In today’s day and age, the internet has paved the way for people like you to work from anywhere in the world, including right in your living room or home office.
Finding remote work has never been easier, but for some people, the hard part is understanding where they fit in and figuring out which jobs they’re qualified to do.
An excellent first step is looking into a proofreading or editing job from home.
Not only are proofreading and editing jobs a great way to enter the world of remote work, but expert editors who have years of experience under their belt can also lay out a full calendar of freelance jobs or find more permanent career opportunities.
We want to give you an inside peek into the world of online editing jobs and explain the qualifications you need to secure a job that allows you to work at home.
There are many opportunities out there, so let’s get started and see where you fit in.
Why Should You Become an Online Editor?
Finding an editing job from the comfort of your home sounds almost too good to be true.
Wouldn’t it be nice to work from wherever you want and have greater control of your work schedule, all while doing something you love?
The truth is that finding an editing job that you can do from anywhere in the world may be easier than it seems.
The only thing you need is access to speedy internet, a comfy place to work from, and enough know-how and experience to do great editing work.
With an online editing job, you have a ton of flexibility.
For instance, you can decide to work from home or work from anywhere else in the world.
You can set your own schedule and work part-time if you’d like, or you can up your hours to a full-time schedule.
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, then let’s first look at the type of work you’d be doing as an online editor and then we’ll get into the qualifications you’ll need to start applying for opportunities.
The Demand for Online Editing Jobs
The dire need for editors has likely never been higher.
The idea that content is king continues to ring true, especially when it comes to growing a company’s online presence.
Pretty much anything you see across the web, in books, advertisements, magazines, and blogs has received a stamp of approval from an editor, proofreader, or both.
Businesses, authors, professors, students, entrepreneurs, and bloggers all seek outside help when it comes to finalizing their written copy before it goes live.
Having another set of eyes gives owners the assurance that a qualified copy editor has looked over their final product and it’s ready to be shared with the world.
If a person or company is serious about the work they’re publishing, they’ll surely need additional help.
type of writing that requires a proofreader or editor ranges but can include books, dissertations, blog posts, website copy, legal documents, or training manuals.
Before we go on, let’s get one thing clear — the difference between editing and proofreading.
Editing vs Proofreading
The difference between editing and proofreading is that editing consists of giving input and helping writers format and structure their content, where proofreading is the last step before publishing where you look for any misspellings, typos, and grammatical errors.
Editors are much more involved in the writing process than proofreaders are.
As an editor you’ll make word choice recommendations, correct punctuation and grammatical errors, and make revisions to improve the overall writing.
In a way, you’re providing consultation to the writer so he or she can create a more polished finished product.
Proofreaders, on the other hand, are the last stop before sending the final product out into the world.
The proofreader will look for any errors that might have slipped by in the previous iterations of writing and editing.
This includes looking for typos, misspellings, missing punctuation, or missing page numbers.
Although these two job titles are quite similar and are even used interchangeably from time to time, they do have their differences and require a different level of involvement.
In many cases, jobs that you may come across roll these two into one.
Now that we know the difference between the two, what are the qualifications for becoming an online editor in the first place?
Who Can Become an Online Editor?
The qualifications for becoming an online editor range depending on the type of job you’re applying for.
Some editor jobs may require more robust editing experience and a higher level education.
If you’re applying for a job that requires editing someone’s book or a doctoral dissertation, you shouldn’t be surprised if you’re required to have a background in English or another writing-intensive field.
But this shouldn’t scare you away.
It’s also not that difficult to get your foot in the door at an entry-level position and begin your online editing career.
Just because you don’t have an extensive background solely in a writing discipline doesn’t mean you’re not qualified.
You just need to have a keen eye for details, superb proofreading skills, and a fundamental understanding of writing principles.
For example, if you hop in a time machine and go way back to grade school, you might remember learning about MLA and APA style guides.
These are style guides that lay out the correct formatting, grammar, and punctuation for publications.
As an editor you’ll likely be required to know either AP Style or the Chicago Manual of Style like the back of your hand (or be able to pick them up quickly).
They’ll be an indispensable resource if you want to perfect your editing skills and deliver high-quality work.
If you think you have what it takes, then let’s move on to finding the perfect job that fits what you’re looking for.
Find Online Editing Jobs
There are two ways you can go about finding editing work online, and those are either hiring yourself out as a freelance editor or finding a more permanent role with one company.
While freelance gigs might allow greater flexibility as you’ll be hopping from client to client, more permanent roles on publishing teams can provide more stability and a steadier stream of work.
It’s really up to you to decide which one is the best fit, but let’s give you a quick rundown of some companies to start your job search.
All-In-One Freelancing Sites
While the next three freelancing sites have an abundant number of editing and proofreading options, they also provide freelance work for nearly every job imaginable.
The upside is that these sites are some of the most popular freelance sites on the web, creating a great deal of work-from-home jobs for you to browse through.
The downside is that the competition for jobs can drive down the price and make it increasingly difficult to find quality opportunities.
They’re definitely worth a look, even if you use them to build up your portfolio so you can land a more permanent editing gig.
Upwork
Upwork is the world’s largest global freelancing website.
The site boasts that it offers companies with over 5,000 skills across 70 categories of work.
The one line of work we care about — editing and proofreading — has plenty of jobs for you to apply to.
If you’re new, this might be a great first step so you can get your feet wet.
Fiverr
Fiverr offers pretty much the same thing as Upwork, however, Fiverr leans more towards the cheap side of the spectrum.
When comparing the two, Upwork demands a higher price point and quality of work, where Fiverr focuses on more low cost and repeatable tasks.
Although, it doesn’t hurt to take a look and see for yourself.
Guru
Guru is quite similar to Upwork and Fiverr, however, it’s much less popular and surely doesn’t drive the same level of traffic to its site on a daily basis.
The offerings may not be as broad as the two options mentioned above, but it’s worth a look if you’re striking out or would like to put more feelers out.
Editor-Focused Freelancing Sites
Unlike the all-in-one freelancing sites we just talked about, the following sites are editing focused.
These jobs are primarily geared towards what you’re looking for, but the opportunities may be a little more limited.
Scribbr
Scribbr focuses more so on academic papers, like theses, dissertations, or essays.
In order to become an editor, you’re required to have at least a bachelor’s degree and are willing to dedicate more than 10 hours per week.
Head to the link above to find out more job requirements and additional details.
Scribe
This company helps people write, publish, and market their books.
Jobs from Scribe may be harder to come by than other companies or job boards, but feel free to head to their site and see if anything is currently available in your wheelhouse.
If not, sign up for job alerts so you can be first in line when one does become available.
Kibin
Kibin helps students write better essays and theses.
Similar to Scribe, Kibin has a strong academic focus.
Head to the link to find out more about the application and hiring process.
It looks like they’re currently accepting applications, so get on it!
Flexjobs
This site is more of a job board for flexible and remote jobs only.
If you head to the link above you’ll find the open editing positions.
These postings will vary from job to job with each one having their own requirements.
It looks like there are plenty of postings that seem to be current and up to date.
Additional Options
Lastly, instead of going into great detail on each and every one of these, we’ll provide you with a few more copyediting options you can take a look at if you’re interested in searching further.
Find Your Remote Editor Position
Becoming a work-from-home editor allows you to work flexible hours and make money without needing to be in one particular place.
The beauty of this side hustle is that you also don’t need to be sitting at home editing.
You can literally be anywhere in the world, as long as you’re getting your work done and hitting your deadlines.
It might be time to start looking for your next editing job.
