Earning Money

PART-TIME HOMEWORKING OR FULL-TIME CAREERS

 

Why take a Chapterhouse course?

 

Earn up to £24 an hour from home

 

  • Some want to work for publishers as freelance proofreaders and copy-editors.

  • Others are happier to work freelance checking documents, reports, and promotional literature for businesses and other organisations.

  • Publishers send their editors to us for training, and the courses are also taken by people who want to get into the publishing industry full-time.

  • Many companies need employees who are capable of taking responsibility for quality control, checking their printed material. The courses provide valuable CV points.

  • Some take the courses for the sheer pleasure of using words well and feeling secure in their use of English.

Working freelance, what can I earn?


The recommended minimum rate (NUJ) is £21 an hour for proofreading and £24 an hour for copy-editing. Some freelancers earn much more for specialised projects and some less for very straightforward work.


That means that just a few hours’ work will be enough to earn you back the price of the course!

 

What’s the difference between proofreading and copy-editing?


Proofreading is the final stage of the editorial process, working on the proof before final printing. The proofreader’s job is to weed out any remaining mistakes. You must have a good eye for detail and a cautious approach, but you don't make major changes.

 

Copy-editing is an earlier stage, working on the author's original typescript. Obviously you correct the typing mistakes, but you also keep a look out for a broader range of problems — inconsistencies, issues of style, bad grammar. That’s why copy-editors are paid more than proofreaders.

 

Many freelancers like to do both jobs because it gives them a greater variety of work and a wider range of jobs they can do. But some prefer to be proofreaders.