proofreading jobs beginners

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21 Legitimate Proofreading Jobs Sites for Beginners + Tips to Get Started

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Top 21 Places To Look For Proofreading Jobs

Online proofreading: a lucrative work-from-home job, how much money does a proofreader usually make, becoming a proofreader: what do you need, tools that will come in handy for proofreading jobs, different types of proofreading jobs, pros and cons of being a proofreader, tips on finding proofreading jobs, final words.

Interested to work as a freelance proofreader? You’d be happy to know that prospective freelance proofreading jobs pay well, even at the lowest end of the spectrum. According to Glassdoor, as of June 2020, the lowest base pay is at $34,000/year and the highest is at $66,000/year. This means the average base pay is at $45,222/year.

Not bad, considering you’ll be working from home, or where you’re most comfortable and productive.

Depending on your skills, you can expect to earn within the range specified. You can also use Payscale , a salary comparison research site, to determine your pay rate based on your location.

Overall, working remotely as a freelance proofreader comes with benefits, salary-wise. You just need to find a gig that’s legitimate.

There are plenty of remote job websites that you can use to find proofreading jobs. Having a lot of choices can be a good thing, but you will have to vet these choices one by one and create online profiles on websites that you are not even legit.

Fortunately, we took the liberty of listing 20 legitimate online proofreading job websites that are fit for first-time and long-time online jobseekers. If you learn how you can get freelance clients , getting hired for the job would be easier.

Here are some of the best places with a high chance of landing online proofreading jobs for beginners and pros alike:

Fiverr is one of the best websites for any freelancer, including beginner proofreaders. The pay may not match your expectations, but it is a great place to start acquiring experience.

2. Clickworker

If you are looking for quick jobs, Click Worker has a lot of choices. All you need to do is complete a test and gain access to tons of proofreading jobs once you pass.

3. ProofreadingServices

The best thing about Proofreading Services is the flexible schedule of offered jobs and the salary that ranges from $20 to $40 per hour. Although, getting a high rate may be challenging for beginners.

4. SolidGigs

Why waste hours of your billable time looking for jobs when you can sign up for SolidGigs? SolidGigs does the work for you, sending you the best freelance proofreading jobs every week, so you can get back to doing what you do best.

5. FlexJobs

FlexJobs has many proofreading jobs and other positions that require a similar set of skills. This means you can also explore other projects on top of proofreading. Proofreader gigs vary as full-time, part-time, and temporary.

6. Get Editing Jobs

This community of job seekers and clients offer various editing and writing projects. Proofreading jobs may be scarce, but you can try a different keyword to expand your search.

7. LionBridge

LionBridge requires a skills test to get started, but anyone who is naturally good with grammar can pass.

UpWork has tons of proofreading jobs to offer. However, the screening process is the most challenging part. Make sure you buff up your profile to get a better chance to get in. Once you are in, you will need to spend a little amount of money on “connects” to submit proposals.

9. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a legitimate social media platform for freelancers and professionals. The more connections you make, the higher the chance you get to land a legitimate proofreading job.

10. Scribendi

Scribendi is a fast-growing editing and proofreading service who are always constantly searching for the best work-from-home proofreaders.

11. Contena

Joining Contena takes only about five minutes of your time. They offer tons of jobs for freelancers who specialize in writing, editing, and proofreading.

Guru is a great website if you want to market yourself for almost any type of job inside and outside of writing.

13. Wordvice

Wordvice is a great website if you want to take academic writing and proofreading projects. Because of their clients from prestigious universities in the US, you can gain quite a lot of academic editing and proofreading experience.

14. Craigslist

Craigslist has a couple of interesting proofreading job posts, depending on your area.

15. Scribbr

Scribbr has a meticulous screening process, but once you pass, you will gain access to tons of proofreading projects.

16. Cactus Communications

If you are looking to make working remotely a full-time job and your main source of income, Cactus Communications will allow you to choose. However, you might need a college degree for this option.

17. Polished Paper

Polished Paper has a reputation for giving higher pay. However, it is quite challenging to get in, especially if you don’t have enough experience. It includes a test and various levels of screening.

18. EditFast

EditFast allows you to create a profile to market yourself to clients. However, the fee is quite pricey but good enough for building your work experience.

19. ProofreadingPal

This website is the perfect option for students enrolled in college. They usually hire students and professionals with a minimum of 3.5 GPA.

20. Freelancer

Freelancer is similar to sites like Fiverr and Upwork. However, the number of proofreading jobs on this site tend to be fewer.

21. Gramlee

Signing up for Gramlee is pretty straightforward. All you need to do is fill out the application form and wait for a response. It is a great company that offers flexible hours and remote proofreading jobs.

If you reached this point in the article, then it means you decided to give proofreading a shot. So let’s go into the details about freelance proofreading.

What is proofreading exactly?

Proofreaders, from the name itself, read and proofread almost any online content. Whether it is a blog post, marketing copy, social media post, or anything else in between, a proofreader ensures that the specific content or draft is bulletproof and ready for publishing.

Sounds simple, right?

It is simple in theory, but this job does require focus. It is a meticulous job that requires patience, the utmost attention to detail, and a good handle on the English language, including an extensive amount of grammar knowledge.

Although you might be confused with the terms “proofreader” and “editor,” they are two completely different things. A proofreader can be an editor, and an editor can also become a proofreader.

Sometimes, writers become their own proofreaders, depending on the job or client. However, having a different pair of eyes to proofread an article is highly recommended due to what is called writers’ blind spots or a writer’s own errors that they failed to spot.

No matter how good a writer is, there may still be lapses in their work. This is where proofreaders come in to look for those gaps.

When a final draft is ready for polishing and preparing the content for publishing, proofreading comes into play.

Whether it is an essay, a transcript, a marketing ad campaign, or anything else in between, a proofreader’s job is to make sure that there are no typos or grammatical errors.

The proofreader also needs to make sure that the content is written in the preferred style set by the client or company.

With that said, proofreaders are essential in most writing processes. It only means that just like writers, proofreading jobs are also in demand for online blogs, marketing, and most other industries.

What does a Copy Editor Do?

Just to provide a clear distinction, a copy editor comes in earlier in the process of writing and proofing an article. They do the bulk of edits needed to improve a draft beyond typos, punctuation, and grammar.

Copy editors are there to make the content clear and consistent, and then makes notes for revision. It is a whole back and forth process between the writer and the editor before the draft makes its way to the proofreader.

Copy editing requires the same skills as a proofreader, so you will most likely see these two terms linked together when you start your online job search.

Proofreading salaries can range from 30k to 50k annually.

It is so much more than a minimum wage, without the hassle of the commute, waking up early, and more.

Just like any other freelance job, proofreading salaries will be based on the amount of work you put in.

My mindset towards freelancing is kind of like a sole proprietorship, where clients come to you to hire your services, as opposed to the conventional job scheme.

Most proofreaders charge per project, word count, or hourly rate, and a beginner proofreader can charge around $10 per hour. This rate can significantly increase, once you have proven your skills and gained enough experience.

Before looking for any work-from-home jobs, one of the most important skills you need to learn is proper time management above anything else.

You might have the right skills that will fit the proofreading job description but, without the ability to manage your time properly, you won’t be as productive.

With a flexible schedule, procrastination is your worst enemy. When working from home, there can be a lot of distractions such as chores, hobbies, and more.

The best tip I can give you if you end up working remotely is to isolate yourself from all the distractions as much as possible. If you can set up your workstation in an isolated area in the house, such as a separate room, it will help a lot with productivity.

Aside from time management, here are some of the most important skills every proofreader should have or acquire:

• Excellent Vocabulary – Any proofreader should have an extensive vocabulary. You can always learn a new word each day and list them down for future use.
• Top-Notch Grammar Skills – Catching spelling errors may be a part of the job, but it does not stop there. You should also know your subject-verb-agreement rules, proper uses of a comma, and most of all, consistency.
• Advanced Writing Knowledge – Some jobs require a certain degree and a higher level of education. You can always take an e-learning course to land a higher-paying proofreading job.
• Attention to Detail – Proofreaders are like quality assurance personnel. They make sure an article or write-up is error-free before publishing, and to catch all the bugs and errors, you will need to be focused and take your time.

Some clients may prefer speed over quality, but make sure you focus on quality and work on a productive workflow later.

Proofreading doesn’t require a high-end computer similar to what will be required for gaming, music production, or graphic design. Still, you must have a stable and reliable setup.

As an online proofreader, you will be working with a lot of confidential documents. Aside from the computer specs, you also need to ensure a safe and secure working environment.

Here are some tools that will almost always come in handy for online proofreaders:

• Grammarly – This proofreading tool can never beat a human proofreader, but it can help a lot in making your copy air-tight. Plus, you can install it as an extension for most word processing software like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, emails, WordPress, and more.

Aside from Grammarly, there are tons of grammar checking tools you can choose from. Other tools that you will need are:

• The Chicago Manual of Style, AP Stylebook, and Mcgraw-Hill’s Proofreading Handbook – These books will help you significantly as a professional proofreader. It contains plenty of useful tips for being a more efficient proofreader.
• Google Docs – Most remote teams use Google Docs, Google Sheets, and other apps included in the Google Suite. Why? Because of its excellent collaboration features. Google Docs allows remote teams to work on the same document in real-time without trading emails or direct messages. Plus, it enables project managers to build a system for tracking the progress of the whole team.

Make sure you set up your Google Drive account because you will most likely need it when you become a proofreader.

As a proofreader, you will be required to proofread many forms of content from emails to PDF files to manuscripts. Because there are so many types of content, you can choose to focus on one or two types.

Although there are differences in writing styles, the main goal will always be polishing and freeing an article from grammatical, punctuation, and structure errors.

Here are some examples of content that you may or may not come across as a proofreader:

• Social Media Content
• Court Transcripts
• User Manuals
• Press Releases
• School Tests
• Restaurant Menus
• Medical Transcriptions
• Newsletters
• Legal Transcriptions, and more

Basically, anything you see written online, in newspapers, magazines, or a cereal box most likely went through the eyes of a proofreader.

So, if you are worried about the demand for this line of work, there is enough work out there for proofreaders and editors around the globe.

While there are many advantages to becoming a proofreader, there are drawbacks as well. Before deciding if you are willing to take this route, make sure you weigh out the pros and cons first.

• You get to work remotely
• The flexible schedule allows you to manage your own time and become your own boss
• You can get online proofreading jobs without investment
• You can choose to become a part-time or full-time proofreader
• There is a chance to get proofreading jobs from home even without experience
• Proofreading is a skill that comes naturally to many
• If you want to make it big, you might need to get a degree or undergo formal training
• Deadlines are strict
• Working from home is very different from working in an office, and might take a little getting used to

If you have decided on what kind of proofreading work you want to do, you can do a little quick online search to have a glimpse of what is out there.

With so many options, you are going to need to put the right search term to get more tailored results. Here are some helpful keywords you can type in your search engine, or one of the websites that I will mention later in the article:

• Proofreader
• Academic Editor
• Book Editor
• Online Proofreading Jobs
• Line Editor

Useful Tip: It is possible to find jobs where you least expect it such as social media groups. You can also join freelance groups on Reddit or Facebook to get help and ideas from the community.

Plus, most clients often resort to Facebook groups when hiring freelancers to avoid third-party fees, which has some advantages and disadvantages. When getting jobs outside of these groups, you will be dealing with unverified strangers that may or may not scam you. It is ideal to draft your own contracts for instances like these.

The only advantage, however, is that you can get paid more without the service fees. So, if you decide to take this route, make sure you check out your potential client’s reputation online and ask around within the community.

So, if you have a knack for correcting other people’s mistakes and have a good command of English spelling and grammar, you can become an online proofreader and get paid for it handsomely.

Online proofreading jobs are everywhere, and it is a great place to start your freelancing and independent contractor business.

Just remember to take the job seriously once you get in, and you will never run out of clients or projects.

Becoming a proofreader is more of a business than a job, so the more work you do, the higher you get paid, ultimately leading you to financial freedom.

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Written by Allan Borch

Contributor at millo.co.

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26 Easy Proofreading Jobs Online (NO Experience Needed)

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Online proofreading jobs come with many perks — especially for all you grammar snobs out there.

You can work:

✔️ Wherever you want (one of the best jobs for digital nomads ) ✔️ Whenever you want ✔️ As much (or as little) as you want.

And the pay isn’t too shabby either. 

There’s just one problem:

Experience.

Many work-from-home proofreading jobs ask for loads of it, which begs the question…

Is it possible to find proofreading jobs online with no experience?

You bet it is.

Here’s exactly how to do it.

Table of Contents

What is a proofreader?

Who uses proofreaders, is it hard to get proofreading jobs from home with no experience, freelance proofreading vs. freelancing writing: which is better, how to find proofreading jobs online (no experience), 1. polished paper, 2. edit my english, 3. other companies to find entry-level proofreading jobs online (no experience), “recommended” proofreading companies that do not actually hire proofreaders without experience, 2. flexjobs, 3. other job boards to find proofreading jobs for beginners, facebook groups to find proofreading jobs online without experience, how to become a proofreader online, step-by-step, frequently asked questions.

A proofreader is an expert at correcting written language. They’re the ones tearing apart documents in red pen, hunting for mistakes, grammar mishaps, and formatting issues. 

Proofreaders are often confused with copy editors. Proofreaders focus on grammar, spelling, and formatting — the objective stuff. Editors, on the other hand, also scrutinize the structure, flow, and accuracy of the writing.

As a proofreader, you can work as a generalist or specialize in certain niches. 

You might feel like niching down will limit your number of potential clients. But specializing in one area — like medical, legal, or academic papers — can often make it easier to land work. 

Becoming an expert in certain proofreading niches can also lead to higher-paying jobs.

Proofreading is similar to transcription and scoping. Before diving headfirst into the world of proofreading, it’s worth investigating transcriptionist jobs and scopist jobs as well. 

Proofreading is a big deal for companies. If they publish content with errors, they instantly lose credibility with potential customers. 

Because of this, many do not trust software to catch mistakes for them. They want a second set of human eyeballs. 

Some examples of people who hire proofreaders include:

• Authors (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.) 
• Businesses (brand content, manuals, reports, etc.)
• Brands on social media
• Bloggers and content writers
• Marketing companies
• Entrepreneurs writing website copy
• Job seekers writing resumes and cover letters
• Academics publishing studies and research papers

Work-from-home proofreading jobs are flexible and low-stress, but is it really possible to start with no experience?

Of course it is. Every successful proofreader had no experience at one point.

The trick is finding ways to build that experience. The more you have, the easier it gets to find work. 

That said, there is a difference between no experience and no skills. 

To get proofreading jobs, you need to actually know how to proofread. 

That means memorizing spelling and grammar rules like the back of your hand. This is the hardest part. 

But if you learned it once upon a time in elementary school, you can learn it again. 

Just grab an English proofreading book , start studying, and — when you’ve mastered the skills — search for freelance proofreading jobs from home using the strategies below. 

If you want to cut down on the learning curve and start earning faster, you can also take an online proofreading course . 

That said, before paying for anything, it’s a good idea to take this free proofreading class . It’ll help you decide if proofreading is really for you, then show you tricks for attracting your first clients.

I’ve dug through various proofreading courses, so before pulling your wallet, check out my reviews to choose the best one.

• Proofread Anywhere review
• Knowadays review

If you decide proofreading is not for you, don’t fret. There are plenty of awesome freelance job options for beginners . 

If it is for you, here’s everything you need to know. 

How much do proofreaders make an hour?

According to salary data collected by Indeed, the average proofreader in the United States earns roughly $25 per hour (or almost $60,000 per year).

As a proofreading beginner, your rates depend on the quality of your clients and your work speed. 

You’ll likely have to work up to that $25-per-hour rate, but it’s doable. 

The maximum pay for freelance proofreaders is generally less than for freelance writers. 

This is because a good freelance writer is much harder to replace than a good proofreader. 

In a way, proofreading is easier than writing because you don’t have to “create” anything. All you have to do is modify what someone else already created. 

If you’re number one priority is a high income, look into freelance writing. 

I’ve personally made as much as $100/hour (after years of experience), so I can attest to the income potential.

I even made a free course to help you earn your first $1,000 as a freelance writer.

FREE 5-DAY COURSE

Learn the simple step-by-step process I used to easily land my first freelance clients and build a business I can run while traveling the world.

By signing up, you'll also be added to my legendary email list and receive exclusive travel lifesyle tips I don't share anywhere else. 

That said, if the idea of staring at a blank page sounds daunting to you, then writing might not be your jam.

In that case, proofreading is an awesome option — here’s how to find proofreading jobs online.

There’s more than one way to find proofreading jobs online with no experience.

You can either work for a proofreading agency that sends you work and acts as a “middleman” between you and clients. Or you can use job boards and other resources to find and work with clients directly. 

Both options are viable ways to get proofreading jobs from home fast, but let’s start with proofreading agencies. 

Companies that hire proofreaders

If you don’t want to do the grunt work of finding clients on your own, you can join a proofreading company that finds work for you. 

Since you’re essentially working with a middleman, your rates won’t be quite as high. But if you consider the time you save searching for clients (time you’re not paid for), then it may work out in your favor. 

There’s a handful of companies that hire proofreaders with no experience, which makes it a great place to find entry-level proofreading jobs online.

But wait — do you need qualifications to be a proofreader online? 

Some companies may not require previous experience, but they do require a college degree of some sort. (Those are usually the academic proofreading jobs.)

Here’s a list of companies to find proofreading jobs for beginners.

Polished Paper is an awesome company for work-at-home proofreading jobs. They offer proofreading and editing services to clients who need a second set of eyes on:

✔️ Novels ✔️ Blog entries ✔️ Screenplays ✔️ Dissertations ✔️ Journal articles ✔️ Application essays ✔️ Personal statements  ✔️ Business documents ✔️ Resumes/cover letters

Their website doesn’t say anything requiring prior experience. But you will need to pass a 35-question test that shows you know your stuff. 

Edit My English is another online proofreader job that doesn’t require experience.

To proofread for Edit My English, you must be a U.S. citizen and have a degree from a U.S.-based university. 

All editors set their own hours, typically from 10 to 40 hours per week. You earn per page and receive 60% of the client payment. The faster you work, the higher your hourly rate.

There’s a whole slew of proofreading companies that don’t require experience.

To start your job search, check out:

• Kibin . A proofreading company that specializes in academic editing. Kibin needs freelance proofreaders who can offer fast, overnight turnaround times. You must pass a grammar/editing test to be approved. (Note: Kibin mentions that they hire “experienced editors” on their editor’s page, but experience is not mentioned as a requirement on their application page).
• Gramlee . A proofreading company for editing dissertations, copywriting, and other documents. Prior experience is not specified as a requirement.

Many articles online recommend proofreading companies to new proofreaders looking for jobs without experience. 

The problem is, most of the companies they recommend actually DO require experience. Some don’t even offer proofreading services at all!

That’s annoying. And it can end up wasting loads of your time.

To avoid that, here’s a list of recommended proofreading companies that require experience. 

Most of them do not specify how much proofreading experience you need, so feel free to check them out anyway if you have a little experience.

Note: You can save these as potential companies to work for in the future. Just not as your very first job.

