~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR This week brings news of UK homemakers in significant numbers making money online, a Brazilian virtual call center with 500 agents, 10,000 students internationally attending a virtual high school, and, yes, “much more”! Plus, a lovely bouquet of 20 hand-picked telework jobs and projects. Enjoy, Good Luck, and Be Well. “HALF OF BRITAIN’S HOUSEWIVES EARNING MONEY ONLINE” That was a headline in the UK’s Mirror this week, while the Daily Mail observed, “Britain’s mothers are turning into a nation of 'mousewives’ - by using home computers to boost their household income during the recession.” Not sure we would have used the same nomenclature, but it’s nice to see the tabloids picking up on the trend. The articles cued off a Kodak poll of 3,000 UK moms, which revealed that over 13% were making money selling books, DVDs and other items on auction sites, and 4% were doing bookkeeping. Online market research, mystery shopping and typing also generated extra cash. Notably, 22% of the moms felt that their sideline activities could be turned into a full-time job. Here in the US, official up-to-date stats on home-based e-commerce are always hard to come by (though they shouldn’t be; the Census and IRS sometimes kick out some figures), but perhaps the new administration’s view of telework and “greenness” generally will spur the public servants to use their measuring sticks more often, and more thoroughly. In any case, Chris and I expect home-based work of all kinds to continue to increase, even when the recession eases. If gas prices rise (not hard to imagine), the trend will accelerate. For the Daily Mail piece – including the “Mousewives Top Ten Jobs” list – see http://tinyurl.com/dcdw7n. For the Mirror, see http://tinyurl.com/ccosj5. “BRAZIL’S VIRTUAL CALL ON TRACK FOR 500 HOME-BASED AGENTS” Sao Paulo must have terrible traffic. The commute there is said to be over 2.5 hours per day. But virtual call center Virtual Call is helping out, according to a Jan. 30 press release by Avaya Unified Communications. (Avaya provides communications solutions to virtual call centers and other remote-workforce clients.) Per the press release, “Starting with 10 agents in 2007, [Virtual Call] is on track to reach 500 agents by December 2008.” For more, see http://www.crm-daily.com/story.xhtml?story_id=132008Z8AHJC “VIRTUAL HIGH SCHOOL” DRAWS 10,000 STUDENTS INTERNATIONALLY “Imagine classrooms without walls, where students are able to attend their classes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Imagine students working cooperatively online with others from a wide variety of ethnicities, backgrounds and geographic locations.” I think that’s a cool intro, from Virtual High School’s website. VHS is an accredited nonprofit organization based in Massachusetts. It offers over 200 high school courses (including AP courses) in Math, Science, Social Studies, Languages, etc., to students internationally. Students can take the courses on school computers or from home (or from a laptop on a sailboat, too, I should imagine). High schools can sign up to offer the courses, and students can also sign up individually. Employment at VHS: “No openings at this time, but we’re happy to accept resumes for future positions.” For more on VHS HR, see http://www.govhs.org/Pages/ContactVHS-Home . For more on VHS generally, see http://www.govhs.org/. For a recent interview with a VHS teacher (and the source of our “10,000 students” headline), see http://tinyurl.com/avamj8. NET + RECESSION = ONLINE PAWNBROKER As the recession deepens, we need places to get money for the baubles we accumulated when the Cotton was High. (My biggest bauble was the 20 pounds I put on sitting at this desk. Wish I could pawn THAT.) If you’re too fond of them to eBay ‘em, you’ve got another virtual option – an online pawn. The UK’s Borrow.com lends against items that have a secondhand value of more than £200 (about US$285). For more on where to send that Bowflex, go to http://www.borro.com/home. OUCH! WASHINGTON POST KILLS “BOOK WORLD” When I was a kid, living in a town of 300 in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains (we had moved into the Big City from our log cabin on a dairy farm), the Washington Post’s Book World was a ticket to dream in ink. Print Dreams of authorship (I wanted to be a writer), Big Literary Events, and books as far as the eye could see. Over the years, as Americans have lost their taste – but perhaps more importantly, their time – for books that would deserve thoughtful essays and reviews in a weekly stand-alone, I’ve watched my youthful Dream Machine lose pages, until it became only a wisp of its former self. Now, the Post has decided to bow to market forces, and although over 100 writers, historians and others have sent a petition to save the tyke, it don’t look good for BW. She’s due to disappear Feb. 15. A lot of us will miss ye, Princess. You were good for the mind… Now where’s that comic book I’ve been puzzling over? For more, see http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/books/29post.html?