Find Online Proofreading Jobs
This means that if you click on that link and purchase an item I will get a commission, at no extra cost to you!
Proofreaders are highly in demand, which is why you will find more and more online proofreading jobs. The reason is simple. As a proofreader, you have the chance to work from home, setting your own pace and working hours.
Another benefit is that we produce more and more written text, online or printed, in the shape of articles, novels, essays, reports, and so on. So chances are that you will have enough work for a long time.
That makes it a great work-at-home job opportunity. But how do you become a proofreader, and where to find online proofreading jobs?
What is Proofreading
You might already know what the job of an online proofreader entails, so be free to skip this part. However, for those who are new to proofreading, a small introduction might be helpful.
I can imagine that if you have never heard of proofreading, you might quickly start to think that this job might not be suitable for you or that you lack skills, experience, or what else you might think of.
Just bear with me a little longer. There are a lot of different entry levels, even if you are a beginner.
Let’s find out what the job entails, as there seems to be some mixup between proofreading and other writing-related jobs.
Main Focus
The main focus of proofreading is to check a piece of writing for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
You would think that a writer could do this pretty quickly with all the spell-checkers and auto-correct functions available, but that is not the case.
Writers focus on the content and the message they want to get across. Their writing software may catch a few of the issues, but not all.
It has to do with how well software understands the content and its intent.
That brings me to one of the first requirements a good proofreader should have, and it is not about spelling and grammar.
Proofreaders need to understand the content and the intent of the writer.
Some mistakes are without argument (think of punctuation and spelling), but some require you to interpret the text.
You can (re)place a comma, still producing a correct sentence but changing the message entirely. Software can’t interpret this enough.
Don’t get me wrong: You need good skills in the technical aspects of language, but you can train skills.
Editing
Strictly speaking, editing is the copy editor’s job, but frequently you will find a mixed or unclear description in job adverts. In addition, some customers expect editing tasks when they hire you as an online proofreader.
Editing enhances the text, rephrases sentences or entire paragraphs to create a better, engaging, or more logical reading experience. It is often to improve the clarity, readability, or even the tone of the text.
If you have editing skills and like doing it, then there is even more work available online.
Just make sure that you know what your customer expects of you before accepting their assignment.
The basic proofreader job description is reading a text, highlighting or correcting errors, and returning the work to the client.
Who Needs an Online Proofreader
Making sure that your copy is error-free is essential to a lot of people and corporations.
Companies don’t want the embarrassment of sending out material that makes them look unprofessional.
Students don’t want to deliver ill-written theses.
Legal courts need the transcriptions of a session to be accurate.
And the list goes on.
This wide variety of content comes with many different requirements, enabling a market for specialists and generalists. Let me clarify:
Proofreading online content (blogs, websites, etcetera) may require more feeling with commercial or marketing aspects.
It is pretty easy to see why online proofreading jobs are demanded.
Starting an Online Proofreading Job
Before I started this blog, I had never heard of professional proofreaders.
As soon as I started researching this work-from-home opportunity, I was surprised that it was such a popular online job.
What also amazed me was that you could apply for remote proofreading jobs without having a degree or certificate.
The fact that there are so many people searching “where to find proofreading jobs online no experience” tells me that more and more stay-at-home workers are interested in this particular niche.
Several sites provide opportunities for starting proofreaders, experienced, certified, or neither.
Posting a proofreading job on Fiverr requires no experience or degree. But make sure that you describe what your clients may expect of you.
As expected, you should be good with language. However, a passion for it will undoubtedly help, but an understanding of syntactic and grammatical rules is vital.
Depending on the type of job, you may require knowledge of formal or academic style guides, and some clients may require certification. Many sites in the list below offer this kind of professional proofreading job.
Foremost, as an online proofreader, you need to be meticulous. So your eye should spot the errors while your brain is processing the copy.
Take a workshop from a pro
There are a lot of resources on the web to become a better online proofreader.
Proofread Anywhere helps proofreaders, well.. anywhere, to become thriving in the online proofreading business.
Caitlin Pyle offers courses and workshops, and you can try them out with the available free intros.
She also offers a free 76-minutes workshop where you can discover if online proofreading is something that might fit you. You’ll also learn how to attract your ideal online proofreading clients.
Try the Free 76 Minutes Workshop
Where Can I Find Proofreading Jobs
That leaves us with the question of where to find proofreading jobs.
Well, for starters, the list below will help you find a lot of them, but remember that clients also list remote proofreading jobs as assignments on many different websites for freelancers.
Some companies specialize in providing proofreading and transcription services.
The following list contains both.
