Basic Proofreading – FAQs

• Anyone wishing to set up as a freelance proofreader
• New editorial staff
• Anyone who proofreads as part of their job, but who has had no formal training.

As with any freelance career you will need to build up experience in your chosen field, in this case proofreading. The Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning course is a good starting point, but you will need to gain practical experience too.

In addition, you will need to have superb interpersonal skills when dealing with potential clients and you will have to market yourself effectively. Many of our students enrol on Successful Editorial Freelancing by Distance Learning once they have completed their proofreading course to help them get started.

Getting started as a freelancer is not easy, but the rewards are great for those with the drive and desire to make their business work.

There are no specific entry requirements. However, you will need:

• an eye for detail
• the ability to concentrate
• a good command of colloquial English and English grammar, spelling and punctuation
• good general knowledge and an enquiring mind

No. If you already work in publishing, the courses supplement and consolidate in-company training or work experience. Companies who have registered their staff include: AA Publishing, BMJ Books, Blackwell Publishers, Blackstaff Press, Cambridge University Press, Churchill Livingstone, Haynes Publishing, Heinemann Educational Books, Larousse, Macmillan Publishers Ltd, Royal Society of Medicine, Scholastic Ltd, Times Mirror International.

You will need to spend at least 50 hours of intensive study time to complete Basic Proofreading. The estimated time including post, administration and marking is 7-9 months. If you do not finish the course within a year, you will be offered the opportunity to study for a further 12 months following payment of a re-registration fee. Any extensions beyond this are at the discretion of The Publishing Training Centre.

While it is theoretically possible to complete the course in under 6 months, please bear in mind that it takes time for the assignments to go through the administration process. Your tutor will also spend some time working through your assignment and may have a number of assignments to mark.

A proofreading course cannot guarantee immediate freelance or in-house work. However, on successful completion of the course we are confident that publishers will view your applications for work more seriously. It can take time to become established, however, and our experience shows that you will need 6 to 9 months’ work experience in proofreading.

Read a case study about how two of our former students got started.

Since the demise of the publishing NVQs, there is no generally accepted formal qualification in proofreading. If you complete this course successfully you will be awarded a graded certificate. We have been training publishing professionals for the past 30 years and we are the organisation appointed by the publishing industry to represent its views on skills and training to government, which means that your certificate of achievement should be widely recognised throughout the publishing industry.

If you have chosen the online version of the course, you will need access to a computer with an internet connection in order to access the course materials and a printer to print off your exercises and assignments. If you are signing up for the printed version, you will not need a computer to do the course. A scanner would, however, be very useful so that you can scan your assignments before posting them to us for marking.
During the course we will also be sending you a key to access additional material, which is not required to complete the course, but will give you some additional exercises to work through. We will also send notification emails once your work is received.

It is possible to complete the course in less than 7 to 9 months, however we do encourage our students to take their time studying their materials in order to gain the best possible marks on their assignments. You should also allow for a four week turnaround period between sending us your assignment and receiving feedback from your tutor. Please do not move on to the next assignment before receiving your feedback as this will help you learn from past mistakes.

For the Certificate of Achievement to have value, it is essential for students to be thoroughly assessed. A pass is not therefore guaranteed.

However, your tutor will work with you to ensure that you fulfil your potential and, despite the rigorous assessment process, pass rates for those who complete the course are high – around 95% of Basic Proofreading students complete the course successfully.

About 45% of students pass with Merit. Fewer than 10% of students achieve a distinction, which indicates an exceptional level of ability. Whatever the level of pass, anyone who successfully completes the course can justifiably claim to have been trained to an extremely high standard.

Pass – you have an aptitude for proofreading but need further practice before applying for paid work.

Merit – you show an aptitude for proofreading and could apply for paid work.

Distinction – you have reached a high standard and should feel confident about applying for paid work.

Yes. We have had students from all over the world. The skills you will gain from the course can be applied in any English speaking country. However, if you will be working on American English text this course is not recommended. If you’re based overseas there is an extra £35 charge to cover additional postage.

You can enrol at any time of year.

Once your payment has been received we will send you the first two units of Basic Proofreading and the first two assignments. You will then be able to start working through the course at your own pace. After you have sent in your first assignment we will send you the next unit, and so on.