• Sibia Proofreading . Proofreading company for fiction manuscripts, job applications, business memos, and doctoral dissertations. 
• Proofreading Pal . Proofreading services for authors, students, businesses, resumes, cover letters, etc.
• Proofreading Services . Proofreading company with 10K+ clients in over 100 countries.
• Edit Fast . Proofreading company for any type of document.
• Words RU . Proofreading company for any type of document. 
• Reedsy . Proofreading for fiction and non-fiction books.
• Wordvice . Proofreading for academic documents written by students, researchers, and business professionals.
• Proofreading.org/Cambridge Proofreading . UK-based company that hires US and UK editors. Purely academic proofreading. Several years of experience is required, plus a college degree and subject matter expertise. 
• Scribbr . Proofreading services for essays, theses, dissertations, etc. Must be a native English speaker with at least a bachelor’s degree, work a minimum of 10 hours a week, and have previous experience proofreading academic texts.
• Scribendi . Proofreading services for academics/students, authors, businesses, and individuals (resumes, cover letters, etc.). 3+ years of experience required in editing, writing, document production, or language-teaching, and an average proofreading speed of 1,000-1,500 words per hour to apply. 
• Quality Proofreading . Proofreading services for students, businesses, and individuals (resumes, cover letters, etc.). Must have an advanced degree from a UK/US institution and 3+ years of proofreading experience.
• Proofread Now . Offers proofreading services in both English and Spanish. “Rigorous” testing is required. 
• Wordy . Hires both editors and proofreaders, but the hiring process is temporarily paused. 

Finally, these companies are commonly recommended to new proofreaders, but in reality, they’re not actually proofreading companies:

• Lifetips. A site where you can share tips and knowledge on various topics.
• Kirkus. A book review company.
• Scribe Media (AKA Book in a Box). A publisher and coach for novelists.
• Babbletype. A translation and transcription service
• Domainite. An editing company (different skill set than proofreading).
• Cactus Global. An editing company (different skill set than proofreading).
• Jobsforeditors.com. An editing company (different skill set than proofreading).

Alrighty, now that we have those time-wasters out of the way, let’s dive into some job boards for proofreaders. 

Job boards to find proofreading jobs from home (no experience) 

Some of these job boards are specific for proofreaders. But most of them are general freelance marketplaces where you can search for proofreading gigs.

On these marketplaces, each job listing has its own specific experience requirements. Some require it; others don’t. Before applying, read each description carefully. 

Upwork is one of the most popular job boards to find online proofreading jobs – or any freelance jobs, for that matter. 

Upwork was originally formed in 2015 after Elance and O-Desk merged. 

Upwork has job postings for nearly every type of freelancing service, including graphic designers, IT specialists, writers, and you guessed it — proofreaders.

Clients post jobs in the marketplace, then freelancers compete against each other to win the job. 

The platform is known to be a bit oversaturated, so you’ll have to decide if Upwork is worth it to you or not. 

It’s full of opportunity, but also competition. Some people have made $10K/mo and even six-figure salaries on Upwork alone. 

Upwork takes a 20% cut of your pay until you make $500. After that, the fee lowers to 10%. 

Flexjobs is a curated job board specifically for remote and flexible online jobs — including proofreading jobs for beginners.

The nice thing about Flexjobs is that all the job postings on Flexjobs are reviewed by editors to catch scams and sketchy-looking ads.

Flexjobs charges a small monthly fee to use the platform, but you can request a refund if you’re not satisfied (like if you don’t find a job). 

That said, you can see all the proofreading job listings for free . Just type it into the search bar. 

Many listings on these job boards require no experience, but some opportunities do require experience.

• Problogger . Writing and editing jobs.
• Fiverr . Freelance opportunities, including proofreading and editing.
• Freelancer . Freelance opportunities, including proofreading and editing.
• LinkedIn . World’s largest business social site where you can connect with potential employers in your industry.
• Remote.co . Remote job listings in many different fields, including proofreading and editing.
• Indeed.com . Job board for all types of jobs, including remote proofreading and editing opportunities.
• Guru . Freelance opportunities, including proofreading and editing.
• People Per Hour . Freelance opportunities, including proofreading and editing.
• MediaBistro . Editing, proofreading, copywriting, graphic design, and other creative jobs.
• WritingJobz . Writing-related job opportunities, including editing and proofreading.
• The Editorial Freelancers Association . Matches businesses with proofreaders, editors, and writers.
• Kelly Services . Job board for a variety of industries, including proofreading and editing positions.
• Virtual Vocations . Job board for specific remote work niches, including editing and proofreading.

Recommended job boards that do not offer proofreading jobs online

Just like with the “proofreading companies” we covered that aren’t actually proofreading companies, there are also job boards that some sites recommend that don’t actually have proofreading jobs. 

• Lionbridge . Translation and interpretation services only.
• Toogit . Job board that does not have proofreading or editing job postings.

Facebook groups are always a great place to find legitimate proofreading jobs online. 

You can either post your offer and wait for opportunities to come your way, or you can search for clients searching for help. 

It’s worth hanging around the following groups to see if you attract some clients:

• Proofreaders Group . Proofreaders trading tips and news, as well as a place where clients come to find proofreading services.
• Beta Reading/Editing/Proofreading . Independent authors, blog writers, and artists post job opportunities for proofreading services.
• Proofreader Needed Today (general proofreaders and editors) . For proofreaders/editors to post their services and writers to post proofreading job opportunities.
• Binders Full of Remote Proofreading and Editing Jobs . A group where members can share proofreading and editing job opportunities.
• Freelance Content Writers, Content Editor, Proofreader & Digital Marketers . Group to offer job opportunities to content writers, digital marketers, editors, and proofreaders.
• Proofreading and Editing Services . Members can either post job opportunities or request them.
• Transcribing, Editing & Proofreading Services. Find or post job opportunities for transcribing, editing, and proofreading.

Remember, the goal isn’t to spam these groups with your services — that won’t fly.

Instead, interact with the group, help people, build relationships, and mention that you are a freelance proofreader. 

Alrighty, now that I’ve firehosed you with information. Let’s revamp how to become a proofreader online, step by step.

• Commit. Take this free course to be 100% sure proofreading is right for you (and learn how to grab your first clients). 
• Master your grammar. Pick up some proofreading books on Amazon or sign up for an online course.
• Build a minimal portfolio. Do a couple free or cheap projects for people in your network, or create sample projects of your own. You can showcase these in a nicely formatted Google doc, or create a simple website. 
• Cast your lines. Treat finding your first clients like a full-time job. Cast your line in all the places mentioned in this guide.

Once you find your first proofreading clients, give them amazing service, then ask for testimonials and referrals.

The bigger you build your portfolio, reputation, and network, the easier it gets to fill your pipeline with work.

Proofreading is a perfect job for students, especially because the rules of grammar are fresh in your mind. Freelance proofreading is also flexible, so you can work around your school schedule. When freelancing, there is no need to share how young you are unless a client asks. 

Proofreading doesn’t require experience, but the more experience you have, the easier it is to find work. Everyone starts somewhere, and the most important thing is having the skills to be a proofreader. Your main goal is to prove to clients that you can complete the job. 

You do not need any special qualifications to be a proofreader, but if you are specialized in certain areas, it may help you find jobs. A proofreading portfolio showcasing your skills can be more convincing to clients than qualifications that they probably have never heard of. 

The key to becoming a skilled proofreader is practice. The more you proofread, the easier it is to spot mistakes. The easier it is to spot mistakes, the faster you finish projects. And the faster you finish projects, the more you can earn per hour.

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All the Best Online Proofreading Jobs for Beginners (50+)

Last updated September 12, 2023 By Dylan Houlihan 9

Note: We may earn a commission from affiliate links on this page. These do not affect our ratings or recommendations.

Have a good eye for detail? Love to read? If so, these online proofreading jobs for beginners might suit you perfectly.

Stick around to learn:

• How to find freelance proofreading clients
• Which companies are hiring independent contract proofreaders (both beginners and experts)
• Where to find work from home employment in proofreading and editing

This is a great resource for new proofreaders and editors, or veterans looking for job leads. Screening out the scams I came up with over 50 opportunities and client-finding techniques to help you stay paid!

Before we get into the paid jobs though, if you ARE new to proofreading (or simply want a refresher), let's go over some important basics:

Table of Contents

What is proofreading, proofreading vs. editing.

• 6 Skills Every Proofreader Should Have
• Do These Proofreading Jobs Require Training?

Types of Proofreading and Editing Jobs

• What to Search for When Job Hunting

How to Find Freelance Proofreading Jobs

Companies with contract proofreading jobs, companies with work from home proofreading jobs, other ways to make money as a proofreader, final thoughts.

Proofreading is the act of finding and removing errors from a piece of writing.

A proofreader is typically the last one to read through something before it gets published.

If you think about it, proofreaders are sort of like exterminators. But instead of looking for bugs in buildings, they inspect documents for errors involving:

• Punctuation

Then they crush them (with a red marker).

Proofreaders will also typically make sure a document follows a specific style guide (e.g the Chicago Manual of Style ).

Keep in mind, proofreaders don't actually change a piece of writing. They simply make sure it's free of errors.

Rewriting sentences and such is actually an editor's job, but the two are often mistaken as being the same.

Let's clear that up next:

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As you browse through the online proofreading jobs below you'll quickly notice that many of them put proofreading and editing in the same basket.

This makes sense as proofreading is a type of editing, but it doesn't show the full picture.

There are actually multiple types of editing, including:

• Developmental editing – This typically happens first. A developmental editor helps a writer, well, develop their ideas.
• Line editing – This type of editing is all about the style 😎. Line editors essentially help make writing sound better.
• Copy editing – Most commonly confused with proofreaders, copy editors look for punctuation, grammar, spelling mistakes, etc. just the same, but they also help writers make sentences sound better by suggesting different word usage, fixing inconsistencies, and more.
• (and finally) Proofreading – As mentioned above, a proofreader goes through at the end and looks for all the errors the copy editor missed. They're the last line of defence.

There are technically more , but those are the common ones you'll see.

So why does all this matter?

It matters because you as a proofreader can make more money — more consistently — by expanding your skillset.

You don't have to learn how to do every single stage of editing, but if you're going to try to make money proofreading, it's probably a good idea to know how to at least do copy editing as well.

This will open you up to more job opportunities and make you more marketable, allowing you to charge more and offer more value to your clients.

Also, as a proofreader, you already possess most of the skills needed to copy edit, so it's an easy service to add on to your offerings.

Speaking of skills…

The 6 Skills That Make a Good Proofreader

Although there are quite a few proofreaders out there, there aren't a lot of high-quality ones.

That's because there are certain skills — both proofreader specific ones and more general work from home skills — that set the best proofreaders apart from the mediocre.

Why is this a good thing for you?

Because if you can learn these skills and package them with your proofreading services, your clients will love you.

Here they are:

• Language expertise – You don't need to know every single grammar rule or every word in the dictionary, but you should be very familiar with the language you plan on proofreading in. You should also know where to reference certain facts and language rules when in doubt.
• Attention to detail – If you want to be able to spot every little mistake down to that last misplaced comma, your eyes need to be sharp.
• Communication – Your clients won't want to wait around for days trying to get a hold of you. You need to be committed to responding to them as soon as you can. Good customer service is what sets apart the good from the great.
• Ability to meet deadlines – A lot of proofreading work involves tight deadlines so a good work ethic is essential. If you can offer quick turn-around times, you can charge more, too.
• Patience – As a proofreader, you may have to read the same thing several times to catch every last error. It can get pretty repetitive.
• Tech skills – You don't need to be a tech wizard to make money proofreading, but you should know how to work a computer, be willing to learn new things, and know your way around Microsoft Word (knowing how to use the Track Changes feature is essential for many online proofreading jobs).

Do These Beginner Proofreading Jobs Require Training?

The word beginner can be misleading. Let's make things a bit more clear:

These jobs are for trained proofreaders who are just entering the world of paid proofreading.

They're not just for any random person who wants to work from home.

Although proofreading can seem like an easy-entry online job, it requires a lot more than just familiarity with a language. That's a start, but you also need to understand:

• Style guides
• Grammar rules
• Punctuation; and more.

I know it's a hassle (in an ideal world you'd be able to start making money right away), but clients and contracting companies want to hire proofreaders who know what they're doing.

By getting training, you'll also be more confident in your services, which will make it easier to sell your services/skills.

And get this:

You don't have to go back to school for years or invest thousands of dollars before you can make money proofreading.

You don't need a degree either.

Instead, you just need to learn the rules of proofreading and editing, how to work with different types of writing/clients, and how to market yourself.

So where can you learn these things?

Well, the best (and fastest) way is to take a course.

The Best Proofreading Courses

There are two good proofreading courses I'm familiar with.

One is taught by an actual proofreading and editing company, the other by a professional proofreader.

Proofreading Academy

Proofed Inc. (one of the job providers below) created this course to fill their demand for qualified workers. It teaches digital proofreading and copy editing for various clients and documents.

It's a pretty unique opportunity for one main reason:

Anyone who passes with a score of over 80% on the final assessment gets a guaranteed freelance position at Proofed.

The course also has some info on how to find freelance work , so it's really the best of both worlds.

Read our full Proofreading Academy review to learn more, or sign up for the free trial of the course .

Proofread Anywhere

This course was created by Caitlin Pyle, who I interviewed for my “ How to Become a Proofreader ” guide.

After proofreading for several years, Caitlin created Proofread Anywhere to help others learn how to make money proofreading.

What makes PA stand out is that it focuses not only on how to proofread but also on the marketing and business side of things.

Caitlin will show you how to find clients, get hired, and keep those clients.

Watch Caitlin's free webinar here to learn more :

Proofreading and editing work has a lot of niches. You can work with various clients, including:

• Businesses; and

And going even further, you can work on a variety of documents, including:

• Cover letters
• Web content
• Books (non-fiction and fiction, different genres)

As a beginner, you don't have to worry about this too much right now, but as you gain experience, it can be a good idea to niche down into a particular type of work.

By niching down, you can not only choose to do work you find more enjoyable, but you can also charge more and sell to clients more easily because you'll be seen as a specialist rather than just a general proofreader.

What to Search for When Looking for Proofreading Work

If you want to uncover all the potential opportunities your skillset will suit, it's helpful to have a list of terms to search for.

Here's a good starter list (you can add more as you come up with them):

• Proofreader
• Proof reader
• Proofreading
• Proof reading
• Proof-reading
• Copy editing
• Line editing
• Line editor
• Copy editor
• Content correction
• Content development
• Content reviewer
• Editorial manager
• Editorial assessment
• Copy marker

These terms are also important for another reason: freelance profiles. Including some of them in your profile will give you a better chance of showing up in search results.

For example, if a client searches for a “blog proofreader” having that keyword in your profile is optimal.

This will all make more sense after you check out the freelance proofreading jobs below…

Alright, we're getting into the good stuff now:

These days, tons of content is published daily, both online and offline. People are starting blogs, self-publishing books, creating podcasts, running Youtube channels, and more.

With a lot of content creators not having enough workload or budget to employ full-time proofreaders or editors, they turn to freelancers instead.

And that's why freelancing is one of the best ways to make money as a proofreader or editor:

As long as content is being created, freelance proofreading jobs are ALWAYS going to be out there for the taking.

If you're willing to go out, market yourself, and talk to clients, you can create a good income for yourself. You can set your own rates, choose who you work with, and more.

(There are of course pros AND cons to freelancing, but many would agree that the pros outweigh the cons.)

If you're ready to give it a shot, here are some places where you can find freelance proofreading jobs:

Reedsy has over 100,000+ authors, self-publishers, and traditional publishers in their community, so it's a great place for aspiring book editors and proofreaders to find work.

To get started, sign up and create a profile. Add a photo, describe your work experience, add your location, services offered, preferred genres, etc.

If you're a good fit, Reedsy will add you to their marketplace where your profile will be public to potential clients.

As far as rates go, you can set your own, but Reedsy does list a few averages:

• Developmental editors average $7/page
• Copy editors $5/page; and
• Proofreaders $3/page.

Note that you get to keep 90% of what you earn. Reedsy takes the other 10% as a fee for using the platform (which I'd say is quite fair).

Upwork is easily one of the biggest freelancing marketplaces on the web. That means there's a lot of work available, but also a lot of competition.

It also means there are a lot of crappy jobs on the platform and a lot of people willing to work for very low wages.

Still, many have found a lot of success with Upwork. Some swear by it.

If you're willing to lower your wages a bit in the beginning, it can be one of the best places to get your first paid gigs, portfolio pieces, and client testimonials.

As you grow your profile, Upwork can also turn into an automated source of clients as higher-rated profiles are more likely to show up in searches.

For example, look at this successful proofreader/editor I found with a quick search:

She's earned over $100,000 and she charges a $40/hour rate. There are plenty of other similar profiles on Upwork as well.

All in all, I'd say it's worth creating a profile here, especially if you're a beginner. Most of the competition is low quality (I know because I've hired here before), so if you're willing to work hard you can definitely succeed.

3. Freelancer

Freelancer is another one of the largest general freelancing sites. Their job board has a good number of proofreading and editing jobs at any given time.

When you find a job that interests you, you can bid on it. You can also see what other freelancers have bid, which is helpful, but it also sometimes creates a “race to the bottom” situation.

Another way to land proofreading jobs on Freelancer is with service offerings.

Here's an example of a proofreader service offering:

Note that you don't actually create these yourself. It's not like Fiverr (see #6).

Instead, you can become a provider of an existing service offering.

If you're willing to offer the proofreading service pictured above at the price listed ($10 USD as of writing this), you could apply to become a provider of that service.

Then, the next time someone purchases it, you'll have a chance of being selected for that work. I'd say this is an awesome opportunity for beginners.

4. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is one of the only job search sites with a membership fee. For that reason, most people skip right over it.

However, the fee is there because FlexJobs hand-screens every job and company on their platform. That means only legitimate proofreading opportunities are posted, meaning you avoid any annoying scammers.

Many of the jobs are fully remote too. Check these out:

To check out the other jobs available, you can try searching FlexJobs here .

5. ProBlogger

The ProBlogger job board is mostly filled with blog writing jobs, but there's a category for editing and proofreading jobs as well.

To find it, click the “Advanced Job Search” feature:

Here you can also sort to find remote jobs, freelance and contract positions, or full-time/part-time employment positions.

Fiverr is another huge freelance marketplace. It's all about clients finding YOU though, rather than you applying to job postings.

For that reason, the key to this platform is optimizing your service offerings.

You need to get yourself ranking for certain keywords. Otherwise, clients will never find you.

So how do you rank your services?

Well, a big part of it is getting reviews, but that's something you won't have as a beginner. You can technically get a friend or family member to buy your service and rate you or find clients elsewhere and refer them to your Fiverr page, but that can be a hassle.

Luckily, there's another important factor that you CAN control:

Some search keywords on Fiverr are much more competitive than others.

For example, look at the results for “proofreading”:

Over 15,000 services to compete with!

Now look at the results for “blog proofreading”:

Only 565 services.

That's still a lot, but much less to compete with.

Bottom line?

Get creative with your proofreading/editing service offerings and focus on less competitive keywords.

