~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR It’s been a Rat Race week here at Staffcentrix, our virtual-careers training company, with Chris and I finally wrapping up a book proposal amid all the operational flow. (Many readers don’t know it, but we have 175+ certified virtual-careers trainers in the field, spread all over the world.) Let’s coin a new term, “juggler’s fatigue”! I’m sure many readers can identify with it. Our thanks go out to everyone who emailed us about last week’s Wall Street Journal article on Mary Hern (http://tinyurl.com/yqbosh ), a graduate of our Military Spouse Virtual Assistant training program. Mary, an Air Force spouse who trained as an opera singer and, with changing priorities, became a mom and successful home-based businesswoman, has been an inspiration to many, including Chris and me. (Shameless plug: Our how-to book for Virtual Assistants, “The 2-Second Commute,” at http://tinyurl.com/ysx2me , is based on the training program that Mary attended.) Now on to the main event. Today’s coverage includes news on 200 home-based jobs slated for eastern Canada, news on the work-at-home job scammers we exposed on video, a new website that matches tech support experts with customers, and a recent study showing that, in the US alone, telecommuters have increased by 39% since 2002, and home-based workers already avoid producing 33 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. (Our follow-up piece on US-based ChefsLine, which hires chefs to give cooking advice over the phone, has been rescheduled for a later issue. If you’re interested in working for ChefsLine, go to http://www.chefsline.com/about.php#Contact and see “Are you a ChefsLine Chef?” To hire a chef, go to http://www.chefsline.com/ . Bon appetit a tous!) Jobs this week include transcribers for TV shows; experts on Australian, New Zealand and South American food; “green” Bloggers; and management positions with Xerox. As always, good luck in the hunt! SCAMMERS SHUT DOWN WEBSITE AFTER WE EXPOSE THEM ON VIDEO As you may remember, two weeks ago we produced a video unmasking scammers who were duping people into “fencing” stolen electronics, and we shared some of our techniques for investigating home-based jobs. We uploaded the video to our website (at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/scamlock.html ) and posted it to YouTube as well (http://tinyurl.com/2a9czo). Many bloggers and other website owners posted the video to their sites, too. We’re happy to report that the scammers shut down their website this week. (They were operating at http://www.webstar-inc.org .) Whether this was due to our video or someone else’s effort, we’ll never know, but that’s fine -- the site is gone, and that’s what’s important. Of course, as many experienced Internet users will know, the people behind the scam will probably pop up again somewhere else, until the authorities catch up with them and take action. Is that likely? Probably not, since the scammers may well be based in locations with insufficient resources to police Internet frauds effectively. And unfortunately, that almost certainly now includes the US. During its first six months of operation alone -- way back in 2000, before identity theft and other Internet fraud really “took off” -- the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, created by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, received more than 37.5 MILLION hits to its website, and over 20,000 complaints of fraud. (Needless to add, things have not quieted down since then.) Nevertheless, the more the public learns about how to spot scams, the tougher it will be for the malefactors to succeed. And when they don’t succeed, the rest of us do. TECH SUPPORT EXPERTS AT THE CLICK OF A BUTTON (YOU MAY WANT TO JOIN) IF you are a tech support expert -- or you need one -- you may want to have a look at a new website, SupportSpace (http://www.supportspace.com/home/). The new service joins such sites as Guru.com, Elance.com, and oDesk.com (all of which are also primarily IT-oriented) in offering to link freelance service providers and prospective clients. According to the site’s FAQ page, the process is simple: “Anytime you need tech support, just type the product name, in the search field at the top right of any SupportSpace page and click Search. Then, select the expert of your choice and click ‘Connect Now.’" Boldly, they also offer a money-back guarantee, “no questions asked.” For details on how to be listed as an expert with SupportSpace, see lead No. 2, below. 200 NEW MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION JOBS FOR CANADA’S ATLANTIC REGION? A batch of home-based Medical Transcriptionist jobs may be coming to Canada’s Atlantic region, according to a recent article in the Halifax Chronicle Herald. The source of the jobs? A $1M loan from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Prudential Consulting Inc., a Toronto information technology consulting company, will organize the transcribers, who will be trained at local community colleges. According to the article, “The trained transcribers could work from any community in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.” “If the workers complete two years with Prudential Consulting Inc., they would be reimbursed a portion of their training costs.” The piece also notes that pay would range from $33,000 to $35,000 annually, and computer equipment would be provided. The article is online at http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1035992.html . For more on Medical Transcription jobs and Prudential Consulting, see lead No. 1 below. TELEWORK