Thousands of Kenyans are currently earning a living through academic writing. The beauty of it is you only need a computer and access to the internet to get started. Hence, let’s look in detail at how to start academic writing in Kenya.
What is academic writing?
Academic writing is the process of creating academic-related content such as assignments, projects, and theses for pay.
This happens through a broking platform that connects both the buyers and sellers. The buyers are customers who need services from writers.
Benefits of doing academic writing in Kenya
There are several benefits that academic writing in Kenya. Some of these include;
1. Self-employment
Doing academic writing allows you to become your boss. This enables you to have control in almost every aspect of your job such as the amount of work to do translating to income as well.
2. Tax-free income
Payments for academic writing services are not subject to tax making it possible to make more as opposed to those in formal employment.
3. Flexibility
Academic writing jobs are online. This allows you to work across any environment and timelines. There are no limits such as those in formal jobs who need to work 8-5.
Is academic writing legal in Kenya?
Academic writing is neither legal nor illegal in the country as the law is silent. However, other countries ban it and do arbitrarily close accounts. Hence, you should be careful about the type of clients you are dealing with.
Which is the best academic writing site in Kenya
There are many academic writing sites that you can use in the country. To get into details, I have discussed in length the top 10 best academic writing sites in KENYA.
Some of these include; Uvocorp, Writerslabs, and Writerbay. Joining these sites is free. Some of the factors to consider when settling on a writing site include;
- Popularity
- Ease of payments
- Payments per page
Which the best academic writing season
The amount of jobs you get depends on the academic writing season. There are more jobs when schools as in progress and fewer during holidays. Hence, you need to maximize output during the peak season to insure against low season challenges.
The high season mostly runs from October to May and the low season from June to September.
Requirements to start academic writing in Kenya
There are various things and items you need to start academic writing in Kenya.
- Knowledge
This is a knowledge-based industry that needs you to be conversant with your content. Most buyers pay for knowledge and quality content. Hence, it is advisable to only take work that you are conversant in.
This not only enables you to complete the task but also do quality work. If you have adequacy in some areas, do adequate research and study.
If you want to have a long career in academic writing, you focus on producing quality work consistently.
2. Computer and internet
As it is with online jobs, you will require access to reliable internet and a good computer to complete these jobs successfully.
3. Account
To do academic writing, you need to have an account with a brokerage site as this is where both the jobs and payments are posted and made.
The account keeps advancing depending on your work quality and quantity. That is why you find that some account pays more for the same job than others. However, if you are writing for another person who already has an account, you don’t require one.
How to start academic writing in Kenya
Below is the process of how to start academic writing;
- Focus on learning
To start academic writing, first consider writing for another writer instead of getting an account yourself.
Attaching an experienced writer enables you to learn the trade and perfect your skills. It also allows you to accumulate capital to buy your account.
Once you are competent and experienced, you can then start managing and running your account.
2. Open/buy your account
Opening an academic writing account is free. However, you will need to grow it by putting in a lot of effort to get consistent output.
Alternatively, you can buy an existing account that is already receiving jobs. The price varies but a good account may cost you from 50,000 shillings.
3. Bid for jobs
Once, you have an account, you should start bidding for jobs depending on your competencies. Jobs are taken through auction and hence you should be on a constant lookout.
Once you get a job, ensure to complete it as per the timelines and do it well. It is good to note that the more jobs you do successfully, the more you get and the higher the pay.
If you have a lot of work to get done, it is okay to engage other writers for help. Writers are normally paid for successful work done per page.
4. Withdraw funds
After successful job completion, the payments are credited to the account wallet. You can then withdraw through various avenues such as bank swift withdrawals and other channels such as PayPal. Below is my explanation of how to open a PayPal account in Kenya.
This is a key part of academic writing. Hence, ensure to comply with all the rules regarding money transfers to evade challenges such as having your account blacklisted.
Challenges of academic writing in Kenya
Although academic writing has been a source of employment for thousands of Kenyans, it has its challenges that you must be ready to overcome before you become successful.
- Fluctuating jobs
As highlighted earlier, academic writing jobs are seasonal. Hence, you could go for a long time with less work that can’t sustain your expenses.
To handle this, it is necessary to manage your finances during the high season to cater to the low season.
You will also face low amounts of jobs at the start. This is because it takes time and effort before the buyers trust and give you more jobs.
2. Competition with technology
Recently, there has been a rise in technology doing the same job as academic writers. This competition could even get deeper in the future as technology advances.
Some of these tech tools are artificial intelligence-driven and hence can only get better with time.
3. Legal challenges
There are some legal hurdles that you may face during academic writing in Kenya as the trade is not regulated.
The lack of any tangible laws also makes it hard to seek any remedies.
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