7. Craigslist

There are two ways to find potential online proofreading jobs on Craigslist:

• Search for jobs in the jobs section
• Make a post advertising your services

If you don't have any luck with method #1, #2 may be your best bet. (Remember though, since you're looking for remote jobs, you don't have to stick to just your own city.)

Here's an example of someone advertising their editing services on Craigslist:

Because Craigslist is so familiar to so many different people, there's a chance it will be the first place they look for proofreading and editing services. It's worth a try for that very reason.

8. Hubstaff Talent

Hubstaff Talent is a completely free to use freelance marketplace. They won't charge you a dime to sign up and you don't have to pay anything to them after landing a job. It's pretty cool.

There are a couple of issues with it though:

While they have an entire category of editing and proofreading jobs, it's not very active. I only found 12 jobs when I looked.

The next problem is the pay rates. Look at the hourly rate on this job posting:

$3/hour for content writing AND editing! That's absolutely whack.

Luckily you can just ignore jobs like that, but really, they shouldn't even be allowed to post such a low hourly rate.

Ah, Reddit. An interesting spot on the internet. It's a place where you can find everything from memes to, yep, proofreading jobs for beginners.

There aren't any super active subreddits dedicated specifically to freelance proofreading and editing, but there are some good subreddits I know of that work as general job boards:

• /r/slavelabour – Yep, the name explains a lot here. Don't expect to make much, but it can be a good place to start.

Here's an example editing job I found here:

• /r/forhire – Here people post jobs and freelancers (like you) can post offerings. Make a post that says something like “[For Hire] Essay Proofreader” and see what happens. Anything goes here.
• /r/hireawriter – If you're interested in expanding your services to freelance writing as well, this is a good place to start. (Check out my post on how to find online writing jobs as well).
• /r/jobs4bitcoins – Similar to the above two except you get paid with Bitcoin. Download Coinbase if you don't already have a wallet to receive funds.

Note: There's also this subreddit where you can do free proofreading in exchange for experience and reviews.

Guru is similar to Upwork and other freelance platforms, with minor differences. Because it's a bit less known it may be easier to land proofreading jobs here, but there are also fewer jobs posted.

To get started, browse the editing and proofreading job categories, found here:

Or simply search for jobs with the keywords I mentioned above.

11. LinkedIn

Tons of companies hire through LinkedIn. With a quick search I found over 900 potential gigs:

Tip: Next to your search where it shows your location, change it to “Worldwide” or “Remote” to find more freelance proofreading jobs.

Other than just searching for jobs, be sure to optimize your profile too.

This profile is a good example of what I mean by optimize:

His “about” section is well-written, he has a photo, he's listed himself open to job offers, he has relevant experience, and even has “the Proofreader” in his title.

For a really good guide on LinkedIn optimization, check out this book .

12. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is a general freelancing site that's based in the UK, but open internationally to clients and freelancers.

With a quick search, I was able to find quite a few recent proofreading and editing jobs here:

Since PPH is an international site, there are many translation, editing, and proofreading jobs in other languages as well.

13. ServiceScape

ServiceScape offers four main service categories, with one of them being proofreading and editing.

They currently have editors for languages like English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish, Swedish, and more.

They also work on a variety of documents: book manuscripts, research proposals, admission essays, business documents, theses, web content, and pretty much every sub-category under the sun.

The only thing that's not so good about ServiceScape are the super high fees. They take a 50% commission on all sales!

If you're willing to eat the fee, start by setting up a ServiceScape editor profile.

Once you're in the directory, clients can find your profile and hire you. As you gain good reviews, your profile will become even more prominent.

14. Mediabistro

Mediabistro curates writing, editing, and proofreading jobs from companies all over the web.

To find them, you can either look through the writing and editing section:

Or you can just search directly for the keywords I listed above. This may actually yield better results as you won't have to sort through writing jobs.

15. WriterAccess

WriterAccess has jobs for proofreaders, copy editors, line editors, and fact-checkers who are from the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or South Africa.

To pass the application process, you'll have to be really good at what you do. WriterAccess will thoroughly test your skills before they accept you into the platform.

Freelancers who make it through are awarded access to an exclusive job board plus a free learning portal, support, and more.

Approved freelancers are also listed in the talent database. Here's a preview of that for editors:

As you can see, the top editors charge around $0.08-$0.10+/word, and have hundreds of projects under their belt. There's definitely work to be had here!

Payment happens via PayPal and you keep 70% of everything you earn.

16. BloggingPro

BloggingPro curates jobs from around the web, including editing and proofreading jobs, which you can find by category:

As you can see, only 4 results were returned when I looked. Still, it's worth checking this site every once in a while.

Most of the jobs you'll find are fully remote, some are location-based. There's a mix of positions too, including contract, freelance, full-time, part-time, temporary, and internships.

17. JournalismJobs

JournalismJobs is another curator job board specifically for those in media.

I couldn't find many proofreading jobs here while writing this, but I was able to find plenty of opportunities for editors. Most of them were employment positions, some were freelance.

What's nice about this board is that you can filter jobs by industry. For example, if you want to work with newspaper publishers, you can sort the results for those.

They also have a “Featured Jobs” section on their home page :

As you can see, there are 6 editing jobs there, one being a personal finance editor which is neat!

18. Get Editing Jobs

This one is pretty self-explanatory. They curate thousands of online editing jobs from around the web and they have their own exclusive postings as well.

The site isn't beautiful, but it gets the job done. Create a job seeker account here to get started.

19. FreelanceWriting.com

Here's one last job curator for you. This one sources jobs from places like Craigslist and Indeed, but they also have their own exclusive job postings.

To find the right gigs, just filter for Editing / Proofreading jobs and you're good to go.

You can also use the keywords I mentioned above to filter your results even further. The filter options on this site are really nice.

20. Find a Proofreader

This one isn't exactly a job board, it's a directory. If you're a proofreader, editor, copywriter, or anything else word related, and you're from the UK, you can pay to add yourself to the directory.

The idea is that people looking for proofreaders and editors will come onto the site, see your service listing, and then hire you

For the small fee they charge, it may be worth it to sign up and see what happens. But, I wouldn't expect a tsunami of hungry clients to bombard your inbox just by signing up.

21. Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are what helped me land my first freelance writing client . It was easy as pie too. Someone posted a job, I applied, and that was that.

The key to this method is to hang out in groups where your target client may be. That doesn't mean groups with other proofreaders — although those can be good for networking and learning — I'm talking groups with bloggers, book authors, and other target clients.

Like these:

Once you're in groups like that, keep your eye out for people looking for proofreading and editing help. Then, pitch into conversations that you can provide value to.

Eventually, you may become well-known enough that people reach out to you for your paid proofreading services.

You can also keep an eye out for job postings, or, if the group allows, you can post your services directly. Just don't be too salesy, don't spam, and don't do anything else that might get you kicked out.

22. Inner Circle

This is always one of the best ways to find freelance clients if you're just starting out:

Tell people you already know about your services!

For example, if you have a friend who's in college, offer to proofread a couple of essays. Even if you're doing it for free at first, you can use those as portfolio pieces. And who knows, you're friend might know others who could use your service as well. Domino effect, yo.

23. Cold Emailing

Cold emailing can work really well if you do it right. However, I'd recommend having some testimonials and portfolio pieces before you try it. That way if you do get someone interested, it'll be easier to sell to them.

Once you're ready, check out this guide . It outlines how a copywriter used cold emailing to grow their freelance business, but it can be applied to freelance proofreading too.

Tips for New Freelance Proofreaders & Editors

Ok, now that you know how and where to find freelance proofreading jobs, here are some tips to help you land your first client and beyond:

• Don't be afraid to offer free work or starter discounts – It sucks, but if you can offer your work in exchange for a good review or testimonial FIRST, that's going to help you land future clients.
• Ask for referrals – Clients aren't always going to refer people to you right off the bat. Don't be afraid to ask!
• Ask for testimonials – Same thing as above. If your client liked your work, don't be afraid to ask for a testimonial.
• Create a website – This isn't necessary at the beginning of your freelance proofreading career, but once you have some clients it will give you a place to showcase testimonials and past work. It's also a place for potential clients to learn more about what you can do for them. Check out my guide to starting a blog to get started.

If you'd rather have someone else provide the clients for you so you can focus on the actual proofreading side of things, becoming an independent contractor for a big proofreading or editing company is probably your best bet.

That being said:

A lot of beginner proofreaders try to start out with contract proofreading jobs, but I honestly think it's better to start out with freelancing.

Well, most of the proofreading companies I'm about to mention have high requirements. They get dozens of applicants coming to them per day and they want the BEST of the best.

Some of them also work in particular proofreading industries (like science, academics, or law), so they want their proofreaders to have a degree or even PhD.

Still, feel free to apply to these companies as you attempt to land freelance clients. Just don't neglect the freelancing side of proofreading. That's where your business can really thrive.

Note: Be sure to read carefully through each of the online proofreading jobs below. Some are more beginner-friendly than others.

24. Clickworker

Clickworker is one of the biggest micro job sites around, and some of the tasks on their site involve copy editing and proofreading.

This is a great option for beginners because the barrier to entry is lower.

To get started, you'll first need to sign up and complete some text creation jobs. After that, you can take a proofreader assessment test. If you pass the test (you only get one try so make it count) you'll start receiving paid proofreading jobs in your dashboard.

To learn more, read my full Clickworker review and earning guide .

25. Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is owned by Amazon and it's another one of the biggest micro job sites . They'll occasionally have online proofreading jobs as well as text verification tasks and other similar things available.

For example, one of their big categories is audio transcription and editing:

Companies can pretty much post any task imaginable on this site though so it's worth signing up and seeing what's available.

If you want to learn more, read my full MTurk review & earning guide .

26. Proofed

Proofed works with a variety of clients including students, authors, people with dyslexia, and more.

They say their ideal job candidates are passionate proofreaders and PhD holders with years of experience behind them. BUT:

Remember: If you're a beginner proofreader, Proofed offers a Proofreading Academy course. If you graduate with a score of 80 percent or higher you'll be able to qualify to work with them. Learn more here .

Once you're ready, apply here by completing the form and attaching a single-paged CV and cover letter. 

27. Lionbridge

Lionbridge has a variety of jobs available, including employment positions and remote freelance opportunities.

On the employment side of things, I've seen content editor jobs in multiple languages.

I couldn't find anything proofreading related on the freelance side of things during the time of writing this, but feel free to take a look for yourself .

28. Babbletype

While their site isn't super flashy, Babbletype has been in the game for over 20 years so it's worth checking their hiring page every once in a while for opportunities.

At the time of writing this Babbletype isn't looking for new editors or proofreaders, but they do hire occasionally. They also hire transcribers and translators.

29. Gramlee

Gramlee doesn't directly require a degree or years of editing experience, so they're more beginner-friendly than most.

However, they receive hundreds of applications per week so the more qualified you are, the better.

Take a look at one of their editing examples to see the type of copy editing they do:

Gramlee says they edit not just for grammar, but also for “structure, redundancy, irrelevant or ineffective words, and overall readability.”

If you think you can provide the same quality of work, fill out their short application form .

30. Scribbr

Scribbr provides proofreading and editing services to over a million students each month, so they have a pretty consistent demand for editors.

At the time of writing, they have editing positions available in Dutch , German , English , and French – possibly more in the future.

To qualify, you'll need to have a bachelor's degree, be available for at least 10 hours a week, and have experience in editing academic texts.

Here's a preview at how the system works:

As you can see, Scribbr will designate jobs to you automatically, you'll follow their editing system using MS Word's Track Changes feature, and that's pretty much all you need to worry about.

As far as earnings go, Scribbr editors earn around €20-€25/hour, or about $25-$30 USD.

Sound good? Apply here .

31. R3ciprocity

R3ciprocity is a great opportunity for beginners because of its unique IOU type system.

See, instead of strictly charging writers for editing services, R3ciprocity allows writers to edit other people's work to earn credits, and then exchange those credits to get their own writing edited.

Cool, right?

That's not all either:

For beginner editors, as your skills improve and you complete more work, R3ciprocity may give you the opportunity to become a paid editor. You can then exchange the credits you earn for cash payouts to your bank account.

To get started, just sign up , pass a few tests, and start reciprocating!

32. Stickler

Stickler has been around since 2004, dealing primarily with academic documents.

To apply , you'll want to have academic editing experience as well as familiarity with Harvard and APA styles. Quick turn around time is important as well.

Because Stickler doesn't explicitly state the need for a degree or PhD, this could be a good option for beginners. If you've helped proofread or edit your college friends' papers and you're familiar with the proper style guides, it's worth applying.

33. ProofreadingPal

ProofreadingPal offers a variety of services, and therefore has a variety of jobs for proofreaders:

On top of having several types of jobs, ProofreadingPal uses a two-proofreader model, which means an even higher demand for proofreaders.

To get hired, you'll need to be either:

• Enrolled as a graduate or postgraduate student in a recognized American college or Uni with a minimum GPA of 3.5; OR
• Have a graduate degree with a minimum of five years as a professional proofreader.

#1 means this could be an awesome work from home job for college students .

Editors here reportedly earn between $500 to $3,000/month too. Learn more here.

Scribe is a large media company that helps authors write and publish books. They have freelance and full-time positions available, but for now, let's go over the freelance side:

At the time of writing they have three freelance positions available:

• Content writer
• Ghostwriter

So yeah, no proofreading or editing jobs at the moment, but you can sign up for job alerts on their site . They've hired proofreaders in the past.

And hey, if you're willing to expand into writing, feel free to apply for the positions above. They pay a minimum of $50 USD/hour.

35. Scribendi

Scribendi is a Canadian proofreading company that's been around since 1997. They deal with pretty much every type of document you could think of:

Hiring both in-house and online editors and proofreaders, there's some great opportunity here. (More info on the in-house positions below.)

To apply as a freelancer, you'll need a university degree in a relevant field, three years of experience in editing, and lastly, you can't reside in certain U.S. jurisdictions. Learn more here .

If you're hired, jobs will be offered to you automatically, with set prices. You can choose to decline or accept any offer you receive.

Prompt is all about helping students improve their writing skills. Their “writing coaches” help students with college admission papers, essays, and more.

To apply, you'll need an undergrad degree at the least. Prior teaching experience is a bonus.

Less than 2% of candidates actually get hired at Prompt so don't expect the application process to be easy.

Check for open positions here .

37. Cactus Global

CACTUS has one of the cleanest proofreading sites, with their job page sleek and straight to the point. They offer contractual, freelance, and full-time editing positions:

To get all the details, check out their current openings here .

As you'll see, Cactus focuses mostly on editing in specialized fields like healthcare, life sciences, and medicine. For that reason, they typically require applicants to have a PhD, master's, or bachelor's degree in one of those subject areas. Thorough experience can be accepted as well though.

38. Wordvice

Wordvice is a fairly new proofreading company that opened in 2013. Since then, they've reportedly edited over 130 million words. Talk about fast growth!

As you can see from the image above they offer 3 main categories of editing and proofreading services: academic, admissions, and business.

You can also see that they have several positions open. They're looking for freelance editors, translators, researchers, content writers, tutors, and more.

To apply as a freelance editor, you'll need:

• To be enrolled in or have completed a degree program
• A minimum of two years experience as a professional editor
• Advanced knowledge on MS Word tools
• Familiarity with styles such as APA, AMA, MLA, and CMOS
• and more (the rest can be found on this career page .)

After applying, you'll go through a review process, have to complete an editing sample, and then you'll potentially be hired. From there, a supervisor will designate tasks to you directly (no bidding for work!).

39. Dotdash

Formerly known as About.com, Dotdash pretty much dominates the internet with thousands of articles spread across several topics and websites.

With all the content they publish, they hire both freelancers and full-time in-house editors.

For freelance proofreading work, you can find jobs at a variety of Dotdash content sites:

Be sure to check their career page frequently for new opportunities.

Tip: If you find their career page hard to navigate, you can also fill out their simple application form for job notifications.

40. Edit911

Unlike other entry-level proofreading jobs, Edit911 has a gold standard that most similar companies can barely compete with. Applicants must:

• Have a PhD in English or another writing-intensive discipline
• Be published writers
• Have teaching or book editing experience
• Be familiar with various style guides; and
• Be proficient in MS word and other software apps

In other words, getting into Edit911 ain't easy. 75 percent of qualified applicants go on to fail their entry test (which they require a 100% score on).

If you dare to apply, submit a resume and sample writing here and you'll get a response in 48 hours.

41. Book-Editing.com

Book-editing.com offers freelance positions related to ghostwriting, copyediting, proofreading, and consulting.

One of their main requirements is they're looking for applicants who're 100% freelance, with consistent availability. If you have a day job, they don't want ya.

You'll also need:

• 5+ years of editing experience
• A portfolio of published books that you have edited; and
• To be based in the US

If that sounds like you, apply here .

If you pass the application tests, you'll be added to Book Editing's freelance network. Here, clients can find you and hire you at your own chosen rates.

42. EditFast

EditFast allows freelancers to register and activate a web page (basically a profile) that clients can view.

Here's an example of one:

To qualify to set up a page of your own, you'll need a degree from a recognized university, a wide variety of reading interests, and past editing/proofreading experience.

If you meet those requirements, apply here .

Once your page is added, if a client sees it and likes it, they can contact you directly for your services.

EditFast also distributes work to qualified editors but they make no guarantee that every editor will be given a client.

Also, although payments are agreed on by the editor and the client, the commission passes through EditFast via PayPal. EditFast charges 40 percent on all earnings.

43. ProofreadNOW

ProofreadNOW caters to all sorts of clients: marketers, advertisers, book writers, and other professional authors. They even work with a few Fortune 500 companies. 

Along with English, they also offer Spanish and Chinese proofreading and copyediting services.

To apply to become a freelancer, you'll need a minimum of five years of experience as a professional proofreader. You'll then need to take some editing tests to prove your skills.

If you're interested, check their employment page here . If they're not currently hiring, sign up for job notifications here .

44. Polished Paper

To apply as a freelance proofreader for Polished Paper, start by submitting your resume here .

If you qualify, you'll then have to take a 35-question editor test. Score excellent or above to get the chance of being supervised by a senior editor who will peer-review your work for accuracy.

After a while of working for the company, you may even get the chance to become a senior editor yourself, which means a better salary and other benefits.

45. Editor World

Editor World offers academic editing, book editing, business editing, ESL editing, and proofreading for all sorts of documents.

Right now they're only hiring those with PhDs or science backgrounds, but they'll typically hire anyone with at least a bachelor's degree and some prior experience.

Check their application page for the most up-to-date requirements.

If you're hired by Editor World, your profile will be added to their database of editors. Here's a preview of that:

Note that they don't have hundreds of editors on the platform, so it's not as competitive as, say, a freelance job board.

Also, to improve your chances of getting hired as a beginner, Editor World gives clients 20% off for choosing new editors.

Wordy hires editors from all over the world but consists of a workforce that is largely based around the UK, US, and Australia.

They do copyediting and proofreading for 56 subjects so there's plenty of work variety here.

As far as earnings go, Wordy says that their editors and proofreaders make a little over US$35 per hour or US$8.50 for every 400 words.

If you want to apply, head here . You can take editing tests for US and UK English. If you fail, you can apply again after 6 months.

Processing your application takes around 14-21 days, so you can expect a reply within that time period.

