11 Writing And Reading Careers To Consider (With Job Duties)

Updated 31 August 2023

Reading and writing skills are valuable attributes that are desirable in different job roles. Having strong written communication and reading comprehension skills can help you progress and advance in your career. Learning about jobs that require these skills is essential for finding a career that matches your skill set and meets your professional goals. In this article, we discuss 11 writing and reading careers, explore their national average salaries, explain their job duties and show you how you can use these skills for a rewarding career.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

11 Writing And Reading Careers

Here are 11 writing and reading careers to pursue:

1. Journalist

National average salary: ₹22,309 per month

Primary duties: A journalist is a mass communication professional who reports about the happenings in the world in a non-biased manner. These professionals use skills in researching, reporting, interviewing and writing to inform the public of current events. They might attend political or sports events, business conferences and other areas to cover and report stories.

Employers expect a journalist to write articles that provide users with the happenings in an event. They conduct extensive research to ensure accuracy in their writing and reporting. Having excellent reading and writing skills helps these professionals meet the ethical requirement of this profession. To add personalisation, a journalist often interviews people and witnesses present at the event.

2. Teacher

National average salary: ₹19,555 per month

Primary duties: A teacher is an educator who helps students learn new concepts and develop the skills for living a good life. Writing and reading skills help a teacher communicate important lessons and impart the required knowledge to the students. They might educate students on soft skills such as communication and listening and hard skills like technical knowledge. A part of their job role involves developing, assigning and grading assignments and test papers, quizzes and essays.

Schools expect a teacher to provide support to the students during every stage of the learning process. They even advise and direct students to extra-curricular and co-curricular activities for their overall development.

3. Grant Writer

National average salary: ₹43,180 per month

Primary duties: A grant writer is a writing professional who creates proposals for receiving funding and grants from the government or agencies. Government and private organisations might award grants and funding to many organisations. The job of a grant writer is to research, write proposals, edit, proofread applications and submit grant proposals for funding. A part of their job role involves searching for upcoming grant applications and maintaining a deadline for funds.

As these professionals help an organisation receive financial assistance, they are important for an organisation. Employers expect a grant writer to have excellent reading skills to understand application requirements. They also require writing skills to write applications that help an organisation receive grants.

4. Editor

National average salary: ₹22,014 per month

Primary duties: An editor is a professional who reviews writing pieces to ensure it is free from grammatical errors and meet the publisher and employer's requirement. They check written works for spelling and factual errors and provide feedback on early drafts of the writing pieces. Based on the publisher or employer guidelines, they evaluate whether a writing piece is ready for publication. Employers expect an editor to have excellent reading and writing skills to identify errors in someone else's work.

Often, these professionals work with writers to further develop ideas and stories for publishing. They can edit short and long-form content for various mediums, such as social media, websites, newsletters and other writing pieces.

5. Lawyer

National average salary: ₹20,359 per month

Primary duties: Lawyers are legal professionals who help businesses and individuals navigate legal processes. The responsibilities depend upon their speciality. A lawyer can pursue a speciality in tax, civil, criminal, corporate and family law. A part of their workday involves attending hearings, legal meetings and trials on behalf of their client. Often, they present their findings and arguments to the judge and work with clients to give them legal advice.

Excellent reading skills are desirable for this job because a lawyer often research previous cases to create compelling arguments. They might prepare legal documents like divorce agreements, business contracts and wills. Using their skills, they determine the best legal course for a client.

6. Curriculum Leader

National average salary: ₹32,585 per month

Primary duties: Curriculum leaders are important for the development and success of the school and for raising the student's achievement. One primary responsibility of a curriculum leader is improving the instructional processes of schools. Using their knowledge, a curriculum leader guides the creation of an effective curriculum, communicates expectations to staff members and encourages strong relationships between staff and administration. Having excellent writing and reading skills is essential for ensuring that the curriculum meets the educational board requirement.

They use their reading comprehension to know the educational board requirement and writing skills for creating and editing the school curriculum. Employers expect these professionals to support the personal development of other teachers and staff members.

7. Web Developer

National average salary: ₹23,740 per month

Primary duties: A web developer is a software professional who uses coding and programming to build a website, both at the front-end and back-end. The coding language depends upon the client's requirements. These professionals require excellent reading skills to comprehend the client's requirements and create websites that function as expected. This skill set helps them analyse user feedback, change the website design and improve user experience (UX).

A part of their job role involves using testing tools to monitor the website. Often, a web developer ensures they create a mobile optimised website, ensure every link works and maintain the website's functionality.

8. Paralegal

National average salary: ₹19,580 per month

Primary duties: A paralegal is a legal assistant that assists lawyers in preparing for court cases and trials. Using their written and verbal communication skills, these professionals maintain communication with clients. They also require writing skills to draft reports and legal documents for court cases. Employers expect a paralegal to have the superior reading comprehensive skill to understand the case and draft pleadings and motions.

Before a trial, a paralegal often interviews clients and witnesses involved in the case. Reading skills helps a paralegal to fact-check document and legal proceedings to ensure reliable information. A paralegal might research to remain updated on various government regulations regarding legal practices.

9. Copy Editor

National average salary: ₹21,943 per month

Primary duties: A copy editor works in several industries. They proofread, edit content and fact-check to ensure the content is free from syntax, punctuation and grammatical errors. These professionals restructure a copy to create a better flow and clarity for the audience. A copy editor requires excellent writing skills because it ensures the tone and voice match the company's branding requirements.

Employers expect a copy editor to have reading skills to improve readability and enhance the flow. Also, they create layouts for publications to arrange images, ads and text properly. Copy editors can work with magazines, book publishers and newspapers.

10. Publicist

National average salary: ₹60,701 per month

Primary duties: A publicist is a communication professional who communicates a brand's message to its customers using promotional campaigns. They use digital campaigns to promote books, music and films. Before promoting a product, a publicist reads, listens and watches the product they are promoting. Employers expect these professionals to create press kits, pitch products to the media and represent clients in interviews and press conferences.

They require writing skills to write speeches, bios, social media content, pitches and website content. A part of their job role involves managing an organisation's public image and setting up publicity events. They also pitch ideas to journalists, clients and influencers.

11. English Professor

National average salary: ₹52,292 per month

Primary duties: English or literature professors are educators who work in colleges and academic institutions to teach the intricacies of the English language to their students. Usually, these professors are English language students and specialise in writing and studying literature. They deliver lectures and read materials and presentations to students. Often, these professionals conduct their academic work by writing books and academic papers and giving appearances at conferences relevant to their specialisation. Employers expect an English professor to remain up-to-date on the development happening in their field.