COULD CUT U.S. GULF OIL USE BY HALF According to new research by authors Kate Lister and Tom Harnish, a whopping 33M Americans could work from home. If they did, the US “could reduce Gulf oil imports by 24 to 48%, eliminate up to 67 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, and save as much as 7.5 trillion gallons of gasoline each year -- a savings of $110 million a day.” Kate and Tom, whom we correspond with regularly on telework issues, and are working on a book on telework titled “Undress for Success -- The Road Less Traveled Is Your Way To Work,” reviewed 50 studies dating back to the 1970s to reach their conclusions. Among other key findings: -- 40% (almost half) of the US workforce hold jobs that are suitable for telework. -- Total US telecommuters have increased by 39% since 2002, and 10% in the last year. -- Home-based workers already save the equivalent of 24% of Gulf oil imports and avoid producing 33 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. For more, see http://undress4success.com/2008/01/21/tell-the-middle-east-to-pound-sand/ FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Here are this week’s freebies and frugalities, with a bit of relaxing knitting, too! (Non-US freebies are hard to find, so if you have a tip you’d like to share, just send it to me at mhaaren@staffcentrix.com . We’ll publish it with a hand-drawn heart next to your name! Thanks!) -- Free ice cream on your birthday! Cold Stone Creamery, with stores in the Continental US, Puerto Rico and Mexico, offers free ice cream on birthdays. For more, see http://www.coldstonecreamery.com/birthday/birthday_club.aspx -- We couldn’t resist -- Rat Race Scarves! Show your beloved how much you care about his or her frantic, stressed-out life, with a hand-knitted Rat Race scarf. From Morehouse Farm in New York, $16. “Price includes yarn, pattern and beads for the eyes.” At http://tinyurl.com/225qmz (With thanks for the tip to Carrie Lee, aka “Sgt. Mom.”) -- Coupons for free Yoplait Kids yogurt (US only, certain states exluded): http://www.yoplait.com/products_yoplaitkids.aspx -- Free Natural Choice Dog Food or Cat Food (US only): http://www.nutroproducts.com/yourfamily/ FROM THE R3 MAILBAG -- QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME, AND OTHER RAT RACE TOPICS DEAR R3: I would like to get a blogging job, but I’ve never had a blog. I do have good writing skills, though. How can I get a job? R3: The best way to get a blogging job is to start a blog of your own, and post to it at least three or four times weekly. When you’ve had it up and running for a few months, you can start applying for blogging jobs. However, be sure to make those posts the very best you can. Pick subjects or themes you have a passion for (you’ll soon burn out, if you don’t), and don’t post offhand, haphazard, or tossed-off material. You can get started with a blog at Helium (which Chris and I recommend; see our ad below), Blogger.com, Typepad.com, and other services. Regardless of which service you use, the process is simple (you can learn about the “bells and whistles” as you go). The most important thing to remember is to write well. Later, as you learn the ropes, you can turn to marketing, which is the second leg of your “successful blogger” stool. The third leg of your stool, we hope, will be with you all along -- Enjoying it! (If that leg stays missing, you may wish to change stools.) RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “The love of life is necessary to the vigorous prosecution of any undertaking.” -- Dr. Johnson 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. Medical Transcription Jobs with Prudential Consulting (CAN) ||||| Editor’s Note: Canada-based Prudential Consulting, mentioned in the article above, provides a GENERAL webpage for Medical Transcriptionist recruitment, below. Individuals interested in the planned positions for eastern Canada may wish to use this page and site generally to “get a jump” on the recruiting process. You may also wish to check this site regularly for news of the projected positions, as well as set Google News Alerts to pick up announcements that may be made on other websites. To set Google News Alerts -- which can also scan blog posts and other sources of news -- go to the Google News page at http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn , click on “News Alerts” in the left column, and follow the instructions. It is also instructive to READ THE COMMENTS posted to the web page which features the newspaper article we quoted. To see the comments, go to http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1035992.html and scroll down. => Learn More: http://www.prudentialconsulting.com/career/mt_recruitment.html <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 2. Tech Support Experts ||||| US-based startup company SupportSpace offers an online marketplace for Tech Support Experts to link directly with prospective customers. “SupportSpace offers tech support experts the power to create and manage a profitable online consultancy for helping users. SupportSpace experts receive certification and an online support management and delivery platform of tech support tools for managing the service, communicating with customers, and delivering high quality support.” => Learn More: http://www.supportspace.com/home/becomeAnExpert.s2 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 3. Transcribers for TV Shows ||||| UK-based Take.1 Transcription, which apparently hires internationally (there is no geographical restriction stated in the lead), is advertising for Transcribers to cover popular TV