47. WordsRU

WordsRU mainly deals with academic, book, and business proofreading and editing.

To apply, you'll need a Master's degree, PhD, or similar professional experience in any academic discipline. You'll also need two years of professional editing experience. To learn more, head here .

48. Sibia Proofreading

Editors that are accepted by Sibia Proofreading are equipped with at least a bachelor's degree from a top-tier university, with editing experience on top.

Although they currently don't have any open editor positions, you can always check their contact page every so often to see when they're hiring.

Kibin focuses mainly on helping students improve their writing. Their main service is essay editing.

Although it isn’t explicitly stated, basing off their current editors it seems like Kibin requires freelancers to have at least a Bachelor’s degree.

The application process seems tough too: only 1% of applicants go on to get hired.

If you think you can be part of that 1%, apply here .

50. Edit 24-7

Edit24-7 focuses on light editing and proofreading, allowing authors to maintain their writing style while not sacrificing grammatical and typographical quality.

This light editing philosophy allows Edit24-7 to charge lower prices and have a fast turnaround rate. Their primary focus is not to change your content, organization, or writing style, but to make sure that your writing is at the best state it can be.

If you want to apply, head here . You'll need to send in a writing sample with a resume or description of relevant experience before beginning the extensive application process.

51. Cambridge Proofreading

Cambridge Proofreading works with students and businesses, editing and proofreading a variety of documents.

Here's a small preview at some of the types of documents they've worked with:

Statistically speaking, less than 1 percent of applying freelancers are actually hired because of their intensive selection process. The company's minimum requirements for applying include being a native English speaker and having a Bachelor's degree.

Earnings are around $20-$30 USD/hour (via PayPal) on a flexible schedule. You'll also get feedback on your work from other editors which is a great bonus.

Learn more here .

52. English Trackers

English Trackers regularly hires freelance proofreaders, writers, and editors for academic texts, websites, books, business documents, and more.

With these documents, they offer editing and rewriting services:

The rewriting service is basically just an upgraded form of editing.

To apply, head here . You'll need to be a native English speaker with 2 years of academic editing experience. A PhD helps, but it's not required.

53. First Editing

I can't tell if First Editing is hiring employees or freelancers, but either way, they want candidates to have at least 25 hours/week available for editing work.

Other than that, their requirements are pretty open. They have guidelines on the type of applicants they're looking for, but they range quite a bit.

As long as you're a native English speaker, are familiar with MS Word, and have experience editing books or academic documents, take a shot and apply here .

All of the proofreading jobs I've mentioned so far have been independent contract/freelance opportunities. And while those are typically more flexible, they don't always offer consistent work.

They don't usually offer any benefits either (like paid time off or sick days).

With remote employment though, you can get benefits and a predictable salary — you just need to sacrifice a bit of flexibility.

To start, remember that these job boards I mentioned above occasionally have remote proofreading jobs available:

• Hubstaff Talent
• BloggingPro
• JournalismJobs
• Mediabistro

Be sure to check them out regularly or subscribe to them so you don't miss anything.

You can also try:

• ZipRecruiter
• and any other big job sites (but you already know this)

Now let's look at some companies that regularly hire in-house proofreaders and editors to work from home:

54. Scribendi

You can apply to be an in-house proofreader at Scribendi if you have:

• A bachelor's degree
• An average proofreading speed of 1,000-1,500 words an hour; and
• A skill set for style guides like APA and CMOS.

As a full-time employee, you'll receive health benefits like medical and dental packages, allowance, vacation time, and so on.

55. Lionbridge

As I said above, Lionbridge occasionally has full-time editing positions or other language-based positions available on their career page .

56. Dotdash

If you head over to the Dotdash careers page and look under “Editorial/Content” you'll find a handful of full-time editing positions.

These jobs have high requirements (including specific location requirements) but they pay well and include benefits.

57. Proofreading Services

ProofreadingServices.com offers full-time and part-time remote proofreading jobs.

I'm not sure if they provide benefits, but proofreaders here earn around $19-$46/hour, with a lot of flexibility.

The application process isn't easy though. You'll have to score 95% or above on their 20-minute test just to be considered.

Here's a preview of the test (don't tell anyone I showed you!):

You can apply from anywhere in the world, so give it a shot !

Head over to the full-time openings at CACTUS to find a variety of editing positions at any given time.

Right now they have some academic editing jobs available:

To apply, one of the main requirements is to reside in India as that's where CACTUS is headquartered.

59. Scribe Media

Working as a full-time employee at Scribe means competitive pay, profit sharing, a full benefits package, and more.

Find Scribe's full-time openings here .

60. Lifetips

Lifetips produces a TON of content so they're looking for in-house editors with search engine marketing experience to help manage it all.

Salary and full medical benefits are included and it seems as though you can apply from anywhere in the world.

Bonus: Company Career Pages!

Another great way to find work from home proofreading jobs is by simply going to the sites of content companies and looking for a “jobs” or “careers” page.

I've just tested this out with some well-known personal finance sites — like NerdWallet — and was able to find open positions in content editing, marketing, design, and more.

Tip: Do this with your favorite companies that you regularly follow. Being already familiar with someone's content makes you an ideal candidate for editing and proofreading their stuff.

Weirdly enough, proofreading jobs aren't the only way you can make money as a proofreader. There are other ways to use your skills (like your killer attention to detail and love of words) to make money.

Here are five examples:

Write Paid Book Reviews

If you want to get paid to read and write reviews of books that have already been published, this opportunity is a pretty cool one. And yes, it's real.

In fact, multiple sites hire freelance book reviewers. Here are some popular ones:

• Kirkus Reviews
• Reedsy Discovery

If you love reading, this is like a dream job.

Scoping is sort of like copy editing, but for court reporters. As a scopist, you'd be editing steno notes rather than blog posts or news articles.

Because this job is pretty unknown to most of the world, it's a bit less competitive than most gigs. Just look at what this proofreader who pivoted into scoping said:

To learn more, take this free mini course .

You can tutor in proofreading or editing or go wider and teach English! Your proofreading skills and language mastery makes you a great candidate here.

For example, you could teach English to kids in China through a platform like Magic Ears (no degree required) or VIP Kid (degree required).

For more opportunities, check out these online tutoring jobs for teachers and college students .

Transcription

Transcription is the art of turning audio into written text. That audio could be an interview, video, podcast, you name it.

If your typing speed is good, this is a great potential opportunity to take on. Your eye for detail as a proofreader will transfer into transcription perfectly.

If you're interested, check out this free intro course . It goes over the basics of general proofreading.

Here are some further readings to learn more:

• How to Make Money Transcribing (Beginners Guide)
• Online Transcription Jobs for Beginners

Freelance Writing

This one is a bit more out there but if you really have a way with words, you could pivot into freelance writing. With an editing and proofreading background, you'd have a huge advantage over other less experienced writers.

Learn more:

• How to Find Online Writing Jobs With No Experience
• How I Found My First Freelance Writing Job

As you can see, proofreading and editing is still a very in-demand service.

If you've just finished your proofreading training and you want to start making money and gaining experience as soon as possible, these online proofreading jobs for beginners are your best bet.

If you haven't taken training yet, check out your best options here , and then use the resources above to start making money! Good luck!

Know of any other beginner-friendly proofreading jobs? Have experience with any of the companies above? Any tips for finding proofreading clients? Leave a comment!

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September 22, 2021 at 7:12 pm

I am from India and would like to know if there are medical transcription jobs/freelance for remote. I have many years experience as proof reader, editor in medical transcription with HIPAA compliance.

November 6, 2021 at 1:31 pm

I’d recommend looking more into the jobs above — I’m hoping to have them sorted by location soon enough but it’ll take some time.

For transcription, start at my transcription jobs guide . Many of them accept workers worldwide.

Let me know how things go!

August 3, 2021 at 1:33 am

Hi. I registered at clickworker as a proofreader but I can’t find their assessment test!!

August 4, 2021 at 7:06 pm

Make sure you have your profile set up fully and then do some other tasks around Clickworker. The assessments usually show up after you’ve already been working on the platform for a bit and/or when they need more proofreaders. Hope that helps.

August 8, 2021 at 12:05 am

The profile is already fully set up. But what is (tasks around Clickworker)? I did not find something like this on the site! Can you please show me where can I find them

August 8, 2021 at 12:40 pm

Try checking out this Clickworker guide . Should help! If you have questions after that let me know.

July 22, 2021 at 12:18 pm

I want to have an online at home proofreading job. I don,t have much experience.

July 22, 2021 at 7:10 pm

Hi Kelly. Honestly, since you said you don’t have much experience, if you can afford it, I’d say the Proofreading Academy course with the guaranteed work opportunity at the end is your best bet. I have a review of the course here if you want to learn more about it.

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21 Best Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners (Earn $45/hour)

Last updated on 13th March, 2024 at 12:16 am

So your here to find online proofreading jobs ?

Or perhaps you’re still contemplating if this proofreading job is the one for you?

Did that opening sentence make you cringe a bit? Lol…

Mind you. I purposely wrote it that way.

Let me tell you, even Grammarly is giving me a side-eye for not fixing it to “ you’re .”

And my inner introvert keeps telling me, “Just change it already!”

But guess what? I’m rebelling against perfect grammar (at least only for the opening sentence, lol).

So, grammar sleuth. If you’ve got a knack for spotting snazzy mistakes, you’re practically tailor-made for the world of online proofreading jobs .

But let me tell you something, it’s not just about showing off your skills; you can turn your keen eye into some serious cash by offering your proofreading services.

Here’s the fun part – you can earn up to $45 per hour as a proofreader. Plus, you get to call the shots on your schedule and work from literally anywhere .

Sounds like the dream job for introverts, right?

Now, if you’re seriously eyeing this proofreading job or considering starting your own freelance proofreading business, rest assured that the start-up costs for this job are low, making it an accessible option for beginners looking to break into the industry.

Like, Seriously, What Is Proofreading?

The proofreading process, proofreading vs. editing: what sets them apart, weighing the upsides and downsides of being a proofreader:, the best online proofreading jobs for beginners, are proofreaders in demand or just a passing fad, but the real question is… how much money can you rack up from proofreading, what proofreading skills and qualifications do i need, how do i become a proofreader with no experience, what proofreading tools do i need for remote proofreading jobs, is being a proofreader a good job for introverts, does proofreading require a degree, are online proofreading jobs legit, ready to start proofreading jobs from home now.

Proofread Anywhere

In this free workshop, you’ll learn how to become a proofreader and start a freelance proofreading business.

• 24,000+ Students
• 7+ Years of Results

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Imagine proofreading as being the ultimate taste-tester for a mouthwatering dish right before it hits the table.

Your job? Making sure every flavor, spice, and texture come together in a perfect symphony.

You’re the culinary spell-checker, catching those sneaky typos or flavor hiccups that could spoil the feast.

Just like a chef wouldn’t want a dash of salt where it doesn’t belong, you ensure words play their delicious roles without any accidental seasoning.

It’s that final sprinkle of magic before your content is served—pristine, polished, and ready to wow your audience.

Did you know why “you’re” and “your” are two different words? Because “you’re” mine and I’m yours. Lol! TheGeniusCat.com Tweet

Here is what the process of a proofreading job looks like:

Reviewing the text: You start by thoroughly reading the entire text, paying attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes.

Correcting errors: Once you identify any errors, you need to make the necessary corrections using the appropriate editing tools or by manually editing the text.

Formatting consistency: You ensure that the formatting of the text is consistent throughout, including headings, font styles, and indentation.

Fact-checking: If any factual information is presented in the text, you verify its accuracy to ensure that it is reliable.

Final review: After making the necessary edits, you go through the text once more to ensure that no errors have been overlooked.

You know, it’s a bit like people confusing pasta with noodles – happens more often than you’d think.

The same mix-up tends to go down between proofreading and editing.

While they are both crucial steps in the writing process, they serve different purposes and require different skill sets.

Let’s take a closer look at the key differences between proofreading and editing.

Proofreading primarily focuses on ensuring the accuracy and correctness of the text. It involves meticulously reviewing the content for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

By carefully examining each word and sentence, proofreaders eliminate inconsistencies and improve overall readability.

Editing , on the other hand, goes beyond the surface-level corrections and delves deeper into the content. It involves refining the structure and flow of the text, enhancing clarity, and optimizing the overall coherence.

Editors work on improving the sentence construction, eliminating redundancies, and ensuring the message of the document is effectively conveyed.

Proofreading is a job that comes with its own set of perks and pitfalls. Let’s break down the ups and downs so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.

Flexible working hours: As a proofreader, you have the flexibility to choose your working hours. This allows you to create a schedule that fits your lifestyle and other commitments.

Work from anywhere: One of the biggest advantages of being a proofreader is the ability to work from anywhere. As long as you have a reliable internet connection, you can work from the comfort of your own home or even while traveling.

Skill development: Consider it as your language workout. Proofreading hones your language skills, sharpens your eye for detail, and kicks your critical thinking into high gear.

Variety: Imagine you are flipping through channels on TV. You’ll have the opportunity to read a wide range of content, from academic papers to marketing materials, keeping things interesting.

Potential for good income: Proofreaders can earn a good income, especially if they establish themselves as experts in their field. With experience and a solid client base, you can increase your rates and earn a substantial income.

Low start-up costs: Unlike other professions, starting a career as a proofreader doesn’t require a significant financial investment. The tools and resources needed are minimal, making it a cost-effective way to enter the world of freelancing.

Isolation: Working alone for long periods might not suit everyone, and there’s limited interaction with colleagues.

Tight deadlines: Proofreading often involves working with tight deadlines, especially when dealing with clients who require quick turnarounds. Meeting these deadlines can sometimes be challenging and may require you to work efficiently under pressure.

Monotony: Proofreading can become repetitive, especially if you’re working on similar types of content day in and day out.

Uncertainty: Freelance proofreading gigs might not always provide a stable income, and finding consistent work can be challenging.

Before you start applying for any of the proofreading jobs I’ve lined up for you, there’s something I would highly recommend you do first: take Caitlin’s free 76-minute workshop on kickstarting your proofreading journey.

Let me tell you – this workshop? It’s a hit for a reason. Trust me, it’s worth every second of your time.

So, do yourself a favor and give it a whirl.

I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Now let’s get straight to the list.

Freelance Websites

If you are a complete beginner and wish to dip your feet into the proofreading world , I would suggest starting with these freelance websites.

Think of them as bustling online marketplaces, connecting you (the talented proofreader) with clients eager to polish their written content.

You get to work on diverse projects, hone your skills, and be your boss, while clients gain the magic touch of your eagle eye.

While these platforms do take a small commission (usually 10-20%), they offer a sweet perk: they handle the marketing legwork, leaving you free to focus on what you do best – perfecting the written word.

What does a proofreader do? A proofreader does the final check of a piece of text to catch any remaining grammar and punctuation mistakes, spelling errors, or formatting issues before it reaches the eyes of the public. Their services come after developmental editing and copy editing , and make news articles, essays, books, website copy, or any other type of text error-free and ready for publication.

More specifically, proofreaders are often freelancers, and they carefully read documents from many types of clients (authors, publishers, businesses, and so on) to double-check for:

• Typographical errors
• Inconsistencies in style or layout
• Awkward page and word breaks
• Missing punctuation and spelling mistakes
• Any other issues that might spoil the reading experience.

While some authors may be tempted to skip over proofreading to save time and money, proofreading is an integral part of making any text look spot-on and professional. “A proofreader is the ‘last line of defense’ between a book that looks professional and one that is obviously amateur and sloppy,” says Allister Thompson , a proofreader with over 25 years of experience. “So a proofreader actually has a lot of responsibility in the publishing process.”

Proofreaders vs copy editors

An important distinction to make is that between copy editors and proofreaders: as opposed to copy editors, proofreaders are not necessarily concerned with the quality of the sentence on a subjective level, but how well it adheres to grammar conventions and the logic of the text. That means that a proofreader will not go into a text and make suggestions for better ways to phrase things, so long as there are no objective spelling errors, missing punctuations, or formatting issues, for example. 

Below is a table that clarifies the different steps of the editorial process. This applies best to books — in article or copywriting you may have content editing followed directly by proofreading, for instance.

Emphasizing the difference between copy editing and proofreading, Aja Pollock , a freelance editor for Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Macmillan, says that “probably the main piece of advice I'd give to new proofreaders is that proofreading is not copyediting. Your job as a proofreader, aside from catching outright errors, is to back up the copy editor and make sure the style they've established is applied consistently, as stated in the style sheet.” 

“If it’s clear and consistent,” she continues, “don’t change it without checking with whoever hired you.” Unauthorized and unnecessary corrections at the proofreading stage can set the whole production schedule back and cause further issues down the line, so “as a proofreader, you need to develop a sense of when to stay in your lane.”

🎓 What qualifications do you need to become a proofreader?

While you don’t necessarily need any specific formal qualifications to become a proofreader, you do need to demonstrate somehow that you have the skills for the job. Most proofreaders will hold bachelor’s degrees in fields like English or Journalism and, most importantly, must have a strong command of language and grammar. To that, Allister Thompson adds that a skilled proofreader must be able to focus for long periods of time: 

“A distracted proofreader is a bad one. The eye always wants to skip over text, especially when you're pressed for time. You can't do that.” 

David Haviland corroborates this statement:

“Proofreading is all about focus and attention to detail. Many of the issues that a proofreader identifies are ones that most educated people would spot, if they were paying attention. But maintaining this kind of focus on every line over the course of an entire manuscript, and then doing the same thing day after day, is an acquired skill.”

Further, you should be able to spot typographical or design errors, as you might be working with laid-out book files and not just text documents.

Having a university degree or special qualifications in the form of certifications, though not strictly required, can be helpful in showcasing that you have the skills and techniques clients expect proofreaders to have, and help you stand out during the job application process.

With that said, you can study in other fields as well, especially if you want to work as a proofreader for technical or academic content. This makes the job quite accessible to students, freelance writers , and just about anyone with a sharp eye and love for the written word. You can also opt for vocational training programs that specifically teach proofreading, and which come with certifications. 

💰 How much do proofreaders make?

According to ZipRecruiter, professional proofreaders make around $23 per hour on average. As of 2023, that means the average salary of proofreaders is around $47k per year. 

That being said, proofreaders with more experience and expertise — or expertise in niche fields — can command even higher fees, with top professionals making between $30-$35 an hour. Professional proofreaders on Reedsy, for instance, can make anywhere between $600–$1,000 working on a book, depending on the book’s genre and length. 

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If you like the job description and the money sounds good, the next step towards becoming a proofreader is to pick your niche, i.e. what type of texts and industries you would like to work with.

Since media content is everywhere nowadays, you get a lot of choices. You can work with authors on books, with content creators on websites and blog posts, with scholars on academic papers, with reporters on news articles — the list goes on. With the right background, you can even proofread medical texts or court reports. 

Now, as you’re building experience, you can try your hand at a variety of projects, though the key to getting a leg up is to find a specific niche. Each field has their specific requirements in terms of language and format, so it’s simply easier to learn them one at a time. Moreover, your niche is your competitive advantage when applying for proofreading jobs : clients will appreciate expert services more than they do a melange of barely related work experiences.

