Cactus Communications is rated
2.7 out of 5 stars on
AmbitionBox, based on 16 company reviews.This rating
reflects a below average employee experience, indicating poor satisfaction with
the company’s work culture, benefits, and career growth opportunities. AmbitionBox gathers authentic employee reviews and ratings, making it a trusted platform for job seekers and employees in India.
Read more
Cactus Communications is rated
2.7 out of 5 stars on
AmbitionBox, based on 16 company reviews.This rating
reflects a below average employee experience, indicating poor satisfaction with
the company’s work culture, benefits, and career growth opportunities. AmbitionBox gathers authentic employee reviews and ratings, making it a trusted platform for job seekers and employees in India.
Top Mentions
in Cactus Communications Freelance Editor Reviews
We strive to keep our reviews 100% genuine. Employers cannot manipulate reviews.
16 reviews found
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Popular
Freelance Editor in
Mumbai
Full Time
·
Humanities Department
5.0
Overall Rating
5.0
Category Ratings
5.0
Promotions/Appraisal
5.0
Skill Development
5.0
Company Culture
5.0
Work Satisfaction
5.0
Salary & Benefits
3.0
Job Security
5.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 26 May 2022
Likes
Very professionally managed organization where everything is system driven. There is no scope for nepotism.
Dislikes
Quality evaluation is very stringent.
Work Details
Excellent
Work days: Monday to Friday
(Flexible Timings)
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Editing (Print / Online / Electronic) Department
3.0
Overall Rating
3.0
Category Ratings
2.0
Promotions/Appraisal
5.0
Skill Development
4.0
Company Culture
4.0
Work Satisfaction
2.0
Salary & Benefits
1.0
Job Security
4.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 13 Sep 2024
Likes
Flexibility in timings
Work culture
Prompt support from freelance team
Dislikes
Inconsistent work availability throughout the year even after good quality index
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor in
Mumbai
Full Time
·
Data Science & Machine Learning Department
4.0
Overall Rating
4.0
Category Ratings
3.0
Promotions/Appraisal
4.0
Skill Development
4.0
Company Culture
3.0
Work Satisfaction
4.0
Salary & Benefits
3.0
Job Security
4.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 24 Aug 2018
Likes
Very organised, on-time payments, knowledgeable/skilled co-workers and leads, good pay scale, transparent and well-structured entrance tests
Dislikes
1. The papers we are required to edit are written by people with very limited knowledge of English, making it hard to understand what they were trying to say 2. Available jobs are listed only when a manager assigns the job to a few people. This makes it difficult for new freelancers to get work regularly
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Contractual
·
Editing (Print / Online / Electronic) Department
1.0
Overall Rating
1.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
1.0
Skill Development
1.0
Company Culture
1.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
1.0
Job Security
2.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 09 Feb 2023
Likes
Paid on time
Dislikes
Run away, you are more valuable than this. If that's not enough, keep reading.
The pay appears decent but is WAY below minimum wage, explained here:
Most jobs only pay 30% of the word count. Their rationale is that a round of editing has already been done. However, you are expected to edit the whole document.
Here is a TYPICAL example:
A 5000 word document would make you believe that you would make $100 at the $20/1000 word rate.
BUT, most jobs of this nature would actually only pay you $30 (30%), even though you are doing $100 worth of work, at least.
Furthermore:
For each document you edit, you need to provide 1-2 additional documents UNPAID, that often take as long as the edit itself:
1. A letter from the editor (LFTE) - you summarize everything, highlight all the changes you made, you make a recommendations on figures, submission readiness etc.
2. A cover letter. For journal submissions, you write a letter to the journal itself, basically doing the job of the client, summarizing the work, highlighting the importance, etc.
IT GETS WORSE:
The $20/1000 word rate is only if you hit 60,000 words, which is actually 200,000 words since only ~30% of the document counts. If you don't hit this milestone, you make less $.
And to top if off:
If you find 1000 mistakes during an edit and happen to miss 2 because your brain was about to explode and you have been realizing that you have a PhD and are working at $5/hour, they will provide you with a rating of < 3/4 (by their definition, bad). The reviewers get paid to find your mistakes, so it is in their best interest to give you a poor rating so they stay relevant. They start you off with 4/4 ratings to make you feel like it's an ok job....Read More
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
life sciences Department
2.0
Overall Rating
2.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
2.0
Skill Development
1.0
Company Culture
2.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
1.0
Job Security
1.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 28 Jul 2023
Likes
Flexible working hours
Dislikes
Extremely poor pay, high expectations from managers
Work Details
Work days: Monday to Friday
(Flexible Timings)
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Employer’s Response
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your experience with us. Your input is important, and we value the opportunity to address your concerns.
We're glad to hear that you appreciate the flexibility of our working hours. We understand the importance of work-life balance and strive to provide a supportive environment in this regard.
However, we are genuinely sorry to learn of your dissatisfaction with the compensation and the expectations from PoCs.
While the academic editing industry places utmost importance on quality, at CACTUS, we strongly believe in the significance of transparent communication and setting achievable expectations to nurture a positive working relationship. We are disheartened to hear that your experience has deviated from this norm. Your feedback has given us an opportunity to introspect, and we will continue to work towards improving freelancer/contractor experience.
