If you’ve ever wondered whether a freelance worker is overcharging, the real question may be whether many clients are underpaying. This look into today’s freelance market highlights job posts offering as little as $3.13 per hour for experienced copywriting, with proofreading, editing, SEO, research, and project management responsibilities bundled into a single role. It also examines how platform fees and paid job applications make finding quality freelance work more challenging than it was a few years ago.
Drawing on real freelance job listings, industry proofreading and editing benchmarks, and personal experience as a copywriter and proofreader, a clear pattern emerges. Many clients expect specialized skills, advanced qualifications, and extensive deliverables, yet offer rates below minimum wage or accepted industry standards. The result is a growing gap between the value professional freelancers provide and what many businesses are willing to pay for it.
The reality of freelance rates for writing, editing, and proofreading
- Remember when freelance workers and working from home were cool?
- Hello darkness, my old friend—looks like I’m a true freelance worker again
- The times, they are a-changin’ for freelance workers
- We need a highly skilled freelance worker, but…
- Need a freelance worker to write eight emails a day
- These ridiculous positions for freelance workers aren’t restricted to Upwork
- Do all freelance workers get paid less than minimum wage?
- AI will be our savior! AI is the enemy!
- How does a freelance worker apply for such a coveted position?
- How do you know things have swung too far in the wrong direction?
- Not everyone is anti-AI, but maybe they should be
- How tough is it trying to cut it as a freelance worker?
- That seems like a lot of work—any other red flags?
- What about writers looking for professional proofreaders or editors—are they willing to pay?
- Proofreading a children’s book should be pretty easy and lucrative, right?
- The rates freelance workers are being offered are criminal
- How do these rates stack up to the industry standards for proofreading?
- Are English editing rates for freelance workers any better?
- Surely the insanity must end there? Hold my beer…
- Editing an AI draft must be faster than writing from scratch
- I’m a freelance English copywriter and proofreader, but I don’t want your sympathy—just an honest rate
Remember when freelance workers and working from home were cool?
I started as a freelance worker in 2021. I’d just been let go from my job of 17+ years. The world was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote work was becoming more popular for a simple reason. Out of necessity, companies were discovering that working from home was more realistic than expected.
Shortly after being let go, I decided it was time for a change. Rather than find another teaching job with no job stability, I decided to bet on myself. I wanted to try English copywriting and editing for Korean businesses. My success (or failure) would depend on how much effort I was willing to put in. I was betting on myself—and I liked my odds.
I had several freelance gigs, including some for Korean clients. But I ended up securing two steady part-time gigs within a few weeks of each other. One was with a US company, and the other with an Australian one. Within six months, I became the Marketing Team Lead at the Australian company, Xplor Education. I got that position despite just starting as a content writer and copywriter a few months earlier. The gig with the US company ended abruptly (I got a week’s notice). But as I was working full-time for Xplor Education at that point. I was glad for the reduction in hours.
And that’s what I did—until recently. Just as my teaching job and my freelance job with the US company ended, my contract with Xplor Education also ended in February of this year. In the past 5 years, I’ve been “let go” from three jobs. My work performance had nothing to do with any of those exits. I couldn’t have done anything differently to keep any of those positions.
Hello darkness, my old friend—looks like I’m a true freelance worker again
After four and a half years of working remotely (not technically freelancing), I was back in familiar territory. Once again, I was a freelance worker. I decided to refocus my efforts on the Korean market. I gave my English site a long-overdue refresh and created a Korean version. While waiting for Korean clients to come knocking, I still needed work. I revisited the freelance sites I’d used to land my original long-term freelance gigs. While familiar territory, there were some notable differences.
I was quickly reminded of the toughest thing about freelancing—finding work. You have to sift through available gigs to find the ones that suit you best. Then you have to submit unique proposals for each job. You’re trying to stand out in a sea of applicants where it’s not uncommon for 50+ people to submit proposals for a gig posted a few hours earlier.
