~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR This week, Chris and I have to go out of town on virtual-career trainings, so the Bulletin is coming to you a day early so we can fit everything in. In this week’s issue, you’ll find a sobering look at why Dads meet stiff resistance when they ask their bosses for more family time; news of a hiring drive by call center Alpine Access; an overview of blogging for money; new freebies and simple-living suggestions (including recipes for popular restaurant dishes); and much more. Jobs this week include Teddy Bear Counselors (yep!), customer service agents, Google Ad Quality Raters, guides for a new health-care website, online teachers, an online marketing guru, and, I say old chap, even a publisher for a new yachting magazine. Good luck! CALL CENTER ALPINE ACCESS SEEKS 100+ HOME-BASED AGENTS IN TENNESSEE Alpine Access, which hires home-based agents as employees rather than independent contractors, announced this week that it’s looking for more than 100 agents in Tennessee, in the Memphis and Nashville metro areas. For more detail on their announcement, see lead no. 1, below. For more detail on virtual call centers generally, including hourly pay, training offered, and employee vs. independent contractor hiring policies, see our chart at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/CS_Comparison.html . WHAT IS A BLOG, AND HOW CAN I MAKE MONEY BLOGGING? Last year, as readers who have been with us awhile know, we ran a few articles on blogs, and we’ll revisit the subject periodically in 2008, as the trend continues to grow (and mature). Chris and I often touch on the blogging movement in our workshops, and the types of blogging jobs available and how much they pay. Sometimes, people will ask us what a blog is, and what their options are for making money with an independent blog. (An independent blog is one that is not part of a blog network or “blog aggregator,” like b5media -- http://www.b5media.com -- among many others. Blog networks can be a good place to blog, however, because they do much of your marketing and other tasks for you, and many blog networks will hire you to take over an existing blog, with a built-in readership. And you may get a share of the ad revenue, too.) But to return to basics for a moment, a blog is simply an online journal, or in other cases an ongoing series of articles or essays, like a recurring column in a newspaper. Blogs can cover any subject, in any depth and style (and they do), but to succeed financially they must offer something of distinctive interest to the reader, and marketing must not be neglected. (Most blogs don’t generate more than a few dollars a month, usually because one or the other of the two key essentials is missing or weak.) Blogs, like other websites, generate income through features like these: -- Google AdSense (which you can see on our own blog, in the right-hand column, at http://ratracerebellion.typepad.com ); -- Affiliate ads from places like Commission Junction (http://www.cj.com), which we use at RatRaceRebellion.com and in this Bulletin, or Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/36fejy), which we also use; and -- Video ads, from places like Revver.com, and, starting Feb. 1, audio ads from V2P Communications. Though most bloggers don’t earn much, there are other reasons to blog, which we often mention in our ads promoting Helium, the site for new bloggers. For starters, blogs teach you to hone your writing style and clarify your thinking, but they also provide a portfolio of material to show hirers when you apply for paid blogging jobs, freelance writing assignments, or editorial work. Of course, many bloggers earn a respectable supplementary income, and some do quite well. Australia’s Darren Rowse, for example, reportedly earns $250,000 yearly with three blogs he writes, and Rhett Butler, founder of eco-site Mongabay.com, is said to bring in $15,000 - $18,000 monthly. Blogging is not for everyone, however, as it does require good language skills, commitment, and passion for the topic. (If you don’t have that last element, you’ll burn out, or drop the blog.) For more on the “blogosphere” and how blogs are “monetized” (set up to earn money), see this week’s Wall Street Journal article, “New Services Help Bloggers Bring in Ad Revenue,” which provided some of the facts I’ve used above. It’s online at http://tinyurl.com/yoxf2p . For more on blogging generally, see Darren Rowse’s excellent site, at http://www.problogger.net . FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Everyone likes to go out to eat now and then, but the costs can mount up quickly, especially if you have children. So this week, as a “simple living” suggestion, our team turned up a free recipe book to let you make at home some of those tasty items (Applebee’s French Onion Soup, for example, or Cinnabon Rolls) that may entice you to eat out more than you should. You’ll find the recipe book online at http://tinyurl.com/28jr5m . And bon appetit! For Freebies, our gang plucked the following, with a promise that they’ll continue to look for giveaways for readers outside the US, too: -- Vera Wang “Princess” Perfume sample: http://tinyurl.com/2tehyu (“US only”) -- South Beach Living Granola Clusters and Drink Mixes: http://tinyurl.com/ysromn (“US only”) -- Dove Hair Care Products: http://tinyurl.com/2tsqq6 (“US only”) “WORKPLACE TENSIONS RISE AS DADS SEEK FAMILY TIME” This was the lead on a recent article in USA Today, and I can believe it. With Moms here in the US having organized years ago to pressure employers