HOW MUCH A JOURNALIST REALLY EARNS

Recently I wrote about how much (little) a Thai journalist can expect to earn for doing what appeared to be an extremely skilled and demanding job.
Now recruitment firm Adecco's 2015 Thailand Salary Guide 2015 has been released, and newspaper journalists' salaries have been included in the report.

So how much is a Thai journalist expected to earn according to this report?

First, let’s look at their definition of what a newspaper journalist does. He or she is expected to research and write stories for national, regional and local press. They will report on news, politics, sports, arts and culture, science and business, cover national and local events, entertainment and human interest stories. The role will also Interviewing people in a range of different circumstances, attend press conferences and asking questions.

They are also expected to produce concise and accurate copy according to the newspapers house style, and strict deadlines, as well as being able to handle 'live' online reporting or real-time blogging when covering important events.

The survey says the minimum salary for this position for someone with zero to five years of experience ranges from THB 12,000 to THB 47,000 per month, while someone with more than five years of experience can expect to earn between THB 35,000 and THB 70,000 per month. Don’t ask me why there’s an overlap.

In my experience I would say this is pretty accurate for a Thai journalist. It’s in line with what I know and what I have paid myself, although I also know there are many Thai journalists with substantial experience working in newspapers and magazines here that earn significantly more than THB 70,000 per month.