Knowadays Proofreading Academy Review 2023: Is It Worth It?
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Note: As of February 2022, Proofreading Academy has been renamed to Knowadays. Their top-performing online course ‘Becoming a Proofreader’ is still knowledge-packed and one of the best proofreading courses out there.
Can freelance proofreaders make a full-time income?
Are online proofreading courses worth it?
Chances are you’re interested in becoming a proofreader, and you want to know if Knowadays – Proofreading Academy Course is the best course for new proofreaders, right!?
Proofreading is a valuable skill every business with a content marketing strategy needs, and there are hardly any quality proofreaders in this space.
So the million-dollar question!
Is the Knowadays Course (Previously known as Proofreading Academy) – Becoming a Proofreader, a value-for-money course?
Will you learn how to become a proofreader with no experience and make money proofreading?
Check out my Quick Summary and Verdict below to get the answer!
Quick Summary & Verdict
Rating: 4.8/5
Content Value: 4.8
Customer Service: 4.6
Value For Money: 4.7
Is The Proofreading Academy (Knowadays) Legit?
Proofreading Academy is a 100% legit course for beginner proofreaders. Knowadays is also CPD certified, which has been reviewed and evaluated by an external team to ensure it provides high-quality and trustworthy content.
Proofed Work Guarantee
Proofreading Academy Guarantees work with Proofed if you successfully get 80% or more in the final assessment (of the course). You get high-paid proofreading jobs just by taking up this course!
Course Length: 50 Hours (15 Modules)
Pricing:
$399 (Get an Additional 15% Discount)
Pros
- Accredited By CPD (UK)
- Courses written by Ph.D. level industry insiders
- Free Trial Access For Life
- Guaranteed Work
- Responsive Support Team
- Detailed Syllabus and Fun Quizzes
- Tutor-Graded Final Assessment
- Proofreading Certification
Cons
- Must-Have Microsoft Word
- Proofed may be Over-Hyped
- No Talk about Proofreading Symbols
- A Little Too Expensive
What is Knowadays (Proofreading Academy)?
Knowadays (previously known as Proofreading Academy) is a company that teaches students, retirees, and stay-at-home parents how to become a proofreader and make a full-time income as a freelance proofreader.
Knowadays is a United Kingdom-based company, but their courses are popular and appreciated from all over the globe.
The course modules are well structured (by Ph.D.-level industry insiders) and suited for everyone.
You’ll learn all the basics of proofreading along with advanced-level tips, tricks, skills, and time-saving strategies to be an efficient work-from-home proofreader.
The course is not just for beginners but also for experienced proofreaders looking to refresh their knowledge and pick up a few new tricks and tips to proofreading.
The BEST Proofreading Course?
My job is to find the best proofreading course for you! This includes spending a lot of time digging through these courses with a fine comb finding out what’s good and what’s not!
And I can openly say that Knowadays is one of the best proofreading courses I’ve come across! The course has everything you need and more so being a proofreader (even if you’re a beginner) is fairly easy!
🏆 Best Proofreading Courses (2023) 🏆
| BEST OVERALL | RATINGS |
|---|---|
| 1. Proofread Anywhere (review) | 4.8 |
🏆 Best Proofreading Courses (2023) 🏆
| BEST OVERALL | RATINGS |
|---|---|
| 1. Proofread Anywhere (review) | 4.8 |
Is Proofreading Academy Suited For You?
When I look at a course for review, I try to see what it offers to the customer, whether can it help achieve the customer’s goals, and is a value-for-money product.
I also see if the company offers smooth and no-nonsense customer service; let’s be honest nobody likes a bad customer service team.
Well, Proofreading Academy ticks all the boxes here and comes out shining.
How they teach the course and break down proofreading in simple terms makes learning super simple and enjoyable.
Knowadays also provides 1-on-1 Tutor support with industry-grade expert tutors to help you solve your proofreading problems.
If you’re someone who seeks remote work (work-from-home), wants to start a side hustle, and wishes to be financially free, Knowadays can help you achieve those goals!
The Knowadays course (Proofreading Academy) cost is slightly more reasonable than its competitors.
I have done an in-depth review of the biggest competitor to this Knowadays proofreading course – Proofread Anywhere by Caitlin.
Caitlin’s course is another knowledge-packed course that dives deep into proofreading and its fundamentals, but the price is slightly more than Knowadays.
Pricing and Refunds
Knowadays Becoming A Proofreader Course is priced at $399 for lifetime access to the course with all future course changes & updates.
Looking at the competition, I’d say that $399 is a steep discount as huge proofreading companies charge $100 – $300 more than what Knowadays charges.
If you wish to use part payments, you must contact their support team on the contact us page. They’ll let you know if that’s a possibility.
