The past years have seen an increase in the number of people who are attempting to get into academic writing (whether freelance, or that scholarly stuff). The market has been so highly saturated the past years. Aside from that, it's been quite tough trying to find academic writing service providers who do not fully rip off their writers. A lot of them scrap of so much of the work.

I think this question also is dependent on other factors like where you live, are you supporting anyone else or just a single person, etc. If you live in, for instance, a third world or developing country; then, surely, it would suffice. This is especially if you earn in USD or Euros. You'll be fine. But if you're an individual who lives in an expensive country, then I doubt that you would be okay with what you're going to be earn from freelance academic writing. But also, to note, I have noticed that a lot of new writers are from developing or third world countries. This means getting a competitive pay is even harder because they bid lower prices than those ENL writers. So again, it depends. I guess if you're wildly and amazingly talented at writing, then maybe you could? It's difficult. But I guess it's doable. But I've never personally seen someone do it.

I think it boils down to this: If you plan to work freelance, be prepared to have lots of rejections. If you plan to work tightly academically writing (like in an educational institution), then be prepared to spend more money getting your first stunts published before you start actually making money off of it.

I work in both marketing and freelance writing and editing (sometimes proofreading). I've always treated essay writing as a side hustle to earn extra money than an actual daytime freelance job. However, I did consider before to make it into a full-time affair. But that doesn't mean I don't love my other jobs. I'm also quite passionate about the other job - it's just that freelance writing is sort of like my childhood love that I can't let go of. It's like even after all these years of looking through career paths, I always had to have some sort of writing on the side. It's like marketing and business are both my new-found loves - but writing is my first love. So, it's kinda known to me that if I ditched my writing job, I would be working on my other jobs more intensely. Probably gonna learning CSS and HTML more or something. Because then, I won't have anything else that would take me away from marketing-related tasks.

Sadly, I agree with @Major in this case. Unless there's a way for your situation to get better according to the help and assistance of medical professionals, I would recommend looking into other fields than economics and statistics that won't require this much effort. However, if you truly want to and believe that you can push through, I think it would be best for you to try seeking a personal tutor or an instructor. Explain to your university or school too about your condition. This will help you somehow. But the other parts cannot be assured. Seek help.

I think this is debatable, to be honest. Some people here keep arguing that you need "professional writing" experience. However, I know a couple of people who are even better writers than most professional writers - and yet, they do not get the same publicity out of it. These people are either (1) naturally blessed with the writing capability and/or (sometimes a mixture of both) (2) grew up with the top-class educational institutions that trained them to be who they are now. I think that a better gauge for a quality writer is not "writing experience" rather it should be more seen through his/her samples. Although I do agree with what was mentioned above that professionally writing can give a person a glimpse of what their pay bracket should be, how much workload a company should give them, etc. But in terms of quality, I don't think it really matters. Plus, different companies seek different types of writers. Experience doesn't count if you can't accommodate to a specific style of writing demanded by a company.

I agree with what the others mentioned about international students may be able to pass the language test - but that does not necessarily mean that they are able to utilize their skills to efficiently write academically. For instance, I personally know four languages. While I am proficient in the first two and can both use them professionally, I would not be able to do the same my other two remaining languages. However, I was able to past language tests for these two languages. Knowing a language through tests is not tantamount to professionally using it - not unless you are referring to Chinese, for instance, wherein the language is literally divided into levels.

Other than that, I'd like to make an unsolicited opinion that there are a few international students who get caught up in either stress or a new academic environment that makes them less capable of performing adequately than they would in, perhaps, if they were simply studying in their home country. There are a lot of factors to be involved here that need to be considered. I would also believe that some simply have money to spare (hence, why they study overseas) therefore would not be bothered with a five-page essay and would rather do something else more leisurely with their time.

