators, equipment operators and others for fulfillment of copy to achieve editorial goals.
  • Ensure compliance with PRC and FDA guidelines.
  • Increase social media presence and traffic through Facebook and Instagram.
  • Show more

Editorial internship vs assistant editor skills

Common editorial internship skills
  • Fact-Check, 13%
  • Editorial Intern, 8%
  • Web Content, 6%
  • Twitter, 6%
  • Instagram, 5%
  • Press Releases, 5%
Common assistant editor skills
  • Editorial Content, 9%
  • Video Footage, 8%
  • Web Content, 5%
  • Media Management, 4%
  • Production Process, 4%
  • Twitter, 3%

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