Click here to sign up for Knowadays Free Trial Today! (15% Off Sale)
About refunds, they do give them sometimes. Here’s what they say about this:
“Knowadays maintains a fair and simple refund policy. All course refunds requested within 14 days from the time of purchase will be refunded in full unless it is otherwise deemed that the course has already been accessed. In that case, the un-accessed portions of the course material will be proportionately refunded, less a $30 administration fee. All refund requests made greater than 14 days but less than 30 days after the course purchase will be assessed using the above methods. No refunds will be given if the course has been accessed and greater than 30 days have passed since the purchase.
The first step in any refund request would be to email us at [email protected].
Thereafter, we will assess your request and will provide either a full or partial refund based on the nature of the refund request and the time elapsed since the purchase. Knowadays has a higher cost for the administration of payment plans and any refund given to customers who have set up a payment plan will be proportional to the total course fee, not any part payments.
Refunds will take up to ten working days to process; therefore, please allow that time to elapse before the money paid is back into your bank account or card balance.” – T&C
Knowadays is currently offering 15% off its Bundle Course – Becoming A Proofreader & Becoming A Editor!
Companies prefer freelancers who can Proofread and Edit at the same time, so if you want to amp up your skills and make more money with each client (by offering proofreading + Editing services), Check out this Power-Packed Proofreader & Editor Course Bundle! Today!
Knowadays (Proofreading Academy) Course Breakdown
Module 1: An Introduction To Becoming A Proofreader
Module 2: Proofreading And Editing
Module 3: The Basics Of Microsoft Word
Module 4: Common Spelling Mistakes
Module 5: Common Grammar Mistakes
Module 6: Common Punctuation Mistakes
Module 7: Other Common Errors
Module 8: Proofreading In Practice: Style
Module 9: Advanced Formatting In Microsoft Word
Module 11: Academic Proofreading
Module 12: Academic Proofreading: Referencing And Citations
Module 13: Creative Writing And The Publishing Industry
Module 14: Proofreading Business Writing
Module 15: Finding Work And The Final Assignment
Each course module takes about 2-5 hours. Each module goes into detail and teaches you everything there is to learn about proofreading.
After learning all the modules, solving the quizzes, and practicing proofreading documents, you can easily earn as a freelance proofreader and even make a full-time income.
Proofreading Academy Work Guarantee With Proofed
What is Proofed?
Proofed is a partner company of Knowadays. Proofed is a legitimate company that provides proofreading, editing, and formatting services.
Being part of Proofed means being a part of an exclusive club of proofreaders ready to hustle and make money proofreading.
How much do you get paid working for Proofed?
Working with Proofed is on a freelancing basis, no one amount fits all.
But if you want some stats, here you go:
- Over 2000 Knowadays Graduates have worked with Proofed
- Top performers working full-time earn over $50K with Proofed
- Part-time earners make an average of $20K (on top of their full-time income)
- Knowadays graduates have earned more than $5M working at Proofed
- More than 60% of learners have been eligible for proofed guaranteed work.
Work will vary depending on demand/orders and how much you get paid depends on how much the clients are willing to offer.
As far as I’ve seen, the pay is typically on the higher side but getting jobs is a bit tough as many proofreaders have their eyes on these jobs.
Requirements For Work Guarantee
Using Proofed to find freelance proofreading work is a great plan but to be on the platform, you need to get at least 80% marks in the final assessment of the Becoming a Proofreader course.
Note: It’s not easy to get 80% or more in this course. That’s because Proofed is a big company offering high-quality service to its clients. To be a part of it, you’ll need to study hard, focus on everything they teach and be a master at proofreading documents.
Pros and Cons Of Knowadays (Proofreading Academy)
Pros
Accredited By CPD (UK)
Becoming a Proofreader Course is accredited by Continuing Professional Development (CPD) UK.
Being recognized by the CPD means the course meets all requirements to be one of the best and meets its symbol of quality and credibility.
Courses are written by PhD-level Industry insiders with extensive work experience.
That means this course is as legit as courses can be! You can show employers that you’ve taken a course that has been scrutinized experienced proofreaders to ensure integrity and quality by the CPD.
Free Trial
The problem with most online proofreading courses is that they don’t offer a free trial period to get a feel of how the course is structured.
You simply pay the money upfront, read reviews online, and hope to get value out of the product. Well, Knowadays understand this pain point and thus provide a free trial.
Access For Life
Proofreading Academy had limited-time access to the course but once they rebranded their name to Knowadays, courses can be accessed forever.
That means you will have access to all course modules, quizzes, and future course updates at all times!
If your account is inactive for 90 days or more, they will suspend your account, raise a query on the contact-us page, and they will activate your account immediately.
Guaranteed Work
One of the main reasons I love this course is cause they provide guaranteed work with Proofed after you finish the course and final assessment with a score of 80% or higher.
With this opportunity, you’re sure that if you study hard to become a proofreader, there’s a 100% guaranteed proofreading job afterward.
