Journalist.ie gives the newspapers a chance to have their say on the rates they pay to freelance journalists. Elaine Larkin gets the low-down on who pays what.

Getting to grips with rates of pay can be a tricky business. There is no set minimum wage in the world of freelancers and pay scales can vary wildly – even within a publication.

Being commissioned to write a piece or setting a rate is one thing; getting paid, however, is another. In many other self-employed trades, it is normal to get 50% payment up front, perhaps another percentage payment on delivery and another within 30 days of invoice.

Finding out that an article you’ve written as a freelance journalist has been reproduced without your knowledge can be an irritation to say the least.