-
Fiverr
Website: Fiverr
When it comes to side gigs and generating an extra income stream, Fiverr is heaven. It is the world’s largest marketplace for digital services.
Let me show you some easy ways to make money with Fiverr.More about ‘Fiverr’ here -
Clickworker
Website: Clickworker
This company believes in utilizing the crowd in order to process projects fast and efficiently. If you are looking for typical side hustles to perform online, then their platform is perfect for you.
Tasks, or microjobs as they call them, vary from creating or correcting texts, categorization, proofreading, research, testing, participating in surveys, taking pictures, or record audio and video files.
-
Gramlee
Website: Gramlee
Gramlee is always looking for exceptional editors.
The fact that they appeal to people with a passion for language says a lot about their mindset.Just take a look at the opening sentence on their ‘jobs’ page: “Can’t stand poorly structured writing and mistakes? If you’re the type that has an itch to fix errors when you see them, Gramlee may be the perfect medicine for you!”Give them a try if you like that mindset.More about ‘Gramlee’ here
-
ProofreadingServices
Website: ProofreadingServices
This award-winning company proofreads almost everything, from academic work, books, resumes, theses, papers, websites, and lots more.
They target over 10.000 clients in over 100 countries and even deliver services in a lot of languages spoken in most of those countries.More about ‘ProofreadingServices’ here -
Scribbr
Website: Scribbr
There are quite some benefits, but also requirements if you want to join Scribbr.
As a Scribbr Editor, you get a lot of freedom to work remotely and to follow your own schedule. They offer a lot of support, both technical as administrative, so you can focus on what you like best. Which, we assume, is editing.More about ‘Scribbr’ here
-
FlexJobs
Website: FlexJobs
FlexJobs is the website to find jobs you can do remotely, comfortably from home, or wherever you like.
There is an enormous amount of jobs on FlexJobs, both part-time and full-time, so you might want to adjust your search filters before diving in.
One of the useful search filters is the Remote Work Level filter. It will help you to pinpoint your search for the jobs you can do from home. -
Wordvice
Website: Wordvice
Wordvice offers a lot of freedom to their freelance editors. They also give you constant quantitative and qualitative feedback on your work so you can keep improving and learning.
-
Babbletype
Website: Babbletype
Babbletype is always looking for new transcriptionists, editors, and translators to add to their team, but they are very selective.
They require a very high degree of skill in language, listening ability, and ability to deal with more sophisticated transcript formats.
Next to transcriptionists, they are also looking for translators and sometimes there are vacancies for proofreaders.
-
EditorLive
Website: EditorLive
EditorLive is currently looking for editors in all fields of study.
Their mission is to provide editors with work requiring the best editing services available. Editors will provide grammar editing, which includes the correction of punctuation, verb tense, spelling, and sentence structure.Potential candidates must complete a comprehensive two-part examination.
-
Domainite
Website: Domainite
Domainite provides several services, from web design to internet marketing to print materials. They have an application form with an editing test. Besides that, it is hard to find job information on the website.
Make sure to inquire details yourself before applying -
Managed Editing
Website: Managed Editing
Managed Editing provides, as to be expected, editorial services. They mainly do copyediting and proofreading for nonprofits, government agencies, and publishers, but they can also provide full publication production, working with their publishing partners.
They are looking for skilled editors to work for them as independent contractors. You should have a college degree and at least five years of practical experience in editing, but the editors they choose typically have much higher qualifications.
-
Net Transcripts
Website: Net Transcripts
Available in: USSince 1988, Net Transcripts provides confidential transcription and translation services to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice agencies nationwide.
All of their transcripts are processed by highly skilled transcriptionists, production, and quality control personnel. They do not process transcripts through voice recognition software. All transcripts are produced in the United States, which limits this gig to US residents.
Occasionally they are looking for proofreaders. Search their careers page for opportunities.
-
Guru
Website: Guru
Guru is a platform that brings freelancers and employees together.
They aim to be the premier platform for professionals to connect, collaborate, and get work done.At the time of writing this post, they had:
27 opportunities for proofreaders: Proofreading Jobs
9 opportunities for transcriptionists: Transcription Jobs -
ProofreadingPal
Website: ProofreadingPal
At ProofreadingPal, every document that clients submit is proofread and edited by two skilled proofreaders to ensure the utmost accuracy.
This is why they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee to their clients.Currently (at the time of this writing) they had 2 job opportunities.
-
Polished Paper
Website: Polished Paper
Polished Paper will go to any length to satisfy their customers. If customers are unhappy with their document for any reason, they will work with them to make it right, or refund their money.
They are at their customer’s service 24/7/365.
