Are you an online freelance proofreader looking for a reputable proofreading company to work with? If that’s so, then you might want to check out ProofreadingServices.com.
This website is dedicated to helping freelance proofreaders find reputable proofreading services that will meet their needs.
In this short Proofreading Services review, I take you through the nitty-gritty details to help you decide if this is the company you want to work for.
What is proofreading?
Proofreading is the process of reviewing a document for errors and making corrections, often with the help of proofreading software.
As a freelance proofreader, your job involves checking for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as well as typos. You also need to look for inconsistencies in style and formatting.
Proofreading is an important step in the editing process, as it ensures that the final document is error-free and polished. It is especially important for academic papers, business documents, and other formal writing.
You need to be cautious not to confuse proofreading with editing. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, editing involves more changes to sentence structure and word choice to offer content clarity and flow, as opposed to proofreading, which covers grammar and punctuation errors only.
What is Proofreading Services?
Proofreading Services is one of the leading online proofreading sites, offering content proofreading and editing services to businesses and academics worldwide.
The company was started in 2011 by Luke Palder, a non-fiction author who happens to be a Yale and Cambridge university alumnus.
The company is based in San Francisco, but offers its services to businesses worldwide, and employs expert freelancers from all over the world.
The jobs are 100% remote, so you will be able to work from anywhere.
Is Proofreading Services legit?
Yes, Proofreading Services is a legitimate company that pays freelance proofreaders. It has a wide range of clients from around the globe, mostly individuals and institutions in the field of academia, authors, government institutions, and news firms.
Some of these highly reputable clients, such as the US Department of Energy, offer glowing reviews and if their website is anything to go on, their pay rates are more than fair.
Proofreading Services requirements
Proofreading Services will require you to pass their 20-minute proofreading test with a score of 95% or higher.
This may sound simple enough, but only 0.33% of candidates pass their proofreading test. This means, out of 300 applicants, statistically, only one will pass. You can still redo the test if you fail.
If you are new to the proofreading industry, you may need some training to be an exceptional proofreader. This training will help familiarize you with industry standards.
Like most other proofreading companies out there, this company requires native English speakers only, preferably from the US or the UK, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.
That said, you may still get hired even if you aren’t from these countries if you have proofreading experience.
You must also have exceptional written and spoken English skills and a keen eye for details to spot mistakes.
How to apply for a position at Proofreading Services
To apply as a proofreader, head over to their career page. Here, there are two options:
- online proofreading jobs
- Ghostwriting books for celebrities
Select the online proofreading jobs option. Alternatively, you can go to this page directly here.
On this page, click on the “Apply to be an Online Proofreader” button. This will direct you to the 20-minute quiz we mentioned above. This is a timed test and you need to finish before the timer runs out.
This test focuses on your grasp of the English language. It will test your grammar and you need to be as extremely accurate to pass.
After this, there is a section for you to talk about your previous experiences as a freelancer. Here, you can mention all your other businesses, either as a transcriber, copywriter, translator, or even an online tutor. This segment is crucial, since the hiring team may feel that you aren’t a good fit as a proofreader, but they can still hire you for their other services based on your previous experiences.
If for any reason, you fail to meet the requirements of the company’s test, this section on your previous job experience can help you land a job as a translator, transcriber, or ghostwriter.
After you pass this test, the recruiting team will reach out to you for more job guidelines and more paid work will be available to you.
How Proofreading Services works
After you pass their initial test, you will need to create a Proofreading Services account. Here, Proofreading Services will have its onboarding team guide you on the platform’s key procedures.
You will be assigned paid jobs from here, which will earn you more based on the jobs’ urgency and turnaround time.
How much does Proofreading Services pay?
Proofreading Services has a highly competitive pay among proofreading companies, ranging between $19 and $46 per hour. Your earnings will depend on how fast you deliver on assigned work. Urgent tasks will earn you more, while less urgent work will pay less.
The company allows you to have full control of your working hours, and you can choose to work full-time or part-time, or even both, based on your schedule.
All things considered, this company pays better than what the average proofreader makes, which is around $25 an hour.
Working at Proofreadingservices.com: Pros and Cons
Here are some upsides and disadvantages of working with Proofreading Services.
Pros:
- High pay – Proofreading Services offers you a comparatively competitive pay of up to $46 per hour, with their lowest freelancers earning $19 per hour. This can be rated against the average $25 earned by most proofreaders.
- Flexible working hours – You can choose your own working hours without infringing on your outside life. You can choose to work part-time or full-time depending on your flexibility.
- No IP sensitivity – Most online working sites are IP sensitive and block workers from some parts of the world. Proofreadingservices.com allows you to work from anywhere around the world as long as you can deliver quality results.
Cons:
- Low success rate on their entry test – The Company’s timed entry quiz is difficult to pass, with a statistical chance of .33% of being accepted.
- Native English speakers only – Proofreading Services only accepts native English speakers from the Us, UK, Canada, Ireland, and Australia.
Proofreading Services review: our verdict
Proofreading Services is a legit company with clients from around the globe and hires exceptional proofreaders.
The company has a short but tough hiring process and it would be wise for you to seek some sort of training before starting your application process.