shows. “Take 1 only recruits the best transcribers who are sufficiently skilled to transcribe not only one to one interviews, but also programmes with multiple voices, or meetings with two or more participants. You will need an excellent command of the English language and grammar, and be capable of never missing a deadline.” “You will be working on shows like Dragons' Den, Wife Swap, Ten Years Younger, and Child of our Time using our proprietary transcription software.” Must type 80wpm and have high-speed Internet. => Learn More: http://www.take1.tv/join-our-team/transcribing-positions/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 4. eCommerce Store Manager (“US-based”) ||||| Off-grid.com, devoted to living “off the beaten path,” is looking for a Manager for its online store. “E-commerce experience essential.” For detail, go to the page linked below and see “Store Manager Wanted” ad on right. => Learn More: http://www.off-grid.net/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 5. Google Quality Raters (UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Switzerland; “Nordic Languages”) ||||| Google seeks temporary Quality Raters to evaluate websites. Must know the Internet well, have high-speed Internet, and be fluent in one of the following languages: * Danish * Dutch * Finnish * Norwegian * Swedish => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/yufasn <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 6. Flash Developer / Designer for March of Dimes (“Anywhere”) ||||| US-based March of Dimes is looking for a Flash Developer / Designer with at least 3 years’ Flash experience and a background in Flash 8 / Actionscript 2.0. => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/1803/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 7. Green Bloggers (Editor’s Note: All blogging leads are paying positions unless otherwise noted.) ||||| Dailypixel Network is looking for Green / Environment Bloggers. “We are looking for bloggers who have a passion for our environment and want to help make it better by informing readers on a wide-range of topics including but not limited to, environment news, consumer tips, global warming, green lifestyles and trends and much more.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1043 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~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. Business Advisor Manager for Xerox (US) ||||| Xerox seeks a full-time Business Advisor Manager (sales manager) to manage a team of Business Advisors across the US. Duties include (quoted from lead): * Responsible for achieving sales results through team members and partners. * Frequently interact with subordinates, key customers, resellers and peer groups at various management levels. * Drive all metrics, PEP's, and travel to provide training mentoring/support. * Generate demand for North American Resellers products through list of Re-Sellers and strategic partners * Be able to comprehend P&L with general business background. * Can be a trusted business advisor to our channel partners. Keep senior management and factory appraised of competitive activity. * Professionally manage and maintain company assigned assets. Requirements include a BA in Marketing and “3-5 years previous management experience. 5-10 years of demonstrating sales success in selling to end-user accounts, resellers, and coaching teams in this environment.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/349yo2 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 9. Food Blogger (Editor’s Note: All blogging leads are paying positions unless otherwise noted.) ||||| Dailypixel Network is looking for a Food Blogger. “Our ideal blogger not only makes beautiful food, but also knows how to photograph it. Knowledge of photo/image editing software is expected.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1046 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 10. Ruby on Rails Developer ||||| UK-based E-consultancy seeks a Ruby on Rails Developer to help them with their website. Contract to begin, with option to become permanent. “It’s a very flexible working environment but the job will be mostly based in the London office, although pure teleworking wouldn’t be impossible if everything else fits.” => Learn More: http://jobs.37signals.com/jobs/3138 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 11. Freelance Writer on Popular Latin American Music ||||| US-based Muze, which provides retail product-related content and similar solutions for companies such as Ebay and Best Buy, is looking for a Writer to cover popular Latin American music, such as “norteno, reggaeton, crossover pop, hip-hop, etc.” Will write music reviews and artist overviews. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/3e5xto <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 12. HTML / CSS /JS Developer ||||| Moon Gleam, LLC / Bargainjack.com is looking for a part-time HTML / CSS /JS Developer. “Some experience with Javascript would be nice as well, mainly for doing HTML / CSS effects.” => Learn More: http://www.devbistro.com/jobs/67088 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 13. Business Development Executive for Xerox (US; “NY, Chicago, Washington, DC”) ||||| Xerox seeks a full-time Business Development Executive in Litigation Services, to develop accounts with in-house legal teams and law firms. “The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 10 years of business experience, with broad-based exposure to legal departments and litigation discovery processes. Moreover, to bring XLS’s full value to the client, you must be able to establish creditability with the client’s decision makers. