~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Spring is here in Northern Virginia, USA, and my office mates (one dog, Primo; one cat, Lily) are keeping me in touch with the general quickening of things by a rising clamor to go out. (I’ll let them out, and go out with ‘em to smell the breeze, as soon as I finish this Bulletin.) Today’s issue brings you some cool news on the spread of virtual work in the UK, a nifty work-at-home program in Singapore, and a new virtual call center in South Africa. There’s also a tasty blend of jobs, and, speaking of jobs, an important note on “home-based rebate processors” in the R3 MAILBAG. But no matter what you ultimately opt to do, always remember Chris and Mike’s Three Golden Rules for Home-Based Work: -- “Don’t wait for it to come to you, go out and grab it!” -- Never pay for a job. -- If it sounds too good to be true, you’re probably listening to Barry White. “HOMEWORKING, THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS IN BRITAIN” Chris and I monitor telework developments in Europe and other economies, and we use Google “news alerts” to help us stay current. We set the alerts to include mentions in blogs and other venues across the Internet (limited to English, be it said), so the volume of alerts we receive provides a rough indication of the popularity of the subject. Over the past year or so, we’ve seen a steady surge in the coverage of home-based work in the UK, and it looks like the trend is building serious momentum. (Of course, real progress is still incremental and cumulative, rather than dramatic and abrupt. But forward is good, we say.) An interesting piece came in the chatter this week, titled “Homeworking, the Future of Business in Britain,” by Charles Orton-Jones. The article profiles the UK’s “30 top businesses run from home.” The companies run the gamut from Lawyers Direct -- with all of its 65 lawyers working from home -- to “Jo Jingles,” a network of over 100 franchisees who offer music and dance classes for preschoolers. Here are some excerpts that, for me, really stood out: -- “Companies that refuse to permit homeworking face a serious challenge: hanging on to staff. No industry is immune from this issue, not even traditional professions, such as law.” -- “You might think we are 80 per cent female,” says [James Knight, who heads the virtual law firm profiled in the article]. “Well, you would be wrong. Half our staff are men. It’s an indication of how appealing this way of working is.” -- “In the public relations industry, homeworking is now so widespread almost no firm can resist.” -- Spark Energy is a young gas and electricity firm, and boss PJ Darling says his salesforce work harder from home. “They are happier and more productive when operating from home, so it works for them and the business.” -- “We have people in Hungary, India, Spain, Greece and France. In the globalised economy, you need to be able to employ the best people, no matter where they are from.” [Quoting the founder of Actinic, which designs “shopping carts” for e-commerce websites.] -- It is no coincidence that the fastest-growing law firm, travel agent and secretarial firm in the country are among the 30 firms profiled. The benefits of homeworking are more than “aesthetic”; in hard, capitalist terms they are winners, too. All around an excellent article, for the website Real Business -- which has a tagline we like: “Connecting and inspiring entrepreneurs.” For Real Business and the article, see http://tinyurl.com/26num4 . VIRTUAL CALL CENTER MODEL SPREADS TO SOUTH AFRICA The virtual call center model is a cogent proposition for South African companies, according to Grant Allan, a manager at South African business process outsourcing firm Intelleca, who was recently quoted on the topic in an article at ITWeb. The article goes on to say that “Telemed, one of the country's leading medical aid administrators, went live in 2007 with South Africa's first virtual contact centre on demand (CCOD), designed and delivered by Intelleca.” We’ll be looking into this in later issues, so “don’t touch that dial!” (And thanks to VIPdesk’s newsletter, “Virtual Voice,” for the tip.) For more: -- The ITWeb article: http://tinyurl.com/2sql37 -- Intelleca: http://www.intelleca.co.za/ -- To subscribe to “Virtual Voice,” send a line to virtualvoice@vipdesk.com (and just to share the love, please tell ‘em we sent you!) NEW SINGAPORE PROGRAM HELPS LOW-INCOME WOMEN WORK FROM HOME Women Enterprise Workz (WEworkz) was recently launched in Singapore to help women with low incomes set up home-based businesses. “Together with the Workforce Development Agency, [WEworkz] will offer subsidised training in skills ranging from candle and jewellery making to hairdressing, as