Alejandrina
(The Work-From-Home Mom)

As a parent, it can be hard to balance childcare with the demands of work – especially when many jobs involve fixed hours and lengthy commutes. However, there is a solution! Freelance proofreading and editing can be a great, flexible career choice for moms and dads who want to earn an income without sacrificing too much time with their family.

Our Becoming A Proofreader course comes with lifetime access, meaning you can take things at your own pace and fit learning around your existing schedule. Once you’ve qualified as a freelance proofreader or editor, you can work as much (or as little) as you like – and from wherever you want.

Alejandrina, a stay-at-home mom of three, had always enjoyed learning about spelling, grammar, and punctuation and had done some informal proofreading in the past. After having her children, she was looking for part-time work she could do from home. She was pleased to discover that freelance proofreading was an option.

Keep reading to hear more of Alejandrina’s story.

Hi, Alejandrina! What were you doing before you started Becoming A Proofreader?

I’m originally from California, but I’m currently living in North Carolina with my husband and three small children. I went to school at Northern Arizona University, and I studied special and elementary education. When I learned about the course, I was a stay-at-home mom.

What made you consider taking the course?

When I was in middle school and high school, I always loved doing grammar exercises. In high school, I had a couple of friends give me their personal statements to check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors – just general proofreading – and I really enjoyed it.

And then, after college and after having my first child, I was looking for something that I could do at home. I came across an ad on Facebook for freelance proofreading. I was amazed that it was something I could do from home, on my own time, and be paid for doing. So that’s kind of how I came across Knowadays and Proofed.

“I was amazed that it was something I could do from home, on my own time, and be paid for doing.“

What did you like most about learning with Knowadays?

I had a pretty good experience with the Becoming A Proofreader course. The units were simple, straightforward, and easy to follow. But what I enjoyed the most was that, in every one of them, there was humor – even some of the units that were very information-heavy were a little easier to get through because of that.

So, it wasn’t just, you know, “Here’s this textbook.” You could tell that the makers of the course tried to make it a little more engaging for those taking it.

What was your experience with our guaranteed work offer with Proofed? Has the course helped you reach your goals?

Proofed’s guaranteed work offer was definitely one of the biggest things that separated it from the other freelance proofreading options I had found. It was really nice knowing that I could have a set freelancing career as long as I passed the course.

When I passed the course, someone spoke with me about whether I was still interested in working for Proofed and explained the next steps. There wasn’t any pressure to work for them if, after the course, I decided not to.

The course has helped me achieve my goals in that I now have some income every month for any small things that might come up. Because my children are small, I haven’t been doing it full time. But that’s also the nice thing – I don’t have to do it full time. It’s very flexible, and that has been one of the best things about it.

What do you enjoy most about proofreading? Do you have a favorite type of document or subject area to proofread?

The work is so flexible and so varied! I’ve proofread blogs, manual chapters, research papers, poems, and many different things. The work is never boring.

Is there any advice you’d give to someone who is currently thinking about taking Becoming A Proofreader?

If anyone was on the fence about taking this course, I would say do it!

The first two times that I took the test, I didn’t pass. I had the option of speaking with a tutor, so I took it, and they were extremely helpful and friendly. They went through and answered all my questions, explaining some of the errors I had made and what they were looking for. And that was a great help.

Even after having passed, all the feedback has been really straightforward and has helped me greatly improve as a proofreader. I’ve kept every email, and I refer to them when I’m stuck on something.

The admin team is always very understanding when I can’t take a certain document or when I can only take documents of certain lengths – they’re never pushy – so that has been really great.

I can definitely see myself working with Proofed pretty much forever because of how flexible and varied the work is and because of how great the admin team has been.

“I can definitely see myself working with Proofed pretty much forever because of how flexible and varied the work is.“

Becoming A Proofreader

Are you a parent who’d like to find flexible work that allows you to spend more time at home with your family? We can help! Our Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor courses will equip you with the skills needed to succeed as a freelance proofreader and/or editor.

Pass Becoming A Proofreader with a distinction grade (80% or above), and you’re guaranteed work with our partner company, Proofed. That means you can start gaining experience – and earning an income – almost straight away! And if you buy both courses as a bundle, you’ll save 15%.

Try it out for free today!