I don't understand why people here are throwing so much criticism on ESL writers. I, for one, am an ESL writer. Although, I have met people who would say that I'm not because I'm naturally bilingual (we've always used English in school, but we speak our native tongue almost all the time - with a few exceptions). The point is, it's not because he's an ESL writer that he can't be an academic writer - it's because of a lot of practice. I've met ENL writers who are not as good as some ESL writers. If an ESL writer perseveres and works hard, it is definitely possible for him to compete at an ENL level. However, mentioning that, I think that you should consider working on fundamentals of the language before mentioning doing academic work. This is a very competitive field. If you're competing against natives, you might as well sharpen your skills.

I tried resume writing for a while too. I found that it wasn't for me because there's so much structure that revolves around it. It's also very technical that I would consider resume writing as an entirely different field from academic writing. I find that it doesn't give a lot of leg room for creativity (whereas in academic writing, you can still somehow play around with words).

I think mastering the formatting of styles really is more about practicing them all over again. I also found that once you can professionally grasp two or three, adapting to other citation styles would get easier over time. It's all about practice.

I agree with @Write Review. I've seen students who simply struggle because they're using a second language (and not their mother tongue). Despite this, there is still a handful who actually curate their own essays and turn it in - regardless of how difficult it has been for them because they're not used to it. It's the same thing with every other field in education, to be honest. Not everyone is good as math - but you can try until you can do at least the fundamental. Not everyone can memorize pages of details - but you can train your mind to memorize faster if you try hard enough. If someone is willing to learn (ergo if someone is willing to turn in a paper - then they will), there will be no hindrance. Some people just struggle more than others, hence why they seek out essay writing services. I guess it's all subjective if you perceive this to be negative or not. My point is that, there are instances wherein it truly is acceptable to use services instead of writing on your own.

I agree with @Write Review. While it may seem as though a huge percentage of stuff going on in this forum come from mudslinging, people who read through this site get actual insight into the inner-workings of the academic writing community. People here, including myself, have had extensive exposure already to this field. Knowing how it is to actually write and hustle for this work makes the forum full of useful information, especially for students who are seeking to use the service. Although, I do also agree that it may be contestable to some degree. It just depends on how you want to go about it, to be honest.

Breaking into independent essay writing is tough if I were really honest about it. For anyone who's considering entering into this business, I would opt that you join a company first before going into freelance/independent work. Obviously, don't just jump into if you are uncertain about the field. Competition is high. As with any independent work, self-management and self-control are all vital parts to be successful in the field. You have to be consider so much. If you have the financial capacity to do it, then I would suggest plunging into it. Build a profile. Create a portfolio website. Do pitches for blog posts even if they're for free. It may take weeks if not months to even get your name noticed. But this way, you can control rates (especially because a lot of these companies or aggregate sites take away so much of your income) and set your own schedule. Getting the word out is truly the hardest part of it all.

This isn't one of those things you can just get into because you wrote a few essays in high school that got A+.

I'd like to add: if it's a follow-up research to something that is preexisting, then it is a must that you provide these data. It always irks me when clients complain about the outcome when you've asked multiple times if they would like to add something to the details they've provided. But I do feel like it's also important to discuss and clarify whether or not it is truly necessary to utilize all these resources. As someone mentioned above, sometimes these resources are not particularly useful to the writer/researcher. In this instance, it is imperative to ensure that the client informs the writer the boundaries or terms of usage.

I think also from the perspective of writers. Some bottom-feeders tend to settle for writing jobs that do not necessarily pay well. This can truly demotivate a writer to demonstrate and maximize his usage of research skills. We all know how it is. Money is everything. If a writer accepts the work regardless of how crappy and low the pay is, it's mostly out of desperation - or a even a lack of skill that makes his market value lower than others. Having said that, it is imperative to research the pay rates within a chosen academic research or essay writing field. This will give the student a fundamental idea of how much he should pay to avoid any misunderstandings or false expectations.

