Work for the unqualified and inexperienced

[SpecialLensWearer]

How easy is it to get proofreading work in China these days if you have a History degree but no experience?

[skylee]

Proofreading is very tiring work. I've just finished proofreading a 70-page manual and it was exhausting. Checking spelling, format, consistency, etc.

Sorry that this reply is not that relevant to the OP's question.

[SpecialLensWearer]

Well in a way it is. Despite being tiring is it optainable for someone with my qualifications?? I should mention that I don't speak Chinese apart from a few basic phrases. Thanks for the reply.

[roddy]

With no experience you're going to get struggle to get any job, due to work visa requirements.

[SpecialLensWearer]

Why?

[SpecialLensWearer]

Are there many jobs in China for people who speak semi fluent Spanish and English?

[Kobo-Daishi]

SpecialLensWearer wrote:

I should mention that I don't speak Chinese apart from a few basic phrases.

Since you only speak a few phrases in Chinese, I take it that your Chinese reading skills are nil then.

So, any proofreading work you'd be doing is entirely stuff in English? Stuff that others have written, but, might need cleaning up for an English audience?

Kobo.

[Cat Jones]

To the OP - you need 2 years work experience after graduating in order to be eligible for a work visa. So for that reason you probably won't be able to work legally in China.

[WestTexas]

A lot of (most?) proofreading work these days is done online. You could find online gigs, but it's not really high-paying work unless you have years of professional experience or a solid area of expertise. For example, editing technical manuals = good money. Or if you used to edit the New York Times, you'd get paid. Starter work doing random website copy... they can just pay some guy in India or the Philippines $0.75 an hour to do. Really, it's that cheap. For some American companies, there are laws saying that they must hire Americans, so if you are American, you might get close to minimum wage, but even then, they are going to choose someone with experience over you.

Is there any particular reason you want to go into proofreading?

[SpecialLensWearer]

Thanks for the info.

Please clarify what sort of work experience I need. I have more than 2 years experience of other jobs; just not proof reading. The reason I'm interested in proof reading is that slight learning disabilities would make me struggle with some aspects of teaching English to groups of students. This is frustrating because there are other aspects of TEFL I could do but I would need to find work that mainly involved these.

Perhaps I should look for work that's a sort of cross between proofreading and TEFL. For example going through students' written work with them one to one or in very small groups. I am prepared to spend several months preparing to do this type of work.

Is this a realistic aim/good idea?

[liuzhou]

Why?

Chinese law.

But, if you don't know the source language how would you know if the translation / meaning was correct or not? You might be able to brush up some poor English, but that English could be totally wrong in the first place and you wouldn't know.

Sorry, but you seem not to be qualified to do the job. Either practically or legally.

Anyway, the publisher's Party Secretary's niece went to English summer camp in Yangshuo one weekend, so she can do it.

[liuzhou]

Perhaps I should look for work that's a sort of cross between proofreading and TEFL. For example going through students' written work with them one to one or in very small groups. I am prepared to spend several months preparing to do this type of work.

Is this a realistic aim/good idea?

No.

[Ruben von Zwack]

Are you living in China?

[Lu]

Perhaps I should look for work that's a sort of cross between proofreading and TEFL. For example going through students' written work with them one to one or in very small groups. I am prepared to spend several months preparing to do this type of work.

Is this a realistic aim/good idea?

So, basically, a writing tutor? I don't see why not. If you do private teaching, it's probably illegal and/or it will be very hard to get a visa, but you're not the first foreigner to teach in China illegally. Alternatively, it appears there is a market for the correcting and writing of university entrance essays, which is of course wrong twice over, but the market is there.

But this is not much of a career. Why not look into getting a somewhat better job than this? Writing your own things, learning good Chinese then translating, regular ESL, or something completely different?

[Angelina]

but you're not the first foreigner to teach in China illegally

He won't be the first foreigner to do jail time in China.

Seriously, OP, can you find a private school that does one-on-one classes? Do not come to China on anything other than a Z visa.

[SpecialLensWearer]

Surely there are Language schools that do one to one writing classes?

Is there a way I can use my Spanish too??? I'm semi fluent.

[Ruben von Zwack]

Why do you want to work in China, of all countries on this earth, and in languages, when you have a degree in history? I have seen people on this forum give the most incredible precise answers, but you really have to be somewhat precise in what you're asking, in order to get valid answers.

[imron]

China is quite well known for its history :-). The fact that a history buff was interested in China would not surprise me the least.

[liuzhou]

Surely there are Language schools that do one to one writing classes?

Yes, but they want teachers, not proofreaders.

[liuzhou]

Be realistic.

Why would anyone want to employ someone "semi-fluent" in Spanish (whatever that means) when there are millions of native speakers who are fully fluent? Spanish is one of the three biggest languages in the world. There is hardly a shortage.

You have already indicated that you are unqualified to teach English or to proofread. Now you suggest you are equally unqualified in Spanish. What kind of job do you expect?