Are Proofreading Courses Worth It?

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If you want to become a proofreader, you’ve probably wondered whether a proofreading course is worth the time and money. I took a course before starting to proofread professionally, which proved to be an excellent investment.

Yes, proofreading courses are worth it if you’d like to be a professional proofreader. By taking a reputable course, you’ll not only learn necessary proofreading skills but also gain confidence, attract more clients, know how to set proofreading rates, and protect your reputation.

Let’s look at many reasons why a proofreading course is a sound investment. I’ll also leave a link to an article that discusses some of the best proofreading courses available, including the one I took. Finally, we’ll see how much proofreaders typically earn.

Proofreading Courses Are Worth It

If you’re on the fence about taking a proofreading course, let me help lead you to the solid ground with the lush green grass on the “yes” side of the fence.

Being a proofreader requires a specific set of skills. Here’s one way Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a skill: “a learned power of doing something competently; a developed aptitude or ability.”

Completing a proofreading course will help you obtain this “learned power.”

Although having a college degree or having been a grammar superstar in high school will behoove you, it won’t be enough. However, if you’ve studied copyediting in college, you probably already have the skills to be a successful proofreader.

If you’d like to know how to assess an online class to ensure it meets your needs, feel free to check out my article “11 Things You Need to Look for in an Online Course.”

More to Proofreading Than Meets the Eye

When I took a proofreading course, I was surprised to learn there was much more to being a proofreader than I thought. Many of my classmates shared this sentiment.

Had I taken the course closer to graduating from college, it would have undoubtedly required less effort. However, many years had passed.

I was so rusty with my grammar and punctuation knowledge that I decided to brush up on those skills by reading the book Painless Grammar by Rebecca Elliot, PhD.

I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a refresher. (Although the word grammar is in the title, it includes a chapter on punctuation and a chapter on commonly misused words.)

I’m so glad I read that book first because it helped me better understand The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)—the most commonly used style guide for general proofreaders.

Proofreaders Use Style Guides

One of the most valuable lessons I learned in my proofreading course is that proofreaders follow style guides.

A style guide is a book that contains rules to ensure that grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and formatting stay consistent across a document.

Proofreaders of US English typically use one of these four major style guides:

• The Chicago Manual of Style
• The Associated Press Stylebook
• MLA (Modern Language Association) Handbook
• Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

The kind of document you’re proofreading determines the style guide you use.

For example, if you’re proofreading a book, you need to use CMOS; however, if you’re working on a press release, you would refer to The Associated Press Stylebook.

A proofreading course will help you become acquainted with style guides.

Although you don’t have to memorize all the rules in a style guide (that would be a tall order!), you need to be aware that they exist and know where to find them quickly whenever you need them.

Learning about other common style guides and when to apply them is also to your advantage. If you’re familiar with more than one guide, you can work on a broader range of documents.

Gain Proofreading Skills and Get Practice

What We Don’t Know That We Don’t Know

Proofreading requires more knowledge than I originally thought. I’m glad I invested in a course so I could make that knowledge mine. I learned that trying to be a proofreader without taking a class would have been a problem because I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Let’s look at the table below.

As you can see, we have knowledge we’re aware of, and we have knowledge (somewhere in our subconscious) we don’t even know we have. We can also scan our brains to reveal what we know that we don’t know.

However, it’s what we don’t know that we don’t know that’s a problem. If you don’t take a course, you won’t have the opportunity to learn the knowledge you’re not yet aware you should have.

Proofreading Is a Skill

Proofreading is a skill you need to learn before you do it professionally.

Learn and then earn.

I wrote an article about the skills you need to be a proofreader. The first seven skills mentioned in this article are the following:

1. A great grasp of grammar
2. The capability to correct capitalization errors
3. A penchant for proper punctuation
4. Superb spelling skills
5. Stellar style guide familiarity
6. Refined research skills
7. Competence with computers

These are the primary skills you’ll learn in a proofreading class. You’ll learn the last two skills in a proofreading-specific way. Finally, some programs also teach the needed business and marketing skills for those who want to freelance.

Get Relevant Proofreading Practice

If you take a general proofreading course, you will (hopefully) be given a variety of texts to proofread. You’ll become comfortable with the proofreading process and learn tips for being effective and efficient.

Practicing your skills will help you identify your weaknesses and focus on improving them. Receiving a lot of proofreading practice was invaluable in honing my skills.

Build Confidence in Your Abilities

Gain Confidence Knowing You Have the Skills

Being confident in your proofreading prowess is priceless. With a comprehensive course, you’ll become more confident not only because of the skills you learn but also due to the time you spend practicing them.

Without comprehensive practice that mimics real-world jobs and includes answer keys or feedback, how can you measure your skills and know when you’re ready to work for clients?

And when it comes to proofreading for clients, you don’t want to second-guess yourself over every decision.

But I’ll let you in on a little secret. Even if you take a proofreading course, you’ll probably do this in the beginning.

