Can't find work as a proofreader

[loopdeloop1654]

Trained for years and used to teach as well. Even the AI checking jobs I'm looking at lead through to companies that aren't legit. It's soul-destroying.

Anyone else in this position? Have you retrained in another sector?

Who are your usual clients? Are you reaching out to them directly or through agencies? I’m not a proofreader, but I do work in a niche area of editing and publishing.

My understanding is there used to be a huge selection of freelance jobs via agencies. Those have dried up. But people still need your services. You have to find them directly.

I market myself via LinkedIn, social media, I have a website, I do cold emailing and use my networks to find jobs. It also helps to be quite specific. I work in a very niche area. I’m not for everyone, but I’m very attractive to the specific clients who are looking for me.

Contrary to popular belief, everyone is not relying on AI. They really do want a real person they can trust. You just have to find them.

You said you have trained for years - do you mean you have proofreading training?

Teaching isn’t really relevant for proofreading, I’m afraid…

Who did you used to work for? What kind of work did you do? Have you joined e.g. the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading?

Good sources of work are Reedsy, the ALLi directory, the CIEP directory….