If you’ve been looking for a IAPWE review, you’ve come to the right place. The International Association of Professional Writers and Editors is an organization that targets freelance writers to give them a chance to grow their careers.
They say they help writers and editors outreach, networking, and blogging to grow their careers.
So, you might be wondering what they offer and if it’s a legitimate program.
This will break down what they offer, how they accept writers, and other people’s experiences with the IAPWE program.
Before we continue, if you’re just here for a quick review, know that IAPWE is more of a job board than it is an actual program that hires writers. They don’t make this clear and that’s the main summary behind this review.
If you want all the details, let’s dive in.
Why writers should double-check any program before joining
So many people dream of being able to write and work from home, and scammers know this. You should keep in mind that any program that says it’s an easy to industry to get into in just a few hours should raise some red flags.
That’s not about this specific program, this should be a rule for any program you want to join going forward.
If you want to become a freelance writer, just know that there are endless scams out there waiting for you to stumble upon their programs, give them your hard-earned money, and not get any closer to your goal.
For that reason, it’s always a great idea to deep-dive a potential service/course/product and make sure it’s legitimate before you sign up.
While not every program is guaranteed to work and make you rich overnight, you at least need to make sure it’s a legitimate program and can get you results if you put the work in.
What is IAPWE?
The International Association of Professional Writers and Editors is an organization that says it helps writers and editors succeed.
They have articles and resources for freelance writers and editors to get a footing in the industry and get their careers started.
The thing they’re most popular for is their job board which gives writers the ability to see quality writing jobs. The question most writers and editors wonder is: is it worth joining?
How to work with IAPWE
Most people have mentioned coming across IAPWE hiring posts on Craigslist or other job boards. On their website itself, it doesn’t point you in the direction of how to apply and get into their program. I had to search for the page on Google to come across their application page.
Looking at their current application page shows their current rates at the time of writing this article.
If you can’t read the text above, the pay rate is $10 per 100 words and each article is approximately 500 words. For editors, their rate is $3 per 100 words.
However, on this job post board for IAPWE, the rate is different at $20 per 100 words. It also mentions on that site that 17,357 people have applied to this job. It says the salary is $40,000 – $50,000 and that applicants must, “Work well as a team member with the rest of our content management and editorial staff.”
Here are the topics they say they currently offer:
- Health & beauty
- Fitness
- Home Decor
- Fashion
- Sports
- Do it yourself
- Finance
- Legal
- Medical
- Family/Parenting
- Relationships
- Real Estate
- Restaurants
- Contracting (plumbing, pool building, remodeling, etc.)
Depending on your current rates as a freelance writer, that might seem like a decent amount or not enough. It is, however, better than a lot of the famous content mills out there that are closer to $0.02 per word instead of $0.10 per word.
According to people online, once you’re approved and accepted, it’s more of a job board instead of an actual position within the company.
They pull from 100 different companies and only claim to post legitimate freelance jobs.
While I did not personally apply, some reviewers say it can take a month or more to hear back from anyone after you send in your application.
How much does IAPWE cost?
Once you’re accepted, it seems as though you then need to upgrade your account to be able to see the jobs at all. There is some conflicting numbers out there, but it seems to currently cost between $6 and $15 per month to get access to the job board.
Is IAPWE a scam?
IAPWE currently has a BBB rating of B and is not currently BBB accredited.
Reading through the IAPWE review posts shows quite a few unhappy people, mostly when it comes to canceling their memberships. It seems like it’s not a straight-forward process when you want to cancel and you may need to jump through some hoops to do so.
As mentioned above, this is just based on the complaints on that site and not personal experience.
They might post legitimate jobs in their job board, but one huge problem is that they don’t mention how it works on their website. They don’t mention how long it’ll take to get approved, that you’re not working directly with the company, or that there is a monthly fee.
One confusing part as well is that they have a listed rate, but it’s a job board. Does that mean they only post jobs that fit within those word rates? That part is unclear.
Lots of people are happy to pay to join a membership, as long as the cost is worth it in the end. However, given how much they hide the fees and that lots of people said the actual writing jobs weren’t worth the cost, that’s a red flag.
With that in mind, it might not be fair to say it’s a scam, but it’s not clear cut which is bordering in the deceptive category.
They don’t post too much on their social media these days, either. Not that social media always signifies a healthy, thriving company, but for some people that does matter.
From everything I could find, it might not be fair to call it a scam, since no one said the jobs themselves are actually fake. However, how they position their offering and what they actually do is not upfront or clear.
IAPWE review: What others have to say
I hunted around the internet to see what other people had to say about their firsthand experience with trying IAPWE.
Article: Is IAPWE A Scam? Hear a first-hand experience from Adam with screenshots.
Article: FALLING PREY TO A WRITING SCAM: IAPWE from Mykki
Article: Freelance Mills, Cyberbullying, and Plagiarism, Oh My! from Writer Beware
For a positive review, I found this comment in this Reddit thread, “I actually know quite a few people that have secured writing gigs via IAPWE. They’re not a “known scam”, they just need a lot of effort to utilize their resources, which can be tedious. I think many people want a quick, easy, high-paying assignment, with little to no effort. As IAPWE is not a get-rich-quick site, it leads to many negative reviews.
The moral is: it’s not for everyone. Just because something doesn’t work for you, does not mean it won’t work for others.”
IAPWE Review: The pros and cons
If you’re here for just a quick overview of whether you should join IAPWE, we’re going to go over the simple pros and cons of doing so.
Pros to joining IAPWE:
- You’ll get access to resources about becoming a freelance writer
- Access to jobs all in one place
Cons to joining IAPWE:
- Fees to see the job board
- Hard to cancel membership fee
- Up for debate whether the jobs being posted are worth it
Need an Alternative
Here at The Write Life, we recommend the Freelance Writers Den. They have an incredible community and resources to help you grow your income as a freelance writer, editor, proofreader, etc.
For a full review on the program, check out this article.