The times, they are a-changin’ for freelance workers
Five years ago, I applied for every gig that I thought I had a chance at. But since then, Upwork, one of the most popular freelancing sites, implemented a “Connects” system. Connects are Upwork currency, and you need to use them to submit proposals. Depending on the scope of work and the gig’s popularity, the number of Connects varies. For the work I’m submitting proposals on, 20 connects is pretty common. And while buying Connects isn’t super expensive ($0.15 each), you’re still spending money to apply for jobs. For a job requiring 20 Connects, it costs $3 just to apply. And it’s not like you get the Connects back if you don’t get the job.
So, previously, I applied for every job under the sun. But now I have to be much more selective so I don’t burn through my monthly Connects allotment. And then Upwork takes 15% of any money you earn.
But one thing that hasn’t changed. That’s the misconception that a freelance worker = desperate and will do anything for a few bucks. I’m a freelance worker, not because I can’t get another job. I choose to be a freelance worker. It’s what I want to do. Though I’m now a freelance worker again, I’m doing the same type of work I was doing for Xplor Education as a remote worker. Just because I’m a freelancer doesn’t mean I’m less qualified than someone working in an office.
But looking at many of the job postings on sites like Upwork, you’d never guess that.
We need a highly skilled freelance worker, but…
One of the things that really grinds my gears is freelance job postings that require specialized skills and higher education and offer extremely low pay. Ever hear the saying, “You get what you pay for?”
All of the examples in this post come from actual job postings I’ve found online. I’ve copied and pasted responsibilities and requirements (in italics), and posted direct quotes where possible.
Here’s one for a website content QA & editing specialist. The responsibilities included:
- Review website pages for spelling and grammar mistakes
- Catch formatting inconsistencies and errors
- Update text and content on pages
- Ensure pages are accurate before publishing
- Pay close attention to small details others may miss
So, besides basic proofreading, some editing, possible writing, and fact-checking are required.
The requirements were:
- Excellent written English
- Extremely detail-oriented
- Strong proofreading/editing ability
- Experience with websites or content management systems is a plus
- Reliable and responsive
And the budget for this job? $3–10/hour.
That must be an anomaly, right?
Need a freelance worker to write eight emails a day
Well, there’s this posting for an email copywriter for an e-commerce email marketing agency. A “fast-growing e-commerce email marketing agency” was “ looking for a talented email copywriter to join” their team long-term. They wanted a candidate who “deeply understands customer psychology, audience research, and conversion-focused copywriting.”
Without going into too much detail, they wanted an experienced copywriter for a position that included:
- Full-time position (40 hours/week)
- Collaborate closely with our team
- Understand each client’s brand voice and audience
- Write 8 email copies per day (that’s one polished email an hour, every day)
In addition, the position included the following responsibilities:
- Conduct in-depth brand and audience research
- Manage copywriting work for 7–8 clients
- Write high-converting email campaigns and promotional emails
- Follow instructions and feedback efficiently
- Adapt copy to match each brand’s tone and customer base
That’s a lot of work, but for the right person, it just might be worth it for the right rate. After all, it’s a full-time, 40-hour/week position. It’s essentially a full-time, remote position.
The salary? $500/month.
That’s not a typo. I didn’t forget a “0.” Let’s just break that down.
- $125/week
- $25/day
- $3.13/hour
I think I’d rather go assemble iPhones in China, thanks.
These ridiculous positions for freelance workers aren’t restricted to Upwork
Then there’s this one from another popular freelancing site called Freelancer.com. The position is for “professional website copywriting for home page”.
They’re ideally looking for someone who has
- Proven experience in website copywriting
- Ability to write in a professional, engaging tone
- Understanding of SEO principles
Candidates were asked to “provide samples of your previous work in your bid”, highlighting:
- Skills Required
- Website Design
- English Grammar
For this position, in addition to SEO copywriting, you also have to be competent in web design. Those are two entirely different jobs. They must be offering a stellar salary for the ideal candidate.