However, if you have the proper training, you’re likely making the right decisions; you’re just doubting yourself since you’re new to the job.

And this doubt is normal—not only in proofreading but in any career.

This self-doubt that creeps up on us is so common that it has a name: impostor syndrome.

Harvard Business Review defines impostor syndrome as “a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evident success.” But you have to start somewhere, and before you know it, that confidence will be yours!

Feel Good about the Value You Give to Clients

A proofreading class will help you feel good about the value you give to your clients. You’ll be able to inspire confidence in your clients from the get-go, and you’ll be glad to know you can help them in a meaningful way.

After all, you will have put forth the effort to learn your trade well. It’s a win-win deal for both parties!

Get Clients

There Will Be Competition

Although there will always be a demand for qualified proofreaders who do good work, there will still be competition (as with any job). This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to attract clients who need your services; it just means there will be other proofreaders vying for them.

One way to set yourself apart from the competition is to build a solid skill set by taking a good course.

Clients Will Likely Want to See Credentials

Although a degree (especially in English or journalism) is helpful, it isn’t enough.

I would much rather hire someone who has completed a reputable proofreading course to proofread my work than someone with a college degree but no industry-specific training!

Potential clients will probably want to see your qualifications.

Would you invest in someone to provide a service if they weren’t qualified? 

I once received a job on Fiverr from a client who chose me because of my knowledge of CMOS. He told me that he always asks the proofreaders he hires if they’re familiar with CMOS. If they’re not, he looks elsewhere.

Finally, if you’re a well-trained proofreader, you can work with clients who have higher-than-average expectations. These clients are usually willing to pay more in exchange for outstanding service.

Some proofreading courses provide a certificate of completion or a certificate for passing a final exam. You can post this certificate on your website or on the profiles you create on freelance marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr, etc.).

Soon, we’ll look at options for getting training.

Protect Your Reputation

What You Don’t Know Will Show

If you expect to get paid for proofreading, you need to do a much better job than your clients could do for themselves. And although your clients won’t have the skill set of a professional proofreader (unless they are one), they’ll likely find out if you don’t know what you’re doing.

One of the first proofreading jobs I received on Fiverr was from a lady who had already hired a proofreader (from Fiverr) to polish her blog post.

Unfortunately, this woman realized her post still contained numerous errors, so she hired me for round two.

She left a bad review for the first proofreader, who received two out of five stars. Fortunately, she gave me a five-star review and a tip. For that, I have Caitlin Pyle to thank. She’s the creator of the excellent proofreading course I took.

Bottom Line: Providing value to clients will help you build an excellent reputation.

You Want Clients to Come Back

The client from the last example continued hiring me whenever she needed a blog post proofread.

In any business, you always want to earn clients’ trust so they keep coming back.

Those repeat clients are the ones most likely to recommend your services to others. Finally, they will leave glowing reviews that enable you to attract more clients and grow your business.

Recommended Proofreading Courses

Below are the proofreading courses I recommend and the organization or company that offers each one. All of them are online classes, so they’re available to students worldwide.

1. General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ (offered by Proofread Anywhere in the US)

I took this course and highly recommend it. Proofread Anywhere teaches you how to proofread documents using CMOS and provides advice on using AI (Artificial Intelligence) in your proofreading work.

If you’d like to learn more about this program, I’ve written an in-depth article: “Proofread Anywhere Review: Is It Worth It? (Student Review).”

2. Becoming a Proofreader (offered by Knowadays in the UK)

This class is another great option. It teaches you not only how to proofread but also how to improve a document’s readability and tone.

I wrote a thorough review of Knowadays’ proofreading course if you’d like to check it out.

3. Essential Proofreading: Editorial Skills One (offered by The Publishing Training Centre in the UK)

The advantage of this program is that you have a dedicated tutor throughout your training.

Furthermore, The Publishing Training Centre is a respected name in the publishing industry.

4. Proofreading 1: Introduction, Proofreading 2: Headway, and Proofreading 3: Progress (offered by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading in the UK)                     

Note: It’s recommended that students take all three classes to complete the series.

This series of classes is expensive, but they’re offered by a prestigious name in the publishing industry.

If your budget isn’t a concern and you plan to apply for highly competitive proofreading positions, these courses are a solid option.

Finally, I wrote a post comparing these proofreading classes if you’d like more information. I’ve included a couple of tables to make the comparison as simple as possible.

How Much Proofreaders Make

A novice proofreader can make about $12–$18 per hour. However, many variables factor into proofreading rates.

I authored an article about how much proofreaders earn if you’d like to learn more. This post discusses pay rates for employed and freelance proofreaders.

It also explains how to determine freelance proofreading rates and highlights an important factor we often overlook.

I hope this article helped you understand why proofreading courses are well worth it.

I wish you every success in pursuing your goals.

Best wishes to you!

“You’re off to great places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So . . . get on your way!”

– Dr. Seuss