Are you good at correcting punctuation and spelling errors? If the answer is yes then what if I tell you that you can easily earn $30k -$60k per year by using your skills.
Nowadays, because of the increase in online content and marketing, Online proofreading is in demand. People are more interested in consuming online content rather than reading those newspapers.
People consuming more online content means more job opportunities for proofreaders.
There are many bloggers, authors, business owners who are always looking for proofreaders who can help them proofread their blogs or online content that they create.
So if you love this proofreading work and you have the skills to correct the errors in blogs, books, or in any sort of online business then this might be the career for you.
If you are interested in working as a proofreader either full-time or part-time then there are many online proofreading jobs for beginners.
You can do proofreading from anywhere in the world as it is not country-specific, you just need a laptop and an internet connection.
Before moving further, let’s talk about proofreading in detail.
What Is Proofreading?
Proofreading is a process of correcting a piece of content by fixing the punctuations, spelling mistakes, grammar, formatting of the content, etc. It is the final stage of editing the content before it gets published.
This is true that there are many software’s and applications available that can do proofreading as well but they cannot pick up error as efficiently as a human can do.
These are some places where the proofreader is required,
- Email Newsletters
- Blogs/Websites
- eBooks
- Online Marketing, Advertisements
- Online News Portals
- Resumes, Cover Letters
- Social Media
and there are many others.
How Much Proofreaders Can Earn?
According to Glassdoor, an average proofreader can easily earn $42,718 / yr (as of 18th May 2021).
On the higher-end, a proofreader can make even $66K+ Per year.
As a beginner, you can easily charge $10-$15 per hour as a proofreader.
But when you start gaining experience you can increase your charges up to $30-$40 per hour. I have even seen some proofreaders charging $60 per hour.
The earnings totally depend upon your experience and the company or client you are working for.
But my suggestion is to keep your prices low in the beginning so that you can easily get work.
How To Become a Proofreader Online For Beginners?
Online proofreading jobs require some sort of skills and training before getting started.
But Wait!!
You are not required to buy any expensive courses, you can start your proofreading training for absolutely free.
An expert proofreader Caitlin Pyle is earning more than $36,000 Per year by just doing proofreading jobs remotely from home on a part-time basis.
If you want to become a successful proofreader just join her free online proofreading workshop where she will be teaching you all the skills required to become a successful proofreader.
Requirements To Become An Online Proofreader
There are no fixed requirements to become an online proofreader.
In most cases, the requirements depend upon the company you are working for.
But there are some basic skills and requirements that you must have to be able to do any proofreading job online.
1) Good English Skills
English is the only language that is used widely throughout the world and that’s why you will get most of the online proofreading projects in English.
That’s why your English and grammar should be the best in order to get a good proofreading job online.
As a proofreader, you are responsible to recognize all the errors in a particular phrase and fix them, whether it’s a grammar mistake or spelling mistake. Thankfully, it’s not hard to do this when using a free tool like Grammarly.
Grammarly is a free browser extension that you can install in your browser and it will automatically highlight all the grammar errors and fix them for you.
2) Good Reading Skills
Proofreading involves a lot of reading work, means you have to read and understand a lot of written material that you working on and that’s why you must have a good reading skill.
So try to build a reading habit from today if you want to be a proofreader.
3) Discipline
Whenever you are doing a freelancing or remote job from home, you have to take deadlines seriously. To meet the client’s requirements you should be disciplined and able to deliver the work on time.
Don’t worry, you will get used to all this stuff once you start your proofreading journey.
10 Online Proofreading Jobs From Home
I have prepared a list of proofreading jobs below. The first few ones on the list are very beginner-friendly proofreading jobs and the deeper you go in the list you will find jobs for experienced proofreaders as well.
I have only mentioned few places where you can get proofreading jobs, if you explore the internet you can even find more job opportunities for eg. I have seen people in FB groups looking for proofreaders so you can pitch them also.
There are a lot of bloggers regularly needing proofreading work, you can find them and pitch them.
You can find out how Caitlin Pyle gets his clients without spending a single dollar on advertisement in her proofreading strategies here.
1) Polished Paper
To be able to work with Polished Paper you have to fill their application form along with your resume after that you have to give a 35 Questionnaire editor test and once you clear that you will be selected and start working with them.
2) Flexjobs
Flexjob is one of the best platforms to find work from home remote jobs. No matter what’s your country, you can find any kind of remote job from any country by sitting at your home.