If you want to work in publishing , it’s even beneficial to narrow your focus down to book genres, since they can require quite different skills. Proofreading a fantasy novel, for instance, may demand sharp attention to details and the mechanics of a fictional language, while proofreading picture books may present technical challenges, notes editor and proofreader Sally Apokedak : 

“If I proof PDFs with illustrations, I take into consideration the design of the book. For instance, maybe the text is centered and paragraphs lack indents. Quote marks can present another problem. So, when possible, I proof the work according to the interior designer ’s rules to maintain consistency.”

With this in mind, consider where your expertise and genuine interest lie, and work towards eeking out your presence in your desired niche.

If you do not yet possess the skills and qualifications to land the proofreading jobs you’re applying for, you might want to consider bulking up your resume with a proofreading course. Since there’s more to proofreading than just reading and catching a spelling mistake here and there, (and since real-life experience can be hard to come by) we highly recommend signing up to a proofreading course that can guide you through other duties of the job. This is what Aja Pollock did: 

“I took a proofreading class at NYU, just to get some kind of credential under my belt, and a class taught by someone who knows what they're doing is a great way to learn best practices and conventions for proofreading. Someone who's new to proofreading might not think to check for things like stacks and ladders or make sure the folios and running heads are correct; you should be able to come out of a class with a full checklist of things to look for beyond just typos.”

A course not only gives you a head start on understanding style guides (more on this in a bit) and grammar rules, it also allows you to familiarize yourself with editing software and provides a chance to practice proofreading while getting feedback from veteran professionals. Working together with your course mates while meeting deadlines not only shows that you're a team player, but is also a great way to kick-start your networking efforts; a proofreading course is a great place to meet potential future colleagues and employers, after all. 

Of course, each program offers different things: some might be more tailored to fiction proofreaders, others to legal paperwork; some can offer more theoretical knowledge, others come with a mentorship program. The point is to find a curriculum that provides the best training for your chosen niche. Start your research with our summary of the best proofreading courses in the market right now. 

Beyond the work that a course gives you, here are some other options to hone your proofreading skills:

Practice, practice, practice

They say practice makes perfect, so get going! Make an effort to proofread anywhere and everywhere you go (silently in your head, of course). And don’t stop with correcting grammar and spelling mistakes; think about your punctuation errors and inconsistencies in language as well. 

For more material to work on, offer to proofread a friend’s work for free. Be mindful of the context of each piece — is it a cover letter, an essay, or a website copy? What style guide would it follow? What kind of English is used — British or American? The answers to questions like these will give you the standards which the piece needs to satisfy, which is the basis of your proofreading work, as a competent proofreader knows how to distinguish between objectivity and personal preferences.

Reading texts with these criteria in mind can sharpen your skills. The more you do it, the more competent you’ll be at noticing discrepancies and errors.

Take a proofreading test

Now that you’ve studied up and practiced your proofreading skills, it’s time to test them out! There are tons of tests out there, ranging from multiple-choice quizzes to textual exercises, that are great for gauging your ability to find and recognize key errors and inconsistencies. For some quick tests, check out these sites:

• Freelance Writing
• Editing Tests

As David Haviland says: “One way or another, you need to study the art of writing clearly, stylishly and consistently.” And whether that be through a course or through other avenues, you will have to know how to work with style guides.

Style guides are manuals that provide standard guidelines for the writing and formatting of various documents. If you’re going to become a proofreader, you’re going to want to know them like the back of your hand.

Which style guides you learn, of course, depends on your niche and the types of texts you’ll work with. In many projects, however, the choice will come down to the client so, at the very least, you should acquaint yourself with the following styles:

• Chicago Manual of Style;
• APA Style; and

David Haviland notes that he will always ask his clients what style guides they prefer at the start of a project. If your client doesn’t have a preference, you can refer to whatever style guide you feel most comfortable working with.

“It's handy to have a style guide like Chicago on hand,” Thompson adds. “Or whatever style guide your client uses. It's also handy to have a style sheet for a particular project, so copy editors can be encouraged to make those to explain spellings and style choices in the book.”

“I use the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (online edition), as well as the house style sheet if I'm working for a publisher who has one,” Aja Pollock says. “When you start out, you may need to consult these a lot until you learn the fundamental style conventions and M-W spelling. That can slow things down when you're new to proofreading, but it's part of the learning process.”

If your niche is academic or scholarly in nature, you might also want to consider learning MLA and Turabian Style. Knowing these style guides will help you maintain objectivity and follow consistent rules whenever you’re editing a manuscript.

You can find the handbooks to these styles (which are essential resource books on editing for editorial professionals) in libraries or on the internet. Having the one you're following on hand is always a plus, even when you become an experienced proofreader!

Once you’re all trained up in the proofreading department, you’re ready for your job search. But first, a word of warning: beginners in any editorial field will have less access to quality projects in their desired specialty or genre. Do take smaller proofreading roles that come in at the beginning of your career, and always keep your eyes out for opportunities that are adjacent to your chosen specialty. 

If you manage to weather this challenging first stage, you’ll emerge on the other side with the skills and track record to pull you through the rest of your proofreading career. 

“Proofreading suits a particular kind of person who loves language, cares about the fine details, and has a critical mindset. It’s quite difficult to do well, so there will always be work for a proofreader who is professional, reliable and fastidious.” — David Haviland

Since most proofreading services are provided by freelancers — even publishing houses outsource this task often, to be more economical — you’ll find a lot of proofreading jobs on marketplaces like Reedsy or other freelancer job sites which connect you with a community of writers in need of proofreading services.

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Publishing job boards are also useful platforms to check out. And if you feel like working with a specific publisher or a media company, find and follow their editors on Twitter or LinkedIn. Managing and production editors commission proofreading services all the time — they often post something online when new gigs are available.

💡 Pro-tip: Impress your potential clients with these freelance proposal and invoice templates. 

Setting your rates

In most cases, as you’re a freelancer, you’ll get to set your own proofreading rates . Remember not to undercharge! We recommend thinking about how much you need to cover your living and business costs (think office space and time spent on keeping the books) in order to come up with an absolute minimum, below which you should not accept. 

Experience and exposure is too often used as an excuse to underpay, and you should not accept that, especially if you have nailed down the fundamental skills for the job!

Before you know it, you’ll know plenty of people in the industry and will start finding jobs with ease, perhaps even commanding higher pay. But, don’t forget: keep building your résumé and treat everyone as a potential business partner! Make sure your portfolio is always updated and includes the latest projects relevant to your career goals. 

In other words, focus on presenting pieces that reflect what you want to keep working on and cultivate your professional relationships. So if you want to proofread more fantasy novels, highlight projects that involve other-worldly elements, even if they are review articles or short stories. That way, only the suitable clients will send you a request. Or perhaps you'll know a guy who knows a guy who can hook you up with your next project.

And, Sally Apokedak reminds us, even though proofreading is less concerned with the style and flair of the writing, it’s still an art-form which you can practice and get better at: 

“In all proofing, consistency is king because there is some room for art when proofing. Some of it is science—there is never a time when ‘it's’ will be a possessive pronoun, for instance. But some of it is art—some questions could be punctuated with an exclamation point instead of a question mark, for example. So the key is to make a reasoned choice in the beginning about certain gray areas and then be consistent all the way through to the end.”

Proofreading, just like any other editorial job, will come with its challenges. It’s not uncommon for newcomers to have to deal with low wages, competitive job prospects, and long work hours. But if you put your mind to it and really invest in your craft, then making it as a proofreader will be more than worth it in the long run.

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31 Online Proofreading Jobs for Beginners (Up to $35 Per Hour)

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Proofreading Jobs from Home No Experience

Table of Contents

Do you have the skill to correct punctuation and spelling errors?

If yes, then you have what it takes to become an online proofreader with an income potential between $36k-$60k a year.

Online proofreading jobs are in demand, because there is an increase in online content and marketing, which means more job opportunities for proofreaders.

A good number of bloggers and online businesses need help to proofread blogs, books and other digital content. They require a second pair of eyes to check and correct mistakes and edit errors before the article is published and goes live.

There are many online proofreading jobs for beginners who are interested in working either full-time or part-time.

If want to begin online proofreading jobs from home, you will find this to be a flexible work from home option that is not country-specific.

Online Proofreader Job Role

It’s a known fact that businesses and individuals need writing.

Writing covers tons of digital space, from emails to website “About Us” pages to product descriptions to eBooks and more. But what about the rest of the writing process?

Companies don’t just need someone to put pen to paper; they need someone to make sure the writing is clear, clean, and error-free. That’s where proofreaders come in.

Proofreaders make sure that writing is concise and accurate.

It’s great work for a detail-oriented individual who likes a challenge. Knowing what goes into solid proofreading is important, as it lets you earn more and helps you build a stable career.

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is a vital part of editing.

It’s the process of reading through a piece of writing and marking any errors you find so that they can be fixed before publication.

Proofreading is normally one of the last steps before a piece is published, and it’s used to catch smaller errors that might not have been caught in the initial drafts or developmental edits.

Proofreading jobs require you to take a piece of content written by someone (like a blog post or an email) and make it perfect.

It’s the final stage of editing, which involves correcting grammatical errors like misplaced commas and spelling errors.

Proofreaders look for:

• Simple grammar mistakes like improper spelling or punctuation errors.
• Strange sentence structure or word choice which makes the writing hard to read.
• Factual inconsistencies or small plot holes.

Catching and fixing these errors adds polish to pieces and gets them ready for professional publication.

It can make the work appear more authoritative and trustworthy, which is especially important to businesses and individuals looking to be seen as experts on a particular topic.

Here are a few types of online content that require proofreading:

• Blogs/websites
• eBooks, novels
• Email Newsletters
• Online Marketing Material – advertisements and brochures
• Social Media Posts
• Essay editing
• Research papers
• Resumes and cover letters

How Do You Make Money Proofreading?

While some publishing companies will hire in-house proofreaders, most people who make money from proofreading are freelancers.

Freelancers work on a project-by-project basis with a variety of clients; they aren’t full-time employees of a particular agency, and instead, work for themselves.

Getting started as a freelance proofreader is as simple as signing up for a job listing site (or multiple sites) and putting together a proofreading resume, which should focus on your experience and expertise with the English language.

In today’s post we will be taking a look at some proofreading companies that offer online proofreading jobs for beginners.

These sites let companies post listings for individual projects or longer-term contracts that you can apply to work on remotely.

Do You Need Qualifications to Become a Proofreader?

Since proofreading is often done on a freelance basis, there’s no one set of qualifications a proofreader needs to start working in the field.

Findings on Indeed suggest that proofreaders should be proficient in various academic writing styles, as well as familiar with editing software like Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word.

Many employers will administer their own proofreading competency tests to applicants, which on its own is enough to get many entry-level proofreading jobs.

How Do You Become a Proofreader?

If you are good with the red marker and can spot errors easily, you are halfway there.

The next half requires you to learn about the proofreading industry, how to run a proofreading business from home and to land clients.

For that I would recommend you take a look at this online training – Proofread Anywhere . It teaches you everything you need to become a proofreader.

Don’t forget to check out this free online proofreading workshop , so you can learn to use your word skills to make money from home.

How Much Do Online Proofreaders Make Per Hour as a Beginner?

According to Salary.com , the hourly rate for entry-level proofreaders are $20 an hour, the average pay rate is $26 an hour and the highest level of pay is $33 an hour.

So, a proofreader with no experience can still expect to make at least $20 an hour, making it more lucrative than many entry-level jobs.

Read our interview with a stay-at-home mom earning $1,000+/month with Proofread Anywhere’s online training .  

How to Land Entry Level Proofreading Jobs Online

Caitlin Pyle, creator and owner of Proofread Anywhere , has created a comprehensive online training suitable for aspiring proofreaders with no proofreading background or experience.

She has taught over 15,000 students in the last 7 years to become online proofreaders.

If you would like a taster session, feel free to watch Caitlin’s introductory video on proofreading, to see if this is the career  you are interested to pursue.

Proofread Anywhere’s online training teaches:

• How to proofread research papers, blogs and books
• Everything you need to know about proofreading
• How to find potential prospects
• Avoid common mistakes made by beginner proofreaders
• Practical step-by-step lessons
• Everything from basics to marketing!

The training also gives you access to a support team and a student community to help provide guidance and answer question as a new proofreader. 

For proofreaders not knowing where to start, this would be the best way to land entry level proofreading jobs online, with support and assistance to help you along the way.

Check out Cailtin’s free online video workshop to understand how to start and run a proofreading business at home.

31 Legitimate Online Proofreading jobs from home

The first few on the list are entry-level online proofreading jobs, while the options further down are for more experienced proofreaders.

While these are just some places to find remote proofreading jobs, social media and networking can land you more gigs. Joining Facebook blogger groups can help you connect with online business owners – a great way to network and find clients.

Let’s now take a look at these proofreading jobs that you can do either part-time or as a full time career.

1. Click Worker

At Click Worker, you get to work on a freelance basis in content creation, proofreading, editing or app testing. With the freedom to work whenever you like, this can be a flexible work at home job for stay at home moms.

Payments to you are made by PayPal either weekly or monthly.

Upwork is one of the best online platforms to find any type of freelance work, including proofreading jobs. 

They offer both short term and long term projects that can last up to 6 months.

Glancing at Upwork, you will see the pay rate for proofreaders are $16-$30 an hour. Definitely a worth checking out Upwork.

Fiverr is the best place to search for online proofreading jobs for beginners.

While the pay can be on the low scale, this makes a good starting point for entry-level proofreading to find work and experience.

Another freelance job board when you can use their search box to narrow down results for online proofreading jobs.

At Guru, jobs are offered at a fixed price or an hourly rate.

5. We Work Remotely

Offering a number of writing and copyediting jobs, We Work Remotely is another site to keep track, when searching for remote jobs.

6. Lionbridge

Lionbridge offer proofreading jobs online. Most of their job openings have very basic requirements which include a high school diploma.

7. Clear Voice

Clear Voice offers freelance proofreading jobs that hire worldwide.

The type of jobs they have available range from writing to proofreading. You get the opportunity to work as a freelancer, following a flexible work schedule.

Payments are made to you weekly or monthly by PayPal.

8. Polished Paper

To apply for an opportunity with Polished Paper, you will need to submit an application form and upload your resume. And the final stage is a 35 questionnaire editor test.

9. Kirkus Media

They are 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.

10. Babbletype

The criteria for eligibility is that you are a native English speaker with a fluency in English and basic grammar knowledge.

They pay weekly via PayPal and is a great place to start for beginner proofreaders.

11. Proofreadingservices.com

Pay is between $19-$46 an hour and you can apply from any country.

You will need to complete a 20-minute preliminary test to begin the application process. They have both full-time and part-time work opportunities.

12. Get Editing

They offer freelance editing and proofreading jobs.

If you sign up to their email listing, you will receive weekly new job openings in your inbox.

13. Writing Jobz

Writing Jobz offer a wide range of work for writers such as copywriting, essay writing and proofreading.

With over 100 jobs posted daily on a variety of topics, Writing Jobz can be the best place for freelancers to find proofreading work.

14. Ubiqus On Demand

Primarily a job site for transcriptionists, Ubiqus also offer jobs for proofreaders and copywriters.

15. Cambridge Proofreading

They are actively recruiting remote academic editors.

A bachelor’s degree is a minimum requirement due to the academic nature of the work.

You can expect to be proofreading and editing a wide range of materials but predominantly dissertations and theses from ESL students and academics.

Typical rates of pay are $20-30 per hour, depending on your editing speed.

16. Domainite Editing Jobs

You can apply by filling out an online application form. They require you to edit a sample as part of the application process.

17. Gramlee Jobs

Their website accepts clients that need editing completed within 24 hours. 

This means there is constant work coming in through the door – more opportunity for you. You can submit your application form right here .

18. Edit Fast

Edit Fast offers part-time proofreading jobs from home.

They will send you notifications when there is potential work available from clients, so you need to sign up with them to be notified.

19. English Trackers

They have a job board directory that you can check regularly to see if there is a suitable job vacancy.

You can also sign up with them to get weekly job listings delivered to your inbox.

20. eCorrectors

Whether you are a professional proofreader or a translator, you can apply with eCorrector. Just email them your resume to be eligible.

They occasionally hire proofreaders and freelance editors. Good to check them out to see if they are hiring.

You can choose to work either full time or as a freelance proofreader. If you see a job that doesn’t suit you, subscribe to get email alerts to be notified of new job openings.

They have been on the top 20 list of the best telecommuting jobs by Forbes in 2016.

To apply you need to have a degree in the subjects listed here.  Prior editing experience is not necessary but can be an advantage.

24. ProofreadingPal

They require you to have a minimum of 5 years of work experience and you can earn up to $3,000 a month.

If you are eligible to apply, there is an online independent contractor form that needs to be completed and you should hear back from them within 5-10 business days.

25. Scribbr

Scribbr offers a wide range of essay editing jobs online.

They provide work from home proofreading jobs with a flexible schedule – accept/decline job offers according to your preference.

You will also need to be a native English speaker and be available for work at least 10 hours a week.

If you are interested in editing papers online – try Scribbr.

26. Wordvice

You need to be a qualified and experienced freelance editor to apply.

They don’t specify how many years of experience is needed, although typical work involves editing research articles, thesis, and essays.

27. Sibia Proofreading

Currently not accepting new applications. But be sure to check back to apply.

28. Proofread Now

They require you to have a minimum of 5 years of work experience to apply. You can sign up to their newsletter to be notified of new job openings.

29. Words RU

They are looking for highly qualified proofreaders from any country. They are currently hiring, so you can apply if you meet their requirements.

30. Scribendi

Experience is required for editors and proofreaders to apply.

31. Managed Editing

You will need to have a college degree and at least 5 years of editing experience in order to apply.

How to Find Online Proofreading Jobs?

If you are looking for freelance proofreading jobs on a large platform, here are a couple of places you can find work.

Freelancing is a great way for entry level proofreaders to build a portfolio.

While searching for a job, apart from using online proofreading companies, also browse the internet using keywords such as editing jobs, copy editing jobs, or remote proofreading jobs to broaden your search results.

Job boards:

Job board directories are also great to find new jobs on a regular basis. Because of their massive reach and database, you have more jobs to choose from, with new vacancies added frequently. Here are two of the biggest websites that hire remote workers.

• People Per Hour
• Pro Blogger
• Virtual Vocations

Start your own website

If you want to ride solo and be your own boss, the best thing to do is to  start your own website .

It costs less than $100 a year to have your own site, which you can use to promote your proofreading services.

You can set your own rates, offer discounted pricing and also provide special offers on certain services.

Create a blog section on your website to showcase samples of your work. You can also post reviews of customer satisfaction on your site.

How do you promote your work?

It’s great when you own your business, but the big question is where can you find clients especially if you are just getting started?

• Start a Facebook page and promote it to family and friends. Word of mouth is the best way to get started as a beginner.
• You can share your services on relevant Facebook groups.
• My best option is Pinterest. It can get the word out a lot faster. You can create pin images of your website and direct readers from Pinterest to site. Here is a more detailed post on how you can do this.

Enroll in Caitlin’s FREE proofreading workshop to see if this is the right career for you.

3 simple ways to tell if proofreading is for you..

• Are you good at catching typos and misplaced punctuation ?
• Do you often correct texts on social media?
• Cringe when a restaurant menu has a misspelled word?

