Is IAPWE a Scam as Speculated?

IAPWE Review
Your friend might want to know about this:

Even before I made this website, I’ve always found comfort in writing, and I vividly remember how happy I was when I landed my first freelance writing gig and got paid to do something that I actually love. 

Suppose you also share the same passion and think that you can make a career out of writing. In that case, I suggest that you keep reading my review as I answer whether IAPWE is a scam or a legitimate association that will provide you with the proper resources and helps you get actual earnings. 

With everything that is happening in all four corners of the world, we must find a solution to secure our financial resources. 

Not everyone is financially literate, which usually means that most people may have “the money” but don’t have an emergency fund in place.

Is IAPWE Legitimate?Come to think of it, did the 3-7 months of lockdown ate away your savings as you had to pay for bills and essentials? 💡🍕

 

Reports after reports reflect that the pandemic recession has significantly augmented the way we perceive money. 

Back in the days, most of us spent on stuff that we didn’t really need, knowing, or at least assuming, that we can recover it in the next few paychecks. 

 

Unfortunately, that is not the case anymore. 😐

With all things and decisions uncertain, some were laid off their jobs by surprise, while others were issued new contracts with decreased remuneration.

 

Some companies even bailed out on their employee benefits. 

But the thing is, we cannot really blame these companies and their management because, in reality, no one could have prepared for such a shocking outcome. 

And this is the moral behind all of this – by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. Without some savings on the side, you will always find it hard to rise above financial blockages. 

For instance, if you plan to invest in a house in the next two years, then I recommend opening four types of savings account, not just one. 

One account for your dream house, one for an emergency fund, one for your general savings, and another for your expenses.

 

I know what you are thinking – you are wondering how it is possible to allocate enough for each account from a single paycheck. 

To answer this, let me quote Kiyosaki by saying that you should have at least three types of income:

•  Earned income

•  Portfolio income (stock market and investment)

•  Passive income (assets and businesses)

 

While you might be at the point where you’re just starting, I suggest that you make the most of the “earned income” first. You see, this type of income should not only rely on a single paycheck alone. 

You MUST have additional income flow from small-time businesses or get a few more online jobs or projects.

And speaking of jobs and projects, one of the most recommended online opportunities today is freelance writing

It is becoming one of the go-to professions for creative people looking to earn a few extra bucks within a short period. 

Is IAPWE A ScamWhat makes this an attractive digital job is that it does not require any software or products, just your mind, and flair for writing.🧠🖋️

 

While the idea may excite you instantly, it is essential to note that finding gigs like this one can be pretty challenging. 

With the competitiveness on Upwork and Fiverr, landing on legitimate clients looking for write-ups can be one tricky task. 

The IAPWE, also known as the International Association of Professional Writers and Editors, was built to connect aspiring writers and clients. 

It’s basically a unique website where you can find and apply for various high-paying writing jobs from across the world. 

It may initially sound like an outstanding organization based on its professional-sounding name. Still, IAPWE has been getting a ton of attention and has been scrutinized because of its sketchy aura. 

 Please find out more about this in my review below. 😊

 

Why go for a career in freelance writing?

I want to share with you a list of some of the best reasons why you should consider pursuing a career in freelance writing. 

For one, it allows you to express yourself creatively, which is an excellent mental exercise on its own. 

Additionally, it’s pretty flexible, can be pretty profitable, and allows you to connect with millions of people from all over the globe. 

Plus, you can comfortably squeeze writing gigs into your daily routine to assume that you can write them reasonably quickly. 

 

Writing may seem easy, but it’s actually a terrifying career. 🙃

I am not trying to intimidate you or anything like that, but let me just clarify that there are actually many writing types that call for some expertise (SEO content, research articles, outreach blog, etc.) 

I am saying this now because I have already come across many freelancers claiming that they can write ALL types of content.

 

But as you might know, that is not always the case. 

So, for my friends out there interested in making a career out of writing, I suggest that you focus only on the types you are most interested in. 

Generally, freelance writers (working on general blog articles) earn around $52,807 annually. 

