Freelance proofreading is a great job for someone interested in working from home.
You can often find proofreading jobs for freelancers on freelance job boards such as Elance, Guru, Rentacoder and others. You may also find legitimate work at home jobs for proofreaders advertised through listings services such as Craigslist.
So what’s involved in being a proofreader?
This job will suit someone who has keen eyes and is adept at picking out spelling and grammatical errors.
If you’re the kind of person who gets upset when you spot a typo in the novel you are reading then proofreading is probably a good type of home computer work for you.
The great advantage of freelance proofreading is that you don’t have to leave home to do it and you can fit it around your other commitments. If you are looking after children or grandchildren or taking a course to improve your skills then you can do as much or as little work as you are comfortable with.
Proofreading vs Editing
Don’t confuse proofreading with editing, though the line between them can sometimes get blurred.
When you proofread you might be checking one document against an original to make sure that no errors have been made. You could also be checking for minor errors even if you don’t have the original at hand.
Editing is more rigorous and you might have to alter sentence structure or general structure for a longer publication.
Getting Started
You don’t need many tools to get started in proofreading. If you have a computer with a reasonably up-to-date word processing program such as Microsoft Word or Open Office then that’s a good start.
Some people like to print out the work they are proofreading and read a hard copy, using a pen to mark any errors. This can be a good idea as most people read things differently on paper and on-screen.
In many cases freelance proofreading is not regular work unless you land a deal with a large organization. Often there will be busy periods and other times where you will have very little to do.
Again, this makes it a perfect way to balance your schedule whilst earning money and working at home.