I think I'd have to agree with a few people above. Monthly payments are sufficient. To be honest, it doesn't really matter to most writers for as long as you don't scam them by not paying. Not unless you treat freelance writing as your only source of income. In this case, then some people would opt for a more frequent method of payment because they need it to keep up with expenses - the usual stuff. Personally, once every two months would be a stretch for me. I like having the luxury of enjoying the fruit of the work that I do as early as possible. But that's just me.

I highly doubt that knowing where a client goes to school matters to the writer. If a writer is a trulylegitimate one, then it should not bother the student who is availing of the service. It does not really change the output of the paper. However, there are other details like the client's level of education that matter because they can help the writer tailor-fit how they need to curate the paper. I've had instances wherein the client would voluntarily hand out their log-in information to obtain their data. If they wish to freely do this, then I'm not bothered. If they opt to send in the additional files in another way, it is alright as well. It all really depends on the demand and the level of comfort of a person. Of course, I would personally not coerce them into providing said details.

I second what @Write Review mentioned. It is important that if you are seeking the services of a particularwriter (and that you trulydo not want to get any output from anyone else regardless of the insistence of the writing agency), then you should check in first if the writer is available. Most writers who work in these agencies (if not all) are freelancers, therefore they have the right to turn down activities. In this instance, the writing agency will perhaps reach out to you that your preferred writer is unavailable, therefore they need to opt to other writers. (If they don't consider doing this, I would suggest moving to a different agency if you are not in a rush. It's only common courtesy to do so.)

I think it is also good to note that you cannot truly make sure that you get the writer that you requested for. A lot of these data can easily be, for instance, forged by some companies. Because of this, make sure that you reach out the service of a well-trusted academic writing agency to ensure the quality of output regardless of which writer would handle it.

This issue does not only encompass freelance writers, I find. Freelancers in general have a hard time detaching from work. The accessibility of all the workload is clear and obvious. You wake up in the morning - and the first thing you do is open your email to check if there are new messages from work. There have been articles regarding this (eg. independent.co.uk/news/business/news/working-from-home-might-be-bad-for-you-a6690916.html). It is difficult to get "off" of work when you cannot just clock in. When you're a freelancer, especially, you take what you can. If you have an opportunity to earn more, most people would opt to take in as much load because there's justno assurance of a steady flow of income.

Moreover, I find that most essay writing agencies prefer to control the flow of work dedicated to a writer. They would work through some system wherein they ask a writer (who is taking up too much workload) if they can truly manage to finish all the orders that they're taking. It's dragging - but it's all part of work.

This is an interesting topic. I do agree that it's easier to dumb down than to smart up. I think there are two ways to observe and view this topic. ESL learners can learn a lot from acquiring services from ENL writers because the latter can provide them with output that can learn from (assuming that they go through the material once they get hold of it). However, ENL writers will struggle if they are specifically told to simplify their language because it is difficult to learn writing in a different tone. ESL writers, however, will not struggle as much as ENL ones. This is considering how ESL writers already know how this works. This is not unless an ESL writer is advanced enough to not be able to dumb downhis language a little bit.

I feel as though this is also dependent on other factors. The type of service being availed can affect these statements, of course.

As with most professions, freelance writing will not work out for you if you have todrag and force yourself to accomplish work. There's just no way around it. Although I do believe that exposure to the field will help because it will enable you to get more used to turning in papers with stricter deadlines. If you want, though, to have flawless papers, then you're going to have to take your time.

I do still find that if I take up work from fields that I know, I can turn in papers faster - and with less hassle on my end. A huge chunk of this is because I can accomplish the writing tasks without needing to worry if the information I have provided are factual. This is also the reason why choosing a specialty in writing is vital, especially because it will enable you to focus on a particular topic without needing to burden yourself too much. In the long-run, this will help the longevity of your career.

I suggest that in the short-term, don't exhaust and drain yourself too much. It will only strain you and cause you to be less productivity. It is also important to work on time slots that are perfect for you. I, for one, know that I can only work during nighttime. There is no way in hell that someone can make me work during mornings - unless they want me to turn in poorly curated work.