With regards to compensation, we understand that delivering client-ready files is effort-intensive and ensure that the fee associated with every assignment is on par with market pay levels for this nature of work. Additionally, we have rolled out a few initiatives which help our top-performing editors to supplement their income.
Thank you once again for your feedback, and for being a part of our organization!
Warm Regards,
Sushmitha Srinivasan
Freelance Engagement Specialist
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Editing (Print / Online / Electronic) Department
2.0
Overall Rating
2.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
3.0
Skill Development
2.0
Company Culture
1.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
1.0
Job Security
3.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 23 Nov 2023
Likes
Work from home flexibility
Dislikes
No enough work
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Editing (Print / Online / Electronic) Department
4.0
Overall Rating
4.0
Category Ratings
3.0
Promotions/Appraisal
5.0
Skill Development
5.0
Company Culture
4.0
Work Satisfaction
3.0
Salary & Benefits
5.0
Job Security
4.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 03 Feb 2023
Likes
The process managers are good to communicate with and provide feedback regularly. Thus, it is easy to learn and master the art of ESL editing.
Dislikes
The payment could have been better.
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
You are reading trusted reviews. Keep reading to find out more about
Cactus Communications.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Editing Department
2.0
Overall Rating
2.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
3.0
Skill Development
2.0
Company Culture
2.0
Work Satisfaction
2.0
Salary & Benefits
3.0
Job Security
4.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 14 Oct 2022
Likes
The amount of work available
Dislikes
Low pay for intensive editing. No extra pay for preparing cover letter and editor's report.
Work Details
Work days: Monday to Friday
(Flexible Timings)
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Employer’s Response
Hello!
Thank you for taking the time out to share your feedback. I am dismayed to learn that your association with us has been dissatisfactory.
At CACTUS, we strive to help our clients in their publishing journey. This means that often, we receive manuscripts that require significant amount of effort to render them publication ready. While we understand that this can sometimes be tedious, we ensure that the fee for each assignment is on par with market pay levels.
We do pay our editors for additional processes, such as Cover Letter generation and Editor's Report submission. Since the goal of providing an Editor’s Report is to share feedback with the author, the fee for this report is included in the assignment fee.
Having said so, if there are specific instances where compensation was not provided despite the generation of cover letters under the add-on service category or instances of disproportionate pay, I would encourage you to get in touch with me at sushmitha.s1@cactusglobal.com. I will be glad to help!
Sushmitha Srinivasan, Freelance Engagement Specialist.
Thank you for sharing your feedback. Creating a positive work environment is one our key goals, and I’m glad to know that you are pleased with our work culture.
Having said that, I’m sorry to know that we missed the mark with respect to pay and communication. At CACTUS, it is important for us to ensure that our rates are competitive and the fee on every assignment is calibrated to reflect the same. We do understand the importance of communication, especially in a remote setting. We have robust communication systems in place to support our editors during their journey. Since we have a large pool of editors spread across different countries, we do realize our turnaround time can get a bit spotty at times. However, seamless communication is one of primary goals and we are striving to continually improve in this regard.
Sushmitha Srinivasan, Freelance Engagement Specialist.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Plant and animal sciences Department
2.0
Overall Rating
2.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
1.0
Skill Development
3.0
Company Culture
1.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
2.0
Job Security
3.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 17 Aug 2022
Likes
The quality of work they expect is high, so there is scope for self-improvement.
Dislikes
The pay is in no way proportional to the quality or amount of work they expect.
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Employer’s Response
Hello!
Thank you for sharing your feedback. While I am glad to know about the pros you have mentioned, I am disheartened to learn about your thoughts regarding payment. We understand that the quality metrics that our editors are required to meet can be unnerving at times; however, as you will agree, this is essential to ensure the delivery of quality work that our clients have come to expect from us.
While we understand your concerns regarding payment, at CACTUS, we ensure that the fee is on par with market pay levels for this nature of work. Additionally, I would like to acknowledge that several factors, including but not limited to service type, number of words, the extent of edit required, and the estimated edit time, influence the fee for a particular job. To provide additional support to our editors, we have introduced several incentive-based programs, which provide an opportunity to supplement their income.
It will be great if you could reach out to me so that we can discuss specific instances of disproportionate pay in detail. Please email me at sushmitha.s1@cactusglobal.com.
Sushmitha Srinivasan, Freelance Engagement Specialist.
Freelance Editor in
Mumbai
Freelancer
·
Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Department
5.0
Overall Rating
5.0
Category Ratings
5.0
Promotions/Appraisal
5.0
Skill Development
5.0
Company Culture
5.0
Work Satisfaction
5.0
Salary & Benefits
5.0
Job Security
5.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 29 Jun 2022
Likes
Wor culture, job satisfaction, work-life balance
Dislikes
There is nothing I don't like about the company.
Work Details
Balanced! I am able to balance my work and life.
Work days: Monday to Saturday
(Flexible Timings)
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Chemistry Department
1.0
Overall Rating
1.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
3.0
Skill Development
1.0
Company Culture
2.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
3.0
Job Security
1.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 21 Jul 2022
Likes
Work from home
Dislikes
Poor pay
Extreme work load
Exploitative company culture
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Employer’s Response
Hello!
