What Work Benefits Do Technical Writers Enjoy?

“What benefits do tech writers enjoy?” you might be wondering.

I was not always a technical writer and there were quite a few
jobs that I did after graduate school.

And in none of those earlier jobs I had much of anything by way of benefits. I was an “independent contractor” and in the United States that means “working with no benefits.”

But that changed dramatically once I started to work as a tech writer for a regular company.

Benefits that Technical Writers Enjoy

Freelance (independent contractor) technical writers enjoy the benefits that they can pay for out of their own pockets. Thus the list could be short or long, depending on how successful you are as a freelancer. 

But if you’re working for a company as a full-time employee, here are some of the benefits you may expect to enjoy as a technical writer...

Health insurance both for you and your family. This is a considerable benefit that can put hundreds of dollars each month into your pocket.

For most of my career I worked as a salaried employee. During my brief stint as a freelancer, I was surprised to realize that the cost of my family medical insurance had DOUBLED!  Your company’s group rates will certainly save you a bundle.

Retirement (or Pension) package includes not only the regular 401(k) package but in some cases an additional retirement pay as well. To be eligible for these benefits you need to be “vetted” for a certain number of months or years. The eligibility period is much longer for retirement pay. NOTE: A smaller number of companies continue to offer a retirement or pension plan these days than before.

Severance Pay. If you are laid off for reasons beyond your control (like when the company goes bankrupt, decides to close the doors for some reason, or when the management decides to shut down the office you are working at and you cannot move or commute to the company’s new location) you may get a severance pay the amount and terms of which will vary from one company to another.

Dental and Vision coverage both for you and your family.

Paid annual vacation. In most cases, it ranges from 2 weeks to 4 weeks, depending on seniority and country of employment. Most new technical writers can expect to have 2 weeks of annual vacation in the first year. Plus, all regular federal holidays. For example, in the company that I currently work for, we enjoyed 8 days of holidays in addition to the annual leave.
Other benefits the details of which depend on the specific company:

• Personal and sick days for those emergencies that require your immediate attention.
• Life, short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Annual paid training.
• Commuting allowance.
• Career consultancy.

So, as a technical writer, in addition to having a well-paying solid career, you’ll also enjoy a number of such benefits which easily add up to thousands of dollars a year in total value.

See you at the top!