Again, knowing what works for you as a writer is key to all of this.

I don't think that the level of education truly affects the quality of one's work. However, I do think that the program that a writer came from is one that can be accounted for. Obviously, if a writer comes from a research-intensive program, then there is a higher probability that that writer is more capable of providing output because they're academically trained to produce said output. However, of course, this is not necessarily a flawless case: there are still writers who are still not skillful despite being in said programs.

Again, it all depends on the writer.

I also agree with what most writers state here. If there's an agreed upon deadline already, then it's quite unnecessary to constantly keep asking about the project at hand. It only takes the attention away from actually doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

I do have to add, however, that it is also dependent on how massive the project is. If it's a small writing task (blog posts, one-page long essays, etc.), then I wouldn't of course bother with updating too much. If it's a bigger writing task that requires more time and research, then I do understand the client's need to ask from time to time especially if they are investing a lot of money in it.

I'm an ESL writer but I would never broadly and blatantly proclaim that I'm better than native speakers. I do agree with the first comment to the post: oftentimes ESL learners have a tendency to come off as quite unnatural given that the focus is primarily on the construction of the sentence. I often find that when I'm editing works from fellow ESL learners, a lot of them have a tendency to come off as quite nerved and oddly misconstrued.

This is only because learning the language to be able to write in it is vastly different from learning how to converse in the language. Having said that, there will always be nuisances that an ESL writer cannot grasp because it's just not their first language. I would never say that ESL writers are better than academic writing. Academic writing in and of itself is quite tough; you can only be good at it through years of attempting to break into the business. This means that, to some degree, they can be at par with native speakers in writing - but it will come with some adjustment and self-reliance.

I agree that the reason why essay companies or sites use these techniques to lure customers into availing their service is because of the innate gullibility of these students. I don't blame them, though. Especially if you have legitimate reasons to avail of the services. In the end, it is still part of the business. After all, the essay writing community is still business-driven and would always feed as much off from these situations as they possibly can. It's up to the companies themselves to decide on whether or not these lies would be incorporated into their work. Because there's no other way for students to know which sites are reliable and which are just not worth their time, it's just a given to have these websites up and running as they are now.

It's only possible to have five to ten accounts perhaps when you're only starting out in freelance writing. When you haven't established a relationship with an employer yet, then of course you would not necessarily have the rate that you want and would perhaps not be given as many projects as you wish to do so. But I do agree that maintaining this number of accounts is nearly impossible, especially if there's consistent work flowing into from at least two of them.

Because of this, I opted to work for now for just three contractors. This gives me more freedom to choose what type of work I want to do while, at the same time, ensuring that I still have sufficient sources of income to sustain myself. It's all about balancing, really. It would also depend on what particular work or service you are providing to other people.

As an ESL writer myself, I would also agree with most comments here. Establishing yourself as an ESL writer is tough. The level of competition is intense. If ENL writers can barely get by at times because of the tightness of the competition, then it would be three times harder for an ESL writer. It is not impossible, though. I have personally been able to sustain myself for years now through freelance writing. I do admit still that I have lapses, so I always ensure that I'm constantly learning and progressing as a learner myself. It's imperative that you understand your limitations - and that you constantly work your way up.

Like with any other freelance writing task, I would suggest building great relationships with your potential employers or contractors to ensure that you will be compensated nicely and sufficiently. I find that it will be especially difficult in the beginning because there will be a lot of people who would doubt your writing skills because of your background. Having a substantial and juicy academic record alongside a great track record working in smaller projects will definitely help in the long-run. Practice and consistency is key.

At first I didn't quite understand as well why a lot of clients or companies just do not want to give ESL writers a chance to work. As time passes by, I did learn that it was mostly because there's been a lot of controversy regarding ESL writers who would deliberately lie about their background (mentioning that they're ENL when they're not, etc.). I also did initially think that this would doom me for life as an ESL writer. However, as I submerged myself to more work, I realized that when you're an ESL writer, proving yourself is imperative and will definitely affect the overall flow of your work. It's really because ESL writers may never fully understand the nuisances and the specific details that are required from them from a native speaker because these things are environmentally-shaped. It's justifiable to an extent.