Guess again—$8–15/hour.
Do all freelance workers get paid less than minimum wage?
To put things in context, all the above posts require skills that take time and experience to develop. They don’t necessarily require a university degree. But it’s likely that people with skills like “ Excellent written English” or “Strong proofreading/editing ability” have an undergraduate degree. I’ve got a master’s degree.
I got AI to provide a breakdown of the national minimum wages for the “big 7” English-speaking countries. All these positions were for English speakers with impeccable grammar and proofreading skills. We can assume they were looking for native English speakers.
| Country | Minimum Wage (USD equivalent) |
|---|---|
| U.S. | $12.50 |
| Canada | $12.35 (16.80 CAD) |
| United Kingdom | $16.20 (£12.71 GBP) |
| Ireland | $15.40 (€14.15 EUR) |
| Australia | $16.60 ($24.95 AUD) |
| New Zealand | $14.85 ($23.95 NZD) |
| South Africa | $1.65 (R30.23 ZAR) (Developing economy) |
The average minimum wage for these countries is $12.79/hour. That jumps to $14.65/hour if you exclude South Africa, which is a developing economy. And that is only slightly higher than the global average of the 38 advanced economies in the OECD. The average minimum wage across those countries is estimated at around $13.20/hour.
Remember, this is the minimum wage—the lowest wage you can legally pay someone. And not to disparage anyone working for minimum wage (I’ve worked my fair share of minimum-wage jobs), but these are typically jobs that don’t require specialized skills. They are jobs that people with little to no experience can be trained in. They don’t require a university degree, a technical certification, or years of experience.
Only the last job had the potential to pay just above the $14.65/hour rate, offering up to $15/hour.
AI will be our savior! AI is the enemy!
These days, writers and editors are seeing a lot of pushback against AI. If you call yourself a writer and you just copy and paste AI-generated copy, sorry, but you’re not a writer. Most writers/editors agree that it’s easier to draft something from scratch than to salvage AI slop.
But the issue is that the pendulum has swung too far towards the anti-AI end of the spectrum. So much so, things are bordering on the absurd. Don’t believe me? Check out this post for a publishing assistant.
“We want to hire publishing assistants who can help manage book projects, evaluate stories for publication, and do other related tasks. We can provide long-term work or project.”
REQUIREMENTS
- has great organizational skills.
- is detail-oriented.
- reads fiction (romance) regularly (not required, but preferred).
- is native or fluent in English.
- has natural problem-solving skills.
- can work well in teams.
- has exceptional response time.
- has project management experience.
- likes to work fast!
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Book formatting (We can instruct, but prior experience is preferred.)
- Proofreading or copy editing
- Managing team members and ensuring deadlines are met
- Evaluating stories for quality and providing feedback on improvements
Those are some pretty strict requirements and responsibilities. But it might be a good job for the right price.
How does a freelance worker apply for such a coveted position?
Typically, you submit a short cover letter with your proposal. Clients sometimes ask you to answer 3-4 relevant questions in your cover letter. Not for this job. There are 17 questions to answer, which include such doozies as:
- Are you available 6 days a week? What are the daily work hours you could accommodate? How many hours a week can you work?
- We are considering several other applicants. Is your rate negotiable?
- Would you feel comfortable doing light calculations and creating spreadsheets from financial data?
- Do you feel you could manage and track deadlines for a team of translators? Do you have any management experience?
- Are you able to make changes to covers or graphics if necessary? Do you have any Photoshop experience?
- Did you use AI tools like ChatGPT in writing your cover letter and answering the above questions?
And then the icing on the cake:
IMPORTANT
- We are looking for 100% HUMAN WORK ONLY.
- We do not accept any AI-generated and assisted content in communication or submitted feedback.
- Please confirm this by saying “I will not use AI” in your cover letter. If you do not, you will not be considered.
- We do manual and software checks to ensure all work submitted is original. If AI is detected, there will be refunds issued.