At the same time, others may earn somewhere in the ranges of $60,000 to $115,000 for writers with a specialization such as social media marketing, copywriting, and online research.

 

As you can see, freelance writing is a profitable side hustle. 💰

However, landing verified clients and actual job posts online is a whole other ball game. And this is where writing community job boards like IAPWE take center stage. 

Could IAPWE help you attract your first client? Allow me to share my thought with you in my honest review down below. 

 

What is IAPWE all about?

IAPWE is a subscription-based job board that has been around for quite a long time and has been making resounding noise on Reddit since 2017.

While its website was officially established in 2015, IAPWE has not changed the look and feel of its site since then. 

Regarding its social media presence, the company boasts roughly 2.2k followers on Twitter, 3.4k on LinkedIn, and 17k on Facebook.

 

I investigated far and wide. 🙂🗺️

Despite sounding like a professional organization that you can put on your resume, it looks like IAPWE is not affiliated with any institution, nor is it accredited by any government or private body. 

In this sense, the name itself does not stand for anything other than a brand name. I even cross-checked its logo to see if IAPWE used it in any marketing paraphernalia but found nothing. 

IAPWE Review You see, legitimate organizations usually hold conferences or meet-ups with their members, but IAPWE doesn’t seem to do any of that. ❌

 

Additionally, registered organizations must send membership certificates with unique IDs if it is a real org at all. Then again, IAPWE does not offer that. So in this sense, the word “association” on their brand name is just an online community.

In terms of legitimacy, it has a B rating on BBB and has around 13 complaints about the billing process under its belt. 

Joining IAPWE is free of charge, and you can take advantage of their resources, apply to their job boards, and join their members-only forum.

 

How does IAPWE work?

As I said above, joining IAPWE will cost you nothing, and you can look and apply for available job posts directly from their site. 

All you have to do is go to the site, key in your full name and email address, write a submission essay with about 300 words, and attach a sample portfolio. 

After doing so, you will be prompted to wait for their email if you pass their so-called initial screening.

After a few weeks (some even took months), you will hear from the company through an email from a person named Amy Wilkerson (membership coordinator) saying that you have passed their screening and that you can start creating your profile on the site. 

As I have mentioned before, joining and navigating the site is free; however, if you want to view complete job details from the job board continuously, you must pay the subscription fee worth $5.25 a month.

 

It’s like I can hear you say – “$5 is fine by me”. 😃

Well, it should be because if you ever choose to get the free membership alone, customers are reporting that the only jobs that you can find from the site will be the technical ones that are certainly not in anyone’s wheelhouse!

Take a look at this.  👈

 

Is IAPWE a scam?

Honestly, IAPWE is a little bit of both for me – legit and a scam. But, generally, I think that they have a good aim of helping connect clients and freelancers. 

However, it seems to me that there is still some polishing that the company must do, and until that’s finished, I’d like to label this one as a scam due to the following few fishy things I found out about it.

 

Revelation #1 : company address is a UPS store! 

This one got me real fast because whenever I review products or services, I usually start digging with the basic information such as the company address.

I opened up my Google Maps and went on a Street view mode to see how the company looks. Unfortunately, I found out that the company’s address listed on their site is actually pointing to a UPS store!

 

Take a look at this. 👈

 

Revelation #2: terminated YouTube account. 

If you scroll through the last part of their site, you can locate and click through to the official social media accounts of IAPWE.

I checked each of those icons, but I was highly suspicious that Youtube took down their account!

As someone accustomed to how the YouTube policies and algorithms work, IAPWE must have posted some questionable videos because YouTube permanently “terminated”(not “suspended”) the whole account and did not bother taking down specific videos.

Usually, terminations are done whenever the channel garnered three copyright strikes and a considerable number of reports.

 

Revelation #3: No Fresh Jobs. 

Here’s what made me want to cry out loud against the company. They aggregate job posts even if they’re already filled or unlisted by the employer. 

From this perspective, you can say that the $5 is not worth it since you won’t get updated information like those you can find from Upwork (where you can only see the freshest gigs).