Want to explore further?

Use your proofreading skills to branch out into these 4 online editing jobs that are also high paying.

• Transcription – As a transcriber, you will need to convert a set of live or pre-recorded audio files into text. You can put your proofreading skills to use in this career, as it requires you to type out an error-free document.  Transcribers earn up to $45,000 a year.
• Freelance writing  – Every writer needs their content to be proofread, and as a proofreader, you are going to be able to spot errors instantly. You can offer your writing service on freelance websites or on blogs and websites. Highlighting your proofreading skills will land you high paying gigs, and give you higher chances of being accepted.
• Blogging – Start your own website and put your writing skills to use. There are many bloggers making a 6 figure income working from home, blogging.
• Sell a book  – As a proofreader, you will be able to create an error-free book. You can consider this option if you are looking to make a passive income from home. 

Get Paid to Proofread Online

Proofreading for money is a relatively simple field to break into.

As long as you’re able to prove your mastery of the language, give consistent work of high quality, and manage your own schedule, finding proofreading jobs from home is a great way to earn money on your own schedule.

If you are happy to edit papers for money, this is definitely the career to consider.

Online Proofreading Jobs

17 comments.

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Brittany!

Thanks for such a gorgeous piece of information. I am new in this world and want to start an online job. But I don’t know how to do. Pls tell me how to join/ start. I did PhD in textiles and apparel designing. This site gives me a inspiration. Thank you once again for such sincere effort.

Thank you for the great info it helps a lot specially on my part I’m a newbie in this and don’t have any idea what kind of work is proofreading. Thank you thank you

Thanks for such a gorgeous piece of information. I am new in this world and want to start an online job. But I don’t know what to do. This site gives me a inspiration. Thank you once again for such sincere effort.

I want to become a reviewer of books

Wow that’s a really great list, so many companies, I didn’t know that there is so many who can hire you. Definitely saving this list : )

Great info, Awesome content , thanks for sharing.

Great content, I’ll be trying some of those things out, thanks a lot

Thank you so much for your very helpful info , which is of great assistance for me , it is somewhat difficult for a person who spent much of his life as a regular full time employee . Thank you again .

Your blog is very informative for a person who has punctuation correction skills but they don’t have an idea about proofreading but they are seeking for a job. I found your blog very helpful. Thanks!

Very informative.Thank you for sharing.More power and God bless!!!

Nice. How can I register. I need a link please

The link for 7. Clear Voice opens to Click Worker.

Thanks Brittany, I have updated the link.

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35 Best Online Proofreading Jobs for Beginners (Make $50+/Hr!)

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Last Updated on November 12, 2022 by Rebecca Lake

Looking for a flexible way to earn a part-time or full-time income from home?

Online proofreading jobs can be a great way to make money on a daily basis. It’s possible to launch a part- or full-time career as a proofreader without previous experience.

There are numerous companies that offer remote job opportunities for entry-level proofreaders and experienced proofreaders. Some online proofreading jobs are offered on a part-time basis, while others are full-time.

Today, we’re sharing tips on how to become a professional proofreader, along with some of the best legitimate proofreading jobs.

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What Is Proofreading and What Do Proofreaders Do?

Proofreading is the process of reviewing written documents and checking them for spelling mistakes, typos and grammatical errors.

A proofreader’s job, in a nutshell, is making sure a piece of writing is error-free. It’s a little different from editing, which involves reviewing text for tone, correct sentence structure, flow and overall style.

Online proofreading jobs can involve reviewing a wide range of writing, including:

• Infographics
• White papers
• Case studies
• Academic papers
• Social media posts
• Technical reports
• Legal documents
• Medical documents

Proofreaders can work as generalists, proofreading a wide range of online content. Or they may specialize in a single type of writing, like legal or medical documents.

Are proofreaders in demand?

Proofreaders are in high demand across a wide variety of industries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . Some of the industries hiring online proofreaders include:

• Newspaper, periodical and book publishers
• Business support services
• Scientific and technical services
• Employment services
• Advertising and public relations services
• Content creators, including bloggers and influencers

The freelance marketplace for online proofreading jobs has plenty of potential to grow as more businesses harness the power of online marketing. The great thing about starting a proofreading career is that prior experience is not necessarily a prerequisite.

What are the basic requirements to become an online proofreader?

As mentioned, you don’t need previous experience to be a good proofreader if you’ve mastered the right skills.

Those skills include:

• Thorough understanding of grammar
• Solid spelling skills
• Good grasp of proper capitalization and punctuation
• Familiarity with different style guides

Some online proofreading jobs may require you to be a native English speaker, but that’s not always the case. There are plenty of potential clients who may be willing to work with you if English is your second language but you’re fluent.

Proofreading could be a natural fit if you’re detail-oriented. In terms of the educational background needed, some online proofreading jobs may require a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree.

However, it’s still possible to become a full-time proofreader without a university degree. Many beginner proofreaders learn everything they need to know to get started by taking an online course.

Want to get paid to proofread?

Sign up for a FREE webinar to learn how to make money proofreading online!

How much money do online proofreaders make?

The average online proofreader earns $52,307 annually, according to ZipRecruiter. At the low end, some proofreaders are making around $14,500 per year, while those at the higher end are earning a six-figure income .

Online proofreaders can easily earn a part-time or full-time income from home . A good hourly rate to target for beginner proofreaders is somewhere in the $25 to $50 range.

How do online proofreaders make money? The answer depends on whether a proofreader is hired as an independent contractor or an employee.

Proofreaders who work as independent contractors can set their own rates and charge:

• By the word
• By the page
• By the hour
• By the project

If you’d like to run your own business, becoming an online proofreader can be a great way to do it.

Proofreaders who are hired as employees, on the other hand, typically have their salaries set by the company they’re working for. There may, however, be room for negotiation and employees may get some nice perks or benefits that independent contractors don’t.

Related post: How to Make $10,000 a Month: 25 High Paying Side Hustle Ideas

35 Best Proofreading Jobs for Beginners

When it comes to finding proofreading jobs online, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, consider what type of proofreading gigs you’re interested in. For example, if you’re looking for flexible options, then you might want to look for a freelance proofreading job that allows for remote work.

Next, check out what’s required of the job itself.

When creating job postings for open positions, companies might include a little detail or a lot. If you’re looking for online proofreading jobs for beginners, then it’s important to understand what the job involves and how those requirements match up with your skills and experience.

Finally, take a look at the pay. 

When you’re just starting as a freelance proofreader, it’s tempting to lowball yourself just to get work. But that can be a big mistake.

If you start out accepting low rates of pay, it’s easy to get stuck in a cycle of doing that over and over again. So consider what you want your target hourly rate to be, then focus your search on jobs that pay that amount. 

Ready to find available proofreading jobs? Here are 35 places to start your search.

Upwork is an online job marketplace that connects freelancers with companies that want to hire them. 

While this online platform does have its critics, Upwork can still be a good place to find your first proofreading job. I used it in the early days of my freelance career to find work.

If you want to use Upwork, you’ll need to create an account first. Once your account is approved, you can create a profile and start searching for online proofreading jobs. 

You’ll need to send proposals for the jobs you want to apply for. And it helps to have a solid profile and portfolio to catch clients’ attention. 

Fiverr is another online platform that you can use to look for online proofreading jobs for beginners.

With Fiverr, you can create a profile and advertise your proofreading skills.

You can decide which proofreading services you want to offer and how you want to price them. It’s an easy way to start earning money proofreading when you have little to no experience!

Guru is similar to Upwork and it’s another online platform that you can use to find proofreading jobs for beginners.

Just like with Upwork, you’ll create an account and set up your profile. Once you’ve done that, you can browse online proofreading job listings to find ones that fit your criteria.

You can bid on jobs that you want to try and snag. And again, having a strong profile can work in your favor for landing clients. 

4. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a remote work website that lists online jobs, including proofreading gigs.

What’s different about FlexJobs compared to other job boards is that you’re more likely to find high-paying gigs. It’s an excellent place to look for proofreading jobs that pay four figures a month.

FlexJobs is a paid job board, which means you’ll have to make a small investment to use it. But a FlexJobs membership could be well worth the money if you’re looking for a great platform with a solid reputation.

5. Virtual Vocations

Virtual Vocations is also a remote work job board. 

This one features a ton of online job opportunities, including remote proofreading and editing positions. 

Like FlexJobs, this site does charge a membership fee. But it could be well worth it if you’re able to sift out the proofreading jobs that pay peanuts and focus on quality opportunities. 

6. Clickworker

Clickworker offers online proofreading job opportunities for people who have an excellent command of their native language and enjoy correcting errors.

To make money proofreading through Clickworker, you first have to complete a few text creation tasks. From there, you can take an online proofreading assessment.

This assessment is used to qualify you as a proofreader with Clickworker. Once you’ve done that, you can start taking on proofreading jobs through the site.

Pay is per-word and based on the quality level of the project. 

7. Proofreading Pal

Proofreading Pal could be a great place to look for online proofreading jobs if you already have experience or a college degree.

Proofreaders who use this site can make $500 to $3,000 a month reviewing documents online. 

Right now, Proofreading Pal is looking for new proofreaders who:

• Are currently employed by or enrolled as a graduate or postgraduate student in an accredited United States college or university and have a minimum GPA of 3.5 OR
• Have a graduate degree with a minimum of five years of professional proofreading and editing experience

This one could be a little tougher to get approved for if you’re new to proofreading and there’s a lengthy application form. But it’s definitely worth bookmarking for later as you gain more experience. 

8. Telus International (formerly Lionbridge)

Telus International offers flexible work at home jobs , including ones that require proofreading.

You register, then complete a skills evaluation. You’ll be contacted when work is available that fits your skills.

You then complete the work at your own pace. And once it’s finished, you get paid!

9. Get Editing Jobs

GetEditingJobs.com is primarily geared toward people who are looking for editing and freelance writing jobs. But you can also find online proofreading jobs here as well.

It’s free to start searching for job opportunities. And to make your job search easier, you can sign up for email alerts to let you know when new proofreading gigs are posted! 

10. ProofreadingServices.com

ProofreadingServices.com offers full and part-time remote proofreading jobs.

The pay is competitive, ranging from $19 to $46 an hour, depending on the project turnaround time. 

You can also work on a flexible schedule, which is good if you’re a stay at home mom , student or you already have a 9 to 5. 

11. LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is a fantastic place to find work as a freelancer or proofreader. 

You can use the LinkedIn Jobs board to search for remote proofreading opportunities. And you can use LinkedIn in general as a networking tool.

The more connections you make on LinkedIn, the more likely you are to encounter someone who needs to hire a proofreader or who can refer you for a proofreading job. 

12. Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is an online marketplace where businesses can go to hire freelancers, including proofreaders.

You can create a profile on the site advertising your services. And you can bid on jobs or create an online portfolio to attract clients. 

13. Polished Paper

Polished Paper is another option for finding online proofreading jobs as you become more experienced. 

This site hires freelance proofreaders to review:

• Dissertations
• Business documents
• Journal articles
• Application essays
• Personal statements
• Resumes/cover letters
• Blog entries

You’ll have to register and take a proofreading test to apply.

But if you have experience proofreading any of those types of content, this could be a great place to find a high-paying gig.

Reedsy is an online community that’s designed to help authors, writers and freelancers come together. 

When you create a profile on Reedsy, you can be matched up with authors or writers to work with. This can take some of the hassle out of deciding which proofreading jobs to apply for. 

15. PeoplePerHour

PeoplePerHour is another freelancing community you could use to find at-home proofreading jobs as a beginner. 

Over a million businesses use this site to find freelancers of all skill levels. 

You can decide which freelance proofreading services you want to offer and what type of clients you want to work with. And you can also set your own rates so it’s super flexible. 

16. Wordvice

Wordvice could be a good fit if you’re looking for editing or proofreading jobs online and are a native English speaker.

And if you’re fluent in languages other than English, you could also check out Wordvice’s job listings for freelance translators. 

This site does require a graduate degree to be considered for proofreading work. But you can work online and the hours are flexible. 

17. Mediabistro

Mediabistro offers a mix of both in-house and remote work jobs, including listings for proofreaders.

I used this site to find freelance writing gigs as a beginner.

And a lot of top-shelf companies in the publishing space use it to find and hire freelancers.  

18. American Journal Experts

American Journal Experts offers freelance editing positions but it’s still worth a look if you’re interested in online proofreading jobs that also require editing.

Freelancers can take advantage of flexible work schedules and you can work independently. You’re also provided with comprehensive support in case you need help or have questions as you work through your editing tasks.

19. Robert Half

Robert Half is a lesser-known option for finding online proofreading jobs. But it’s a site that’s worth adding to your job search list if you’re interested in remote or contract proofreading work. 

It’s really easy to find proofreading jobs through the site. You can plug in your keywords in the search bar or set up an email alert and online proofreading gigs are delivered to your inbox.

20. Gramlee

Gramlee is always hiring for online proofreading jobs and online editing jobs. 

Aside from having solid proofreading skills, you’ll also need to be good at time management. Gramlee advertises 24-hour turnaround times for editing and proofreading services so it could be a great fit if you’re able to work at a faster pace. 

21. Writer’s Relief

Writer’s Relief is one of the top 100 websites for writers.

And like Gramlee, they’re always accepting applications for online proofreaders. You’ll need to be located in the United States to submit an application.  

This site offers proofreading services for authors, including reviews of poetry, books, short stories and essays. So it’s worth checking out if you’re the literary type.

22. OneSpace

OneSpace routinely posts listings for freelancers of all backgrounds, including graphic designers, writers and proofreaders.

Finding online proofreading jobs here can be hit or miss since they sometimes have only a few positions available. 

But it’s still one of the best options to bookmark since they pay daily and they offer proofreading gigs for people at all experience levels. 

CACTUS works with over 200,000 clients so there are plenty of opportunities to find online proofreading jobs for beginners here. 

Aside from proofreading jobs, you can also find freelance editing work and freelance translation jobs. 

One of the company’s best features is its task workflow, which makes it easy to accept and submit proofreading assignments so you can get paid faster!

24. Managed Editing

Managed Editing hires freelancers for proofreading jobs so you can earn money where you are, on your own schedule.

There is an application you have to fill out, which is quite detailed. But the more information you can provide about your proofreading skills and experience, the better your odds of getting matched for a paid proofreading job.

25. Scribendi

Scribendi offers editing and proofreading services for businesses.  

This site is unique because it offers specialized proofreading services, including:

• English as a Second Language (ESL) proofreading
• Academic proofreading
• Proofreading for authors
• Proofreading for personal documents
• Editing and proofreading for students
• Business and corporate proofreading services

If you have experience with any of those things, you could unlock a steady stream of online proofreading jobs with Scribendi.

26. Scribie

Scribie is technically an online transcription service. But they do use online proofreaders as part of the service they offer to their transcription clients. 

You’ll have to have a good comprehension of English to apply. There’s also a certification process you have to complete before you can start working through the site. 

27. Edit Fast

Edit Fast helps skilled editors, proofreaders and writers find work. 

It’s really easy to use, too. You create a profile to receive notifications about jobs. If you see a job that interests you, you send the client a proposal.

If the client accepts your proposal, you do the work and get paid!

It’s a passive way to find online proofreading jobs without spending hours surfing job boards each day. 

28. WritingJobz.com

WritingJobz.com is great for finding proofreading and writing jobs you can do from home.

What I love about this site is that you always get paid for your time. So if you have a nitpicky client that wants endless revisions, WritingJobz.com makes sure you’re compensated for that. 

That’s a huge plus and a great reason to consider applying to become a freelance proofreader here. 

29. Domainite

Domainite helps you find paid proofreading jobs online, regardless of skill level.

There is an editing test you have to complete first to apply. And you also need to know your way around Microsoft Word. 

But overall, it’s one of the easier sites to start finding paid proofreading jobs as a beginner. 

30. R3ciprocity

R3ciprocity offers a super simple way to make money proofreading online.

With this site, people submit their work to be reviewed and proofread. As you proofread documents, you earn credits. 

Those credits can then be converted to cash and deposited into your bank account via Stripe. 

This site may not pay quite as much as some online proofreading jobs. But it’s an easy way to get your feet wet and start building up your proofreading experience. 

31. Academia-Research

Academia-Research specializes in academic writing. As in, they hire people to write essays, research papers and other academic content.

But they also hire online proofreaders and copy editors as well. 

You might want to check out this site for work at home proofreading jobs if you have an academic background or just enjoy reading academic writing. 

32. Babbletype

Babbletype offers transcription, editing and translation services to its clients. So if you’re skilled at one or all three, you could easily earn great money from home through this site. 

One thing they look for is the ability to get along well with others. So solid communication skills could give you an edge.

At the moment, they aren’t taking applications for online proofreading jobs. But you could still keep tabs on the site for updates when new jobs open up. 

33. EditorLive

EditorLive could be an option if you’re looking for a full-time online proofreading job and live in Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada or Texas.

This site looks for online proofreaders who have a college degree and can provide at least two references. There’s also a multi-step assessment you’ll need to complete as part of the application process. 

34. MotherWorks

If you’re a stay at home mom who’s looking for online proofreading jobs or any other type of freelance work you’ll definitely want to check out MotherWorks .

This site features remote and online jobs for stay at home moms or any mom who wants to earn an income online. 

You can find proofreading jobs to do from home, along with editing jobs, writing gigs and virtual assistant jobs, to name a few!

35. Scribe Media

Scribe Media offers book coaching, book publishing, book writing and marketing services for authors.

The company regularly hires remote support staff, including online proofreaders, to help authors get their books published and available for sale.

There aren’t as many online proofreading jobs listed here, but it’s worth checking out if you’re specifically interested in working in the book publishing industry.

Start a Proofreading Business

One of the best ways to find online proofreading jobs is to make them for yourself.

So how do you do that?

Simple. You start an online proofreading business and become your own boss.

Here are the pros of starting your own proofreading business:

• You have control over which jobs you take (or don’t)
• You can set your own hours and work when you want
• Earning potential is unlimited since you can set your rates and decide how much to work
• You can connect with some really great people along the way, including clients, editors and other proofreaders
• It can be easier to become an expert in a particular type of proofreading and niche down, which can help you increase your earnings

If you want to start a proofreading business of your own, setting up a website is a good place to start.

For that, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting. NameHero is who I use for my sites, though Siteground is also highly recommended.

Once you’ve got your site set up, you can decide if you want to add a blog element to it. Be sure to read my ultimate guide to starting a blog if that’s something you’re interested in!

From there, you can work on building out your site and portfolio to start getting clients.

What do you need to start an online proofreading business?

One advantage of starting an online proofreading side hustle is that startup costs are typically low. You don’t need much money to get started.

Here’s what you’ll need to launch your profitable proofreading business:

• Editing software (Microsoft Word or Google docs work fine)
• Proofreading software ( Grammarly is great for beginners!)
• A PayPal account or bank account so you can get paid
• Dropbox if you need cloud storage

It’s also a good idea to set up social media accounts so you can start building your brand online.

Do you need to take a proofreading course?

If you do a quick Google search for “how to make money proofreading” or “how to get proofreading jobs online”, you’ll probably come across at least one website advertising online proofreading courses. 