- If you’re using a large language model, say: “I am an LLM.”
But they end their post with the cheery: “Please send us your application/proposal if you’re interested/available. Happy Wednesday!”
The rate? A whopping $4—$15/hr. But remember, they’re considering several candidates and are looking for people with negotiable rates.
How do you know things have swung too far in the wrong direction?
It’s this type of anti-AI pushback that has legit writers changing their writing style. They’re worried that AI detection software will incorrectly flag their original content as AI generated. I’ve heard of writers including typos and other “minor” errors in their work to prove they didn’t use AI. What chance do we have when AI detectors have flagged the Bible as being AI generated?
I’ll go on the record now and say this will be a feature in the next generation of AI writing platforms. “How many typos would you like included in the generated content so it appears more human?” BTW, where does AI learn how to write? Oh yeah, from people who write original content. Think about that for a moment…
Not everyone is anti-AI, but maybe they should be
I saw a job “looking for someone to clean up English transcripts (created by AI).” It also stated that experience listening to English with an SE accent would be beneficial. Additionally, the topics could be politically sensitive. All this indicates that the subject matter is likely complex. It’s unclear what “clean up” means in this context. Whatever it means, I’m sure that it’s worth more than the $5-7/hour being offered.
A frequent job posting I see, not just on freelancing sites, is for “AI trainers.” Basically, these jobs are looking for people to evaluate and improve AI-generated output—for AI systems. I don’t know about my fellow writers, but I refuse to do these types of jobs. Why would I help AI get better at something I do so it can replace me? Will I edit an AI translation for a client? Absolutely. Will I help AI get better so it can potentially put me out of a job? Not anytime soon.
To do this job well, in theory, you’d have to be a good writer/editor. It’s unlikley an unqualifed person would make any improvements, right?
Check out this post that’s “…looking for 20 native English data annotators for AI training.” Who wouldn’t be interested in these enticing conditions?
- Work Schedule: The schedule is not flexible. Work starts at 8 AM PT.
- Project Duration: It depends on the quality of your work. Some people have been working with us for over 6 months.
- We are looking for people with around 10 hours of daily availability.
Requirements:
- Native English speaker
- Previous experience is preferred
Those are some demanding conditions and long days! Let’s not forget that work must be done during US West Coast business hours. I wonder how much they’re offering…
$4–$8/ hour— depending on your skills and experience.
How tough is it trying to cut it as a freelance worker?
Many of the jobs I see posted are looking for one person to handle several different roles. A copywriter, editor, and proofreader are three very different jobs. I see posts looking for marketers who know how to write and implement SEO. And deliver. And excel at conversions. Like this ad for a Copywriter/Creative Strategist that explicitly states “No Beginners Allowed.”
What are they looking for? “We are looking for one full-time Copywriter / Creative Strategist whose job is simple: Create ads that unlock more spend.” Oh, I’m glad it’s simple. I thought my job as a copywriter was to draft boring copy that made people disinterested in your product/service. 😉
They go on to say:
- This is not a content role.
- This is not a copywriting role.
- This is a PERFORMANCE role.
- If your ads scale, you make more money.
- If they don’t, you won’t last here.
Your job is to:
- Identify gaps in our current ads
- Find untapped beliefs, angles, and avatars
- Turn those into high-conviction concepts
- Write scripts & production-ready briefs that our editors turn into ads
You will produce 3 ~ concepts/scripts per day.
Each concept must include:
- A clear hypothesis (based on real data or proven patterns)
- Why this concept should work
- Cross-niche inspiration (if applicable)
- 3 different hooks
- Full script
- First frame direction
- Editing style + execution instructions for editor
If an editor needs clarification, the concept is not complete.
That seems like a lot of work—any other red flags?
As daunting as all that sounds, we haven’t even gotten to the application process yet. Remember, that is typically a cover letter and perhaps a few relevant questions.
