Indexers

Full-time indexers usually work between 35 and 40 hours a week in typical office settings. Freelance indexers may work out of their homes or take temporary assignments in the offices of employers. The amount of pressure an indexer experiences varies greatly with the type of indexing. Those who compile indexes for newspapers must sift rapidly through great quantities of information and regularly work long hours. Encyclopedia indexers, on the other hand, may face deadlines only once a year. Freelance indexers have irregular schedules; a freelance indexer may work extremely long hours when completing several projects at once and meet deadlines, but they may have relatively little work the following week. In general, freelance indexing is more stressful than in-house work as freelancers must constantly plan out their own work schedules, send invoices, and keep business records, in addition to indexing.