21 Best Proofreading Jobs To Work From Home ($11/Page)

Are you good at spotting errors in texts? Your eyes naturally catch misspelled words and grammatical mistakes while you read. Then you are a good fit to become an online freelance proofreader to do work-from-home proofreading jobs.

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is the final stage of a document or article before it gets published. A proofreader’s work is to find any spelling, grammar, typography, syntax, and formatting errors in the document.

Proofreading vs Copy Editing

Often people get confused with these 2 terms proofreading and copy editing and they think both are the same.

Actually copy editing is almost like proofreading but a copy editor suggests the author rephrase the sentences.

But on the other hand, proofreading is just spotting the errors, marking them up, and sending it back.

You may now think that you might offer both copy editing and proofreading services to your clients, but it is not advisable. Psychologically you will not spot your own mistakes.

Pros and Cons of Proofreading

Pros

You can work from home at your own preferred times.
You can choose whom you need to work with.
Can be done as a side hustle also.
Proofreading can be done anywhere even when you are on vacation and traveling.
Startup costs for proofreading jobs are very low.

Cons

Sometimes there may be strict and tight deadlines.
Shouldn’t get distracted during work or it will be difficult to complete the project.
Not good for someone who needs supervising.
Some projects may require additional educational qualifications.

Are Proofreaders in Demand?

Yes. With the increasing number of online content and self-publishing books, proofreaders are still in demand.

You may think with many online spell-check tools like Grammarly available how come proofreaders are in demand?

They didn’t replace humans yet. Sometimes these tools can’t pick up the context and the suggestions provided by them are not clear.

Who Hires Proofreaders?

Those who are creating content and are serious about their content before publishing it will hire proofreaders. Some of them are

Book Authors
Government Entities
Course Creators
Court Reporters
Bloggers
Businesses

How Much Money do Proofreaders Make?

It depends on whether you are a beginner or experienced and the clients you choose. Some proofreaders charge per word, per page, or per hour.

In the beginning, you can earn around $10 per hour and the pay will increase as you gain experience and speed.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary of a proofreader is $51,391 per year. This clearly shows that proofreading is still in demand.

What Skills and Training Are Required for Proofreading?

All you need is a love for reading and eagle eyes to spot errors. No college degree or previous experience is required.

If you are a complete beginner, Caitlin Pyle from Proofread Anywhere is offering a Free 76-minute proofreading workshop.

We recommend joining this free workshop to find out if proofreading is a good fit for you. She also guides you on how proofreading works and how to get your first proofreading client.

How to Find the Best Proofreading Jobs Online?

To find jobs related to online proofreading you can search by other related terms also. They are

Beginner proofreading jobs
Online Proofreading jobs
Freelance proofreading jobs
Book editor
Editing jobs
Copy Editing

Tools Required for a Proofreader

To be a successful proofreader you need to invest in some basic technologies.

Grammarly – Grammarly is a great tool to find grammatical errors and spell checks. It is a free chrome extension that monitors documents and identifies errors. Since Google docs are used mostly for writing nowadays Grammarly is an important tool.

Google Docs – Most companies have started using Google Docs to share content. All you need is a Gmail account to get access to Google Docs.

DropBox – If the client is not using Google drive then Dropbox is another way to get and share the files.

How to Become a Proofreader?

You can apply to proofread jobs in 2 ways. You can contact the companies directly with your proposal for proofreading services. But for that, usually, companies will ask for relevant work experience.

But if you are a beginner you can find proofreading jobs on freelancing websites. Clients will post the job with their requirements and you can connect with them to get the job.

Here I have listed 21 websites that provide proofreading jobs.

21 Best Online Proofreading Jobs

1. Upwork

Upwork is a great place for freelancers to start a proofreading job. Once you have set up your profile Upwork will send you relevant jobs matching your profile.

You can choose jobs posted by the clients and send your proposal. Once they have accepted your proposal you can start your work. You can either bill hourly rates or bill for the entire project.

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is another best marketplace for freelancers. They have been in the market for a few years and it’s a great place to start your proofreading job.

Here you can sell your proofreading services in the form of Gigs. The minimum payout starts from $5 but it’s great here to start as a beginner.

As you gain experience you can charge more and additional charges for extra services. Often clients will ask for previous proofreading experience or give a sample to proofread.

3. Lionbridge

Lionbridge offers various online jobs and one of them is a proofreading job. If you are looking for a full-time career as a proofreader you can join Lionbridge but you need a little experience.

They conduct a skill test to select proofreaders. Once you have been selected you will start receiving the proofreading tasks.

4. Proofreadingservices.com

Proofreadingservices.com is another best place to start your proofreading career with flexible timing. They offer both part-time and full-time proofreading jobs.

Proofreaders must pass a 20-minute screening test to get the work assigned. The pay rate is competitive and gets a chance to connect with other proofreaders.

