Is anyone an academic proofreader?

[Marmaladegin]

Or indeed any kind of freelance proofreader? I'm assuming that academic proofreading pays a bit better. I'm pretty confident I'd meet qualifications criteria.

If so, how did you get into it and do you enjoy it? (And if possible, how much do you get paid?

Thanks!

No advice I’m afraid but I’m following this as this is something I’ve considered doing too.

I’d like to know more about this too!

I fell into it by accident through a colleague that worked for a journal. Have a regular gig twice a year and have picked up a few things off the back of that. Not enough to provide a regular income for me but not something I have very actively pursued. It's been useful to do as I fit it in around our children. There are a lot of people chasing jobs as freelancers, especially since the pandemic, and they are underpricing for jobs too to get the work. I'm now retraining to do something more practical.

Oh that is disappointing! (But helpful to know)

I was hoping that I might be in a good position (I have an Eng Lit background but also a postgrad degree in science). But it doesn't sound like it's particularly worth pursuing.

Hi OP, I did a fair amount of academic proofreading/editing some years ago, this is just my experience:

I did some work directly for my university and this was well paid but irregular.

I signed up to a couple agencies that focus on journal article editing (mostly for international scholars writing in English), there was always tons of work but the pay was really bad, barely minimum wage. I quit as soon as I got a proper job.

If I had had to stick with it, I probably would have tried to set myself up as a dissertation editor, you can charge decent rates and I prefer fewer big jobs to lots of little ones.

So I wouldn't say it's not worth pursuing at all but it might take a while to build up a reliable income.

I am a freelance STEM proofreader. Some academic clients, some other organizations. I never work for private individuals.
I’ve had a good year, approaching 6 figures working only as long as the school day and 50% during most school holidays.
I have been doing it for 20 odd years. I have some good niches, and speak five languages fluently so work well with ESL researchers and on things where translatability is a concern.
I started out with an in-house job abroad, which means that I have a lot of contacts. I don’t think I could have reached my salary only working in the UK, salaries in publishing are very low.

My mum did it for a number of years in the 90s and early ‘00s. Rates even back then were pitiful, and knowing the direction publishing has gone in since then, I can’t imagine they’re better now. She did enjoy it though and was able to do it in parallel with another income stream.

As above it is only worth doing if you have a niche - STEM background and by that I mean PhD level, languages, especially European as the outsourcing vendors dont have them, a law background.

Otherwise it just isnt worth it I'm afraid. Plus academic proofreading actually pays less than trade mostly.