If you’ve landed on this page, there is a good chance that you’ve thought about freelance proofreading. Especially with the rise of remote work opportunities, many people are exploring the benefits of being their own boss and setting their own schedules—while at the same time being curious as to the drawbacks. In this blog post, we delve into the pros and cons of freelance proofreading to help you decide if this is a good career choice for you.
So if you’re considering diving into the world of freelancing or simply curious about what it entails, keep reading as we explore the pros and cons of freelance proofreading.
Pros of freelance proofreading
Freelance proofreading offers numerous benefits, making it an attractive option for many people with the necessary skill set. These benefits include having a flexible schedule, the opportunity for work-life balance, the potential for good income, and the ability to have autonomy. Let’s take a look at each in turn.
Flexibility
When you freelance, you are not an employee. In the United States, you are considered a W-9 contractor. This entails many things legally speaking, but generally, one aspect it does not entail is a client assigning you hours as if you were a W-2 employee. As a freelance proofreader, your client will give you work and deadlines, but when you do the work is up to you.
That means if you want to work at 2:00 a.m., then you can. Or if you want to knock your day’s work out of the way early so you can take a long weekend, that is also your prerogative. You can schedule your workload around picking up and dropping off kids, and you can do all of your shopping during off-peak hours.
Simply put, flexibility is one of the most significant benefits of freelance proofreading. You are truly the master of your own schedule.
Work-life balance
With such flexibility, it’s no wonder that you can also achieve a healthier work-life balance as a freelance proofreader than in many other professions. And because almost all proofreading work is done on the computer now, as long as you have your laptop and an internet connection, you can work from anywhere.
If you’re going on a trip, for example, you can work in the car while someone else drives. Or if you need time off, you simply tell your clients that you won’t be available for that block of time. And if you feel like getting a coffee, you can bring your laptop and work while you sip your latte.
Additionally, as a full-time freelancer, having a work-from-home job gives you back several hours of your day that would otherwise be spent commuting. All of these elements of the job can help foster a positive work-life balance.
Income potential
It’s important to address money and income in any discussion about the pros and cons of freelance proofreading. While becoming a millionaire may not be a realistic outcome in this career, the truth is you can make a good deal of money if you put in the time and grow your business. The average proofreading rates are $20-$40 per hour, meaning an annual salary of $50,000 or more is not an unreasonable figure for full-time work (or $1,000 per month as a side gig). And if you can grow your business to include editing or writing, that income can become quite a bit bigger.
You need to be aware, however, that it does take time and dedication to grow to this level of income. Like any freelance business, you will almost certainly have to slowly raise your rates and build your clientele over time (unless you have a very good network, in which case, you could shortcut this process). If you’re looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, proofreading is probably not for you, but if you want a rewarding job that can help pay the bills, you can definitely achieve this as a proofreader.
Autonomy and control
As a freelance proofreader, you are your own boss. You have 100 percent freedom to decide which projects to work on, which clients to work for, how much to charge, etc. Unlike an employee, who may feel trapped in their job because of a bad manager or poor working conditions, as a contractor, if you don’t like a client, you can drop them.
This grants you a level of autonomy and control that you simply do not have as an employee of a company. Your ability to shape your own future and direct your own work is much greater as a freelance proofreader. This is a very real benefit of the job that many people may not initially consider.
Cons of freelance proofreading
The above list may make it sound like freelance proofreading is nothing but sunshine and rainbows. While it is an excellent career or side-gig choice for many people, unfortunately, there are some drawbacks. These include the challenges of finding clients, time and self-management, inconsistent workload (and thus income), and the necessity of performing the non-value-added tasks required to run a business. We look at each of these below.
Self-marketing
The hands-down most difficult aspect of freelance proofreading is finding clients. The field of proofreading appeals to a wide range of people, but often it can be most appealing to more introverted, cerebral types—just the kind of person who may be more likely to have a hard time talking up or marketing their own services.
Finding clients and bidding for jobs requires boldness, confidence, and a bit of salesmanship. It also requires coming to grips with common fears such as introducing yourself to strangers (on the internet no less!) and rejection. It’s truly a unique aspect of freelance proofreading that may not entirely fit with the rest of the necessary skill sets and that probably derails most people more than anything else.
There are no easy solutions to overcoming this particular challenge. It simply requires hard work, dedication, and a willingness to put yourself out there and lean into the marketing process. Thankfully, as you gain more experience, the easier this process becomes.
Time management and self-management
Several of the perks of being your own boss were listed in the above “pros” section, but of course, this comes with drawbacks too. One of the main drawbacks is you are responsible to manage yourself—there is no external voice telling you to go to work every day.
To truly excel at freelance proofreading, then, you need strong self-management skills. You must be able to have the discipline and motivation to start work every day—even on days you don’t feel like it. And you must be able to manage your time well to ensure you have enough margin in your schedule to complete your work and not get burnt out. Additionally, time management can be especially challenging given the at times inconsistent workload of a freelancer (see next section).
There are myriad resources available online and at your local bookstore or library to help you learn time and self-management if this is a weakness for you. You can also check out this blog post on the subject, written specifically with proofreaders in mind. The key to remember here is that both are skills you can learn, even if they don’t come naturally to you.
Inconsistent workload
As a freelancer, you will no doubt discover that the workload is not always consistent. At times you will feel like you are in over your head and not know how you are going to get everything done. At other times, you might be twiddling your thumbs, wondering when a client is going to send you something to work on.
While this can be true of any job, the reason this is a “con” for freelance proofreaders is that your income is directly tied to your productivity. Most people in an office or retail job are paid the same regardless of how busy (or not) they are. A freelancer’s pay, on the other hand, can vary quite a bit depending on how much work comes in day to day.
There are a few ways you can mitigate this particular issue. For one, you can grow your client list over time to increase the odds that you have a steady flow of work coming in. You could also set aside a percentage of your earnings each month to act as a buffer for leaner weeks or months (but don’t forget to leave enough for annual taxes).
Administrative tasks
When you are a freelancer, generally speaking, you are a one-person company. This means wearing many hats, including CEO, CFO, accountant, HR, customer relations, tech support—and the list goes on. There will always be administrative issues that you will need to deal with whenever you are a business owner, even a business of one.
The best way to deal with this “con” is to gradually assemble a team of people to help you. For example, hiring a CPA to handle your taxes can free up the time you would have spent on it—and almost certainly do a better job of it. The same could be said of a professional bookkeeper. And if you aren’t able to offload a task to someone else, look into automating or streamlining it. Especially with the advent of AI, there are now many tools on the market designed to minimize the amount of time you have to spend on tasks like answering emails. A $5 per month tool might just save you hours of time—and could be a very good tradeoff.
Conclusion
Freelance proofreading presents a unique blend of advantages and challenges. The flexibility to work on your own terms and earn a good income are enticing benefits. It is important to acknowledge the potential drawbacks, however, such as the need to market yourself to clients, earning a variable income at times, having to self-manage, and taking on all of the extra tasks running a business requires. Despite these challenges, with the right mindset, dedication, and a good plan, freelance proofreading can be a rewarding career choice.
Weighing the pros and cons of freelance proofreading discussed in this blog post can help you make an informed decision about pursuing this path. Remember, every career has its ups and downs; what matters most is finding a balance that aligns with your skill set, goals, and life situation. To learn even more about proofreading to see if it might be for you, spend some time perusing the site. You can use the menu at the top of the page or start here.
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