5 Best Proofreading Courses Online – Training (Free & Paid)
Proofreader Training Courses
When starting a professional proofreading career, you want to be sure to take one of the best proofreading courses online that is available. You don’t want to waste your time reading about dozens of them or anything that won’t help you become a successful proofreader.
I’ve done the research for you and I’ve listed only the best training courses here in this article.
All of them listed below are excellent options, but #1 is my personal favorite.
This post contains affiliate links.
The 7 Best Proofreading Courses Online 2021
1. General Proofreading: Theory and Practice™ (via Proofread Anywhere here)
I have watched this free workshop here and I have actually taken the course myself.
I wanted to add to my skill set and also be able to give my honest recommendation.
I can say with confidence that this is an excellent course. It will prepare you to become a professional proofreader! It really is the best proofreading course online that I have seen.
Caitlin Pyle is the creator of this course which will not only teach you how to proofread, but also how to run a proofreading business and find clients.
There are 40+ lessons in 9 modules that are always updated.
There is also a Facebook group for members that I really love! If you ever have questions during the course, the members there are so helpful!
What you’ll learn in the course includes:
- the different types of markets you can specialize in as a proofreader
- the most common type of errors you’ll encounter
- four different types of proofreading methods with thorough lessons and tutorials
- doing sample practice jobs
- how to create your proofreading business, set your rates, and build experience
- proven strategies to find clients and approach them + tips and tricks on how to set yourself up for success.
- how to bill your clients and establish a good reputation
- how to structure your day as a freelance proofreader
- a legal proofreader training online option
- and much more…
Caitlin shares a lot more about the proofreading course and helpful tips to get started in this free workshop here.
2. Becoming a Proofreader (via Proofreading Academy)
This is an extensive proofreading training course perfect for any beginner who wants to work as a professional proofreader.
The course consists of 45 hours of 10 modules with a full assessment to be completed.
What’s unique about this proofreader training is that if you pass the course with over 80% in the final assessment, you are eligible to work with Proofed, their partnering company. Proofed provides graduates with actual proofreading work assignments! You could see my review of Proofreading Academy here.
What you’ll learn in the course includes:
- proofreading any business, creative, or academic document to a professional standard
- how to edit copy for tone, flow, readability, and style
- how to use major academic referencing styles correctly
- learning how to proofread documents written in American, British, and Australian English
- making the most of Microsoft Word for proofreading work
- all about beginning a new flexible freelance career as a professional proofreader
Check it out here (7-day trial also available).
3. Writing Editing Masterclass – Content Editing, Copyediting and Proofreading (via Skillshare here)
This course teaches you the three major types of editing: content editing, copyediting and proofreading.
The course is almost 3 hours long.
It’s training that is great for both beginners and those looking to sharpen their proofreading and editing skills.
What you’ll learn in the course includes:
- the basic rules of editing and when to apply them
- how to transform a boring piece of content with a lot of errors into an interesting piece of content – free from errors
- the 12 steps editing process to cover all the necessary editing
- 38 editing and proofreading rules
- proofreading strategies
Check it out here (Free For 14 Days).
4. How To Find and Correct Writing Errors: The Proofreading Guide (via Skillshare here)
Although this is a beginners’ proofreading course, it is aimed at improving the skills for proofreading any documents whether you are already a proofreader or not.
This short proofreading course is taught by Duncan Koerber, an assistant professor at Brock University in Ontario, Canada.
The course is approximately 50 minutes long, delivering 17 lessons.
What you’ll learn in the course includes:
- how to develop the right mindset for catching errors
- the most common errors in words, punctuation, and design and format
- unique techniques for making your proofreading work easier and more effective
- the use of lists and guides in the proofreading process
- practical proofreading tips
- tips about getting help
Check it out here (Free For 14 Days).
5. Kickstart Your Freelance Editor & Proofreader Career on Upwork (via Skillshare here)
This training course is awesome if you already know how to proofread.
It’s not intended to teach your how to proofread, but rather how to work as a freelance editor and proofreader using the Upwork website.
Upwork is where you can post your proofreading services or any other service you want to offer.
This 1.5 hour long class also by Duncan Koerber, will show you how to use it effectively.
What you’ll learn in the course includes:
- how to create an effective bid cover letter
- what bidding principles work well
- how much to bid to win proofreading contracts
- how to develop repeat clients
- more approaches, philosophies, and tips for editing and proofreading
Check it out here (Free For 14 Days).
Choosing The Best Proofreading Course – What To Consider
While there are many options out there, there are a few thing to consider when choosing from the best proofreading courses. that is right for you.
I’ve made it easier for you to decide what’s right for you by only listing the best online proofreading courses. You don’t want to waste your time looking at everything out there when you only want to focus on the best available options.
There are some things to consider either while taking a training course or even better – before the course. I’ve listed them here:
Proofreading or Editing?
Do you want to do proofreading and editing or just proofreading?
Oftentimes, people confuse proofreading with editing or copyediting.
As a beginner, it is best to start as a proofreader. You can always add editing as a service later on.
As a proofreader, you will do the final check for any errors. Editing happens before proofreading so as proofreader, you are only responsible for the final process.
Some of the proofreading courses above touch on editing, but the focus of this article on finding the best proofreading courses online!
Become a Proofreading Specialist – Legal, General, or Other
It is a lot easier to become a successful proofreader when you hone in on a specific market of proofreading.
For example, you may take the general proofreading course by Proofread Anywhere but focus on proofreading ebooks.
Proofread Anywhere also offers a legal proofreading course online which would have you exclusively proofreading legal transcripts.
You may be in a better position to find work when you decide on a specialty.
You can decide this while you are taking one of the proofreader training courses.
Freelance Proofreading or Employee?
When deciding on the best proofreader course to take, first consider whether you want to do freelance proofreading or if you want to become an employee for a particular company.
As a freelancer you can get higher rates for the same work but you will have to actively look for clients, at least at first until you have established yourself.
As an employee, you may have to accept lower pay for beginner proofreading work from home but won’t have to look for work.
In my opinion, when deciding between the best proofreading courses, choose one or (or even two!), that will teach you BOTH how to proofread and also how to market yourself and get clients. This way, if you need to look for work, you already know how to go about it.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has helped you choose between the best proofreading courses online. Whether you want to start as a part-time proofreader on the side or start a rewarding full-time time career as a professional proofreader, these online training courses will prepare you to acquire excellent proofreading skills. If you’ve already done your training to be a proofreader, these courses will still prove to be beneficial and improve your skills.
Related Courses & Jobs Articles:
- The Best Online Proofreading Jobs For Beginners
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- All About Scopist Training, Jobs and Schools (How To Start)
- Proofreading Academy Review of The Become a Proofreader Course
