Call for Roster Individual Consultant Copyeditors and proofreaders (English)

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector:Field Office

Duty Station:Bangkok

Job Family:Public Information

Type of contract:Non Staff

Duration of contract:From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to:External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time):08-DEC-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization Integrity Respect for Diversity Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

2. TERMS OF REFERENCE

Copyeditor:

a. Undertake assignments to provide high-quality copy-editing services for assigned manuscript;

b. Ensure the final manuscript is polished consistent and error-free (i.e. grammar fact checking and stylistics);

c. Receive assignment brief and coordinate with the Responsible Officer(s) to regularly report on progress made during the assignment via email online meetings or phone;

d. Ensure the copy-editing adheres to all stylistic requirements of the UNESCO Style Manual;

e. Mainstream UNESCOs gender strategy and ensure the Guidelines on Gender-Neutral Language are applied throughout the manuscript;

f. Correct typos grammatical mistakes misspellings punctuation and capitalization errors;

g. Check overall clarity consistency of style and presentation including tone and sentence structure;

h. Ensure consistency of terminology abbreviations acronyms and formatting of footnotes

i. Ensure bibliographical references are accurate and correctly formatted;

j. Verify that the author has cited referenced and credited sources appropriately; conduct basic copyright and plagiarism checks and indicate any problems warranting attention and/or correction;

k. Demonstrate mastery of standard software especially MS Word and competence using all the basic elements of tracked changes;

l. Use proper names and place names that correspond to UNESCO official usage including the names of UNESCO Member States;

m. Improve or suggest changes of content while preserving the original meaning with notification to UNESCO;

n. Align page numbers in the table of contents list of tables figures and boxes with headings and subheadings in the manuscript;

o. Ensure that works are in full compliance with international copyright policy to prevent any legal infringements;

p. Submit work in MS Word file with tracked changes and a clear list of comments or questions to UNESCO;

q. Improve and incorporate suggested changes until the manuscript is considered satisfactory by UNESCO; and

r. Meet the committed deadline.

Proofreader:

a. Undertake assignments to provide high-quality proofreading services for UNESCO Bangkoks manuscript;

b. Ensure the final work is polished consistent and error-free to UNESCO publishing standards;

c. Correct errors that may have escaped the vigilance of the copyeditor in the laid-out version;

d. Correct typos grammatical mistakes misspellings and punctuation and capitalization errors that may have slipped through the editing process;

e. Detect text that appears cut off misplaced or garbled in the layout process;

f. Adjust mismatches between the table of contents and titles in the main body of the text;

g. Ensure consistent page numbering or running heads (headers and footers);

h. Check formatting problems including font font size spacing indentation levels of titles;

i. Check cross-references (e.g. See page xxx) where the actual page number needs to be filled in;

j. Demonstrate mastery of standard software especially Adobe Acrobat and possess competence in using comment tools;

k. Flag to UNESCO any problems encountered;

l. Ensure the proofreading adheres to all guidelines in the UNESCO Style Manual;

m. Mainstream UNESCOs gender strategy and ensure the Guidelines on Gender-Neutral Language is applied throughout the manuscript;

n. Ensure that works are in full compliance with international copyright policy to avoid any legal infringements;

o. Submit work in PDF file with comments or questions to UNESCO;

p. Improve and incorporate suggested changes until the manuscript is considered satisfactory by UNESCO; and

q. Meet the committed deadline.

3. SCOPE OF WORK AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR SERVICE RATE PROPOSALS

The candidates must propose their service in flat rates per word in US$ for (1) copy-editing and (2) proofreading (The candidates will be assigned one role at a time on any given project whether as copyeditor or proofreader) according to the following specifications:

• Language: English
• Size: standard (A4 A5 etc.) or customized
• Number of words: to be specified for each assignment
• Software: MS Word (for copyeditor) and Adobe Acrobat (for proofreader a laid-out version in PDF file)
• Feedback/revision circle: until deemed satisfactory by UNESCO

4. DUTY STATION

The assignment will be remote-based (off-site) and on an on-call basis with regular communication with the Responsible Officer(s) via email online meeting and/or phone; no travel is anticipated. Candidates located in same or close time zone as Bangkok (GMT7) are preferred.

5. FACILITIES TO BE PROVIDED BY UNESCO (if any)

The candidate will be responsible for providing their own off-site working space and equipment e.g. computer software printer and any other equipment that may be required for the successful completion of the assignment.

6. COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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7. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

At the time of application candidate must possess the following qualifications:

Education

University degree in English (preferably British) language studies literature journalism communications international relations or other liberal arts fields.

Work Experience

Minimum of five (5) years of demonstrable professional copy-editing and proofreading experience particularly in the fields of journalism publishing education culture communication and information social and human sciences ocean sciences and natural sciences.

Previous experience working with UNESCO or other UN agencies and/or other multicultural organizations is an advantage.

Long Description

Skills/Competencies

• Familiarity with gender equality and gender-neutral language.
• Strong British English grammar punctuation and spelling skills are essential.
• Understand and apply in-house style guides to ensure consistency within the manuscript.
• Ability to verify the accuracy of information especially for technical or academic content.
• Familiarity with publishing workflows.
• Competency in MS Word and Adobe Acrobat software.
• Meticulous eye for spotting even the smallest errors.
• Collaborate with colleagues effectively with strong communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and efficiently under tight deadlines and revision cycles.
• Adhere to in-house branding guidelines style manuals and templates.
• Stay up to date on the latest copy-editing design and technological trends in the field (note: Using AI apps or related programmes is prohibited).

Languages

• Native-level proficiency in written and spoken English; preferably British English.

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

UNESCO shall be entitled to all property rights including but not limited to patents copyrights and trademarks with regard to all materials which bear a direct relation to or are produced in consequence of the services provided by candidates to the Organization.

Candidates will grant to UNESCO exclusive worldwide rights including the editable work files to exploit to publish to reproduce to diffuse to communicate to the public and so forth in any form and on any supporting platform including digital all or part of the work and to license these rights to third parties on the basis of the rights herein vested in UNESCO. The candidates warrant that:

• The work made under the assignment is created by the candidates and candidates are the sole and unrestricted owners of the exclusive rights in the work
• The work made under the assignment is free from encumbrances and no third party is entitled to any intellectual property rights with regard to the work
• No third-party rights have been infringed upon in the making of the work
• The work has not been generated by AI apps or related programmes.

9. APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should apply through theUNESCO careers website and follow these steps:

1. Create/login to the account.
2. Download and complete/update your employment history form.
3. Prepare your cover letter CV portfolio and standard service rates (see below):
   • Cover letter: highlights your most relevant skills and experiences and explains how your qualifications and experiences make you suitable for the assignment
   • Curriculum vitae (CV): outlines your professional and educational history. The CV should include contact information work experience (including company names dates positions and key achievements) software skills language skills etc.
   • Portfolio: showcases your copy-editing and proofreading skills. The portfolio should include samples of three of candidates latest works with tracked changes and brief descriptions of the project.
   • Standard service rates: provide your flat rate of service per word in US$ of two assignments: (1) copy-editing; and (2) proofreading.
4. Combine all five (5) items (employment history form cover letter CV portfolio and standard service rates) and upload them as a single file.
5. Complete/update your candidate profile; save and submit your application.
   
   Please note that by applying you agree that your profile and contact information may be shared with personnel working within UNESCO Bangkok and other UNESCO offices.

10. SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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