~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Herewith this week’s Rebellion Bulletin (we’re defining “this week” a bit liberally, ahem, to include Sunday!), complete with call center hiring news, Chris on CNN (twice, doncha know), a big spike in telework in the Netherlands (Show Europe how it’s done, guys!), and a fresh bouquet of hand-picked home-based jobs. Freebies, too! Plus, Staffcentrix celebrates 10 years of “helping people find the way home.” Enjoy, Good Luck, and Be Well! CALL CENTER ALPINE ACCESS SEEKS 100 AGENTS IN ILLINOIS US-based Alpine Access, which employs approximately 7,500 at-home agents, announced this past week that it’s seeking 100 agents in Illinois. Like Convergys and some other call centers, Alpine Access hires agents as employees (with paid training) rather than as independent contractors. Some job seekers prefer the employee arrangement, which often comes with benefits, although independent contractors are generally paid more by the hour. For our comparison chart of 75+ call centers, including wages and other details, see http://www.ratracerebellion.com/CS_Comparison.html. For Alpine Access’ recruiting announcement, see lead number 2, below. CNN (WITH CHRIS) COVERS WORK-AT-HOME SCAMS As the recession worsens, the work-at-home “scam ratio” climbs. (As we reported here earlier, our research estimates the current ratio at 54-to-1. That is, for every 55 work-at-home jobs we screen, 54 are scams.) Chris interviewed with CNN-TV on Dec. 27 to talk about the rise in scams (I’ll post the clip here when we have it), and again recently with CNN.com. “How I got taken by a work-at-home scam” is the focus of the CNN.com article. It’s online at http://tinyurl.com/73y3cm. WORK AT HOME DOUBLES IN NETHERLANDS Nearly 50% of Dutch companies had people working from home in 2007, up from about 25% in 2003, Radio Netherlands / Expatica.com reported this past week. Could this be tied to the country’s worsening traffic, which some say is “past the point of crisis”? The work-at-home article is at http://tinyurl.com/7cgmuh. A blurb on Dutch traffic, with related links, is online at http://tinyurl.com/axoaxs. “TELEWORK IN INDIA ON THE RISE” In India, working at home full-time is on the rise, the Indian media reports, as more companies discover that “face time” isn’t always necessary, and that telework increases retention and cuts costs. HR experts, too, cite the increased “employee engagement” that can come with letting people work from home, as a recent piece in India’s Business Today emphasized. “Says Shanthi Naresh, Principal Consultant, Human Capital, Mercer Consulting (India): ‘[Work From Home] policies have a great impact on employee engagement… while many organisations explicitly position WFH practices as part of the company’s total reward strategy and use it as a great attraction and retention tool, the impact of WFH practices on employee engagement is often underestimated.’” The growing international “green” movement will also accelerate these trends…and soon, we hope! For more, see http://tinyurl.com/7yrke3. STAFFCENTRIX CELEBRATES 10TH YEAR OF WORK-AT-HOME TRAINING AND RESOURCES Chris and I proudly mark Staffcentrix’ tenth anniversary this year. We founded Staffcentrix in 1999, initially providing Virtual Assistant training and related resources so that military spouses and other folks could work at home and have portable careers. (Chris is credited with having founded the Virtual Assistant industry in 1995.) Also in 1999, we presented to the United Nations on the subject of the virtual workforce, and that was an event we’ll never forget. Soon, our client list included the US Air Force, then the other branches, the US State Department, community colleges, large faith-based organizations, agencies for people with disabilities, and others. We wanted to bring screened work-at-home jobs to the public, and in Spring 2004 we launched this bulletin. In February 2007, we launched RatRaceRebellion.com. We look forward to the next 10 years, and continuing to innovate and help people de-Rat Race their lives and spend more time with their loved ones, in any way we can. FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Herewith this week’s freebies, brought in by our hardy band of freebie drovers. (Good onya, maites!) (Fine Print: If you see something you like, be sure to grab it fast, as free stuff goes quickly on the Web. We have no control over supplies, or when the vendors decide to halt their offers or fulfillment.) Enjoy! Free sample True Lemon crystallized