Proofreading Jobs Work From Home

Information and advice about Proofreading Jobs that you can do freelance from home including online employment and rates of pay for proof readers:





Though most people are confident using computers and software such as Microsoft Word to spell and grammar check articles, books, newspapers, magazines, leaflets, pamphlets, instruction manuals, etc there is still a demand for proofreaders and copy editors. This editing work involves checking a manuscript and typescript galley and page proof for typing, grammar and spelling errors by the author, the editor and also the typesetter. Some editors and publishers also ask them to spot factual mistakes in the editorial and any potentially libellous statements.



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This article will discuss how you can earn, the advantages and disadvantages of working as a proofreader and where to find employment. There is also an excellent recommended course for those who wish to gain a qualification.

Proofreading Job Vacancies

These include those seeking a second job for additional income and those who just want to choose their own flexible hours doing it part time. Online proofreading jobs work from home is ideally suited to someone with literature and editing experience such as a journalist, editor, teacher, headmaster or headmistress, secretary, etc. It could even be a great source of revenue for avid readers.


There are many adverts, often in newspapers, asking for people to work as a freelance proofreader. These usually have a paragraph of text asking you to identify and correct the grammatical and spelling mistakes. If you reply to these then please do be careful - some will just send you out an information pack, usually with info that is readily available for free from websites like this one. They will charge you a fee for this information pack and sadly it may not contain any information about proofreading job vacancies.




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Freelance Proofreading Jobs

Instead seek out your own freelance proofreading jobs working from home by looking for authors, publishing companies and editors who are genuinely looking for an experienced and or qualified proofreader to check and correct the galley proofs, typescripts or manuscripts of their book or article. There are hundreds listed in the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook.

Approach magazines and newspapers for freelance, part-time or full time proofreader work. Some do offer opportunities during periods of staff illness, retirement, holidays, etc and will readily use e-mail or fax to send you it instantly. They will expect you to meet deadlines, often the same day or within a few hours. Employment opportunities may also be advertised at the local employment centre. Do ask each magazine publisher or editor for their house style guidelines to ensure article consistency. Do send your CV and covering letter to as many publishers and editors as possible.

If you have a professional qualification or have experience in a certain field then try approaching magazines, journals and papers in these fields and offer your services as a proof reader or freelancing copy editor.

For example I was a nurse and had written many nursing articles and chapters of textbooks. I had been employed in many fields including emergency care, care of the elderly and paediatrics. I approached and secured employment for several journals as a proof reader, not just for grammar but for the authenticity and accuracy of nursing research and facts. This included Paediatric Nursing, Elderly Care, Nursing Standard, Professional Nurse and the Nursing Times. Most paid about £15, t ook about 30 minutes and I would be sent one manuscript most weeks from each journal. It may not sound much of a wage, but if you can secure it for many publications and combine this with other things listed throughout our website, like the get paid to review books page then you can earn a good wage.



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There are many agencies on the internet that claim to find you work and act as an agent in securing you employment, sending the manuscripts and proofs to edit and paying you. Some charge an administration fee whilst others charge a percentage of any employment you gain. I would advise people new to this and copy editing not to pay such companies up front for such promises. More experienced ones should be able to sniff out the rogues from the genuine agents.

Most will ask you to complete a test and attain a certain percentage as a pass rate. This need not be 100% because most authors and editors will get two to check and correct a manuscript. So one may spot an error inadvertently missed by the other.

There are some courses which will teach you about it. For example International Correspondence Schools have a distance learning course called Professional Proofreader. There are no qualifications or experience needed to start the course which can be done from distance learning. A good understanding of the English language and a comprehensive knowledge of a computer is an advantage though. The study course teaches you the tricks of the trade – specialist marks and symbols, spelling and grammar and the editing process. As an International Correspondence Schools (ICS) student you will have your own personal tutor helping you. Plus you can contact their Student Advisors by email or phone for all the practical advice you may need. You will also have access to the ICS online Student Community, where you can interact with other students, browse the ICS resource library and manage your account.




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The course includes a number of assessments that you complete and then forward to your tutor. Once your tutor has marked and graded it, they will send it back to you with their comments. This course can help you prepare to become a freelance proofreader where you will earn cash from identifying and correcting mistakes.


The course will teach you basics such as using red pen for corrections expense to be borne by the typesetter, blue for those to be charged to the copy-editor and green which is usually made by the typesetting company. You will also learn about correcting proofs and symbols, textual marks and marginal marks using British Standard and International Standard.

Proofreader Jobs

Rates of pay vary and are often set by the publishers and editors. You may have to accept a set rate of pay for proofreader jobs but get the benefit of regular employment. A standard though is between £12 and £20. You can usually ask for a pound or two more for copy editing. Editors and publishers will happily pay the higher rate for people who cause them less trouble - ie don't return it without spotting errors, always send it back within set time scales and guidelines and are available at short notice.

In return a publisher will anticipate that you spend one hour doing at least 8 pages of a manuscript for a text book and about 12 for a novel when doing it against copy. More is expected if you are to proofread blind.

Scales of pay do not often include expenses such as paper, e-mail, phone calls, postage, ink cartridges, computers, the latest edition of the Oxford or Chambers Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus etc. However these expenses can be offset on your annual tax return to the inland revenue. Earnings should be declared to the tax office on your annual self assessment.

Read more about being a proof reader with Freelance Proofreading and Copy-editing: A Guide which has practical advice and exercises to help you in a new career. It explains common editorial words such as front flap copy, blurb, prelims, pageheads and has lists and examples of the symbols with their meanings and the textual and marginal mark. Explanations are given for the difference between typo and lit errors, against copy or blind and different publishing house styles and the format of query sheets. You will also learn more about the benefits of project editing, becoming a professional indexer and joining the Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders (SFEP).

The Earn From Typing Page may also give you another area of opportunity.