_r=1&ref=media. MOST INANE EMAIL SUBJECT LINE OF THE WEEK “Hey Rodney. Check out this watch.” FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Ecco les freebies for this week. If you see something you like, snatch it, since free stuff (especially in a recession) goes quickly on the Net. (Sorry, but we have no control over supplies, or when the vendors decide to halt their offers or fulfillment.) Enjoy! Free 2009 Prayer Diary: http://tinyurl.com/dxlfng Free sample SURF Laundry Stain Remover: http://www.surf.com/laundry_tips/send_tips.php Free Sample Clean and Clear Makeup Dissolving Wipes: text CLEAN to 467467 Free to Educators: Model Rocket Kit: http://www.questaerospace.com/challenge.asp Free AM coffee at McDonald’s in February: Chris and I saw an ad on TV yesterday for free coffee at McDonald’s in Feb. Haven’t found an “official” announcement online yet, but see this forum post for more: http://forums.macresource.com/read/1/656941. For more freebies, see http://www.ratracerebellion.com/freebies.htm. RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I hate quotation. Tell me what you know.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson 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. Writers Vast Interactive has posted an ad for Writers on a variety of social topics. For more: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1997 2. Expert on Salt Lake City, Utah About.com, owned by the New York Times, seeks a part-time expert (“Guide”) to write about Salt Lake City, Utah. Pays on average $1,000 per month. For more: http://beaguide.about.com/applynow.htm 3. Learning Consultant Teradata Corporation is seeking a Learning Consultant to develop “professional development training programs for new hires and other Teradata associates.” For more: http://tinyurl.com/c6k9sp 4. Customer Service Rep “Smart Office Solutions is currently searching for a CSR tele-worker to help maintain our excellent level of service provided to our customers.” For more: http://www.smartofficesolutions.com/join_our_team/ 5. Senior UI Designer Brainbox Enterprises is looking for a Graphic Designer proficient in Photoshop and Illustrator. For more: http://jobs.37signals.com/jobs/4799 6. Freelance Travel Writers A travel website is seeking freelance Travel Writers to cover unusual travel perspectives. “Currently looking for pieces about Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, USA and New Zealand.” For more: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=87194&page=1 7. Senior Business Intelligence Architect This is a “telecommute from anywhere” position with UnitedHealth Group. Position may require minimum travel to UK. For more: http://www.pennsylvaniajobnetwork.com/jobs.asp?pagemode=15&jid=1636199 8. Lead Faculty Online Allied Healthcare Programs Lincoln College Online is seeking a “Full-Time Lead Faculty for an online offering of an Associate Degree in Advanced Medical Coding and Billing and a Bachelor Degree program in Healthcare Administration.” Master’s required. For more: http://tinyurl.com/arq4q7 9. Writers Demand Studios is looking for Writers to cover a variety of topics. For more: http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=1016115 10. B2B Marketing Writer A small New York-based firm is looking for a B2B Marketing Writer with 5+ years’ experience in B2B copywriting. For more: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=87188&page=1 11. Medical Transcriptionists SoftScript is looking for MTs with at least three years’ experience. CMT preferred but not required. For more: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=17024 12. Freelance Content Writer - Economics Aplia, a division of Cengage Learning, is looking for a Content Writer to “create new economics content and shape our economics tools to best serve students and professors alike”. For more: http://tinyurl.com/bro8jb 13. Freelance Op-Ed Ghostwriter A Washington, D.C.-based public relations agency is looking for a writer to ghostwrite 1-8 op-ed columns per month for its clients. For more: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=86910&page=4 14. Foreclosure Referral Representative Citigroup's Global Consumer Group is looking for a Foreclosure Referral Representative to “process researched issues, handle supplemental servicing of account prior to Foreclosure referral, review property inspections, handle correspondence and review repayment plans.” For more: https://citi.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=09001948 15. Screen Capture Software Developer for Project Company seeks a Developer to create an application that will monitor home-based workers. Application will “snap screen shot images of these workers desktops at random interval and post those images into a web based Time Journal.” Project with set fee of $750. For more: http://www.devbistro.com/jobs/85695 16. Freelance Fashion Writers WhatsWear.com is looking for several freelance Writers, anywhere in the US. Will write 2-3 articles per week. For more: http://www.massmediajobs.com/index.php?page=out&id=13581 17. RoR Lead Developer Rails Interactive is looking for an RoR Lead Developer. Position will involve “a great deal of control in shaping the development cycle, hiring new employees, and setting deadlines.” For more: http://jobs.rubynow.com/jobs/show/2840 18. Freelance Stationery Designer Masterpiece Studios is looking for a freelance Stationery Designer “to create stationery items such as holiday cards, thank you notes, and invitations to be distributed via mass-market retailers.” For more: http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullJob.asp&jobID=129571 19. Online Store Manager Off-Grid.net continues to advertise for a US-based Manager for its online store, which sells “eco-energy gear.” For more: http://www.off-grid.net/ (Scroll down, on right.) 20. Expert on Bowling About.com, owned by the New York Times, seeks a part-time expert (“Guide”) to write about bowling. Work from anywhere. Pays on average $1,000 per month. 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.