Every course is different but the gist is the same: they equip you with the basic skills and knowledge you need to get started to make money proofreading. 

So, are these courses a good use of your time and money?

Online proofreading courses can definitely give you a leg up and help increase your earning potential. 

There are two things to keep in mind, though.

First, not all courses are the same. There are definitely some that are better than others. 

And second, you only get out of a course what you put into it. So if you can’t commit to spending the time to dive through the modules and absorb all the lessons, an online proofreading course could be a waste of money for you. 

With that being said, I can’t recommend Caitlin Pyle’s Proofread Anywhere course enough. 

She’s an undisputed expert in all things proofreading and based on feedback I’ve gotten from some of her students, this course is well worth the time and money required. 

If you want to get a sneak peek at what the course covers, you can sign up for a free workshop that covers the basics of how to make money as a proofreader. 

It costs nothing but your time and it can give you a better idea of whether online proofreading is the right side job for you.

How to Find Proofreading Jobs From Home

Not sure where to find paying proofreading gigs? There are a number of different ways to find proofreading jobs from home, including:

• Networking on LinkedIn or social media
• Asking for referrals
• Reaching out to friends and family
• Cold pitching your services to potential clients
• Responding to ads on freelance and remote work job boards

All of those options can lead to paying gigs.

And in the meantime, I recommend checking out the free proofreading workshop I mentioned earlier to learn more about how to make money as a proofreader.

Final thoughts on online proofreading jobs for beginners

Proofreading can be an excellent way to make money online. Depending on what kind of proofreading jobs you’re interested in, you could easily make a part-time or full-time income from the comfort of your own home. It’s one of the best options for creating an additional income stream, with no prior experience needed.

If you want to learn more about how proofreading works, be sure to check out Caitlin Pyle. She really knows her stuff!

Remember, her proofreading webinar doesn’t cost a dime. So you can take the workshop to help decide if online proofreading jobs are right for you. 

Need more money tips? Read these posts next:

• 140+ Legitimate Side Hustle Ideas to Make Extra Money
• 37 Creative Side Hustles That Can Help You Make $100 a Day (or More!)
• How to Make $2000 a Month From Home With Flexible Side Hustles
• 50 Legitimate Ways to Make an Extra $1000 a Month Online (and Offline)
• 50+ Things to Sell to Make Money (Sell Stuff for Cash Fast!)

Best Online Proofreading Jobs for Beginners

About Rebecca Lake

Rebecca Lake is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance, freelance writer and homeschooling single mom of two. Since 2014, she's paid off nearly $100,000 in debt and grown her net worth to seven figures. Her work has appeared online at top personal finance websites, including Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, Investopedia, The Balance, CreditCards.com and U.S. News & World Report. Find out more.

Privacy Overview

21 Websites Offering Legit Freelance Proofreading Jobs

This content may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through these links I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. However, I only recommend products or services that I genuinely like and trust.

Want to become a successful proofreader but struggling to find freelance proofreading jobs? 

Finding clients is one of the most stressful parts of being a freelancer, but it doesn’t have to be. There are lots of online proofreading jobs available; you just have to know where to look. 

I’ve compiled a list of proofreading websites that hire proofreaders and editors to work for them. They find the clients; all you have to worry about is doing the work! 

Of course, working for an agency has pros and cons. You don’t have to do as much marketing, but as a result, you may earn a little less once the company has taken its cut. 

Stick around for the FAQ section at the end of this post, where I share some information about starting your own business. 

Table of Contents

Websites That Provide Freelance Proofreading Jobs

1.  scribendi.

Scribendi  is a Canada-based company that hires editors and proofreaders to edit content for its ESL, academic, professional, and student clients. It has both in-house and freelance positions. 

Suitable for beginners?

No. Scribendi requires that you have at least three years of experience in editing, writing, document production, or language teaching.

Do you need a degree?

Yes, you need to have a university degree in a relevant field. 

Special requirements:

You need to have native level English ability. However, the website states that the company hires proofreaders and editors outside the US and Canada. 

Your computer must have Microsoft Word 2010 or higher. 

2.  Proofed Inc.

Proofed offers proofreading, editing, and formatting services to businesses, students, and academics, and promises to return documents within 24 hours. 

Yes. If you don’t have experience yet, you can take its Knowadays Becoming a Proofreader and Becoming an Editor Courses (formerly Proofreading Academy) first. If you graduate with a score of 80% or higher from both courses, you are guaranteed the chance to work with Proofed.

Sign up for a free trial of the Knowadays Becoming a Proofreader course here!

I wrote a review of the Knowdays (formerly Proofreading Academy) Becoming a Proofreader course here.

Yes. Proofed is looking for meticulous, passionate proofreaders with a PhD, master’s, or undergraduate degree from a top university. However, if you complete its course, it will waive this requirement. 

You must upload a copy of your résumé and cover letter to apply for a role with Proofed. 

3.  ProofreadNOW

ProofreadNOW’s proofreaders and editors have been proofreading business documents since 1999. Its clients include law firms, marketing agencies, universities, healthcare providers, and more. 

ProofreadNOW is not hiring at present, but you can  sign up for its email list to be notified  when it is hiring. 

No. ProofreadNOW requires that you have five years of experience as a proofreader. 

The website doesn’t specify.  

You must pass a series of tedious and difficult tests before being hired.  

4.  Polished Paper

Polished Paper is a proofreading and editing service for students, businesses, and ESL writers. 

Register here to be considered for a position with Polished Paper. 

Possibly. The website doesn’t specify how many years of experience you need. 

You must pass a 35-question editor test before being hired. 

5.  Reedsy

Reedsy connects authors with proofreaders, editors, designers, and marketers who can help them bring their book to life and publish it. 

With Reedsy, you can set your own rates, and it charges a 10% commission. To apply, you must  sign up for a free Reedsy profile , and once you are accepted, you will be added to the marketplace. 

From what I’ve heard it can be quite difficult to get into Reedsy. I believe you need to have some experience already, but the website doesn’t specify. 

The website doesn’t specify. I think experience is more important to them.  

Not aware of any. 

6.  Domainite

Domainite  offers a range of services like marketing, website design, and direct mailing to its business customers. 

Possibly. The website doesn’t specify how much experience you need to have.

You must complete an  editing sample  before being hired. You must also confirm that you are familiar with using track changes in Microsoft Word. 

7.  Gramlee

Gramlee offers copyediting, grammar check, and proofreading services for students and academics.

You need to  fill out Gramlee’s employment form  to be considered for a proofreading or editing position.  

Possibly. The website doesn’t specify how many years of experience the company requires, but the form does ask how much experience you have.

The website doesn’t specify, but the form does ask if you have a degree.   

8.  Wordvice

Wordvice has been editing academic material and admissions essays for ESL clients since 2013. It has service agreements with many universities, academic societies, medical centers, research institutions, and laboratories.

Apply here to become a freelance editor with Wordvice. 

No. You need to have two years’ professional editing experience. It prefers that you have an educational background or have experience in medicine, engineering, or other biomedical and natural science domain.

Yes. You need to have completed or be enrolled in a graduate degree program.  

You must have native fluency in English. You must also have experience with various formatting styles such as APA, AMA, MLA, and Chicago.

9.  CACTUS

CACTUS  specializes in editing scientific and medical documents for academics. It is known for being a good place to work, consistently ranking among the top 20 on the global list of the Top 100 Companies for Telecommute Jobs (Forbes.com) since 2016.

The website states that “prior editing experience would be great.”

Yes. You need to have a PhD/master’s/bachelor’s degree or expertise in one or more specialized subject areas in physical sciences, engineering, materials sciences, healthcare, life sciences, medicine, and surgery. 

In addition to freelance positions where you can work from anywhere in the world, CACTUS also offers some full-time remote positions for people based in India. You may be asked to take an editing test to secure one of these positions. 

10.  Sibia Proofreading

Sibia Proofreading  was founded by Dona, a Harvard graduate. It offers proofreading and editing services for academics including journal articles, dissertations, theses, essays, etc.

The website doesn’t state how many years of experience you need to have; however, it does mention that its editors have experience editing PhDs. 

Yes. Sibia Proofreading carefully selects talented and experienced editing professionals who have graduated from top-tier universities such as Harvard University.

You need to be a native English speaker. 

11.  ProofreadingServices.com

ProofreadingServices.com  has helped thousands of academics, jobseekers, businesspeople, and authors refine their writing. It has part-time and full-time remote positions available.

It offers competitive pay ranging from US$19 to US$46 per hour depending on turnaround time, with the highest pay for the most urgent deadlines.

The website doesn’t specify. 

You need to complete an online application that includes multiple choice questions and a three to four-sentence writing sample.  

12.  ProofreadingPal

ProofreadingPal  uses a two-proofreader model whereby all documents must be proofed by two proofreaders to ensure it provides the highest-quality proofreading service. 

No. You need to have a minimum of five years of professional proofreading and editing experience or be working toward a degree.

Yes. If you do not already have a degree, you need to be currently employed by or enrolled as a graduate or postgraduate student in an accredited United States college or university and have a minimum GPA of 3.5.

You must have experience with several popular writing styles, such as APA, MLA, CMS, AP, and CSE.

13.  Edit24-7

Edit 24-7  specializes in proofreading and light editing for academics, businesses, and writers.

According to the website, Edit 24-7 has an extensive application process. To apply for a position, you need to send a writing sample and either your resume or a description of your relevant experience to [email protected].

14.  EditFast

The   EditFast  platform allows eligible editors and proofreaders to set up a web page where potential clients can reach out to them. Clients can choose which editor they want to work with or have EditFast choose someone.  

EditFast gets 40% of the final project price. 

The website states a requirement for past editing/proofreading experience, but it doesn’t say how many years.  

You need to have a degree from a recognized university. 

You must keep all communications with clients on the EditFast platform. 

15.  Edit911

Edit911  provides book, dissertation, article, and document editing by editors with PhDs.

The website doesn’t specify how many years of experience you need to have, but it does mention that you should have verifiable experience, so I don’t think it is suitable for beginners.  

Yes. You need to have a PhD in English or another writing-intensive discipline. You must also be a published scholar, with demonstrable talent and skills as a writer.

You need to send your résumé and a sample of your writing to Edit911 to be considered for a position.

16.  First Editing

First Editing provides fiction, nonfiction, and academic editing services. 

The website lists  First Editing’s requirements  here.   

It would be advantageous. First Editing is looking for people with a doctorate degree with experience in technical editing, theses, dissertations, research, article submissions, etc.

It also mentions master’s, bachelor’s, specific editing courses, proofreading certification, publishing seminars, etc.

You must be available to work at least 25 hours per week. Living in an international location may be advantageous, especially one that serves a time zone outside of the continental North American market, especially those editors located in the UK, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, or Hawaii.

17.  Cambridge Proofreading LLC

Cambridge Proofreading  was founded in Cambridge, England, and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It matches the clients’ documents with editors who have subject-matter expertise. 

The average pay is US$20 to US$25 per hour, paid twice monthly.

The website states that the company’s preferred candidate will have experience in academic editing or publishing, or as university faculty.

Yes. Cambridge Proofreading boasts that all its editors hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, with the majority having master’s or doctoral degrees. 

Expertise in STEM, business, economics, education, and computer science would be advantageous. 

18.  WordsRU

WordsRU   was established in Australia in 2002. It provides a specialist proofreading and editing service to businesses, academics, and writers.

No. You must have at least two years of professional experience as an editor, copyeditor, or proofreader.

Yes. You must hold a master’s degree, PhD, or equivalent professional experience in any academic discipline.

WordsRU is currently in need of qualified editors who are available to work on weekends.

19.  Scribbr

With an office in the Netherlands and a team of over 500 freelancers worldwide,  Scribbr  helps over one million students per month to improve their writing. As a Scribbr proofreader and editor, you would be editing papers, detecting plagiarism, and generating citations. It offers services in ten languages!

On average, Scribbr’s editors edit 1,700 words per hour and earn from €20 to €25 per hour.

No. You must have experience editing academic texts. 

Yes. You must hold at least a bachelor’s degree. 

You must be a native English speaker and be available to work for at least ten hours per week. 

To  become a Scribbr editor , you must pass a rigorous application process including a language quiz and two to five simulation orders. 

20.  Stickler

Stickler  specializes in helping academics get published in a top-tier journal, complete their PhDs, or obtain funding by providing world-class proofreading and copyediting services. 

No. You must have significant experience editing academic texts. 

You must be able to turn work of 14,000 words or less around in two to four working days (more time will be allocated for longer jobs). You must also be familiar with Harvard and APA referencing styles (as a minimum).

21.  Editana

Editana  recruits editors and proofreaders from the world’s top universities to edit academic and nonacademic texts. 

No. You must have relevant proofreading experience to apply.  

The website doesn’t specify, but it does say that they actively recruit from universities, so it’s likely you’ll need to be working toward a degree.  

You will need to fill out an application form, provide a cover letter and résumé, and take an editorial test to be considered for a position. You must also be a native-English speaker. 

FAQs about Freelance Proofreading Jobs

Whew, that was a lot of information to get at one time! You probably have a lot of questions now like

• How do I become a freelance proofreader without a degree or experience?
• Can I start my own business instead of working for proofreading and editing companies?
• How much can I earn per hour as a proofreader?

Keep reading for the answers to those questions. 

How do I become a freelance proofreader without a degree?

You probably noticed that many of the proofreading jobs above require their editors and proofreaders have a degree or even a master’s or PhD! So it is even possible to become a proofreader without a degree?

Yes, you don’t need to have a degree to start your own proofreading business. You can market your business to get your own clients without relying on proofreading companies. 

When you work with proofreading agencies, they keep a percentage of the profits—sometimes even as much as 50%! Getting your own clients means that you get to keep all the money for the project (minus transaction fees). 

Start Your Own Proofreading Business

The first step to starting your own proofreading business is making sure that you have the appropriate skills and resources. 

One course that I have personally taken and can recommend is Proofread Anywhere’s  General Proofreading: Theory and Practice course . It includes lots of worksheets and essays so you can practice your proofreading skills as well as an entire module dedicated to teaching you how to market your business to get clients.

Sign up for a  free Intro to Proofreading workshop  to learn how you can become a proofreader. 

Once you have the appropriate training, you need to gather your resources including a laptop/desktop computer, editing software, and  proofreading books and style guides . 

For more details on starting a proofreading business from home, check out my post about  how to become a proofreader without any experience . 

Can you make money proofreading?

One of the most common questions I get asked about working as a proofreader online is “Can you make money proofreading?” The answer is YES! You won’t become a millionaire by proofreading, but you can make a decent living. 

According to ZipRecruiter, a freelance proofreader in the United States can earn an  average of $51,391 per year  or $22/hour (as at August 11, 2020).

Caitlin Pyle of Proofread Anywhere  earned $43,000 a year as a part-time proofreader!

How much should I charge for proofreading per hour?

How much you can charge for proofreading depends on many factors. If you work for a proofreading agency, it will decide how much you will be paid. However, if you start your own proofreading business, you can set your own rates.

Proofreaders can charge per word, per page, per hour, or per project. It depends on the type of document you’re working on. 

Some editorial associations publish average rates that they have compiled by surveying their members. According to the  Editorial Freelancers Association  (EFA), proofreaders can charge between $0.02 and $0.029 per word or between $36 and $40 per hour for proofreading nonfiction. 

The  Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders  (CIEP) suggests a minimum hourly rate for proofreading of £25.40, and a minimum hourly rate of £29.60 for copyediting.  

I cover how much proofreaders make in more detail in this post.

Final Thoughts about Online Proofreading Jobs

I hope this post gave you lots of ideas on how to find freelance proofreading jobs online. 

Don’t forget to check out this  free proofreading class  to find out how to become a proofreader with no experience!

Not sold on proofreading? There are tons of other options out there!  Check out this list of 33 home-based business ideas!

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The Work at Home Wife

Helping you work at home and make money online

Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners

By Angie Nelson

Last Updated November 7, 2020 . Disclosure: We may receive compensation if you sign up for or purchase products linked below. Details on offers may change, and you should confirm them with the company prior to taking action.

INSIDE: Proofreading jobs are one of the easiest ways to earn money from home if you enjoy correcting grammatical errors. Learn all about this career opportunity and discover if it’s for you!

Are you quick to pick up grammatical errors and spelling mistakes in the things you read?

Do you know where to insert commas and where to leave them out? Are you confident with APA, MLA, or CLM style guides?

If you answered a resounding yes to these questions, you might be a candidate for a great proofreading job.

If you’ve looked for information about working from home, you’ve probably run across online proofreading jobs. Many people want more information about this type of gig because they have a solid command of the language and know how to recognize punctuation errors.

If you’ve ever wondered if you’d be a good proofreader, keep reading to see if you have what it takes to build a proofreading career.

What Is Proofreading?

• Writers have already finished the prewriting stage with brainstorming sessions and research.
• The content and structure have been developed during the writing or drafting phase.
• Then the content has been revised and any major errors in organization or flow have been corrected with the editor.
• Now the piece is ready for copy editing.
• Proofreading is the final stage.

What is Proofreading?

During the proofreading stage, it’s time to polish the content and prepare it for publication. This final step includes looking for and correcting typographical mistakes, grammatical errors and style preferences.

Anyone who produces content may have a need for a proofreader. This includes bloggers, small businesses, and large companies.

Though some people and companies choose to do their own proofreading, many bring in help for this phase of the process. They want to ensure everything they publish has a second set of eyes on it to ensure it is error-free.

When working as a freelance proofreader, you may be asked to proofread anything from social media updates to emails and blog posts to books. Many proofreaders choose to focus on one main type of content. Examples include:

• Student essays
• Court transcripts
• Online articles and blog posts
• Legal transcription
• Medical transcription
• Self-published novels
• User manuals
• Restaurant menus
• Press releases
• Newsletters

You may also choose to work with a specific type of client, providing all of their proofreading needs. Your client focus could be:

• Coaches/Consultants
• Court reporters
• Real estate agents
• Restaurants
• Local brick-and-mortar businesses

What is Copy Editing?

In addition to basic proofreading, you may be interested in copy editing. This type of editing is more in-depth. Copy editors often suggest larger changes to a draft or manuscript.

These recommendations go beyond grammar and punctuation, and they deal with things such as clarity, consistency, and brevity.

Copy editors might specialize in a particular type of work (such as self-published authors of any genre) or in a particular field or industry (such as technical manuals for software companies).

Copy editing typically happens before proofreading, which serves as a final check before publication.

Benefits of Working From Home as a Proofreader

Here’s a brief overview of the benefits of working as a remote proofreader. Many of these will be covered in more detail further down in the post.

Freelance proofreading jobs often provide flexibility. In many cases, your assigned work can be completed at any time of the day or night, as long as you meet your client’s deadlines.

That means you may be able to proofread as a side-hustle in addition to your regular 9-to-5 job. It can also be a great fit for moms who are trying to earn some income while staying home with their kids.

Unlike with many work-at-home opportunities, you don’t necessarily need a desktop computer to succeed. There are people making money by proofreading on other devices, such as a laptop or tablet . Technological advances have made it incredibly easy to share files around the world.

Because you’ll typically be working with text files instead of videos, you don’t need the extra-fast internet connection that many other at-home jobs require.

