Proofreader

Typical Salary

£18,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

38 to 40 a week

freelance / self-employed managing your own hours

How To Become a Proofreader

You can get into this job through:

a university course
an apprenticeship
working towards this role
specialist courses run by professional bodies and private training organisations

College / University

You may find it useful to have a degree in:

English
publishing
journalism
digital media

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English

2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could do a publishing assistant advanced apprenticeship, which may help you to find your first job.

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

You could start as an editorial assistant then move into proofreading.

If you have a degree or expertise in a particular subject, you could use it to develop a proofreading specialism. For example, if you have a technical or scientific degree you could proofread scientific textbooks or journals.

Other Routes

Doing professional courses can improve your skills and your chances of finding work. You can find short courses through the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and The Publishing Training Centre.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
knowledge of English language
excellent verbal communication skills
the ability to use your initiative
the ability to work well with others
excellent written communication skills
persistence and determination
to be flexible and open to change
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

You'll read documents to make sure:

there are no errors
the text, illustrations and diagrams are positioned correctly
text is in the right order (including page numbers)
the text follows the agreed style
chapter titles match the list of contents
there are no confusing words or column or page breaks

Working Environment

You could work in an office or from home.

Career Path & Progression

As an experienced proofreader, you could build up your reputation as a specialist in a particular field or approach publishing companies for work.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering will help you get a better understanding of the job and is a good way to make contacts in the publishing industry.

You could volunteer by:

proofreading documents for family or people you work or study with
writing or proofreading for student magazines or publications
proofreading for small businesses
working on charity publications, websites or social media

Tips & Information

Career tips

Experience working in publishing or journalism could help you to find jobs.

There's a lot of competition for work and many publishing companies do not advertise vacancies. Jobs are filled through word of mouth or recommendation.

You could develop a portfolio of paid or unpaid work you've done to show your skills to employers.

Further information

You can find out more about proofreading careers from the Society for Editors and Proofreaders.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.