They offer an open invitation for editing opportunities. You can register for a user account and upload your resume. Next, you will be directed to their 35-question editor test.
-
Reedsy
Website: Reedsy
Reedsy Professionals come from all over the globe. Since 2014 they have managed to create a full ecosystem for authors and publishing professionals.
Customers can find editors, designers, publicists, marketers, ghostwriters, and web designers to work with.
-
ProofreadNOW
Website: ProofreadNOW
ProofreadNOW clients include law firms, healthcare providers, marketing and ad agencies, major publishers, universities, consulting firms, tech companies, charitable organizations, and more.
Their editors are native speakers of the language in which they proofread. They are located throughout the world.
Currently, they are not looking for new proofreaders, but you should check their employment page frequently.
-
Upwork
Website: Upwork
Upwork started over 2 decades ago as the tech lead of a Silicon Valley startup needed the skills of a close friend in Athens. Since then they grew to a global company connecting independent professionals to customers in need of their skills.
You can register yourself as a freelancer for all kinds of jobs, including data entry, transcription, or proofread
-
Cactus
Website: Cactus
Cactus sometimes offers academic proofread and editing jobs on a full-time or freelance basis. Excellent English editing skills are required of course.
-
Wordy
Website: Wordy
Available in: US,UK,CA,AUWordy offers online proofreading and copy-editing services. Their focus is on first-language editors based in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
-
Book Editing Associates
Website: Book Editing Associates
Book Editing Associates offers freelance jobs to ghostwriters, copy editors, proofreaders, and publishing consultants with traditional and self-publishing experience. Editors who intend to commit long-term have their preference.
-
EditFast
Website: EditFast
EditFast provides free services to freelance editors, like promotional tools and free web pages. Proofreaders will proofread the manuscript with an editorial eye, including light editing if necessary.
-
ProBlogger
Website: ProBlogger
ProBlogger is like a job site for all blog related jobs like writing articles and managing social media campaigns. Of course it also includes proofreading and editing jobs.
-
Sibia
Website: Sibia
Sibia works with graduates from top-tier universities and Ivy league colleges. They are all native english speakers.
-
Kibin
Website: Kibin
Kibin focuses on the writing of students, helping them bring their essay, paper or thesis to the next level.
FAQs
This depends a lot on the jobs offered and the hourly rate you have set yourself.
In general, proofreaders make between $20 to $50 an hour, but $15 is more likely to start with if you have no previous experience.
Absolutely! Proofreading jobs are remote by design, so you can work at home or even while traveling as a digital nomad.
You get your work delivered online, process it, and return it via e-mail or upload.
There is no reason why you couldn’t, but remember that, in the end, it is you that is responsible for the correctness and quality of your work. Tools are there to help you.
If tools did the proofreading job for you, you wouldn’t have a job.
I recommend Grammarly a lot on this blog. Check out why: Upgrade Your Content with Grammarly
Yes, they are. The proofreading business is legitimate.
Use your head and don’t trust assignments that seem too good to be true.
Always do your own research into a company or client before you accept an assignment.
This website maintains a list of companies that offer online proofreading jobs.
There are new websites added frequently, so come back once in a while.
Conclusion
You can start your own proofreading business online. You choose how much time you want to spend and when you want to work. It’s all up to you if you approach it as a side gig, go freelance full-time, or if you take on proofreading jobs part-time.
It is possible to find proofreading jobs without experience and a degree.
Using tools like Grammarly might help bridge that experience gap, but remember that it is just a tool. In the end, it is you that is responsible for the work you return to your client.
If you are serious, then do yourself a favor and go for the Premium subscription. It is worth it!
Over the years, the popularity of work from home jobs has increased steadily. As proofreading is a great work-from-home opportunity, you see the number of sites offering jobs growing by the day.
You also see more people searching for jobs like proofreading.
You can do proofreading jobs from home, which makes it very easy to combine with your schedule, your kids, or other online side gigs.
How much you can earn depends on your entry-level, what you agree upon with your clients, and the time you can spend proofreading for clients.
And if you are still in doubt if online proofreading jobs are something you like to do, then I suggest taking a bit of time to check out Caitlin’s workshop and find out. She highlights many aspects of proofreading from her own (successful) experience.
Try the Free 76 Minutes Workshop
What do You Think?
Have you tried this side gig before? Or are you a proofreader?
Do you have some tips you want to share with us?
Let me know in the comments.
What’s Next
If you like this post, I would appreciate it if you shared it on your social media.
Thank you for reading! You are awesome!
Recommended Reading
- Free Proofread Intro Workshop
- Transcription Jobs Longlist
- Upgrade Your Content with Grammarly
- Reading and Writing Courses