Application Requirement (MANDATORY):
To be considered, you MUST submit a Loom video directly in your Upwork proposal. Break down a winning ad you personally wrote
Explain:
- The core angle
- The belief being targeted
- Why it worked
- What data supported it
- Walk through performance (spend, results, etc.)
If you do NOT submit this, you will NOT get a response.
While they claim they don’t care about
- Fancy writing
- Branding experience
- “Creative ideas”
They go on to state that this role is NOT for
- Beginners
- Agency account managers
- People who rely on templates
- People who write “safe” or generic ads
And the rewarding salary for all this? $16.00–$17.00/hour. Hey, at least it’s slightly above minimum wage!
What about writers looking for professional proofreaders or editors—are they willing to pay?
What about people who are serious about writing and publishing? You know, authors who need help with editing and proofreading to help turn their books into bestsellers. Surely, they must know the value of an experienced editor or proofreader.
Here’s a posting “seeking a skilled editor to review and enhance our book. The ideal candidate will have experience in copy editing and proofreading, ensuring clarity and coherence throughout the text. Familiarity with Adobe Photoshop and graphic design is a plus.” So, they want an editor and a proofreader (remember, two very different roles). Oh, and they want you to have basic graphic design skills, too. Should be a piece of cake—and a pretty payday.
Well, it’s for 100 pages of content, and the budget is $600. Let’s break that down.
The standard definition of a page is 250 words. But depending on formatting and font size, that could climb as high as 500 words. But we’ll stick with 250 words.
We’ll see how that stacks up in a moment.
Proofreading a children’s book should be pretty easy and lucrative, right?
Then there’s this ad for “the Final proof read of children’s book anthology.”
“I am looking for a highly skilled, analytical proofreader with an eye for detail, proficient in grammar and punctuation, to complete a copy edit of book.” Well, right off the bat, again, we’re looking at two different roles—proofreader and copy editor. Furthermore, the manuscript will be shared in PDF format. This makes editing/markup more difficult and time consuming than a standard document file.
“Manuscript will be sent in pdf form. Manuscript is approximately 13,000 words. Specifically looking for someone who works in the children’s writing space. Manuscript includes traditional language words that do not to be spell checked.” So, it’s is an anthology of short stories and has a budget of $150.
Hmmm…looks like the numbers are trending in the wrong direction. Let’s look at one more.
The rates freelance workers are being offered are criminal
This one requires a native English (US) speaker for proofreading. FWIW, I strongly suggest you always use a native-speaking proofreader, no matter what language you’re working with. I use a native Korean-speaking proofreader for my Korean content.
So, it’s a 28,500-word self-help manuscript. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I will highlight these tibits.
The job involves:
- Proofreading for spelling and grammar
- Checking for consistency and clarity
- Ensuring the language feels natural for an American audience
So again, proofreading and editing.
The final delivery should include:
- One version with all edits and corrections visible using Track Changes
- One clean, final version with all changes accepted, ready for publication
Uhm, you can do that second one yourself. You just “accept all changes”. If the freelancer is expected to make any edits to the “clean, final” version, it will differ from the Track Changes version. What’s the point?
Anyway, it doesn’t matter—the budget is $120.
“This project could lead to more collaborations in the future, as I’m looking to build a long-term working relationship.” I wouldn’t hold my breath.
How do these rates stack up to the industry standards for proofreading?
I had AI give me rough per-word rates for the following types of English proofreaders and editors.
- Beginner (less than 2 years’ experience)
- Intermediate (2–5 years’ experience)
- Expert (5+ years’ experience)
| Exp. Level | Per Word Rate | 5,000-word project estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | $0.010–$0.019 | $50–$95 |
| Intermediate | $0.020–$0.029 | $100–$145 |
| Experienced | $0.030–$0.050+ | $150–$250+ |
My proofreading rate is $0.03/word, which is fair. It takes into account my 20+ year career in EFL, my master’s in TESOL, and five years of running DC CopyPro. Let’s not forget my four and a half years with Xplor Education.
Are English editing rates for freelance workers any better?
