How to become a Proofreader in South Africa

Does texting ttyl, fomo, or u2 make you cringe? When they don’t know the difference between your and you’re do you get the ick? 

If you responded yes, you might be a grammar enthusiast hiding in the shadows. If you have the skills and Wi-Fi, this is your sign to invest in your side hustle!

Your proofreader freelance journey starts now, all from the comfort of your home. Play your words right and earn a substantial passive income on the side or even full-time. 

So, let’s dive into what you’ll be doing. 

A proofreader is an individual who is involved in the last stage of a project. Just before a project is declared complete, a proofreader will fine-tune it. They will review grammar, punctuation, syntax and tenses (to name a few), ensuring that everything is correct. 

Proofreading is not industry-specific, which is great because you don’t need a degree in English or specialised proofreading qualifications. What does matter is that you have the skills needed to succeed. 

The two skills you need to become a proofreader: 

1. A very strong command of English. It’s important to have a solid comprehension of written English, as your main focus will be ensuring that sentences and words flow cohesively and pick up on any grammatical errors. 
2. Attention to detail. As proofreading is the last stage in any project, it is your duty to correct any errors that may have been missed in the previous stages. Depending on what you are proofreading, you may have hundreds of pages to go through, so you must be diligent. 

Bonus skill: Always be willing to learn. Take the initiative to brush up on your skills. Just because you ‘speak and read English’ doesn’t mean you will immediately flourish as a proofreader. It never hurts to know more. 

Visit  Shaw English Online on YouTube for comprehensive, beginner-friendly grammar lessons! 

Special mention: local agency Busy Bee Editing offers a FREE Online English Course. Click on the link for more information.

To learn more about freelance proofreading, writing and editing, check out the SA Writers College blog for professional advice and additional resources.

Now that you know the required vital skills, think about the type of content you would like to work with. 

How to pick a niche in proofreading: 

Consider fields that you are interested in or have knowledge or experience in. 

To ‘niche’ in proofreading is to dedicate all your expertise to a particular field and market yourself as a professional. 

For example, if you studied law or worked in the field, you could become a legal proofreader and go through law contracts or documents. Because you have the knowledge, you would be familiar with legal jargon, making this your selling point. 

Specialised fields include legal, medical, science and technology. If you are educated or experienced in these fields, consider using this as your stepping stone into proofreading. 

If you don’t feel like being in a specialised field, you can adopt a more generalised approach to proofreading. Cater your services to students. Proofread their research papers, theses, or even creative writing – the opportunities are endless. 

For a better understanding of what services will suit different customer needs, here are two South African proofreading agencies: 

• Mzansi Writers
• Busy Bee Editing

It’s all good to know how to become a proofreader; some of you must be reading this going, ‘tick, tick, I could do this in my sleep.’ The most vital part is finding a proofreading job in the job-saturated South African market. 

Proofreading jobs in South Africa:

• Upwork is a fantastic platform for freelance beginners to get a foot in the door. The link will take you to the profiles of South African proofreaders. Study their profiles, what they offer and how you can borrow ideas to get your work. Also, you set your own rates in dollars!
• LinkedIn can assist you in networking with like-minded individuals. It’s like Bumble but strictly for business. Create a profile and turn on job notifications to never miss an opportunity. 
• Clickworker is a freelance platform that helps you get proofreading jobs. Simply create a profile, take a test and wait for the work to roll in. 
• Flexjobs is another freelance platform with many opportunities for remote work from all over the world. A lot of the postings are for specialised fields. There is a registration fee required. 
• Get in touch with local publishing companies if you wish to proofread manuscripts. The smaller companies will keep your CV on file even if no openings are available. 
• This website has 31 remote opportunities for proofreading work. All the listings have not been South African-vetted, but they are worth looking at.  

The best thing you can do for yourself as a freelance proofreader is to utilise social media to market yourself and sell your skills. 

You can create Facebook, Instagram or TikTok pages that you can use to post about your services and reach a wider audience than just being on freelancer platforms. 

In today’s unstable economy, we can never rely on a company to stay employed. Since COVID-19, it has been proven that working from home is a viable option, and the freelancing industry has been growing since.

This journey may seem daunting, but the opportunities are endless! You have the skills and the expertise, so why not invest some time into yourself and get paid for it?  

Get your bag, become your own boss and discover the freedom of freelancing!

Good luck, future proofreaders!