14 Moms Who Make Money Proofreading from Home

I receive a lot of emails from moms wondering if proofreading is a flexible enough work-at-home job for them.

Some of them have very young kids who need a lot of attention.

Or they homeschool and want to know if they’ll be able to balance the two.

Or they need to be available to pick kids up from school and spend hours waiting for them while they do their extracurriculars.

They’re looking for some kind of work they can do from home (or from the sidelines of a sports field) — something they can fit in around their family’s busy schedule.

Hundreds, even thousands of people — like these moms I’m going to introduce you to below — are turning to various types of freelance work every day.

Of course, I firmly believe freelance proofreading is a dream job for anyone with a pair of eagle eyes!

It’s the new way to work! It offers the flexibility to manage your own schedule. It also offers you the unique opportunity to make money doing something you enjoy, from anywhere in the world. You can choose how much work you do and how much money you make. The sky’s the limit!

Freelancing also allows you more freedom in life! With so many “can’ts” when you work for someone else, the freelance life offers so much. You must work for it, but it’s so worth it.

Of course, everyone’s situation is different. Not all families have the same needs. Our proofreading students come from a variety of different backgrounds and have a variety of different circumstances that affect them.

Here are some of the questions you might be asking. Let me introduce you to some of our graduates and show you how they make proofreading work for them.

I really want to be a stay-at-home mom. Can I do that with proofreading?

Yes! You totally can. And after reading all these awesome women’s stories, you’ll see how you can make it happen.

The biggest change to Marie’s life after starting to proofread was that she was able to stay home during her second pregnancy, and even bring work to the hospital. Proofreading gave her the chance to bond with her son WHILE working. She particularly loves making her own schedule and only working with people she likes, which suits her introverted personality perfectly!

Sarah was a SAHM to four boys before she found Proofread Anywhere. The addition of a fourth baby put a strain on her family’s finances, so she started looking for a way to make ends meet. Enter proofreading! Thanks to the mindset work she did as a result of the course, Sarah was able to overcome imposter syndrome, and now she spends fifteen hours a week working as a proofreader. The rest of the time she spends with her family. Just what she wanted!

I have a large family. Will I still be able to fit proofreading around my family’s needs?

It may be more difficult, but it’s still possible! You will need to be more organized and more determined to make it work.

Elisa is a mom of NINE kids, but she still makes proofreading work for her. She worked as a teacher before she became a stay-at-home mom. After a long search for ways to contribute financially to her large family, she hit on proofreading transcripts and earns up to $3,600 a month! At first, she felt inferior and like she had to justify her decision to stay home with her kids, but now her success as a proofreader has shown her that there are lots of ways to be successful, even if you don’t want to go to college.

Mom of five Amy needed something that didn’t require listening to audio or making phone calls since she had three active little ones in the house at the time. Proofreading has been ideal because she loves words, reading, and language, so it doesn’t often feel too much like work. There’s nothing like earning money doing something you love!

I couldn’t agree more, Amy!

Can I balance proofreading with a full-time job and a family?

Of course! A lot of people who take my courses are looking for a way out of their full-time job. But sometimes, I have students who LOVE their day jobs and simply want to earn a little extra money on the side. They want a flexible gig they can fit into their already busy lives with jobs, family, and other commitments.

Stephanie needed something she could do in the mornings before going to work as a medical laboratory scientist and after her son went to bed. She loves her career in the medical laboratory, but proofreading has afforded her the flexibility to have a second job without taking time away from her family.

I’m a single mom. Will I be able to support my family with proofreading?

Unfortunately, life doesn’t always turn out as we’d hoped and dreamed. Learning to live with new circumstances can be extremely difficult, especially if you’re worrying about money on top of everything else. Proofreading is a great way to earn a full- or part-time income while still being in the home.

Due to some family issues, Patti had to drop out of court reporting school to support her family. After a long career in accounting, she ended up stuck in a dead-end job that made her miserable. Being a single mom, she doesn’t have a “partner” to talk these things over with, get advice from, bounce ideas off of, or receive encouragement from. She found it hard to dig deep and find the courage to take the first step. But she did! Proofreading from home allows her to care for her sick mother, and she’s grateful for the ability to do that.

As Amy’s marriage was coming to an end, she needed to find a way to earn a part-time income from home to supplement her other income. Thanks to proofreading, she was able to remain a stay-at-home mom. As a single parent, she says you can’t put a price on the blessings that come from not having to worry if you’ll get fired because your car broke down or one of the kids is sick.

I homeschool my kids. Will I have time to do both?

As a mom, you tend to be the doer of all things. You cook, you clean, you coordinate everyone’s schedule. Add homeschooling on top of that, and it’s hard to believe there would be any time left in the day for anything else. But there can be!

Kim had a crazy schedule homeschooling three boys as well as settling into a new city and state. She was seeking out something that would fill that creative (and financial) hole she felt she was in. With proofreading, she found her happy place!

I want to contribute to my family’s income. Can I earn money but still spend time with my kids?