 

So, wait. Are you saying that there is no actual job board? 🤔

Well, technically, there is a job board on the site that you can only click on if you are a paying member. 

However, please do not expect it to be as fresh and updated as your Facebook newsfeed. There are even some instances where the entire page remains the same for weeks. 

 

Revelation #4: No real quality standard. 

Remember when I said that it might take some time before the company approves your application? Well, it may just be part of a marketing tactic. 

They do not really have quality standards for the uploaded 300-word sample, so as long as you write something that is 300 words or longer, you can bet that you’ll be granted the welcome letter in a few weeks.

 

This initially may seem great, but no, it’s not at all. 👎

Such a scheme reflects that the company is only after getting members who will presumably pay the $5 per month membership fee given its cheap cost and promised value.

 

How I make a living online

I firmly believe that becoming a freelance writer is a tempting and golden opportunity. Still, I also think that my way of earning as a writer is lightyears ahead of what IAPWE has to offer. 

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide whether you want to spend your time and effort on someone else’s project or use the power of written words to establish your first, very own online asset. 

Before I reveal how I make a living online, I would like to share a piece of my mind as to why I think the freelance route of earning as a writer is not as ideal as some portray it to be. 

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe it’s a beautiful opportunity, but in my mind, there’s no denying that the negatives slightly outweigh the benefits. 

IAPWE ALTERNATIVE It’s just a matter of whether you’re willing to push through to get to where you want to be or drop everything you’ve been doing so far and go after a more sustainable, scalable, long-term opportunity. ⭐

 

(like the one I’ll be sharing with you in a minute)

 

 

The thing I don’t like about being a freelance writer is the business aspect of it. 

As a freelancer, your only concern is not about writing good pieces of content but also the other things that come with it, such as finding clients, creating a portfolio, networking, etc. 

It can be pretty challenging to get started since you’ll have to learn the ropes and believe me when I say that only those who are genuinely committed to showing grit will find themselves making an income out of writing.

Another thing I dislike about freelance writing is that it’s at the height of its popularity, meaning that there has never been as much competition as there is now. 

Although technology makes the onboarding process readily accessible to anyone, you also have to ask yourself how good a writer you really are. 

 

The more honest you are with yourself, the easier things will be for you. ✅

You have to consider that no matter how capable of a writer you are, there will always be someone with a slightly better edge. 

In other words, you better find comfort in getting rejected, or you’ll have a hard time enjoying the life of a freelancer. 

If you have a passion for writing and wish to make a career out of it, then you might want to take a look at my money guide to understand better why I recommend this way of earning to writers so much. 

It’s probably not the first time you hear about it, but the way I make a living online is by doing something called affiliate marketing

 

In a few words, I get paid to promote other people’s products. 💸

Basically, what I do is, produce sound, high-quality, unique content, and within it, I share special links (affiliate ones) with my readers, so once they click on them, they’ll are redirected to a third-party website. (usually Amazon or eBay) 

If at some point they decide to purchase the product I’m recommending through any of the links on my site, I’ll earn a commission, which is usually around %50, and most often than not, is a recurring one. 

I can comfortably say that it’s one of the best ways to get started online, and I think you’ll agree with me once you read some of the reasons why I love it so much: 

  1. It’s one of the most suitable business models for beginners. 
  2. It becomes passive with time. 
  3. It has a low startup cost.
  4. You have the freedom to write just about anything. 
  5. It’s pretty creative and flexible. 
  6. 7 out of 10 online earners are affiliates. 
  7. It’s set to explode in the upcoming few years. 
  8. It’s a performance-based model of business. 
  9. I and thousands of others are doing it, so can you. 🏆💯

 

As mentioned earlier, freelancing can indeed be an excellent career choice, but only for those that carry the right mindset for success and are devoted enough to make it to the other side. (the money side, that is)  

At the same time, my opportunity has the exact requirements, but it slightly differs because you won’t have to chase payments from clients constantly, nor would you be required to wear all the hats and do ten jobs at once. 