I’m confident that many of you will jump right into this course due to Proofed.
Responsive Support Team
Getting in touch with the Proofreading Academy team is easy.
You can schedule a call, do a live chat or email the team on your queries and they’ll get back to you in no time. Here is the Contact Us page.
Detailed Syllabus and Fun Quizzes
The course is structured keeping in mind what the top proofreaders do in their line of work. The syllabus and course module are detailed yet to the point.
There are many interactive quizzes, and real-life Try it Yourself exercises throughout the course. They make the system more hands-on, fun, and engaging. It keeps you hooked, and thus you learn proofreading skills in a better way.
Tutor-Graded Final Assessment
They also provide tutor-graded final assessments where tutors (with a ton of experience) provide detailed feedback on your strengths, and areas of improvement and give constructive advice to help better your proofreading skills. This feedback can be discussed on a 1-on-1 video call with your tutors!
Proofreading Certification
Knowadays offers a Proofreading Certification after completing the course. Few companies today take the extra step to provide certification along with their course to bring more credibility to the student. That’s great! You can put these up on Linkedin and other jobs/freelance platforms for better credibility.
Cons
Must-Have Microsoft Word
Almost all windows based laptops today come with inbuilt Microsoft software. So most users shouldn’t have an issue.
But those with Mac or other laptops would have to spend some money to pay for Microsoft Word. It’s not expensive as much, but yea it’s an expense.
If the team could also include Google Docs course material in the future, that would be a plus point right there!
Proofed may be Over-Hyped
I’m not saying Proofed is bad.
Proofed is a great platform to get proofreading jobs, but you’ve got to understand one thing – Many people from all over the world take up this course (cause it’s so damn good).
Even if a few of these people get 80% or above, competition for each job just keeps increasing!
All I’m trying to say is don’t completely rely on Proofed.
Once you complete this course, use Proofed to build your profile and earn money proofreading, but in the long run, diversify the platforms through which you get new clients.
For example, you should get clients from:
- Your Website
- Freelancing Platforms
- Social Media
- Proofed
- Reference from Past clients
- Word of Mouth
No Talk about Proofreading Symbols
Proofreading Academy doesn’t teach you about Proofreading marks and symbols in the course.
It’s not a huge bummer as not all proofreaders use marks and symbols while doing their job.
If you want to learn the basics of proofreading marks and symbols, here’s an article by Knowadays on the topic.
A Little Too Expensive
The cost to buy the Becoming a Proofreader Course is $399. Proofread Anywhere (the second-best course after Knowadays) costs $497.
While this course is certainly more value for money and better equipped for beginners, it’s not that easy on the pockets. They offer a free trial so you can check it out before you make a call.
Click here to grab the Free Trial Offer by Knowadays (Proofreading Academy)
If you still can’t afford to pay $399, you should use Google and learn everything there is to learn about proofreading.
Read tons of articles, watch hundreds of YouTube videos, join Facebook groups, and keep practicing the art of proofreading.
Positive & Negative Proofreading Academy Reviews
Just my opinion before purchasing a course doesn’t seem right, so here are 6 Proofreading Academy Reviews from course takers. Selected reviews are from Trustpilot.
Positive Reviews:
Sally Dawes (Spain): 5/5
I cannot rate the service provided by Proofreading Academy highly enough. I was completely new to proofreading, but with a good level of English language and grammar skills. I found the course material to be pitched at a perfect level – extremely comprehensive and in-depth but presented in an easy-to-digest, easy to understand, and almost enjoyable way. It was well structured and easy to complete one section at a time which was satisfying and motivating. It went into the right level of detail – referencing further resources where necessary. The support provided was excellent. I passed the assignment for the first time but did not receive the grade needed to work for proofed and I had an extremely helpful online tutorial with a member of their team who was friendly, professional, extremely understanding, and helpful. Following passing with over 80% I had another tutorial with an equally helpful member of their team. Overall the service offered was above and beyond my expectations.
Kathleen (USA): 5/5
The Proofreading Academy provided a thorough course that more than adequately prepared me for the world of proofreading. They cover so many aspects of proofreading one might encounter, and, more importantly, offer many resources for future use. The quizzes offered during the course are very helpful. They also offer webinars to help prepare you for the final assignments. My online meetings with the tutors were helpful and inspiring. My only critique would be to offer more “practice tests” that resemble the final assignment to give students a bit more confidence. However, when I asked my tutor for some other practice options, he was happy to provide me with tests to prepare me for my second round. Chatting with the tutors also provides insight into what the job with Proofed may be like. All the tutors and support staff were friendly and helpful.
