In today’s world with so many online jobs available on the internet, it’s hard to pinpoint the best online job for yourself that suits your personality.
But Proofreading could be your next career if you have skills on catching grammatical mistakes and errors.
And what is so easy than working from home deciding your own hours that suit you just catching mistakes of already written articles, script, and books.
Also, If you are very new to proofreading you can easily learn this high-paying skill and start making good money from it as a Proofreader.
In this post, I will walk you through the all information that you will need to start your career as a Proofreader in 2021.
What is Proofreading?
With so much new content publishes every day there is a need for experts who can point out text errors and that’s where proofreaders fill the place.
Basically, Proofreading is a final step in the editorial cycle and before publication content in the form of text gets approved by a proofreader to assure that content is error-proof.
These mistakes most commonly involve grammar spelling, punctuation errors.
There is a misconception that Proofreading and Editing are the same. In proofreading, you just need to identify and point out mistakes and errors while editing is all about adding, deleting, and formatting or arranging words, sentences, and paragraphs.
Skills you need to become a Proofreader
To become a proofreader you will need to have good grammatical, spelling, and punctuation skills – Strong command of the English language. Impeccable reading and comprehension skills are musts.
Proofreading jobs require a lot of concentration and you will need to work with patience, not rush into picking errors as you have to point out mistakes that have not been spotted by the one who has written it. So love for reading is very important.
Knowledge of proofreading marks – Do you know there are special symbols and notations used for correcting the text. You should be knowing them thoroughly before starting this career.
Most the jobs just require some relevant experience but for some projects, you will need an English or journalism degree.
Do you need training to get started as a newbie Proofreader?
Yes If you are completely new to this then training is required before getting started and it will help you ease your Proofreading journey.
Luckily there is a free training spot which I came to know the best one of its own kind, 76 minutes free workshop by Caitlin Pyle is available to teach newbies how to make money from home just by identifying errors in the text.
And If you are a beginner and you have a budget to get a professional paid Proofreading course to start a proofreading career smoothly then I recommend you Proofreading Anywhere by Caitlin Pyle it is the best Proofreading course available on the internet.
Or you can take a super informational Free training right now and start your journey as a Proofreader.
Niches where you can work as a Proofreader
There are variety of textual content on which you can take projects and earn as a Proofreader. Below is the list.
- E-books
- Articles
- White papers
- Press releases
- Transcripts
- Academic papers
- Resumes
- Contracts
How much you can make as a Proofreader?
As your experience increases your skills will become more valuable. But as a proofreader you will be able to generate good income.
You can charge per project, per word or per hour. Mostly you will get paid per project or hourly as a Proofread freelancer.
If you hired by a company you will get paid $15-$18/hour as a beginner and If you are working as a Freelancer you can charge anywhere between $25-$40 per hour and you can increase it with your experience.
According to Glassdoor 2020 the average salary of a proofreader is $52,000 per year.
Tools that will require in proofreading job
Since Proofreading job is mostly online you will need to be technically strong. And apart from skills and education you will need some tools that would help you in your proofreading job.
Here are some basic tools that you will require to do proofreading work from home.
- A computer device or tablet
- A reliable internet connection
- Google docs to keep and share documents
- Grammarly or ProWritingAid
- Proofreading Software like Ginger
Websites where you can find Proofreading Jobs
There are lot of proofreading work out there and being a proofreader you will have different options for websites that offers proofreading jobs so it’s up to you to choose the best portal for yourself to work with.
Here are the best places where you can find freelance Proofreading jobs easily.
Proofreading companies that hire Proofreaders
You can find more Proofreading jobs as working directly for the Proofreading companies. There are some best Proofread and editing services companies that hire Proofreaders only.
It is a best place to find full-time or part-time proofreading jobs for beginners.
In Proofreading Services you will be required to take a 20-minute screening test before any project is assigned to you.
Here you can earn $19 to $45 an hour depending on the projects and deadlines.
This company hires Proofreaders that are graduated and owning 5 years of experience in Proofreading. So, if you are holding a graduate degree with respective experience then this platform is for you. The starting pay is $20 per hour for proofreaders here.
This platform is same as Proofeading pal where they hire experienced Proofreaders. You can keep a check on employment to grab projects and jobs as soon they as they are hiring.
Gramlee offers copy editing services for those who care about quality work and they are always looking for exceptional proofreaders.
If you want to try your luck here you can submit your application here.
If you have exceptional English language skills and experience in Proofreading with good expertise then Polished Paper is best choice for you. So, no matter what your education background is you can always join if you meet other criteria.
You can join them by uploading your resume and register yourself on Polished Paper and to get approved you will need to clear the 35-minute test.
You can find jobs here on contractual, freelance and full-time basis. This is an international scientific company that assist in making research available. You can make $10 per hour at Cactus Communications.
Pros and Cons of Online Proofreading Jobs
Like other online job there might be some points that you appreciate in Proofreading and some points will not suit you according to your personality.
Have a look to Pros and Cons of Online Proofreading Jobs.
PROS
- You can work part-time and if you like this job you can make a full-time career.
- No risk job, you can always start this career with some training.
- If you have a good command in English, it is one the best online job for you.
- Once you get a good experience you can work as a Professional Proofreader and scale up your career starting you own Proofreading Business.
CONS
- Some companies demand experience of 5 years and so.
- You might need to meet strict guidelines.
- If you are a complete beginner then training is necessary.
If you are really interested in starting a career as a Proofreader then these cons can’t take away your interest from Proofreading and you can overcome these issues with time.
