Free Courses to Check Out if You’re Thinking of Freelancing

One of the most important considerations of freelancing is deciding what services you’ll sell. Although you may be good at something, how do you know if you’ll actually enjoy it as a freelancer? You don’t — unless, you try it out first.

Fortunately, you can ‘try’ out a freelance service and get a feel for what it’s like to freelance before jumping in. These free courses are great introductions to a particular service — and will give you a good idea if it’s the right fit for you.

Proofreader

For the eagle-eyed grammar buffs out there, proofreading is a great freelance option to consider. And as with any service-based business, you’ll want to pick a niche. A proofreading niche can be anything from academic essays to web content and even court reporter transcripts. If the latter sounds promising to you, Proofread Anywhere has got you covered.

The free 7-day introductory course will answer all your questions about transcript proofreading including:

• What’s transcript proofreading all about?
• How much money can I actually make?
• What if I’m a newbie?

There’s even a super-tricky grammar quiz to test your proofreading prowess and tons of bonuses included. This intro course is really designed for those who want to get focused and start earning money with their proofreading skills. If that sounds like you, sign up today and discover what it takes to be a freelance transcript proofreader before jumping into the profession.

Bookkeeper

If numbers are more your thing, consider freelancing as a bookkeeper. And before you even ask — no, you don’t need special training to get started. That’s where the Bookkeeper Business Academy comes in.

This three-part free training series shows you how to start and grow your own virtual bookkeeping business, even if you have absolutely zero experience. Your guide through each of the three series is Ben Robinson. As a former CPA firm owner, Ben knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful in the business. And he’s sharing his know-how and practical experience with aspiring bookkeepers like you.

Some of the valuable takeaways in the series:

• What it takes to be a great bookkeeper
• How much you can actually earn (Hint: The average bookkeeper earns $40,000/year)
• Important considerations before starting your bookkeeper business

You’ll benefit from the tried and true tips and techniques presented in an easy-to-understand fashion — no fancy terminology or head-spinning lingo here. If you’re ready to launch your own bookkeeping business the right way, head over to the Bookkeeper Business Academy to find out what it’s all about first.

Virtual Assistant

The virtual assistant industry has seen huge growth in recent years. And it’s easy to see why — you can do just about anything from a home office as you could a traditional one. This is good news for aspiring freelancers who are great at getting things done. You can use your to-do list tackling skills as a virtual assistant. Gina Horkey will show you how.

In the freebie course, Jumpstart Your Virtual Assistant Career, you’ll learn the tried and true techniques to becoming a successful VA, quickly. Some things you’ll learn in the five-days crash course include:

• How to become a VA in less than a week — yes, one week!
• Traits of successful VAs
• What skills you already have that can transfer to steady VA work

Of course that’s just a small sampling of subjects you can expect to tackle in the five-email course. But you’ll be in good hands with Gina as your tour guide. And by the end of the series, you’ll have a better understanding of what it’s like to be a VA and whether or not it’s something you could see yourself doing as a freelancer.

Writer

The old saying that content is king is kind of cliche, but totally true. And this means the potential for tons of steady work as a freelance writer but only if you know where to look. That’s where Elna Cain comes in. Even as a busy mother of twins, she’s figured out this whole freelance writing thing and is sharing some of her secrets with you.

In her free six-day email course, you’ll  be clued in on how to:

• Tackle freelance writing — from scratch
• Land your first client
• Create a blueprint for freelance success

If you’ve always wanted to try your hand at freelance writing, this is a good place to start. You’ll quickly get a feel for the freelance writing biz and whether or not it’s something you can see yourself doing long term.

Transcriptionist

You can find a lot of work as a home-based typist. In fact, there are a number of companies who’ll pay you to type out everything from market research interviews to police interrogations. But when you contract with companies, the amount of work available is often seasonal and the pay rate might not be as great as it could be. The solution? Freelance!

When you become a freelance transcriptionist, you get to control who you work for and how much you charge. If this sounds for foreign to you — that’s okay. Over at Transcribe Anywhere, there’s a free mini-course that will give you a glimpse into the world of general transcription like:

• What transcription really entails
• How much you might expect to make
• What you need to get started

Before diving into the transcription waters, give this course a go first. Transcribing for a living certainly isn’t for everyone. This free course will help you determine if it’s a good fit for you.

Scopist

“What’s a scopist,” you ask? Good question! It’s not as common as the other freelance services listed, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re a self-proclaimed word nerd. In a nutshell, a scopist edits court reporter transcripts before it’s handed off to a proofreader who goes over the final product with a fine-tooth comb.

But the pros over at the Internet Scoping School can explain it a lot better. In fact, they have a free intro course that will explain:

• What exactly a scopist is
• What skills a scopist needs (and a test to prove your knowledge!)
• Potential earning power of a scopist

Don’t worry — it may sound highly specialized but really this can be a beginner-friendly freelance service offering for word lovers and grammar gurus. But first things first, give the mini-course a try so you can gain a better understanding of the profession before you give it a go yourself.

Other Places to Scout Freebies for Aspiring Freelancers

These freebie courses are worth a look if you’re thinking of taking control of your career, but they’re not the only ways to get a feel for freelancing before going all in.

Udemy

Yes, there are a lot of paid-for courses on Udemy. But did you know there’s a lot of free ones too? I’ve turned to Udemy a time or time to freshen up my WordPress skills and delve into online marketing with great result (and free too!).

You can search for courses by skill and, voila, dozens of courses directly at your fingertips. To find the freebies, simply check the Paid>Free box and start learning.

Amazon

I love ebooks. If you ever have a freelancing question, chances are you can find the answer in an ebook. And one of the largest sources of them can be found in the Amazon Kindle Store. If you don’t have it already, download the free Kindle Reading App and start hunting down books. Prime Members can “borrow” one participating title per month absolutely free.

For non-Prime members, consider joining Amazon Kindle Unlimited 30-Day Free Trial During your free 30-day trial, you can read enough ebooks to answer all your freelance questions — and then some. There’s always tons of Kindle Unlimited titles to browse through, no matter what you’re searching for.

Microsoft Virtual Academy

Unless you’re already a Microsoft expert, you’ll probably benefit from the free training offered at the Microsoft Virtual Academy. As a freelancer, you can learn everything from the basics for beginners to super-advanced game development and databases.

Codecademy

Everyone, freelancer or not, should have at least a little bit of coding knowledge to their name. And the Codecademy is the place to go when you want to learn code. It’s a great place to brush up on basic skills but also offers enough classes that you can teach yourself the knowledge to launch a lucrative freelance career.

Start Freelancing

No matter what you decide to do as a freelancer, once you make the decision to go for it, you’ll want to set up a freelance website. Not only does this give you a super-professional online presence but it gives you a chance to demonstrate your knowledge and toot your own horn. Don’t worry — you can set up your own freelance website in very little time (no developer knowledge required) and for just a few bucks a month.

Have questions? Feeling overwhelmed? I can help! Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments below.