Sure! Proofreading is a very flexible job. You can take on as much or as little work as you want. And you can also work when your schedule allows, like when your kids are in school or sleeping.

Working full-time in her family’s restaurant meant that Amanda didn’t get to see a lot of her son. She left for work before he got home from school, and he would be in bed by the time she got home. When she was expecting her daughter, she and her husband felt strongly that something would need to change to improve the quality of their lives as a family unit. Amanda took her proofreading side hustle full time and now she has time to be there for her family while also contributing to their household income. Having started with the Transcript Proofreading course, she continued her studies and added general proofreading to her skill set. Now she loves the variety both types of proofreading bring her.

Darcy juggled marketing her new business with breastfeeding, and it paid off! She has several regular clients that she works for. To help her balance her work with her family responsibilities, Darcy works while her daughter naps and makes the most of the days her daughter is in daycare. That way they can enjoy their time as a family when she doesn’t need to work.

I’ve got big goals for mine and my family’s lives. How can proofreading help me achieve them?

I LOVE to hear that people have big goals! Having a goal is what gives you the focus to keep going. Without clear goals, you have no incentive to push through the hard times. Without goals, it’s hard to see what you’ve achieved and how far you’ve come.

Clara’s life goals have always been based on doing things that are meaningful to her. She wants to spend more time with her family, build a little house in the country, run a small homestead and farm stand, and write a book. She needed something that would help finance these goals and give her a way to put her perfectionist tendencies to good use. She found it proofreading legal transcripts! Proofreading has been an amazing tool that she uses a few hours a day (usually during pre-K, naptime, and in the wee hours of the morning before the kids wake up) to give her the freedom and peace of mind to be able to accomplish the other things in life she wants.

Nora and her husband set a huge goal to pay off their mortgage before they turn forty. Proofreading is helping them get there! At first, she found it hard to find the motivation to keep going, but she persisted, and the hard work is paying off.

I’ve got a new baby. Is this the right time to start a business?

Most people would answer “No” to this question. But really it all depends on you and your goals. Finding a way to stay home with your new baby might be just the push you need to start your proofreading business. Bethany was 36 weeks pregnant when she discovered Proofread Anywhere and was working forty-five hours a week at her old job. After doing her due diligence, she started the Transcript Proofreading course. Of course, the reality is that preparing for and having a new baby is very tiring, and she didn’t get back to the course until her baby was three months old. Her persistence paid off when she started her business and gained some regular clients. All this with a new baby and a full-time job! Bethany is still working toward becoming a stay-at-home mom, and I have no doubt she’ll get there very soon!

We’re a military family. Will I be able to take my business with me if we have to move?

You know the problem with most jobs? You can’t take them with you if you move to another state or if you want to travel to other countries. And they tend not to be very flexible if you need to stay home with a sick kiddo every now and then.

Moving can be exciting, it can also be difficult to start over every time you move. Constantly trying to find a new job and establish yourself in a community takes time, and you’re just getting settled when you have to pack up and go again.

As a military wife, Jody was used to starting over every time her family moved, but she was looking for a job that could move with her. Now she’s finally got her dream job as a proofreader, and she’s glad she doesn’t have to start over every two to three years. And she balances working with running her kids to school, walking the dog, and cleaning the garage. ????

My husband has a demanding job. I need to be there to take care of my family. Can I still do that if I work as a proofreader?

Part of family life is supporting each other when it’s needed. Working from home as a proofreader means you can be there when your family needs you, but you can still work as your schedule allows. It’s all about finding time in the margins.

Aimee’s husband has a demanding job, so her taking on more of the household management helps him succeed. And they have three teens, so she’s a busy mom on the go! She always worked part-time but wanted to do something that would fit in with her introvert nature. She overcame the self-doubt, the “what-ifs,” and being let go from her job in the middle of taking the course and started her proofreading business. Now she can earn income while hanging out with her kids and keeping things going at home.

I’m a man and a dad. Can I still be a proofreader?

Think only women can be proofreaders? Think again! We have lots of dads in our Proofread Anywhere community. They have eagle eyes too! And they also want the freedom to spend more time with their family.

Derek was our very first General Proofreading course success story! His wife had just had a baby, and he was working the night shift at a hotel. A natural talent for proofreading prompted him to give the course a go, and his goal now is to turn it into a full-time job so he can escape the rut and start doing something he loves.

At the time we interviewed Darcy, he was on the verge of quitting his full-time job to work from home as a proofreader and editor. He was super excited to soon have the flexibility and freedom to spend time with his wife and four children.

Our Take

These women (and men!) inspire me so much. I love how they found a way to balance earning income from doing something they love with raising a family. They stay true to their dreams and are determined to overcome any obstacles they may face along the way. Way to go!

Your Turn

If you’ve dreamed of contributing to your family’s income without having to sacrifice time with your family and without having to get a job that makes you want to poke your eyes out, we’ve got just the thing for you! Check out our free 7-day email course if you’re interested in proofreading transcripts or our Intro to Proofreading workshop if you’re interested in becoming a general proofreader.

Not sure what the difference is between general and transcript proofreading? I break it down here.