FAQ: Freelance Jobs

No, it is not. We are a language services company and focus on providing work for our independent contractors. Our freelance editors control their own schedules and can work as much as they like. If you are successful in your application, you will become an independent contractor working with Scribendi, taking advantage of Scribendi's unique system.

We have independent contractor positions available for freelance editors, and as freelance editors you can certainly choose to work full-time, part-time, or occasionally. Indeed, this is a key aspect of meeting Scribendi’s aim: to have a core team of editors situated around the world with expertise across a wide array of disciplines and genres. We want editors working, and this is one of the major advantages of working for a large company like Scribendi: we do the heavy lifting in terms of client acquisition in order to provide you with work. However, how much you work is up to you, and this schedule flexibility is another major advantage of working as an independent contractor at Scribendi. 

For freelance opportunities (working from home as an independent contractor), please check our Jobs page. 

Yes, we welcome applicants from all over the world. Freelance editors must be able to accept payments in USD, per the requirements listed on the Scribendi Jobs page.

Absolutely not. There are no application fees, system access fees, etc. When you complete orders, you are paid for the work that you complete, per your contract. That’s it.

We do have a standardized test, but it's just this—a test (and not some document we're farming out). It’s created by our in-house staff and designed to specifically test some of the editing and proofreading skills and knowledge that you’ll need as a Scribendi editor. We don't condone forcing applicants to work for free, and it's not a good business practice to have work completed for clients by editors that we haven't thoroughly vetted.

We do offer free sample edits to new clients, but we pay our editors to complete these out of our own pocket. We are 100% confident that the quality of editing provided by our editors will convince these clients to return to Scribendi as paying customers.

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We offer freelance editors the opportunity to work from the comfort of their own homes; the ability to pick and choose assignments based on their interests, expertise, and schedules; a variety of different documents to work on; and, most importantly, prompt and reliable payment for the work they complete. We also handle all the hassles associated with traditional freelance jobs, such as advertising, marketing, billing, and customer service.

After you've read our freelance or employment FAQs (depending on your desired position), you can send your application by following the instructions provided on our Jobs page.

If you are being considered for a position with Scribendi, we will notify you via email. 

Unfortunately, no. We're not a career counseling organization. We do, however, encourage you to review our Jobs page. If our requirements fit your skill sets, we'd love to have you apply. 

To work as a freelance editor with Scribendi, you will need a PC or Mac equipped with Microsoft Word 2016, 2019, or 2021 or Word 365 (as well as the equivalent versions for other Microsoft Office software, such as PowerPoint and Excel). 

Working as a contractor with Scribendi requires a moderately advanced level of computer and internet knowledge. You need to be extremely comfortable with downloading and uploading files, saving and finding files on your computer, transferring files, renaming files, and using a website interface. You should have a good working knowledge of the major document file formats (.docx, .pptx, .tex, .pdf, .odt, .txt, etc.) and their associated software programs (Word, PowerPoint, LaTeX, Adobe, OpenOffice, plain text, etc.). You should also be internet savvy enough to know where to look for information about a particular file format, academic subject, genre, or style guide. As we also sometimes get files that misbehave, the ability to troubleshoot technical problems is often necessary.

No, Scribendi receives orders for editing in all varieties of English (e.g., UK, US, and Australian) from time zones across the world, so we welcome all applicants with the necessary editorial expertise.

Unfortunately, no. Only those applicants being considered for a freelance position will be contacted.

Scribendi routinely performs quality assurance checks on documents to ensure that the editing and proofreading is of a high quality. These provide extensive information about meeting Scribendi's quality standards, and they will note errors and suggest areas for improvement. We provide full transparency in terms of our scoring system and methods of evaluation.

This depends on a number of factors, including your previous history with Scribendi and our current volume of work. Please email freelance@scribendi.com to discuss the possibility of reactivating your profile.

Freelance editors, who work as independent contractors, are paid once per month via Payoneer by a contractually agreed upon date.

A review is a review, so we just ask that you read them carefully and critically. We encourage you to ask any questions that you may have during the hiring process, as we would be glad to clarify any concerns.

No. Clients will only know you by a designated identifier that we provide to you. Our amazing Customer Support department handles all communication with clients, so you can relax and focus on what you do best: editing!

Scribendi was founded in 1997 and has been a world leader in online editing and proofreading for more than 25 years.