It's a simple equation, really. Effort put into a paper will never be tantamount to good grades for the client. I would say that you should never do less, but you should always ensure that you have the fundamental requirements covered. Of course, there is a difference between working on a one-page paper for three hours straight versus finishing it in a few minutes. This would also be dependent on other factors: the amount of research required, the complexity of the formatting, etc. If you are getting paid well for a research-intensive paper, then it would definitely be alright to put in more effort into writing.

It's all about ensuring that your output is tantamount to what would make the client satisfied in the end. And how much you are getting paid for it (duh, you may be a writer but you have needs too).

This thread is really getting at me. I used to write for a European company who required me to alter my name (despite it being a fairly normal English name) to make it more Americanized. They argued that it was all about building trust for the clients. I found this odd - but I complied nonetheless because I was desperate to work and was nicely compensated for the work I had done for them.

Regardless, it's all about fooling clients into believing that they're getting ENL writers. Of course, the story would be different if an ESL writer had a different name that was completely odd. Some would argue that putting up a different name can also be just to make communication lines more fluid (something about trusting someone more because they have a name that sounds more familiar to you). I will never understand it, but I guess it's just how it is.

You also have to consider how far or deep you are in the writing business. I, for instance, can't afford taking these breaks because I'll be thinking too much about the next writing project nonetheless. Of course, if you have already established yourself in the field, then finding time to unwind will be relatively easy. I do agree with what the others here have mentioned. It's quite tough to take breaks given that the writing profession requires you to make revisions from time to time. This can be the dragging part. However, I do think that for as long as you stop taking in hefty orders within your vacation period, it's alright to every once in a while open your laptop to polish some writing work.

I do agree that rates matter when you're deciding on this. I would rather work with private clients for as long as they would pay me more (I do agree, however, that most of the additional income comes from the fact that there's no company cutting off your profit for availing their service). There's a lot of work that comes into it. I do also find that freelance writers typically face difficulties with private clients, especially when it comes to things like payment methods and related tasks. This is because working with a company can help a writer lay out specific limitations and agreements that would otherwise be absent if they're working independently without any company ties. I would say that conflict resolution is certainly easier if you're already working with a company. Again, both of these things have pros and cons and will ultimately be up to the writer to decide if it's worth the shot or not.

I think this is precisely why it is quite difficult to get a hold of decent essay writing companies nowadays. It is so easy to mislead clients nowadays by citing false addresses, putting up false claims, etc. I would suggest that anyone who seeks to avail of these services to always be extra cautious. Always order off of websites that have been well-researched on.

As sad and as frustrating as it can be, I do agree with what was previously mentioned in this thread. While I agree that often ESL writers (or writers from developing countries) typically get paid less than their ENL counterparts, it is difficult for these writers to become private contractors or independent workers in the beginning. I would also suggest the same thing: try working for multiple companies, see which ones pay better than others, and always have a back-up plan. Considering how tough competitiveness is in this field, it's imperative to understand that most of these companies are just trying to keep afloat as well. I also agree that this is often because these people believe that they can get away with paying less simply because of the economic differences and way differentials among the countries. There's so much to this discussion nonetheless.

Unless you are very knowledgeable and competent in a particular field, I also don't believe that you should strategically market yourself in a specific field. Because flow and influx of work is imperative for most freelance writers, limiting the work you can do to a field (not unless you are really, really great at it and would ensure that the work there is constantly in demand) can harm your work in the long-run.