There is a dedicated category on the website for online proofreading jobs.
They have a paid subscription of $15 per month that gives you access to all kinds of remote jobs along with proofreading jobs.
I recommend you to go with their paid plan if you are serious about your career as a proofreader.
3) Fiverr
Fiverr is another great platform where you can sell your freelance services and the best thing is that you can also sell your proofreading services as well.
The listings or the services on Fiverr are known as “Gigs” starting from $5 and can go way up to $1000 or even more.
You can also offer some extra services like fast delivery, more revisions and you can charge extra money for these.
Here are the people like you selling their freelance proofreading services on Fiverr.
Check out all of the proofreading Gigs on Fiverr from here
4) Kirkus Media
Kirkus Media is looking for freelance book reviewers in English and Spanish. Reviews need to be 350 words and due 2 weeks after the book is assigned. Submit some of your writing samples to increase your chance of being accepted.
5) Babbletype
You can also apply as a proofreader on Babbletype. The basic requirement on this site is that you must be a native English speaker with some basic grammar knowledge. You will get paid on weekly basis through PayPal.
If you are a complete beginner then you can apply on Babbletype.
6) Proofreading Services.com
On ProofreadingService.com you can find both full-time and part-time jobs but before joining them you must pass a 20-minute screening test.
The thing that I love most about ProofreadingServices.com is that they provide flexible working hours and you will get paid more than the U.S average hourly wage for proofreaders.
7) GRAMLEE
GRAMLEE is a website that provides proofreading services to its clients worldwide. They always keep looking for exceptional editors for their growing team.
If you are a Grammar geek then GRAMLEE is the best place to start your career.
You can start working with them by sitting at your home, no need to go outside in an office.
But you need to be a fast proofreader because their turnaround time for a 3,000-word document is 24 Hrs.
They don’t require any previous experience or degree to be able to join them but it will be a plus point for you if you are having some sort of previous experience in proofreading.
8) Scribe Writing
Scribe Writing is a proofreading company that is looking for freelance proofreaders.
The company is super organized and rebranded.
As an editor, you’ll be able to interact with the writers and authors and will be able to understand their needs and deliver them what they want.
Although, Scribe hasn’t mentioned the requirements and the experience that you must have before joining them some kind of the previous experiment will always help you.
If you have any kind of previously done work you can provide it to them and it will definitely help you to get your foot in.
9) Edit Fast
Edit Fast is a website that hires freelance proofreaders and sends them notifications whenever there is any work available. You can signup with them and you will be notified about the work.
This is good for those who want to do it part-time to earn some extra cash.
10) Lionbridge
You can find lot of proofreader jobs on Lionbridge in various countries and languages. It is not just dedicated to proofreading only.
You are not required to have a professional degree or experience but you should be good at what you do. You should be skilled enough to get hired for the job.
If you are serious about proofreading then I suggest you check out How To Create A Full-Time Proofreading Business As A Complete Beginner.
Start your Own Proofreading Business
Nothing is better than having your own business where you can work according to yourself without a boss. I suggest you start your own website today.
It costs less than $4 per month to have your own business website where you can promote your proofreading services. you don’t need to have any coding language to start a blog.
You can set your own rates, offers and provide great discounts to your clients.
The best part of having your own business/service website is that you will be able to build brand value and get a lot of work by word of mouth.
How To Promote Your Proofreading Business?
Starting a website is not a big deal nowadays but promoting it in front of the right audience can be a challenging thing. Don’t worry here I will tell you the best ways to promote your proofreading service website.
=> Join bulk Facebook groups based on Proofreading, Freelancing, Transcripting, etc. Start promoting your services over there. Start texting people in that group who are looking for proofreading services. But make sure that you don’t spam them.
=> Use forums like Quora.com to start answering people who are actively looking for proofreading services and then pitch them with your offer.
=> The best and my personal favorite is to do promotion through Pinterest. Pinterest have audience in almost every niche but you have to find them out. Create eye catching pins for your business and post them consistently on Pinterest, you will definitely get some eyes on your business.
Are you ready to start your career as a proofreader?
Let me know in the comment section below.
Hey there! I’m Rohit Lohia, a passionate SEO enthusiast and the proud founder of Branded Bucks. I’m all about helping small business owners achieve success online through my blog. Join me on this exciting journey as we explore ways to make money online and build a thriving digital presence.