How to Become a Proofreader and Make Money from Home- Expert Interview with Caitlin

Do you need a flexible gig that lets you work from home and doesn’t require prior experience to get started? Or probably, a job where you can work from anywhere in the world? If so, then proofreading can be the perfect job for you!

Working as a Proofreader gives you a chance to make a decent extra income.

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How to Become a Proofreader

In this post, we will go over how you can become a proofreader online and talk to the popular Caitlin Pyle – a successful proofreader and an online entrepreneur who owns a multimillion-dollar business

Caitlin has been featured on Forbes, Fox News, and Business Insider for her story as well as for helping others make money online from anywhere in the world.

Caitlin will teach you everything you need to know on how to become a successful proofreader who brings in over $43, 000 per year.

Caitlin has put together a FREE workshop where you can find answers to the most common questions about becoming a proofreader. You can sign up for her FREE workshop here!

Let’s get straight to the interview and see what she has to say.

Hi, Caitlin! Let’s start at the very beginning. Who is Caitlin? Where were you born and raised?

Hi! Well… My name is Caitlin Pyle, and I help proofreaders earn extra income from anywhere in the world — even if they’re starting from scratch. 

I was born in Georgia but moved to Florida when I was two, and that’s pretty much been home ever since.

Outside of that, I was a foreign exchange student in Germany for a while where I started my proofreading side hustle, and I traveled around South America for a year after Proofread Anywhere really took off.

Right now, I really enjoy where I’m at in Winter Park, Florida. It’s so beautiful here!

 

Who is a proofreader? What does a proofreader do?

A proofreader takes care of the last stage in the editing process — the person who double-checks that there are no embarrassing grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors left in the document. Or as few as humanly possible anyway! 

If you’re someone who always spots errors in newspapers, ads, or on social media, then chances are you’re a natural proofreader.

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How did you get started as a proofreader? What do you love about your job? 

Ooh, good questions! As I mentioned, I started my proofreading side hustle when I was studying abroad in Germany. I loved helping people polish their words so they could be really proud of their essays and theses.

I continued to do it when I got home, and eventually ended up proofreading for court reporters while I was working in a court reporting agency.

After that, I proofread on the side while training to be a fitness instructor until I realized that proofreading could be my full-time job. Lightbulb moment! Then some friends started asking how I was able to make money from home as a proofreader and so Proofread Anywhere was born!

I love my job so much because I feel such a purpose helping other people… improve their lives, really.

There are countless testimonials of students who have graduated from my courses and found the freedom in the lives they always wanted.

 

Do you need a degree to be a proofreader?

Absolutely not, no. There are loads of students in my courses who have only received an education as far as high school.

We do have college grads, of course, but even they will tell you — many of them — that the degree they have isn’t necessary for what they do as proofreaders now.

So many people are getting out of the rat race, becoming debt-free, and working for themselves instead of some boss who’s unreasonable. 

It is important that you get some training to become a proofreader though, as you’d be surprised how much language changes over the years and how much of it you have forgotten. 

 

What’s the earning potential of a proofreader as a beginner and as an expert?

It’s difficult to say exactly how much you can make as a proofreader as it depends on how much effort someone is willing to put into getting clients, how fast they read, and the rates they set. 

Some of our really driven proofreaders can pull five grand a month or more from their proofreading skills, which is amazing!

On average, someone can expect to make about $1,500 a month starting out — PART time. 

 

How flexible is this type of work? Is it ideal for moms, dads, as a side gig, full-time, those who like to work while traveling, etc.?

The best parts about starting your own business are being able to choose your own hours and being able to work from anywhere — we do EVERYTHING online now. Proofreading is no exception.

And that goes for anyone, whoever you are, wherever you wanna go… Doesn’t matter if you’re a man or woman, if you’ve got kids at home or you’re caring for elderly parents, or if you work at a big law firm or you’re taking classes at the community college downtown — ANYONE who has an eagle eye can do this.

