The pay. In terms of hourly reward, you'd be better off at a supermarket checkout, where you would at least have employee-rights.
The ST model was never generous but at least before they ran into financial trouble in 2023/24, it was not actually derisory. After that, they changed the model to rely on A.I.-generated story outlines that were, incidentally, generic and souless, and used it as an excuse to halve writers' pay. Yes, halve. A "premium" writer with year of journalistic experience can expect £1,000 for conducting and transcribing ten hours of interviews and producing 20,000 words. God knows what they offer their more junior hacks. Free sweeties and a pat on the back?
The churn. The ever-changing rosta of editors is disorientating and erodes confidence in the Company. It also makes it difficult to build professional relationships.
The hassle. Inevitable when you are dealing with a cross-section of people but be aware that a percentage of those who want to tell their stories will be needy/vulnerable/ a bit odd/ extremely odd. You will be treated not just as a writer but as a confidante-cum-therapist. You will be offered tranches of supporting material that require days of extra work to digest. Some clients will change their minds half way through the process about what they want to reveal. Some will take to phoning you outside agreed interview times, in the belief they have bought an advocate in their ongoing divorce process.
The product. Most writers take pride in what they produce and want to offer an accurate reflection of the client's voice. The A.I technology ST now uses as standard makes those things difficult. It expects often elderly people to recall events from decades ago in a purely linear fashion and then processes their memories in upbeat Americanese that often clashes with the subject matter.
