Work From Home As Proofreader

Become a Proofreader

CREATE BUSINESS DOCUMENTS FOR PROMOTIONS

Do some self-advertising. Produce professional-looking brochures, business cards, and flyers using your own computer and printer. 

CREATE YOUR OWN WEB SITE or BLOG

Design a proofreading Web site or blog and use it to advertise your services.


PROMOTE YOUR SKILLS

You can do this by putting up flyers, creating a facebook page, create some brochures, get your friends to spread the word, etc.  CHARGING FOR YOUR SERVICES
Be realistic.  If you are a beginner, you should focus more on building your reputation.  Once you have a solid reputation, you can charge whatever a client will pay, but the market normally sees prices that range from $12 - $17 per hour.  Don't price yourself out of the market.
EQUIPMENT 

Computer, Internet connection word processor and a printer.  You can get a free processor by going to Open Office.

Proofreading OpportunitiesOpportunities are endless, but you need to ensure you understand grammar rules in order to succeed in this profession.  The following was extracted from the following link:  Work From Home Training

Internet/ Web Pages - One of the best way to find work was to look through Web sites for spelling/grammar errors, etc.. Once you locate Web sites that some proofreading, get the contact information of the Web master or administrator (which can usually be found on the Web site themselves. E-mail the Web site and explain you are a certified proofreader and you would be willing to help them out at a very reasonable price. It is important that you explain you work independently so they can expect the lowest prices. You will get mixed responses, from "not interested" all the way to "please help me no matter what it costs!" You can use a great selling points such as: tell them that studies show that Web sites with bad spelling and numerous grammar errors lose 35% of their business. A smart Web master will realize that for as low as $50 - $100 they can have their Web site proofread and they could make an extra $10,000 per year. You will actually find more work than you will know what to do with using this method. 

Advertising Agencies - If are receiving literature from local advertisers you will see that there is a huge opportunity here. If you get these local ads and see there is errors, typos, grammar, etc errors, the door is wide open. Many times you will the ad agency's information located somewhere on the ad brochure or flyer. You can contact them and point out their errors and explain you can help.

Graphic Designer/Print Shop - A great potential client in your area will be local graphic designers and/or print shops. A short visit can get you a ton of work. Open up your yellow pages or online local search and locate any graphic/print shops. Pay a visit and introduce yourself and you will see that many of these businesses will be in need for your proofreading skills. Many of these businesses only outsource to proofreaders such as yourself. This is to help save on in-house costs.

Newspapers - Even know every newspaper organization has a staff on hand to proofread, you will see they might not being doing their jobs. This is most common in smaller newspaper distributors. If notice typos, grammatical errors, etc. on a regular basis, feel free to contact the newspaper editor and point out thier proofreading skills are not up to par. Many times the editor may use an outside source to proofread their proofreaders. Many times proofreading is done by two or more proofreaders.

Local Magazines/Newsletters - Here is another common opportunity. Many local magazines or newsletters will not have a sufficient qualified staff on hand to proofread or edit their magazines or newsletters. Many times these sources may even be outsourcing their proofreading. You can contact the editors of these local magazines and newsletters to have them give you a try if you see there is need for your skills.

Churches - A great place to get started is maybe doing some work for your local church. It is your choice, but in many cases you can offer to proofread their newsletters, brochures, bulletins, or weekly program at no charge. This is your way of contributing as well as getting some proofreading experience and start building a portfolio. You will see that the church may offer to pay you and that is up to you whether you accept the pay.

Local Schools - You will be surprised the amount of work you can get from local schools. Again, many times you can offer your proofreading skills as more of a donation if you choose. This will not only help your local schools out, but help build that ever important portfolio.

Graphic Designer/Print Shop - A great potential client in your area will be local graphic designers and/or print shops. A short visit can get you a ton of work. Open up your yellow pages or online local search and locate any graphic/print shops. Pay a visit and introduce yourself and you will see that many of these businesses will be in need for your proofreading skills. Many of these businesses only outsource to proofreaders such as yourself. This is to help save on in-house costs.

Newspapers - Even know every newspaper organization has a staff on hand to proofread, you will see they might not being doing their jobs. This is most common in smaller newspaper distributors. If notice typos, grammatical errors, etc. on a regular basis, feel free to contact the newspaper editor and point out thier proofreading skills are not up to par. Many times the editor may use an outside source to proofread their proofreaders. Many times proofreading is done by two or more proofreaders.

Local Magazines/Newsletters - Here is another common opportunity. Many local magazines or newsletters will not have a sufficient qualified staff on hand to proofread or edit their magazines or newsletters. Many times these sources may even be outsourcing their proofreading. You can contact the editors of these local magazines and newsletters to have them give you a try if you see there is need for your skills.

Churches - A great place to get started is maybe doing some work for your local church. It is your choice, but in many cases you can offer to proofread their newsletters, brochures, bulletins, or weekly program at no charge. This is your way of contributing as well as getting some proofreading experience and start building a portfolio. You will see that the church may offer to pay you and that is up to you whether you accept the pay.

Local Schools - You will be surprised the amount of work you can get from local schools. Again, many times you can offer your proofreading skills as more of a donation if you choose. This will not only help your local schools out, but help build that ever important portfolio.

Colleges and Universities - If you visit local colleges and universities you will see there are many many opportunities. Not only with the schools themselves, but with the students as well. If allowed (which in most cases it is) post a bulletin in the designated area with your information. Make a note about your skills, contact information and (most important for a college student) your budget pricing. You will be surprised on how much work you can get from college students as long as you are reasonable.

Fluent In More Then One Language?Here is a great way to earn money working from home if you are fluent in more then one language. The site is called Proz.com, and they post hundreds of jobs for translation requests and proofreading other languages. You will see almost every translation need from English to Spanish, Chinese to French, German to Spanish, etc. So if you think this is something you can do, take a look at the job board for this type of work.