I would say to that rewriting essays after having composed them is primarily due to miscommunication between the client and the writer. I have heard of instances wherein writers were tasked to rewrite because of misunderstanding the instructions and/or not following through with what is actually being demanded for. Then again, this does make me wonder the extent to which the task at hand is the fault of the writer or the client. I find that sometimes writers who fail at a task was also at fault because of taking in responsibility for a task without asking for clarification regarding the instructions, desired content and tone of the essay, etc. I, personally, have been asked once to rewrite an essay because I had overlooked a fraction of the instructions and used a different textbook instead of the one being provided. When this happens, I just suck it up and own up to my own mistakes.

Freelance writers can still use free email accounts. I can't comprehend what is the issue with it. I, personally, still use my own free email account as my working account. This is simply because I already have clients who can contact me only directly through the account. I don't think that an individual's legitimacy can be simply based off their email address. What you can always do is watch out for the red flags. If a writer provides testimony from others regarding the quality of their service, do your own research as well. If someone is asking too high or low of a price, have second doubts regarding the service being offered. This is all truly about finding out on your own. And, sad to say, you will only truly find out once you avail of the service itself.

I also agree that essay companies are the best way to go. While I do personally contact clients for freelance writing work, I also take part in a few writing companies. I generally agree that it's just easier and safer to research more about the background information and legitimacy if it's a company as there are alternative resources to help you (this forum, for one). In comparison, if you simply hire an independent writer (not referred by a colleague - someone you just found online), then you run a high risk of bumping into someone who will charge you 100% upfront without actually coming up with an output. Always make sure that you research beforehand, especially if it is for a huge academic project that could potentially ruin your grades.

I agree with mentioning how often academic writers who take part in writing companies often have issues when it comes to reaching out to clients, especially if the support group of that company is quite dragging and not necessarily reliable. I, for one, have experienced running into an unprecedented confusion in a writing project. It took the company hours before they were able to get back to me. When communication cannot be trusted, then it can potentially diminish the quality of the essay that will be the output.

On the other hand, interaction should always be limited and tailor-fit to whatever scenario is at hand for the client and the writer. It will, of course, be useful if the client and writer both had access to each other 24/7 - but this is especially difficult when you are facing barriers.

I always try to make sure to communicate to clients before partaking in projects to ensure that there is clarity in the message and in the expectations for the work to be done. This goes a long way, especially because you do not want to be stuck with dragging projects that do not contribute to your growth as a writer.

There has got to be legal repercussions to this. While you cannot necessarily accommodate to every situation, this is still theft for a service that was given. However, I do agree that it can be quite tricky when it comes to essay writing services because it's difficult to explain a situation. This is why legitimacy of the service is pivotal - both for the client and the writer. Having terms and conditions and legitimate paperwork goes a long way.

I've previously been a part of an academic writing company that used to do this. I had to apologize a multitude of times for not picking up the phone. I also had to explain to them that they cannot demand me to be awake when it is four in the morning in my timezone. They ended up almost forcing me to shut down my account even though I had been an active contributor for a year already. These types of companies should always be avoided by freelance academic writers. I do also agree that while there are reputable companies, some simply try to hide the fact that they have caps for their payments to writers. Meaning that when writers reach a specific threshold, they start to give out notices for mistakes that were supposedly done so long ago. I'm glad to be out of these companies. Respect has to be given both ways.

On the other hand, I do also believe that some writers also have to not overburden themselves with a lot of work that they cannot accommodate to. They should have track of their schedule. While it's a freelance career, it should still involve a level of self-responsibility.

I don't necessarily believe that the issue is stereotyping or categorizing students. A lot of these differences are rooted primarily in cultural differences. For instance, attitude towards educational attainment will be vastly different for some Asian students because the culture itself emphasizes immensely on specific courses and degrees. On the other hand, Americans may have more leisure and flexibility when it comes to what education they wish to partake in. There are even businesses such as cram schools and summer programs that have gained popularity in Asia because of how serious the culture is when it comes to excelling on paper. This is not necessarily to say that Americans are terrible when it comes to approaching their studies; it only means that there are unprecedented variations in attitude when it comes to what counts as academic success.