This post was written in 2017 and revised in 2022.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”—Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
This quote describes almost perfectly my experience as a freelance editor on Upwork.
When I decided to become a freelance English editor, I didn’t know where to start. I had no clue where to find projects and I lacked both professional editing experience and confidence in my skills. So I did what many newbie freelancers did at the time: opened an Odesk (now Upwork) account.
For those who have never heard of Upwork, it’s a website that connects freelancers with clients. Freelancers get paid through the platform, which keeps a big chunk of their earnings. Freelancers and clients rate each other at the end of each contract.
It took me several months to get my first job on Upwork. I completed it and received my first 5-star rating. Getting new contracts became easier, though still incredibly frustrating. Before I knew it, I was spending all my time on Upwork. I submitted proposals in the morning, and I worked on my projects in the afternoon and evening.
Almost 200 successfully completed contracts and thousands of unsuccessful job bids later, I realized I was just plowing the sands. I was wasting precious time completing applications for jobs that were later canceled, Upwork had doubled its fees, and the quality of the job postings was plummeting. What was I doing on Upwork?
So, in 2015 I made a big decision: quit Upwork, get a website, and work on building my own client portfolio, not Upwork’s.
In this post, I’ll describe what it’s like to work as a freelance editor on Upwork. Then I’ll tell you why I used Upwork for so long and why I decided to close my account. I hope this information will give you an idea about what to expect if you work on Upwork as a freelance English editor.
Are you looking for a freelance editor and want to make the most of your budget for editing? Avoid paying third-party fees by hiring a freelance editor directly. Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
Read More