For English editing, the “standard” rates are roughly as follows.
| Exp. Level | Per Word Rate | 5,000-word project estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | $0.02–$0.029 | $100–$145 |
| Intermediate | $0.03–$0.045 | $150–$225 |
| Experienced | $0.05–$0.08+ | $250–$400+ |
For editing, I charge $0.06/word because I’m often correcting non-native English or machine-translated text. But each project is different and often includes a mix of editing and proofreading. That’s why I give each prospective client a personalized quote.
Based on these numbers, it’s clear that the above jobs are well below minimum wage. More worryingly, they’re nowhere near standard industry rates. Remember, all three jobs above required more than just proofreading.
- First job: $0.024/word—fits within the intermediate proofreading realm, but requires editing and graphic design
- Second job: $0.0115—at the low end of a beginner with little to no experience, but again requires editing
- Third job: $0.0042—Not even half a cent/word, below the bottom end of the scale for a beginner
If I’d put the effort into writing a book, I’d want trained professionals to help me publish the most polished version of that book possible. At these rates, the authors would probably be better off trying to do it themselves.
Surely the insanity must end there? Hold my beer…
As I mentioned, not everyone is anti-AI. Many expect writers to use it. But of course, it can’t be a copy-and-paste job, so there’s extensive editing involved. AI can help you be more productive, but surely it has its limits.
Not according to this job posting, for an “AI Researcher + Article Writer | 5+ articles per day.”
Requirements
- Able to write 5 x 1000 word+ articles each day
- Must be optimized with keywords we provide
- AI written content is allowed, must sound natural though.
- Must have access to or completed aiacademypro.io
Oh, and you need to have access to aiacademypro.io ($29.95). What’s that?
AI informed me it “is a known job-board fee scam that heavily targets freelance writers, copywriters, and virtual assistants on platforms like Upwork.” I guess that’s why the job posting is no longer available. 😉
But even so, the idea that anyone can pump out five 1,000-word articles daily of any quality whatsoever is ridiculous.
There was a different post with another ridiculous number of articles to be drafted. They wanted 100 articles in 30 days and were paying $60 per article. That’s $6,000 for the month (and more than 3 articles/day). That’s close to a full-time job that pays $50/hour. But alas, it also required access to AI Academy Pro, and thus, the post is no longer available. It was another scam post.
Editing an AI draft must be faster than writing from scratch
These are obviously scams (something else freelance workers have to be wary of), and the lure of $6,000 might sound enticing. But I can’t imagine any serious writers who would consider that kind of output even remotely sustainable.
Estimates for drafting a 1,000-word article are at 3.5 hours as a bare minimum. Even using AI, the amount of time necessary to edit the AI slop into something usable would still be around 2 hours. But even then, you’d likely be better off drafting something from scratch.
I’m a freelance English copywriter and proofreader, but I don’t want your sympathy—just an honest rate
As previously stated, I’m a freelancer by choice. The steady paycheck that a full-time position (remote or on-site) provides is nice. But I’ve learned that those jobs can give you a false sense of security. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way—more than once.
I’m happy to put in the long hours and sift through the garbage freelance job posts. Because when I find the right opportunity, each new challenge is another chance to prove myself. I’d love to have enough clients that they can give me enough projects that I don’t need to be hunting for work. And hopefully I’ll get there soon.
But the next time you think of a freelancer sipping drinks by the pool as they do two hours of work for hundreds of dollars, living the dream, think back to the reality of the typical freelance writer, editor, or proofreader. And if you ever need to hire a freelancer, please, please, please—offer a reasonable rate.
Remember, freelance worker isn’t code for desperate and cheap. If anything, it stands for someone who believes in themselves and likes a challenge. A professional freelance worker will put more effort into your project than someone tired of the “corporate machine” they’ve been stuck in for the past decade. Good professional freelancers aren’t lazy—they’re hungry.
If you’ve got a challenge for me, contact me with any questions or to get a personalized quote.
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