Another thing that you won’t have to do is work your butt off to land a single client, and as you might know, that tends to be the most tedious aspect of being a freelancer.

I prefer affiliate marketing because you only have to focus on content production and not worry about dealing with clients and all that fun stuff. 

Your only job as an affiliate is to connect the advertiser to the buyer and watch the commission roll in whenever a sale is made. 

 

Don’t even get me started on the passive potential that AM has. 

When it’s all said and done, freelancing is still a full-time job considering that you have to meet clients’ due dates and deal with last-minute changes while still working for hourly pay. 

Affiliate marketing may require a lot of work initially, but all of that work will pay off in the near future because it has the potential to mature into a full-blown source of passive income, as discussed in my money guide

Is IAPWE Legitimate Unlike the life of an average freelancer, I don’t have to worry about any of the concerns I mentioned above, meaning that I can work as much or as little as I want to. 🤩

 

I’m no longer wasting time for money, as the work I did several months ago will continue to provide me with income for years to come. 

Old work does die off eventually, but that’s when all of the fresh content starts to kick in, and you start to make sales day in, day out. 

 

I enjoy being an affiliate since, honestly, it doesn’t feel like a job at all. 🙂

I’m relieved of deadlines, but that doesn’t mean that I work any less. On the contrary, I’m a constant learner, and I always try to hit my personal goals and timelines. 

I’m not special. I just came across the right opportunity at the right time, and here I am now, fully transitioned from a 9-5 job to doing something that lets me express myself creatively and gives me the time to devote myself to the things I’m genuinely passionate about. 

Affiliate marketing gave me the freedom that I was looking for, and that’s why I firmly believe that it can do the same for you as well, no matter where you’re at right now. 

Please don’t cancel on your clients straight away, as the only tip I have for you at the minute is to keep on working hard, and remember that you write because you love it and not because it pays you well. 

 

Focus on writing high-quality content, and regardless of whether you’re a freelancer or an affiliate marketer, the money will come. 😋

 

It’s time for me to end this IAPWE review, so hopefully, I was able to answer whether this organization is a complete scam and a waste of time or not. 

Once again, if you make up your mind and want to try your luck as an affiliate, take a look at my money blueprint, as it will explain everything there is to know about this line of business. 

If you have any questions or simply want to say hi and give your opinion on some of the topics I discussed above, you can do so by leaving a comment down below, and I promise to give my best to reply to it promptly. 

Also, if you found this article helpful in any way, then I would highly appreciate it if you could share it as it will help my blog get more exposure. 👋 💖

 

 

Your friend might want to know about this:

17 comments

  1. Hello, Gorjan. Thanks for the article.

    I was trying to see if IAPWE was worth my time. Do you have any freelancing sites that you think that would be better to pursue?

    1. I’ve seen many people, and myself included, have great success through UpWork.

      The trick to succeeding in any freelancing platform is to work for good reviews initially and then let the algorithm push you to the top, where most of the dough is.

      You always can pay your friends to leave a positive review for you and have the platform give you the money back.

      I hope that helps.

  2. It’s definitely a scam. They advertise in the craigslist jobs section as if they’re hiring, but you have to pay a subscription monthly to see their jobs board which has NOTHING listed.

    1. It’s good that you shared that, and thanks for stopping by, buddy.

      All the best to you!

    2. Hey, I also found them via Craiglist, and I did as requested, waited for them, then they emailed me that I got accepted.

      For me, after sign up, of course, I was informed that I could upgrade my account, but they provided me a link to an IAPWE freelance portal that has a list of tasks. Of course, the tasks are taxing because of the instructions you have to follow.

      Their instructions say one should submit one task at a time, only send another one after it has been approved or taken about seven days ( meaning they have not accepted the article).

      I had high hopes and sent my first article, but having read your reviews, I’m not sure about it.

      Thanks though!

  3. Hey Gorjan. Thanks for bringing this review for us.

    I think that the IAPWE is OK that it is free of charge, so you don’t risk so much if you will sign-up with them to see how all is working there.