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal skills with a proven ability to establish meaningful relationships across the legal community.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/3cqqhn <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 14. Australian / New Zealand Food Expert for About.com (“Work from anywhere in the world”) ||||| About.com, the information supersite, is looking for someone part-time to write about Australian / New Zealand food. About.com experts (“Guides”) are paid a minimum of $725 monthly for the first two years of their contract. They are also paid according to the popularity of their pages. Guides have heavy writing responsibilities, so good writing is a must. Details on qualifications are given at the page linked below. See “Available Topics” listed on left. => Learn More: http://beaguide.about.com/topics.htm <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 15. Web Design / Development for World Radio Switzerland (“Anywhere”) ||||| World Radio Switzerland, “the English-language national public radio station in Switzerland,” seeks a Designer to “redefine their web presence,” with smaller jobs to follow. => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/1812/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 16. UI Designer - Information Architect for Utah Animal Society ||||| US-based Best Friends Animal Society seeks a UI Designer – Information Architect. “The UI Designer Information Architect works closely with Project Managers and Marketing Managers to translate feature concepts into wireframe schematics, functionality flows, site maps, and business requirement documents. They help define user interaction based on user case scenarios and suggest modifications to existing functionality. The UI Designer IA also works closely with the Lead Web Designer and other designers to insure that the wireframes and requirements are effectively being translated into visual designs.” Requirements include Bachelor’s in Graphic Design or related field and at least 3 years’ experience with customer-facing websites. (To access the lead, go to the page linked below and scroll down.) => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/yvflep <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 17. Freelance Writer on Indian Cinema ||||| US-based Muze, which provides retail product-related content and similar solutions for companies such as Ebay and Best Buy, is looking for a Writer to cover Indian cinema. “This will include covering current films in theaters, as well as significant past DVD releases of movies from India.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/3e5xto <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 18. .NET Developer ||||| US-based iConvergence seeks a .NET Developer with “UI development experience, preferably on ASP.NET using Ajax,” and a solid background in C #. Minimum requirements include a BS in Computer Science or a related field and 3 years’ experience as a developer. “Pay rate $50.” => Learn More: http://www.devbistro.com/jobs/67106 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 19. Web Designer for Utah Animal Society ||||| US-based Best Friends Animal Society seeks a Web Designer - Visual and UI to “conceptualize, create and implement design enhancements and new designs from a visual, user interface, interactive, and information architecture perspective for all Best Friends Animal Society’s web properties, products and site features.” Requirements include a Bachelor’s in graphic design or a related field and at least 3 years’ experience with customer-facing sites. (To access the lead, go to the page linked below and scroll down.) => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2qbw7t <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 20. Financial Reporter, Europe (“Prefer Frankfurt-based, but will consider other EUR locations”) ||||| Market News International, a financial news agency, is looking for Financial Reporter to cover “eurozone monetary policy and macroeconomic news, as well as public appearances by senior central bankers and other financial officials.” Excellent English, fluency in German preferred, other EUR languages a “big plus.” => Learn More: http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=532928 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 21. South American Food Expert for About.com (“Work from anywhere in the world”) ||||| About.com, the information supersite, is looking for someone part-time to write about South American food. “The goal of the South American Food site is to teach users to cook the dishes from the countries of South America (Brazil, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, etc.). The site should focus heavily on recipes and food preparation tips. Good-quality photos are required with all recipes and instructions. As a guide, we also expect you to provide recommendations (i.e. Top 5 Brazilian Fish Recipes, etc.), some product reviews (cooking equipment, cookbooks, etc.) and resources where South American products are available (online grocery stores, product websites, etc.).” About.com experts are paid a minimum of $725 monthly for the first two years of their contract. They are also paid according to the popularity of their pages. Guides have heavy writing responsibilities, so good writing is a must. Details on qualifications are given at the page linked below. See “Available Topics” listed on left. => Learn More: http://beaguide.about.com/topics.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.