ESL/EAL?
Is English your second or additional language?
There is a writing, proofreading and editing market for this sector.
Many people need help with written work here in Canada and the USA. The work can range from a newcomer needing to fill out government forms to an engineer writing a report. It might include a university professor or a student.
Some people I've helped with their written work have included:
- A scholar submitting scientific journals
- An executive needing his CV tweaked
- A BSc student applying to med school
- High school students needing essays proofread
- An MBA student's multiple submission of documents
- A recent immigrant's government documentation
- A Professional Engineer submitting a report
I offer my services virtually. I don't ever have to meet a client face-to-face!
If you are a writer and want to help out this market try these methods:
- Put ads in online directories such as www.Kijiji.com; www.craigslist.com; www.foundlocally.com
- See if you can post an ad in your local school or college.
- Use word of mouth.
- Spend time in the ESL/EAL communities getting to know people who may need your help.
- Do quality work and don't get pushed around.
If you will do this work, set boundaries. For instance, it won't help a student if you significantly change their writing. Their professor or potential employer needs to see a true representation of them.
Be careful to ask if there is a specific guideline/format you're to follow eg. APA, ALA, CMOS or other. Scientific writing is much different than writing for the arts.
Decide how you will do this work. When I started, I worked in person with one client and another author brought a thumb drive to my house and picked up the changes that way. Then I began email exchanges with clients. I always edit in MS Word with track changes on. I send back a marked up and a final copy. I allow one revision in the price quotation.
I have found I need to charge more for most ESL/EAL writing when the grammar is extremely choppy. It takes time for me to gain understanding of what is being communicated. That is more than simple editing. It is making the writing make sense.
I used to send back the work and then forward an invoice to be paid through paypal. I had one student who wanted to ignore the invoice and when did pay it complained about having to pay the Paypal service fee. In the future I may only return half a document until it is fully paid.
If you have an idea of how to do this more effectively, perhaps with a document download prevention program until payment arrives, that would be ideal.
My Help for the ESL/EAL Student
I live in Southern Ontario Canada but I can edit your ESL/EAL, in most cases, no matter where you live!
If you need proofreading or editing of your project, let me know how I can help, or visit my website at www.RosalieGarde.com for further information.