to accommodate family needs (and meeting entrenched resistance and little government support for their efforts), Dads are arguably facing an even more daunting challenge for coming second to the fight. (Dads, for their part, have just been skirmishing with little stuff like heart attacks, up till now.) Why would Dads get such a frosty reception from their bosses? Consider the bigger picture. In the new “global economy,” US firms must increasingly compete with companies that have minimal labor costs and little if any labor-law overhead. (Effectively, no “OSHA,” no “EEOC,” etc.) Even the barest environmental regulation may also be lacking. On the ever-widening battlefield where these companies meet, the US employer must do at least two things: boost productivity, and reduce labor costs. Somehow, “more family time” and “paid paternity leave” don’t fall readily into either category. (Yes, you can argue that a happy employee is a more productive employee, and you can even argue that a happy employee has fewer health problems. But many US firms are competing against companies that don’t need to care whether their employees are happy, or healthy either.) Therefore, why would an employer welcome a conversation that would seek to push it -- and its balance sheet -- in the opposite direction? Conclusion? American employees would be better served rediscovering economic self-reliance (which so many of us possessed, or aspired to, before factories and the concept of “employment” took root in the early 1900s) than to blithely assume that “employeeship” will assure a comfy life. Anyone who remembers the 1950s -- when golf on weekends, bridge clubs, pensions, “entertaining,” and one-career families were hallmarks of middle-class life -- can document how things have “evolved” over the past 50 years. The fact is that, although the US economy, like its people, is resilient, the country faces fierce economic competition on growing fronts, and the US employee, like it or not, is on “active duty” in the fray. For the USA Today article, see http://tinyurl.com/ynmwlx . FROM THE R3 MAILBAG -- QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME, AND OTHER RAT RACE TOPICS DEAR R3: I want more time with my family, but my boss says work / life balance is for women. I’m a man. What should I do? R3: Make yourself your boss. Then ask him. SEMINAR IN ONLINE TEACHING SET FOR ATLANTA IN MARCH If you’re interested in earning a living by teaching online, Daniella Babb, co-author with Jim Mirabella of “Make Money Teaching Online” (Wiley 2007), is giving a two-day seminar in Atlanta, Ga., March 28-29. Dani and Jim are both Contributing Experts at RatRaceRebellion.com, and are well-known authorities in the growing field of online teaching. (I can highly recommend their book, which I reviewed here last year.) For more on the seminar and the book, see http://www.teachonlinebook.com/purchasetools-i.html . RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into, the mind.” -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge 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! All positions are paid unless otherwise noted. The amount of compensation is included in the summary when given in the underlying lead. 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. Call Center Agents (US; Tennessee ||||| US-based call center Alpine Access seeks 100+ Agents in Tennessee. “Ideal candidates are self-starters desiring home-based employment. Alpine Access agents have strong educational backgrounds, a work history that includes previous customer service related responsibilities and good online computer skills.” The company services such clients as J.Crew, Office Depot, ExpressJet and the Internal Revenue Service. “Alpine Access also provides solutions for Fortune 50 financial services organizations, as well as other travel, retail and public sector clients.” Pay is approximately $9 per hour. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2ojkdl <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 2. Health Information Guides (“Must be US citizen or permanent resident”) ||||| New health information site OrganizedWisdom is looking for part-time Health Information Guides. Guides prepare “WisdomCards” on health-related resources. Pays $10-$15 for each Card approved. “We're looking for bloggers, patient advocates, nurses, caregivers, students, physicians, librarians, people from health foundations, and anyone who wants to help guide people to safe, credible and useful health information.” => Learn More: http://wisdom.blogs.com/theguideprogram/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 3. Executive Editor, Primary Reading (K-3; US-oriented) ||||| US-based educational development firm Monotype LLC seeks an Executive Editor, Primary Reading. Responsibilities include (quoted from lead): * Assemble a primary reading team (K-3) of experienced curriculum editors * Supervise all aspects of the writing and editing process in primary reading curriculum projects, including the hiring and mentoring of freelance staff * Track state curriculum standards, adoption schedules, research, competition, and educational trends in primary reading Requirements include a Bachelor’s in education or a related field and at least 5 years’ in educational publishing “with an emphasis in primary reading.” => Learn More: http://bbboston.org/pageJobs_view.cfm?jobid=6416 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 4. “Teddy Bear Counselors” for Alpine Access (US; short-term contract) ||||| US-based Alpine Access is looking for Teddy Bear Counselors to sell