I was able to work as a proofreader while I traveled for a year in South America, working from my laptop and living in little hotels and B&Bs.

There’s so much freedom in being your own boss — you get to choose how much work you want to take on.

 

What’s the demand like for proofreading worldwide? Is the demand expected to increase in the next decade?

Oh yes, the demand for people who have a competent grasp of the English language will never go away.

There are countless businesses and industries that need proofreaders because every industry out there is publishing content on a daily basis!

We have trained thousands of students; some of whom live and work overseas. The demand has only gone up since we started offering this course thanks to the boom in self-publishing and the number of blogs and websites that are being created every day.

 

What kind of habits and mindset helped make you successful?

Hmmm, I’d say continuing to work toward my goals. Persistence. Diligence. Never giving up. Just staying focused.

 

Who is not a good fit for proofreading? For those who are a good fit, how would you recommend they get started?

People who have trouble focusing or who don’t finish what they start would not be a good fit for proofreading.

Also, if you’re the kind of person who just skims while you read and you’re not interested in the nitty-gritty of grammar, then proofreading is probably not for you.  

If you’ve got an eye for detail and you’re willing to put effort into becoming a proofreader, you can learn to excel at it. It’s really a matter of how hard you push yourself to become better. You can become a skilled proofreader with the right training.

If you’re thinking that proofreading sounds like the perfect job for you, what are you waiting for? Just take action. That’s the first step to success.

 

Tell us a bit about the courses you offer.

I offer two proofreading courses through Proofread Anywhere.  

General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ is a detailed training program wherein you’ll learn everything you need to know about proofreading general texts like books and blogs, for example.

It’s got everything you need to help you on your proofreading journey from grammar lessons to practice essays to marketing tips so you can get clients. 

The course includes 40+ lessons in 8 modules, including 10 grammar and punctuation worksheets and 40 practice essays so you can test your skills.

The course is available at two levels — Ignite and Ignite Plus. With Ignite, you get lifetime access to the course.

With Ignite Plus, you get lifetime access to the course and the opportunity to take a hand-graded exam to verify your skills.

If you pass the exam, you’ll get a certificate of completion, access to an exclusive marketing mastermind Facebook group for graduates, and a listing on Self-Publishing School’s Preferred Outsourcer Rolodex.

In contrast, Transcript Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ is a much more focused and intense course than General Proofreading.

It zooms in on the busy, fast-moving world of court reporters and the transcripts they produce. Because transcripts are verbatim to what is said in a legal proceeding, proofreading transcripts is much more technical and complicated. The list of errors you’re hunting is completely different — and much longer. 

The Transcript Proofreading course is broken down into 4 levels and includes 9 modules and 60 units of theory, practice, and examinations designed to prepare you for a career as a transcript proofreader.

It’s currently the only structured training program in transcript proofreading available!

I also offer the Work-At-Home School course as well, which teaches you how to start your business — any business — from home.

It offers a blueprint for how the pros are doing it. It’s a playbook on how to become an entrepreneur doing tasks you already love doing or by learning new skills. 

There’s so much potential out there that’s underutilized. People everywhere are starting to learn how to turn their hobbies into cash and quit their day jobs at the same time!

 

Lastly, what tips do you have for those who would like to start their own work-at-home business?

Act. Take action. The greatest plan doesn’t get you anywhere until you start taking steps — and most plans disintegrate as soon as they get into motion anyway; that’s just life. Start moving forward and don’t stop.

Keep taking action until you realize your dreams.

Thank you, Caitlin, for this amazing interview!

 

Ready To Make Money As A Freelance Proofreader?

If you want to learn how to become a proofreader and create a lifestyle of freedom and financial security, then I highly recommend enrolling in Caitlin’s General Proofreading: Theory and Practice course.

If you aren’t totally sure if proofreading is right for you, Caitlin has created a FREE workshop for beginners. This can be a great place to start as well; so check it out.