    Eventually, you can decide if it is worth paying monthly.

    However, I do not like the misleading information about being an organization while they are just a community or outdated content on their website.

    In fact, I agree with you that online freelancing is a dream job for many, and it is easier than ever to start. The option you pictured as your earning source might even be a better option and certainly one worthy of trying.

    Cheers

    1. Hey, Julius, thanks for leaving a comment.

      I can see that you’ve included your site in this comment. Are you an affiliate yourself, and if so, how are things going for you so far? I’d be happy to help you out if you need a hand.

      All the best to you!

  4. Hi Gorjan, I think freelance writing is something incredible. I already loved writing when I was a child and wrote into my diary to capture feelings and experiences. Later it helped me to sort out my thoughts and ideas.

    So, writing has been natural to me all my life so far. Now I am not an English native, but I prefer to write in English.

    I didn’t know IAPWE, never heard about them, but I think it is not worth getting to know them due to your review. Thank you very much! A great review, by the way.

    I can relate to your recommendation. Affiliate marketing is an excellent opportunity to build up an online business and a source of a passive income!

    It is hard work, but so is every other offline business.

    It doesn’t matter if it’s an online or an offline business; we need to work and invest our energy wisely. 🙂

    1. There’s no other way to it. Struggle with it until it becomes your bread and butter. I’m not a native speaker myself, but that has never stopped me from exploring and wanting to learn more about this industry.

  5. I enjoyed reading your post. Freelance writing is an excellent opportunity to make income online independently, but it’s a tedious job if you’re a beginner.

    You need to build a portfolio and even work for free sometimes to prove yourself. Instead, if you put your time and effort into affiliate marketing, you can see the desired result and develop your online business.

    I understand that most won’t pursue this opportunity because of its uncertainty, but it is what it is.

    1. Don’t get me started on the fact that you have to work for free initially. I clearly remember how tedious it was for me knowing that I was working my butt off just to land a single paid gig.

      You might’ve said it best – it is what it is. You have to stick with it, build a better rating, and then you can eventually pursue gigs that pay you.

  6. You are outstanding. You are a skilful writer and have managed to create this whole story to master the (hitherto) impossible.

    I have never felt my writing was quite good enough, nor did I ever think I could make money out of writing, and yet here you have made it seem possible.

    I am so taken with your article that I’ve decided to pursue this opportunity.

    I started reading the article thinking it was about freelance writing, and then you threw an excellent curved ball about affiliate marketing/blogging.

    Yes, you are very good at your art. Oh, and I really liked the images you used on your website. I will take a punt and say you are probably a very successful affiliate marketer, and rightly so.

    Thank you for taking the time out to share your thoughts.

    1. Next time you’re having doubts, remember that as long as you can write it, there’s someone out there that will want to read it.

      The graphics I use are just a way to express myself creatively and take a break from my writing routine, as it can get pretty tedious at times, as you might know.

      I’m just trying hard to be the best that I can be and leave everything else to fall in place.

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Cordelia. I appreciate it.

  7. Freelance writing is indeed a great way to help people by creating useful and valuable content. However, what I like most about freelancing is the opportunity to work from anywhere in the world and not the money aspect of it.

    Thank you for your research on IAPWE and opening my eyes to why I should consider trying out different business models in the future.

    1. I’m glad I encouraged you to do so. It’s quite common that people get stuck with a single income source, but if you tried hard enough, I’m sure you’ll be able to explore affiliate marketing further and continue as a freelancer at the same time.

  8. I loved reading your review on IAPWE. I have been interested in trying my hand as a freelance writer, but after reading your review, I think maybe it’s not such a good idea after all.

    1. I would necessarily say it’s a bad idea, but it certainly has its flaws. However, I believe there are better ways to earn as a writer, and I have a hint that you’ll agree with me on that.

      Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if there’s some way I can help. I’d be happy to point you in the right direction and even share some of the things to look out for along the way, either be for freelancing or affiliate marketing.

Comments are closed.