proof reading - thoughts?

trailingspouse

OH and I run our own limited company. Things are going well, but although we occasionally use sub-contractors it is mainly OH who is out there earning the money. I'm a director, and I do the paperwork, deal with HMRC, VAT etc etc. You could say I add value to the business because we don't have to employ anyone to do the things that I do - but I'm not actually bringing an income in. And to be honest, it doesn't take me that long to do it.

I would like to rectify this, and find paid work that would sit well with the rest of the business and could be done around my 'core tasks'.

I think I would be a very good proof reader - but do people even use them these days? And if you did, how much would you expect to pay?

I don't want to set off down this path if it's really not worth it financially.

ljonski

http://www.sfep.org.uk/pub/mship/minimum_rates.asp

InsideInsurance

trailingspouse wrote: »

I think I would be a very good proof reader - but do people even use them these days? And if you did, how much would you expect to pay?

As always it will depend where you are sourcing your work from, your turnaround time, what qualifications you have in it etc.

The £22/hr is probably a little optimistic for a newbie bidding for work on places like Guru.com. Similarly without the normal tools of the trade you may well be slower than an experienced hand but wont be able to increase the price to allow for it.

Certainly proof readers, indexers, transcribers etc are all still used

DKLS

I use proof readers for all of my projects and any video I have shot is always transcribed, and I usually pay £15 an hour and more if the person has specific sector experience.

trailingspouse

Thanks - that's a more positive response than I was expecting. I'm already in contact with SfEP, and even they admit that their recommended rates are unrealistic!!

I would be specialising in working within the pharmaceutical industry, as that is where our core business lies. I already do this for 'in house' work, unpaid, so it makes sense to offer these services to a wider (and more lucrative) audience.

Hmm, food for thought.

firefox1956

Why are you not been paid by your Limited company ???
It would be very tax efficient for you to be paid a small salary.
You should really speak to your accountant for guidance I think.
HTH

InsideInsurance

firefox1956 wrote: »

Why are you not been paid by your Limited company ???
It would be very tax efficient for you to be paid a small salary.
You should really speak to your accountant for guidance I think.
HTH

The OP says they arent generating income for the company not that they get paid a salary

trailingspouse

Thanks InsideInsurance - you took the words right out of my mouth.

Don't fret firefox - I'm paid a salary, and I have a very good accountant.

My point is that I don't actually do anything within the business that generates income - I do the books, I go and fly the flag at conferences, I do the VAT returns and the EC Sales lists, basically I do everything apart from generating income.

Proofreading is an option that fits well with my skill set, and would be flexible enough to work around my commitments to the business - but there would be a cost in terms of training (not a lot - less than £200), and in terms of time, so I'm trying to decide if it will pay enough to be a worthwhile addition to our business offering.

Mistral001

The market for proofreading has perhaps grown due to the number of people producing work where English is not their first language. Is the market you are aiming for?

trailingspouse

Not specifically, but I'm TEFL trained so could certainly go down that route.

Thanks for that idea!