Thank you for sharing your feedback. I am sorry to learn that your experience with us has not been satisfactory.
We do understand that our editors invest a substantial amount of time and energy to deliver client-ready documents. We are committed to empowering our editors with innovative tools to ease the burden and have introduced several incentive-based programs to provide opportunities for editors to supplement their earnings.
Since freelancers are free to choose assignments as per their availability, they have the flexibility to decide how much work they would like to take on. Given this, I'd like to understand your concerns a little better, please do write to me at sushmitha.s1@cactusglobal.com.
Sushmitha Srinivasan,
Freelance Engagement Specialist.
Freelance Editor in
India
Freelancer
·
Editing (Print / Online / Electronic) Department
5.0
Overall Rating
5.0
Category Ratings
5.0
Promotions/Appraisal
5.0
Skill Development
5.0
Company Culture
5.0
Work Satisfaction
5.0
Salary & Benefits
5.0
Job Security
5.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 20 Dec 2021
Likes
I like it is very flexible and has a flawless CRM/
Dislikes
I dislike their pay.
Work Details
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor in
From home (working remotely)
Freelancer
·
Molbio Department
1.0
Overall Rating
1.0
Category Ratings
1.0
Promotions/Appraisal
1.0
Skill Development
1.0
Company Culture
3.0
Work Satisfaction
1.0
Salary & Benefits
1.0
Job Security
4.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 05 Nov 2020
Likes
Freedom to work from home without quotas.
Dislikes
I worked for these people for nearly two years, and despite being massively overqualified for the job, with 76% of my client ratings at the very top end of the scale, they stopped consistently sending me work during covid. It reached a point where the job was no longer sustainable, and when I asked them why, they ignored me. My guess is that they had more than enough workers during covid, and/or that they were unhappy with me occasionally criticizing their marking, which was often of a low standard. Also be aware that they don't give references for freelancers....Read More
Work Details
Editing scientific journal articles for language use, and providing advice on their structure, content, novelty and relevance.
Work days: Monday to Friday
(Flexible Timings)
Freelance Editor in
Mumbai
Freelancer
·
Publishing Department
4.0
Overall Rating
4.0
Category Ratings
3.0
Promotions/Appraisal
3.0
Skill Development
3.0
Company Culture
3.0
Work Satisfaction
2.0
Salary & Benefits
3.0
Job Security
3.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 10 Jan 2019
Likes
The Whiteboard is a good platform to work. Good for freshers to learn and gain experience. They respond spontaneously to my queries and take necessary actions when I report an issue. Flexible job.
Dislikes
The pay is very less. Sometimes the work pressure is more with tight deadlines, and sometimes there will be no jobs for 3-4 months.
Work Details
Exciting but sometimes we need some change, right!
Work timings: Flexible Timings
Work related travel:This is a desk job.
Freelance Editor in
Mumbai
Freelancer
·
Editorial Department
4.0
Overall Rating
4.0
Category Ratings
3.0
Promotions/Appraisal
4.0
Skill Development
4.0
Company Culture
4.0
Work Satisfaction
3.0
Salary & Benefits
2.0
Job Security
3.0
Work-Life Balance
posted on 25 Jun 2021
Likes
Good learning experience, great feedback, and helpful mentors
People also ask about Cactus Communications's Freelance Editors
Is Cactus Communications a good place to work for Freelance Editors?
The experience of working at any company can vary based on factors like team, manager, role, company policy etc. However, with an overall rating of 2.7 out of 5 from over 16 employee reviews, it's clear that most freelance editors have a below average experience working at Cactus Communications. Skill development holds the highest rating at 3.6, while salary & benefits is rated the lowest amongst all factors at 2.0. Read reviews about skill development and salary & benefits on AmbitionBox.
Does Cactus Communications pay their Freelance Editors well?
According to AmbitionBox reviews, Cactus Communications freelance editors rate their salary and benefits at 2.0 out of 5, based on 16 reviews. This lower rating reflects a significant level of dissatisfaction among employees regarding compensation and benefits, suggesting that many may feel undercompensated. You can know more about Cactus Communications's freelance editors salaries here and to read reviews specifically about salary and benefits at Cactus Communications for freelance editors, click here.
How is the work culture at Cactus Communications for Freelance Editors?
Work culture at Cactus Communications for freelance editors is rated 3.0 out of 5 by 16 employees on AmbitionBox, indicating an average environment. Work culture encompasses aspects like collaboration, support, and overall employee satisfaction. The rating reflects that while some aspects of the work culture are satisfactory, there is room for improvement in certain areas. To read reviews specifically about work culture at Cactus Communications for freelance editors, click here.
How is the job security at Cactus Communications for Freelance Editors?
Based on 16 reviews on AmbitionBox, Cactus Communications's freelance editors rate job security at 2.3 out of 5. This lower rating indicates that a significant number of employees may have concerns about their job stability and the reliability of their roles at Cactus Communications. To read reviews about job security at Cactus Communications for freelance editors, click here.
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