lemon substitute (Request your free sample and they send 10 packets to "Operation Gratitude" for US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to make their water more flavorful): http://truelemon.com/gratitude-sample.html Free download of "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan in English": http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20081119_tows_bookdownload Free sample of Airborne Original Zesty Orange: http://airbornehealth.com/promotions_original.php Coupon for free 2.2lb bag of Canine Cavier pet food: http://www.caninecaviar.com/coupons.aspx?choice=3 Free 2-day sample of Hyland's Calms Forté sleep aid: http://www.hylands.com/cf-sample-ids.php RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK Narrator: "Will Bullwinkle be able to extricate himself?" Bullwinkle: "I will just as soon as I get these ropes off." Rebelliously Yours, Michael Michael D. Haaren, Editor-in-Chief The Rat Race Rebellion =>=> New Leads for Home-Based Jobs and Projects <=<= *Editor’s Note: All positions are screened, but we can’t of course “guarantee” the legitimacy of any hirer or lead, so please do your own ‘due diligence’ as well! Also, please note that on occasion the hirer will decide to change the description or the availability of the job or project shortly AFTER the summary is published here. (Unfortunately, we have no control over this.) Therefore, be sure to read the underlying ad carefully, and apply promptly for any job that interests you. 1. Customer Care /Technical Support Representatives Sutherland Global Services is seeking work-at-home employees for technical support calls (in-bound) for their clients. “Pays up to $10 per hour.” Paid training. For more: http://tinyurl.com/6skvsn 2. Alpine Access Seeks 100 Agents in Illinois Virtual call center Alpine Access is looking for 100 Customer Care Professionals in Illinois. The company’s clients include Office Depot, J.Crew and the IRS. “Ideal candidates are self-starters desiring home-based employment. Alpine Access customer care professionals have strong educational backgrounds, a work history that includes previous customer service related responsibilities and good online computer skills.” For more: http://tinyurl.com/9xpbxr 3. Freelance Copyeditors or Proofreaders "John Wiley & Sons is seeking freelancers to copyedit or proofread life sciences journal(s) encompassing such topics as biology, biomedical sciences, neuroscience, and ecology. Only those with experience in these areas will be considered." For more: http://bbboston.org/pageJobs_view.cfm?jobid=7074 4. Senior Statistical Programmer (Clinical) Aerotek Scientific, a placement firm, is seeking a Senior Statistical Programmer (Clinical) for a Denver, CO-based pharmaceutical company client. Must have a thorough knowledge of clinical trial study design and electronic data submission requirements. Pays “$90 to $110 per hour.” For more: http://clinical.thingamajob.com/jobs/California/Senior-Statistical-Programmer/1854891 5. Freelance Copywriters Workhorse Creative seeks freelance Copywriters “to conceive, develop, and produce great copy for print, interactive, and other media.” For more: http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullJob.asp&jobID=129126 6. Manager, Customer Care Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a Johnson & Johnson's company, is seeking a Manager, Customer Care. This position can be based at a remote home office. Position is “responsible for the proactive engagement in the customer post sale experience including representing the voice of customer on internal teams.” For more: http://www.hirediversity.com/jobseekers/jobs/view.asp?ID=2387146 7. Technical Support Analyst Harvey Nash USA is looking for a highly qualified and motivated Senior Technical Support Specialist for in-depth technical support and troubleshooting. For more: http://www.harveynash.com/usa/vacancies/details.asp?Jobid=6741&Source=13 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~Advertisement~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Chris and Mike here -- Do you need writing experience to qualify for freelance writing, blogging, proofreading or editorial jobs? Want to demonstrate your expertise for hiring managers or prospective clients? We recommend Helium (it’s free). You can get writing experience with an easy-to-start blog, and be eligible for compensation while you learn. You can also choose among many popular topics, and build your credentials while you write about what interests you. For more, click here http://www.helium.com/?ad=680&placement=HAP002. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 8. Magazine Freelancers Culture11.com is seeking freelance writers to write non-fiction articles and essays on various topics. Pays per piece. For more: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=86699&page=1 9. Medical Transcriptionists Chronicle Transcripts is seeking experienced Medical Language Specialists with at least 3 years’ experience, for hospital acute-care transcription and ER. For more: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=16945 10. Canadian Car Enthusiast Blogger CarEnvy.ca is looking for a blogger for a car enthusiast blog. Must cater to the Canadian market, but need not be based in Canada. For more: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1937 11. Writer for “Conference English” Book Taiwan publisher Cosmos Culture, Ltd, is looking for a writer for a Conference English book. Must be “[a]ble to write books in correct, fluent American English.” For more: http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/job5075.htm 12. Site Editors for LoveToKnow.com LoveToKnow.com is looking for subject matter experts to write at least 20 articles per month (approximately 650 words per article), and to edit incoming contributions. For more: http://www.lovetoknow.com/write-for-us.htm 13. UI Developer Ratio Interactive is looking for an experienced, innovative flash developer to build “highly scalable ActionScript Classes and Flash applications using fundamentals of Object Oriented programming.” For more: http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullJob.asp&jobID=129102 14. Freelance Writers "Burbia.com, a fast-growing humor and entertainment website, is looking for freelance writers who are provocative, intelligent and funny and have original perspectives on suburban life." For more: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=86657&page=1 15. Writers - Subject Matter Experts LoveToKnow.com is looking for subject matter experts to write articles on a pay-per-article basis. Many topics available; writer must have extensive experience with the chosen topic. For more: http://www.lovetoknow.com/write-for-us.htm 16. Expert on Freelance Consulting About.com, owned by the NY Times, continues to seek a part-time expert (“Guide”) to write about freelance consulting. Pays a minimum of $725 per month plus ad-revenue sharing. For more: http://beaguide.about.com/applynow.htm 17. Medical Transcriptionists SoftScript is looking for experienced medical transcriptionists to work from home transcribing “medical dictation utilizing proprietary software and compatible footpedal.” For more: http://www.softscript.com/careeropportunities.shtml#1 18. Content Writer for Online Cosmetics Shop - UK Eversince.co.uk is seeking a part-time content writer with experience in cosmetic product retail, HTML, and article writing. For more: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/details.php?cat=misc&ID=7208 19. Ruby on Rails Developer ThoughtLead.com is looking for a Ruby on Rails Developer. “You've built, or have been part of the development process for, at least one Rails social app. Hopefully you've done some payment processing, too.” For more: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/3180/ 20. Expert on Parenting School-Age Children About.com, owned by the NY Times, continues to seek a part-time expert (“Guide”) to write about Parenting School-Age Children. Pays a minimum of $725 per month plus ad-revenue sharing. For more: http://beaguide.about.com/applynow.htm ******************************* That’s this week’s issue, Dear Reader. Until next week’s issue, don’t forget to visit us for fresh job leads at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/job_postings.htm ! Rebelliously Yours, Michael -- Michael D. Haaren, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief Staffcentrix, LLC Email: mhaaren@staffcentrix.com Co-author of the bestseller on working from home as a Virtual Assistant, THE 2-SECOND COMMUTE, now available at Amazon.com or http://www.2secondcommute.com. See what else we’re up to on the Web, at http://www.WAHBoom.com (our new work-at-home site for Boomers), http://www.msvas.com (our Military Spouse Virtual Assistant community), and http://www.fse-entrepreneur.com (our Foreign Service spouse e-Entrepreneur community). ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ All contents copyright 2008 Staffcentrix, LLC, "The most trusted name in home-based careers."(TM, SM) All rights reserved.