teddy bears and related products on inbound calls from customers. “Primary focus will be on providing the customer with a fun experience while achieving up-selling penetration, call control, QA score, and schedule adherence.” Must have an outgoing, upbeat personality and typing skills, and high-speed Internet. Contract is seasonal, Feb. 6-13. Pays $8 per hour, $7 per hour during training. => Learn More: https://www.cytiva.com/alpine/age/detail.asp?alpine208 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 5. Online Education Instructors in Special Education (Prof’l. development for educators) ||||| US-based CaseNEX, which provides professional development for educators, is looking for part-time Online Education Instructors in the subject of Special Education. “Instructors should have at least two years of teaching experience and at least a Master's degree in the given content area. Duties will include facilitating online collaboration of course participants, evaluating student work, providing feedback to students on assignments, and reporting grades.” => Learn More: http://www.casenex.com/casenet/frontPages/aboutUs/OEIposition.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 6. Lead Web Developer (“US East Coast”) ||||| Norway-based Runbox, which provides email-related services, seeks a Lead Web Developer, “preferably in the Boston area.” “The position requires: * BS or MS in Computer Science or equivalent (preferred). * Extensive experience with Perl (mod_perl), Javascript (AJAX), Apache, MySQL, Linux, and email systems. * Experience with web development in a complex production environment.” Pays $50k-$80k, with stock options. => Learn More: http://www.devbistro.com/jobs/65422 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 7. Medical Transcriptionists (US) ||||| US-based Dictation Services Group seeks MTs for weekend shifts. “Must have at least 3 years ACUTE CARE BASIC 4 EXPERIENCE.” => Learn More: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=14555 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~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? If you’d like to get writing experience with an easy-to-start blog, and be eligible for compensation while you learn, we recommend Helium. You can choose among many popular topics, and build your credentials while you write about what interests you. For more, just go to http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2238344-10469777 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 8. Google Quality Raters - English Language (US or CAN) ||||| Google continues to recruit part-time Quality Raters, to assess websites. Must have a Bachelor’s degree, know the Internet well and have a high-speed connection. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/yu7vex <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 9. Freelance Writer to Cover Consumer Psychology (US) ||||| International market-research firm Mintel International Group continues to advertise for a Freelance Writer to cover consumer psychology and the marketing of debit and credit cards. “The ideal candidate will have at least 3-5 years of relevant experience and be highly skilled in consumer research/data interpretation. Someone who is a strategic thinker and able to produce quality writing within tight deadlines is a must. Expertise in the subject matter of the report is essential. This position can be based anywhere in the US and would be paid on a project basis.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/3ywh9l <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 10. Online Education Instructors in Gifted Education (Prof’l. development for educators) ||||| US-based CaseNEX, which provides professional development for educators, is looking for part-time Online Education Instructors in the subject of Gifted Education. “Instructors should have at least two years of teaching experience and at least a Master's degree in the given content area. Duties will include facilitating online collaboration of course participants, evaluating student work, providing feedback to students on assignments, and reporting grades.” => Learn More: http://www.casenex.com/casenet/frontPages/aboutUs/OEIposition.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 11. Medical Transcriptionists (US) ||||| US-based Transcription, Technology, and Support, LLC, is looking for full-time MTs with at least 3 years’ experience. “We also have shift lead, implementation, and QA editor positions available, but will only offer these to MTs who have proven their reliable, committed professionalism and quality with our team.” => Learn More: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=14554 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 12. Online Education Instructors in Reading (Prof’l. development for educators) ||||| US-based CaseNEX, which provides professional development for educators, is looking for part-time Online Education Instructors in the subject of Reading. “Instructors should have at least two years of teaching experience and at least a Master's degree in the given content area. Duties will include facilitating online collaboration of course participants, evaluating student work, providing feedback to students on assignments, and reporting grades.” => Learn More: http://www.casenex.com/casenet/frontPages/aboutUs/OEIposition.