5. Guru

Guru is a marketplace like Fiverr. Here you can find proofreading jobs even if you are a beginner.

You need to do some searching to find proofreading jobs that match your experience and schedule.

6. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the largest place for professionals and everyone is aware of this platform. Here you can find a lot of remote jobs and proofreading is one of them.

Though it is hard to land your first proofreading job initially, with the right profile and portfolio you can see clients reaching you.

Keep on trying on this platform to get reputed clients to work with.

7. Freelancer

Freelancer is a marketplace almost similar to Upwork where you can find a lot of freelancing jobs including proofreading.

Once you have set up your profile correctly you will be matched with the relevant jobs and get email notifications about the jobs posted by the clients.

You need to bid on the job that other freelancers will also do. Bid a reasonable amount to get a job.

If you finished your work well the clients may be willing to work with you again.

8. Polished Paper

Polished Paper always looks for experience proofreaders and they pay well. If you have gained some experience in proofreading you can try polished paper.

Once you have submitted your profile and uploaded your resume, you will be given a 35-question editor. You can use outside resources to complete the test.

Before applying you get the option to select as a beginner or experienced. If you are a beginner and your skillset is good, you will get jobs based on your skill set.

9. Domainite

If you are struggling to get clients on other platforms you can try Dominate. Though it’s a low-paying site for proofreaders you can gain experience here.

If you don’t care about the low pay at the beginning and want the experience to get clients this is the best place to start.

You need to signup and provide a writing sample to get approved. Once you are approved you will start receiving proofreading jobs.

10. Flexjobs

Flexjobs is another marketplace for Freelancers where you can search for jobs related to online proofreading. Since you need to work from home, narrow down your search by selecting the location.

11. Click Worker

Click Worker is a company that outsources its client’s bigger projects into micro-tasks to freelancers like writers, editors, proofreaders, etc.

Micro-tasks won’t take much time as long as proofreading jobs and it’s a great place to start as a beginner.

You will be required to take an assessment test once you have signed up. After that, you can access available proofreading jobs.

12. Wordvice

Wordvice offers freelance and part-time jobs. Once you have applied, you need to complete an editing sample. They will ask for your expected pay rate while applying.

Wordvice hires only experienced proofreaders and they expect a graduate degree. They have some big universities as their client.

13. Edit Fast

You can complete your profile details in Edit Fast platform itself and complete their review process. You will get work only if the client decides to choose you based on your sample works.

Edit Fast will get 40% of the total project amount and payments will be made via PayPal.

14. Gramlee

Gramlee is a proofreading company and they are always lookout for proofreaders. The application process is simple and you need to answer a few questions. If they find you suitable you will hear back from them.

Once you are through you will find jobs around the clock. The turnaround time is faster and one needs to proofread a 3,000-word document in 24 hours.

15. Scribe Media

Scribe Media offers both full-time jobs as well as freelance jobs. Often they post proofreading jobs for freelancers.

Please click this link to see the open positions for freelancers if you don’t find anything now just sign up for a new role notification and you will get a notification when an opening is available.

16. Get Editing Jobs

Get Editing Jobs is a directory site where you can find freelance jobs for proofreading, editing, and speciality writing. Use the search bar option to find the proofreading jobs which suit your skills.

This is a great place to find private clients and get a full-time job with a client.

17. Proofreading Pal

You can earn from $500 to $3000 in Proofreading Pal. You can work as a student if you have a 3.5 GPA which is a great way to earn as a student.

For others, you should have a Bachelor’s degree and 5 years of experience.

18. Writer’s Job Shop

The writer’s job shop offers to proofread and copy editing jobs. You can apply for any job you are interested in on their job board.

They require a college degree and a high level of understanding and usage of English to join their team.

19. Writer’s Relief

Writer’s Relief is a platform that helps creative writers get published. Once an author submitted their work the Writer’s relief proofreaders proofread their work.

Though the application process is very simple they accept only a very few submissions.

20. Mediabistro

Mediabistro is a place for media-related jobs like designing, sales, marketing, writing, and editing. You can search for proofreading jobs using the search function.

If you couldn’t find a job, you can set an alert for a keyword and get a notification in the email once a suitable job comes up.

21. Writing Jobz

Writing jobz is one of the best marketplaces for proofreaders as they only focus on proofreading jobs. They are specialized in proofreading online blogs, academic proofreading, and book proofreading.

You do not need any degree to start with. First, you can take up language tasks and slowly build up your client database. You can earn $11 per page as a proofreader.

Get started as an Online Proofreader

These are the 21 best sites that offer freelance proofreading jobs from beginner level to expert level. Choose the jobs that match your skill set and apply.

If you are a beginner and want to start your career in proofreading, we recommend taking a look at the Free 76-minute workshop offered by Caitlin Pyle to help you get your first client.