Anyone involved in proofreading for a living?

[BettyTurnip]

I'm toying with idea of enrolling on a distance learning proofreading course, with a view to becoming a freelance proofreader. Is this a viable career for a SAHM with three LOs, and is it a struggle to get commissions when starting out?

Any comments or advice much appreciated.

I was a copywriter and part of my job involved proofreading. I would love to do it from home but I think getting work in the first instance is very difficult, it's a bit of a "who you know" thing. Unless you are much more motivated than I am at marketing yourself, that's probably where I'm going wrong, am too knackered to bother half the time.

Will watch with interest!

Thanks, MrsFawlty. Sounds like you've got a good chance of establishing yourself as you've already had experience. Know what you mean about being too knackered though!

Anyone else?

I do some of it. By far the easiest way is to to be in the editing area to start with, and ask your previous employer for work; then you gradually expand. Sorry, that's not much help, is it?

It does sort of fit around family life, as you can (theoretically) turn down work to accommodate the school holidays (although in my experience that's exactly when all the publishers want most cover for their in-house staff holidays). I find it tends to be feast or famine and mean some weeks of working bizarre hours after tha kids are in bed, but I'm not the most organised of people.

I'm not sure a proofreading course would help much. Probably as useful would be to buy a book or look online for common proofreading marks.

It's definitely in your favour that you can spell enrolling, commission and appreciate! (Not intended to be patronising, btw.)

Has to be said, it can be bloody boring, though... guess what I should be doing atm...

I am also interested in pursuing this as a freelance career but is it possible when you have no actual experience? How do you get experience if you don't work in the industry? Who would you contact for work? I have never worked in the magazine or publishing industries so do not have any appropriate contacts.