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 13. Freelance Writers for Magazine for Athletes ||||| US-based Maven Media Group, which publishes a magazine for active and retired professional athletes, is looking for freelance Writers to cover wealth management, lifestyle issues, and other topics. => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=70715&page=1 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 14. Visual Graphic Designer / User Interface Specialist ||||| New health information site OrganizedWisdom seeks a Visual Graphic Designer / User Interface Specialist. Required skills include ability to “quickly produce designs as well as HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript and Ajax.” Experience / education requirements include “[d]esign degree, experience with Web 2.0 and/or health care sites, ability to work well in a virtual team that includes marketing, editorial and tech people.” => Learn More: http://organizedwisdom.com/OrganizedWisdom:Careers_Designer <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 15. Physician Reviewers for Health Site ||||| New health information site OrganizedWisdom is looking for part-time Physician Reviewers to review “WisdomCards” prepared by Health Information Guides. Pays per Card reviewed. “Focus on your area of expertise and specialty and contribute at your own pace.” => Learn More: http://wisdom.blogs.com/theguideprogram/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 16. Online Education Instructors in ESOL (Prof’l. development for educators) ||||| US-based CaseNEX, which provides professional development for educators, is looking for part-time Online Education Instructors in the subject of ESOL. “Instructors should have at least two years of teaching experience and at least a Master's degree in the given content area. Duties will include facilitating online collaboration of course participants, evaluating student work, providing feedback to students on assignments, and reporting grades.” => Learn More: http://www.casenex.com/casenet/frontPages/aboutUs/OEIposition.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 17. Publisher, Luxury Yachting Magazine (US) ||||| US-based marketing firm McMurry is looking for a full-time Publisher for a luxury yachting magazine. “You have a solid background in senior ad sales, with a demonstrated track record of success; Advanced verbal, written and presentation skills, analytical thinking, personal organization and interpersonal dynamics; A clear understanding of the business of ad sales and keen sense of entrepreneurship; Extensive knowledge of and contacts in the Northeast advertising market; Bachelor’s degree with 7+ years of successful ad sales experience.” => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=70753&page=1 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 18. Online Marketing Guru ||||| New health-information site Organized Wisdom is looking for an Online Marketing Guru. “You are the best online marketer on the Web. You've been in the industry since the 1.0 days and you are an experienced and analytical marketer. You love data, testing, optimizing, and developing innovative marketing programs online. You are super smart, fun to work with, and innovative.” Experience requirements include acquisition and retention for a top site, site optimization, search marketing, affiliate programs, etc. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2gv79z <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 19. Ethical Hackers / Security Consultants (US) ||||| International communications services provider BT INS Global Services seeks full-time Ethical Hackers / Security Consultants. “The Security Consultant will be a member of the Ethical Hacking Center of Excellence. Working individually and in teams, this individual will be performing network and web application ethical hacking assessments on multi-protocol enterprise network and application systems.” Technical skills include “Desktop/Network Operating Systems: Windows, HP-UX, Linux, Solaris, AIX, etc.” and “[s]pecific proxying tools such as Paros, Burp, Spike, Achilles ‘fault injection.’” Experience and educational requirements include “Bachelors Degree in Information Technology/Computer Science or 5 years IT experience.” Travel 10%-25%. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/3ynoma <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 20. Online Education Instructors in “General Education” (Prof’l. development for educators) ||||| US-based CaseNEX, which provides professional development for educators, is looking for part-time Online Education Instructors in the subject of General Education. “Instructors should have at least two years of teaching experience and at least a Master's degree in the given content area. Duties will include facilitating online collaboration of course participants, evaluating student work, providing feedback to students on assignments, and reporting grades.” => Learn More: http://www.casenex.com/casenet/frontPages/aboutUs/OEIposition.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 21. Google Quality Raters - Mexican-Based Spanish (US or CAN) ||||| Google continues to recruit part-time Quality Raters to assess Mexican-based Spanish websites. Must be up-to-date on “Spanish Mexican language, culture, media and web culture.” Must have high-speed Internet and Bachelor’s degree or equivalent. “(Perfect English is not necessary. However, you must be able to read and write English well enough to use software with an English interface, understand fairly complicated instructions written in English)” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2blxa7 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ******************************* 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.