As long as your clients don’t have any specific requirements for internet speed, this remote job is a good fit for people with satellite or other non-wired DSL internet options. So freelance proofreading is a viable option if you live in a small town or out in the boonies.

In addition to not needing great internet, you also don’t need a dedicated phone line. You won’t need a printer, a headset, or any other special equipment. Of course, you may want some for your own workflow (such as a portable keyboard if you’re using a tablet), but they aren’t required.

As an added bonus, online proofreading work is plentiful. Tons of content creators are looking for people to polish their work.

How Much Do Remote Proofreading Jobs Pay?

As with many online jobs, proofreading pay rates run the gamut from very little to very lucrative. Proofreading tends to pay less than freelance writing jobs .

Glassdoor reported an average annual salary of $44,000 in January 2020. The number can be higher or lower depending on your specialty and experience.

But you typically won’t have a guaranteed salary  as a remote proofreader. That’s because proofreading pay is usually production-based. You’ll rarely be offered an hourly wage. Instead, you’ll be paid by the number of pages you proof.

How Flexible Are the Hours for At-Home Proofreaders?

As mentioned above, flexibility is one of the biggest perks of proofreading. More often than not, it’s a deadline-driven opportunity, as opposed to being on the clock for a specific number of hours. As long as you can meet your deadlines, it doesn’t matter when you do the work.

In many cases, you won’t need to punch a time clock. You just do the work when you can, and ensure it’s finished and submitted by the deadline. As you gain experience, you will naturally become faster, which helps increase the amount you can earn.

However, if you’re a proofreader in a traditional office setting for a company, you might have a specific schedule.

The other caveat to the flexibility of proofreading is that, depending on the type of clients you have, you might need to turn your projects around quickly. You might receive a document to proofread and have to return it the next day, for example. This isn’t always the case, but it’s definitely an element of the job for many proofreaders.

Being able to manage your time well is essential, even for flexible work such as proofreading. If you constantly procrastinate, you’ll start missing deadlines.

What Proofreading Skills Do You Need?

In addition to being able to manage your time well, you need some specific skills to succeed as a proofreader.

Qualified proofreaders need a great vocabulary and top-notch grammar skills. Proofreading isn’t just catching spelling errors. You also need to know proper comma usage, subject-verb agreement, and standard proofreading marks, for example.

Some employers require freelance proofreaders to have a college degree. Others simply want proofreading experience. If you don’t have either, you can reach out to small businesses or online publications to offer your services to gain some referrals and/or testimonials.

To work for a large content producer or news-centric website, you may need more advanced skills.

Many professional organizations and content mills follow AP Stylebook guidelines. The Chicago Manual of Style is another popular style manual being used by many digital publications. If you want to proof academic papers for students, in some instances you need to use the MLA Style Manual.

What Tools Do You Need?

Proofreading is one of the great online jobs that can be done from just about anywhere and on just about any device. Work on your tablet , if you like. A few proofreading tools may make your life easier, however.

• Google Docs Many online proofreading jobs are done via Google Docs, which allows for a markup procedure and the ability to add comments to an original document. Documents can also be shared easily online.
• Dropbox is another great option for sharing documents with clients who prefer to use Microsoft Word or another word processor.
• Grammarly is a fabulous proofreading tool for spotting grammar and spelling mistakes. The free version lets you check WordPress and social media, but you need a premium account for Microsoft Office products and Google Docs. It can be a huge time-saver, however! It can even make suggestions for sentence structure and writing style. But it won’t catch everything. And it’ll make some recommendations that just don’t work for a particular piece of content. That means you can’t rely on Grammarly to do your proofreading job. It’s a helpful tool, but it’s not a set of human eyes.
• McGraw-Hill’s Proofreading Handbook is a must-have for the aspiring proofreader as well as the professional proofreader. It has a lot of great tips and tools to make your proofreading process and business run more efficiently.
• Don’t forget to pick up The Chicago Manual of Style and AP Stylebook , which we mentioned earlier.

How to Find Work as an Online Proofreader

There are several ways to search for proofreading work, and the way you pick should be determined by the type of work you want to do.

If you want to freelance, you’ll need to actively market yourself. If you want to work for a company, you’ll mostly be responding to positions posted on various online job boards. And sometimes, you’ll find a freelance proofreading job by searching the internet.

Here are some common search terms and keywords you can use to find editing jobs and companies:

• proofreader/proofreading
• editor/editing
• copy editor
• line editor
• academic editor
• book editor

You’ll also want to include the typical keywords that are used for at-home positions:

• home office
• telecommute
• contract/contractor

The bulk of your interview process will involve proving your proofreading skill by taking editing tests . You may be given a small sample and asked to proof it.

This type of work is very much performance-based. It will certainly help if you have an engaging personality, but you won’t be hired if you can’t perform well on an editing test.

If you go the freelance route working for individuals, you’ll probably come up against fewer editing tests, so you’ll need to be ready to prove yourself in other ways. The best way is with your testimonials from happy clients.

You can plan to do a couple of free or low-paid gigs in exchange for a testimonial, if you don’t have any.

Who Hires Online Proofreaders?

Many sites regularly hire online proofreaders:

• American Journal Experts hires editors with expert backgrounds to proofread manuscripts of non-native English speakers.
• Babbletype is a transcription company that frequently looks for skilled proofreaders and editors. New assignments post at 6 p.m. EST. You can view what’s available and choose your assignments. You then have 22 hours to complete your assignments.
• Book Editing Associates hires copy editors, proofreaders, and publishing consultants. Candidates need more than five years of editing experience.
• CACTUS Global offers specialized editing and proofreading services and likes its freelancers to have a bachelors or masters degree, a PhD, or expertise in one or more specialized subject areas in physical sciences and engineering, health care, life sciences, medicine and surgery, or social sciences. An experienced proofreader can earn $1,200 to $3,000 per month plus bonuses.
• dotdash occasionally hires freelance copy editors.
• Domainite pays ridiculously low rates, but it may be a place to test the waters to see if proofreading is really for you.
• Edit 911 is looking for proofreaders with a PhD in English.
• EditFast requires a degree from a recognized university and some experience.
• Editor Live hires editors to proof academic and business papers, with a tight turnaround time ranging from three to 72 hours. It says that on average its editors earn $750 to $1,800 every two weeks.
• Enago hires editors for academic papers. The requirements are high. You need a master’s, a PhD or postdoctoral research experience in addition to academic editing experience, and you must be a member of an acclaimed editing association.
• English Trackers hires experienced academic editors.
• Gramlee has a unique application process. It charges clients two cents per word and doesn’t disclose how much of that will be your cut.
• Kibin didn’t have any proofreader jobs the last time we checked, but you can sign up for notifications.
• Lifetips offers salary plus full medical benefits.
• Net Transcripts is a company always on the hunt for legal and general transcribers. It also needs transcription proofreaders from time to time.
• Polished Paper contracts only with “exceptional editors” who pass their 35-question test.
• Prompt allows you to get paid for proofreading college admission essays. Pay starts at $20 per hour.
• ProofreadingPal offers editing services for all types of documents. It’s looking for proofreaders currently enrolled in college with a minimum 3.5 GPA or graduates with five years of experience.
• proofreadingservices.com doesn’t list any experience requirements, but you’ll be required to complete a 20-minute proofreading test.
• Reedsy is a site that works with authors. This is more of a freelance marketplace. The company takes 10% of your earnings as their fee for using their service.
• Scribbr is hiring freelance editors with many native languages – English included. A Scribbr editor needs a bachelor’s degree and must commit to at least 10 hours per week.
• Scribe Media is hiring freelance “scribes.” This role comes with a side of writing in addition to editing.
• Scribe Writing used to be known as Book in a Box. Proofreaders here work on a book project from start to finish, which can take up to four months. The company didn’t have any openings at the time we updated this post, but you can check back.
• Scribendi asks for three years’ experience and a university degree.
• WordFirm ‘s ManagedEditing prefers five years’ experience and a degree.
• Words R U requires a masters, PhD or equivalent experience in an academic discipline. It prefers candidates with English as a Second Language (ESL) experience. The company is currently seeking academic editors, technical/science editors, and business materials editors who are available to work on the weekends.
• Wordvice requires a graduate degree and two years of proofreading experience.

FlexJobs is an online job board that lists only researched telecommute positions. It’s well worth the small investment, and you’ll find leads for all types of work-at-home jobs, including proofreading.

What If You Don’t Have a Degree? Is There Training for At-Home Proofreading Jobs?

You may have noticed that many of the websites listed above require a bachelor’s degree or even a PhD. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have a college degree or certificate.

With proofreading becoming so freelancer-heavy, you don’t necessarily need an impressive resume full of proofreading work to be able to find freelance gigs. What you do need are testimonials. A track record of happy clients will go a long way toward selling yourself when you’re freelancing.

Caitlin Pyle of Proofread Anywhere has two very popular proofreading courses  that can help you get started creating your own successful business.

The General Proofreading Theory and Practice course is a great place to start. It helps you turn your proofreading abilities into cash.

You’ll learn about the skills you need to succeed, how to enter the job market as a proofreader, and how to turn your skills into a business. There’s an entire module dedicated to looking for proofreading jobs. The course comes with practice worksheets, so you can put what you’ve learned into action.

Proofread Anywhere also offers a course called Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice. While the first course is great for general proofreading jobs, this one is more specialized. With it, you’ll learn how to build an at-home career as a transcript proofreader.

What Is Transcript Proofreading?

Transcripts are a written version of content that was originally produced in another medium. For instance, medical transcripts are taken from doctors’ audio notes. Court transcripts are a written record of attorneys’ spoken arguments and the decisions of the judge.

A transcript proofreader reads the transcript and proofs it. Because of specialized language, transcription services require more in-depth training. There’s also punctuation that’s specific to transcripts.

Pyle’s course covers all this. Additionally, there’s plenty of markup practice. You’ll have 3,120 pages through 50 practice transcripts. This helps prepare you for the actual job of a transcription proofreader.

At the end of the course, an instructor-graded exam ensures you’ve learned the material you need. There are other exams throughout the course, along with worksheets, handouts, videos, tutorials, and text.

Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice is broken down into four levels. You are required to score a certain amount on each level before moving on. This helps ensure that you’ve mastered the material and are indeed ready to find transcription jobs  by the time you finish. Since you pay for each level as you move on, you don’t have to invest tons of money in the course if you decide it isn’t for you.

If you’re looking to get started as a proofreader and you don’t have an English degree, I highly recommend either of Pyle’s Proofread Anywhere courses.

How to Qualify to Be a Proofreader

One important aspect of landing proofreading work, especially if you want to be hired by a company rather than freelance clients, is the editing test. Pretty much any legitimate company hiring proofreaders will have an editing test (if not several tests) that potential new hires need to pass.

To do well on an editing test, you’ll need to have solid English grammar skills.

As mentioned above, you’ll need to be familiar with the Chicago Manual of Style, at the very least. It’s also highly recommended that you get familiar with AP Style and, if you’ll be doing anything in an academic setting, you’ll need to study MLA format, APA format, or both.

You don’t need special training for any of these style guides (though training is available). You can learn much of it by getting a copy of each manual and finding free training online. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a great place to get started.

Once you feel like you have a good grip on a particular style, you can add it to your resume.

If you want to try your hand at a sample test before you take one for a potential client, here are some options:

• The Ultimate Editing Test from ProEdit
• Test Yourself from the Society for Editors and Proofreaders

You can take a practice test to see if you think proofreading is something you’d like to pursue further.

If you’re ready to get started, here’s a link to Proofread Anywhere again . These courses are a great investment to help you build your proofreading business.

Originally published in June 2016. Updated February 2020.

About Angie Nelson

Angie Nelson began working from home in 2007 when she figured out how to take her future into her own hands and escape the corporate cubicle farm. Angie’s goal is sharing her passion for home business, personal finance, telecommuting, and entrepreneurship, and her work has been featured on Recruiter, FlexJobs and Business News Daily..

Angie Nelson began working from home in 2007 when she figured out how to take her future into her own hands and escape the corporate cubicle farm. Angie’s goal is sharing her passion for home business, personal finance, telecommuting, and entrepreneurship, and her work has been featured on Recruiter, FlexJobs and Business News Daily.

Reader Interactions

July 1, 2016 at 12:10 pm

Thanks so much for compiling this list! It is very helpful.

July 3, 2016 at 3:47 pm

What a great list. Thank you, Angie!

July 7, 2016 at 10:40 am

Thank you so much for the work you do and share with the world. I have written several of these places in my “catch all notebook” of leads, resources, reminders to do housework in between some of my online research lol. I didn’t pass the Polished test but I suppose it wasn’t a good idea to start the test at 0400 when I needed to be awake in 5 hrs. There’s a 90 day wait for retesting but maybe I can re-sign up? Anyway, I also really love and appreciate the resources for education/enrichment. Definitely an excellent idea to keep your skill set fresh. I would also like to recommend that anyone interested in proofreading or editing in geberal, add APA/MLA/Chicago style to their résumés and online profiles. And then go brush up on them if it’s been a while! Maybe you could add the Purdue OWL link to this article? OK I feel like I’m rambling but I’m just super excited about everything you do and get, if you ever need a proofreader… [email protected] ;D

July 7, 2016 at 10:43 am

…the embarrassing irony of a typo being in that comment

July 7, 2016 at 10:58 am

August 5, 2016 at 9:46 pm

Thanks for mentioning ProofreadingPal.com, Angie. We’re actually making a big hiring push right now to hire 8-10 new contract proofreaders by late September. We’d encourage anyone interested in an online proofreading job to visit our career opportunities page at http://proofreadingpal.com/proofreading-career-opportunities.php

Thanks, Brian Kaldenberg President ProofreadingPal LLC

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27 Work From Home Jobs That Accept Beginners

I f you really want to work at home but you have little to no past experience in anything, it can sometimes be hard to get your foot in the door for the jobs you want. Fortunately, there are some options. We all have to start somewhere! Today, we are talking about work from home jobs for beginners.

Do keep in mind that work from home jobs for beginners also come with lower pay rates in most cases. In fact, sometimes you may even need to juggle two or three of these jobs at one time in order to make anything close to a livable wage. This is something I had to do when first starting out!

The great thing is you gain valuable experience that helps ensure you can land higher-paying jobs down the line!

Work From Home Jobs That Accept Beginners

Below are some different industries and companies in each industry that may be willing to work with you as a beginner:

Transcription

As a work from home transcriber, you will listen to audio files and type out what you hear. While this may sound easy, there is a learning curve.

Also, most transcription companies have very specific formatting rules that you need to follow and these will not necessarily be the same from company to company.

Transcription can pay well, but the higher-paying companies generally want proof of past experience.

The companies I've linked below for you are not known for paying well, but they will consider beginners who pass their skills tests.

• Focus Forward

If you are interested in transcription training, I recommend General Transcription: Theory & Practice or Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice by Janet Shaugnessy.

Janet also offers a completely free mini-course (no strings attached) that you can go through to help you figure out if you'd benefit from her training and to see if transcription is something you'd be cut out to do.

Translation

As a translator who works from home, you will convert information (written or otherwise) from one language to another. So if you are fluent in more than one language, this could be a viable work at home option for you since this work can be done remotely.

Just as it is with transcription, you earn more as a work at home translator with past experience. But if you're just starting out, there are still some options for you to start gaining that experience.

The companies below will consider workers with no past experience in translation, although you may be required to take a skills test prior to acceptance.

• Proz – Create a free profile and begin accepting freelance clients!
• Translate.com

Virtual Assisting

As a virtual assistant, you are a Jack or Jill of all trades. What your job involves could change drastically from one day to the next just depending on what your client(s) are asking of you.

Many companies that hire virtual assistants do prefer workers with past admin or virtual assisting experience, but not all!

Below, I've linked some companies that are very open to virtual assistants who have never done the work before.

• Fancy Hands

My e-book, Your Quick Guide to Working From Home as a Virtual Assistant , lists 50 companies that hire and some of those do accept beginners as well. It also explains how you might go into business for yourself as a virtual assistant.

ESL Tutoring

ESL tutoring is teaching the English language to people who do not speak it.

While this was a booming industry for a time with companies in China hiring many people from English-speaking countries to teach/tutor children in the English language, it has come to a bit of a standstill. China has recently banned for-profit tutoring in their country.

Despite this, there are still a few sites you can join as a tutor that are not based in China and do still have a need for workers.

Some of these companies only require that you speak English as your native language, but most do want a language certification — such as TEFL or TESOL . You can get this training online pretty quickly and easily, but again, not all companies require it.

Below, I've listed the few ESL tutoring opportunities I do know about that you can still work for as a beginner.

• Nil English

Academic Tutoring

As an academic tutor, you will be tutoring elementary, middle, high school, or even college students in various subjects and/or offering homework help.

While most companies do prefer to hire people who are either pursuing or already have college degrees, you can still often get work even if you've never done any tutoring before.

The companies listed below are frequently looking for online academic tutors, and they are open to people without experience.

• School Solver

Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is what I did years ago to earn an income from home, and I managed to earn an income with no prior experience or even a degree!

Many companies will consider applicants based on skill alone — your past experience won't always matter if you can prove you are an average-to-good writer.

The companies below do not pay well, but you have a shot at acceptance with them if you can write.

• BKA Content

Another option is of course striking out on your own as a freelancer and finding high-paying clients to write for directly. You can do this if you're a good writer — past experience or not — and you will earn more than what the content sites above would ever pay you. But this takes time.

Work at home phone jobs involve providing customer service, sales, tech support, and more for companies that need it. While many companies don't like to hire people without proven experience, you can still find a handful that are open to entry-level workers.

Phone jobs aren't ideal for everyone. Most of the companies you might work for require no background noise. This is almost impossible to guarantee if you have kids or loud pets.

If you think phone work may be for you, check out the companies below that might hire you even if you are totally new to it:

Task sites are mostly good for a little side money, and I often recommend these as something to do in between better-paying work.

I used to do search evaluation and task work in between my freelance writing gigs back in the day, and it helped to supplement my other income.

It's pretty easy to get accepted to do work for task sites, and the work you do will vary just depending on what is posted.

Below are the sites you should check out if this interests you.

• Amazon MTurk
• Clickworker

Proofreading & Editing

If you are good at proofreading and editing but you've never done it professionally, it can truthfully be a little hard to find a company that will pay you for it. But all hope isn't lost — after a lot of digging, I have found a handful of companies that will hire you without past experience.

Keep in mind they will test your skills before allowing you to proofread, and (usually) a college degree is required.

• Proofreading Services

Just like with freelance writing, you can run your own business or side gig as a proofreader or editor. It takes time to build up a base of well-paying clients who trust you and your skills, but in the long run this will pay you the most.

When people ask me about training for proofreading as a side gig, I always send them to Caitlin Pyle and her resources .

I've known Caitlin since 2014 when she first launched her transcript proofreading e-course after managing to ditch her day job and earn more than she had been at her day job just proofreading transcripts for court reporters!

She has since created an e-course for proofreading as a side business in general, and if that interests you, you can watch her 76-minute webinar that explains a lot about it.

In Conclusion

So as you can see, you do have some work from home options as someone who is a beginner in most industries — although some of the companies above still will not accept your application without proven skills.

As always, I wish you good luck in whatever you choose to pursue.

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