Richard Eyre (Japan): 5/5
This was a great course and I am sad to see it end. I learned so much. I found that proofreading entails so much more than catching grammar and punctuation mistakes. A professional proofreader needs to know the ins and outs of Track Changes, Regional Grammar and Spelling, Abbreviations, APA citations, and Advanced Functions and Formatting in Microsoft Word—to name just a few skill areas this course offers. I have come out at the end of the course feeling confident that I can do professional-level proofreading. The price is well worth it.
Negative Reviews:
Jayne (UK): 2/5
The content is good but not outstanding. The hook of work and the low cost to the course is good. The lack of clarity on how they mark and assess above the tick boxes is the low point. Lack of clarity on the extent of editing V proofreading for the final assignments is poor. As marks are deducted for wrong comments it should have a consistent commenting section to the course. Tutors vary in what they teach in what should be the same tutorial. This ambiguity and lack of consistency in marking make passing the final assignment to gain work a game of chance.
Mrs. L C Lilly (UK): 3/5
I think the pre-marketing material slightly misleads potential applicants….if you pass the course (which is tough..you need 80%) then you will be offered a proofreading/editing role working for Proofed but a lot of the work Proofed has is mainly academic. The work is not simply proofreading in its traditional form – it also involves a lot of editing. If this is not what you’re looking for, you may want to give the course a miss.
Having said that, the course content was really comprehensive in terms of grammar and spelling. A large part of the course focuses on editing academic work and the referencing systems required. It is easy to follow and well written. It is interspersed with videos too which is helpful.
The support from the team is fantastic. They were brilliant, all the way along.
I would recommend the course if you’re looking for a proofreading/editing role. If you only want to do traditional proofreading this may not be for you. If you love editing and proofing academic work, this is definitely the course for you!
Click here to sign up for Knowadays Free Trial Today! (Get an Additional 15% Discount – Limited Time Offer)
Best Proofreading Academy Alternatives
If you don’t seem to find Proofreading Academy a good fit for your proofreading needs, I suggest you take a good look at its best alternatives:
1. Proofread Anywhere
Proofread Anywhere is an online course for aspiring proofreaders to make proofreading a full-time job.
Caitlin the founder of Proofread Anywhere has been a proofreader for over 14 years. She has been featured in top publications such as Forbes, Business Insider, and The Penny Hoarder.
Caitlin’s course is my second favorite course after Proofreading Academy as it’s one of the best in-depth proofreading courses with a great community and good customer service.
So if someone like her creates a course, you should take a look at what she has to offer.
Caitlin is currently offering a Free 76-Minute Workshop where you’ll learn:
- 5 signs proofreading could be the perfect fit for you
- The basics of proofreading
- How to land huge clients & make money proofreading
- And much more…
Check out one of the best Proofreading Courses – Proofread Anywhere here!
Attend the free 7-Day workshop and then decide if the course is a good fit for you.
If you want to know more about the course, check out my in-depth review here.
While I like Proofread Anywhere and its course syllabus is top-notch, Proofreading Academy is a bit sweet on the pockets, offers you a work guarantee after the course ends, and has more positive reviews than Proofread Anywhere.
2. Proofread Like a Pro
Proofread Like a Pro is a course from Udemy that teaches you to be a proofreader. It takes a step-by-step approach to catch grammatical errors and be a kickass proofreader.
The course length is 105 minutes only, it won’t be as detailed as the above proofreading courses, but for a beginner trying to understand what proofreading is and learn the basics, this proofreading and editing course will prove to be quite helpful.
Additional Knowadays Information:
Is Proofreading Academy Worth It?
Would I recommend Proofreading Academy to a complete beginner wishing to learn and be a proofreader? Absolutely!
Proofreading Academy excels in every aspect, that’s what makes this course the best proofreading course of 2023!
Knowadays proofreading class is specifically designed in such a way that it suits beginners as well as intermediate proofreaders on their journey to becoming a proofreader.
With Proofed work guarantee, the chance of getting high-paid jobs (short and long term) is a whole lot easier.
If paying for the course isn’t an issue, I suggest you buy this Knowadays course and start making money as a freelance proofreader.
Bottom Line
If being a freelance proofreader has been on your to-do list for a long time and you aren’t good at learning proofreading on your own, you need systematic guidance, the exact steps, tips, and tricks to be a money-making proofreader, and you want to start a proofreading career; Knowadays Becoming a Proofreader course is a great place to learn A to Z about Proofreading.
And if you’re still not convinced, think about the guaranteed work projects with Proofed that you’ll get access to! That’s icing on the cake, a lot of icing 🙂
Feel free to leave your comments below if:
- You have a question or feedback
- You need me to clarify something regarding my Knowadays Proofreading Academy Review
- You wish to share your Knowadays review with everyone
Also, If you want to learn what skills you need to be a transcript proofreader, you may want to check out my article in which I share 13 tips to improve your proofreading skills. Have fun reading!
Read this article in which I’ve compared the best proofreading courses in 2023!
Read Next >>> Most Common Proofreading Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make
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