well as courses on self-confidence,” reported TODAYonline, a Singapore-based news-site. One mother of five, Nur Hidayah, is already happy with the results. According to the article, she learned candlemaking under WEworkz’ predecessor program, and earns S$600 per month selling home-made candles to corporations and other customers. (I love this quote from Ms. Hidayah, talking about how the program helps its participants: "We can exchange tips and through me, these women, some of who have no experience, can get some contacts too." The entrepreneurial spirit in action can be a beautiful thing.) I wrote WEworkz to wish them well, and hope to report on their success stories again sometime soon. For more, see these links: -- The TODAYonline piece: http://www.todayonline.com/articles/242616.asp -- An excellent video from the Singapore Straits Times, with interviews of program participants: http://tinyurl.com/2udqrl -- WEworkz’ website: http://www.weworkz.sg/ CALL CENTER LIVEOPS “A GREAT PLACE TO WORK” -- CONTINUES TO MUSCLE UP We’ve been hearing more good things about US-based virtual call center LiveOps. (Feel free to share your opinion with us too -- good or bad -- at mhaaren@ratracerebellion.com, and we’ll highlight it here in the Bulletin.) A military spouse had written us a few months ago to ask about LiveOps, as she was leery of giving them so much personal information in her job application. (Many call centers run credit and criminal background checks on applicants, who may be handling customers’ credit card and other financial information.) With the prevalence of online scams, we certainly didn’t blame her, but told her that it was a legitimate company and that we’d heard good things about them. She proceeded with her application, was accepted as an independent contractor -- LiveOps, like VIPdesk and others, hires agents as contractors rather than employees -- and says that so far she loves working with them. (She adds that she especially appreciates the company’s support and scheduling flexibility.) I emailed her today to see if we can set up an interview, to learn more about her experience, so stay tuned! Bulking Up with Venture Capital LiveOps, which is “on steroids” now with approximately $50M in venture funding -- not to mention all the growth support that comes from having leading venture capital firms working on behalf of your company -- added more muscle to its executive team this week, hiring ex-Yahoo! VP Eckart Walther as Senior VP of LiveOps Marketplace. “Walther will be driving the strategic initiatives around virtual work in the LiveOps community and will report to LiveOps CEO Maynard Webb,” says the company’s press release. LiveOps also says it receives nearly 4,000 applications each week for its agent positions (in January, the figure was 3,500) -- and that it hires only about 5% of applicants -- so it looks like the company will have no shortage of “labor” to help it grow. (“Agent fees typically range from $6.50 an hour for newer agents to $15.00 and up per hour for skilled agents,” says the company’s site.) For the press release, see http://www.liveops.com/news/press_03_11_08.html For LiveOps’ agent FAQs, see http://www.liveops.com/answer_agents_questions.html For more on virtual call center jobs generally, see our chart at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/CS_Comparison.html FROM THE R3 MAILBAG -- QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME, AND OTHER RAT RACE TOPICS DEAR R3: I’d like to work at home as a rebate processor. Is this possible? R3: Only a handful of legitimate companies hire home-based rebate processors -- and they have long waiting lists. Many “rebate processor” job ads actually involve “sales opportunities” (selling things online), which is explained in more detail after you pay a fee. Your sales -- assuming you make any -- may involve a rebate, which you “process” after the transaction. Many people are interested in rebate processor ads because they’re looking for home-based data entry jobs -- which are also extremely scarce. Our advice? If you really want data entry work, consider approaching smaller businesses who are on a growth curve. In many cases, the administrative workflow in these companies has outpaced the growth of staff, and there may be a role for a “White Knight” -- you -- to help out. FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Well, our Freebie Wranglers herded a few more into the corral for this week, all US unless otherwise “branded.” We’re still riding the range for giveaways beyond the North American horizon, so if you know of any good ones, please send them to me, Head Freebie Foreman, at mhaaren@ratracerebellion.com. Thanks! -- Neutrogena Acne Scrub: http://tinyurl.com/yvw3e6 -- Curel Moisturizers: http://www.curel.com/event.asp?eventcode=curel_lssample&action=entry -- Kepoo Sports Bras: http://www.kepoosport.com/Gift.html -- Nestle Coffee-Mate (Canada): https://www.coffeemate.ca/Default.aspx -- Focus DAILIES Contact Lenses: http://tinyurl.com/yvrmkm RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “He who moves not forward, goes backward.” -- Goethe 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. U-Haul Remote Hotline Specialists (US) ||||| U-Haul is looking for home-based Hotline Specialists to help customers with emergency road service. Pays $7 per hour. Must have cable or DSL Internet. Based near Baltimore, MD - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=37498&mode= Based near Madison, TN - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=39740&mode= Based near Raleigh, NC - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=39737&mode= Based near West Columbia, SC - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=38935&mode= Based near Atlanta East, GA - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=38824&mode= Based near Phoenix, AZ - http://jobs.uhaul.com/job_detail.aspx?aval_job_id=23698&mode= => Learn More: See links above. <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 2. IT Admin II for Sallie Mae Company ||||| US-based Arrow Financial Services, a Sallie Mae company, is looking for a full-time IT Admin II. “Primary duties consist of the design, documentation, testing, creation or modification of computer programs related to machine operating systems.” Requirements include “2 or more years experience programming FACS (Ontario Systems) software product to include experience with most of the following functions: event tactics, setting up pools and queues, report writer, logic blocks, user master, and the guaranteed contacts system.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/39a9uq <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 3. Freelance Creative Web Designers ||||| UK-based Nurvex Media seeks Web Designers “for a range of creative web design projects.” “Only the best.” => Learn More: http://www.creativehotlist.com/index.asp?linkTarget=fullJob.asp&jobID=116887 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 4. Freelance Reporters to Cover Renewable Energy in US and Canada ||||| UK-based publisher ReNews is looking for Reporters to cover wind power and other renewable energy issues arising in the US and Canada. “Candidates would ideally have experience in a newsroom with the ability and time to provide exclusive copy totalling up to 8000 words per month. Previous experience covering energy and/or business is preferred but not required. Good money available to the right person…” => Learn More: http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=892723 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 5. Expert on “15-Minute Fashion” (“Work from anywhere in the world”) ||||| About.com, the information supersite owned by the NY Times, is looking for someone part-time to write about “15-Minute Fashion,” for women who need to look their best but have little time. 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 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 6. Tomato Bloggers ||||| All-things-tomato website Tomato Casual is looking for Bloggers to write about tomato gardening and tomato dishes. Pays $4.16 per post. => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1126 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 7. Flash Developers / Designers for Short-Term Project ||||| US-based Sparrow InterActive is looking for 4-5 Flash Designers for a 1-month contract. “The work will be the conversion of existing courseware, created in a variety of authoring environments, into our client's flash-based templates. We are trying to duplicate the courses EXACTLY, so this is not creative work but requires a very great attention to detail.” Pays $30 per hour. => Learn More: http://www.devbistro.com/jobs/69744 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~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. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 8. Computer Support Technicians (“Technician I”) ||||| US-based staffing firm Volt is advertising for Computer Support Technicians with at least 3 years’ experience in desktop or call center support. Must also have “[c]ertification(s) including but not limited to: A+, MCP, CCNA, MCSE, CCNP, Net+.” Pays $14 per hour. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2ovmdr <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 9. Telecom Product Trainer (“Work from anywhere”) ||||| US-based Mitra Solutions seeks a full-time telecom Product Trainer with at least 3 years’ experience in technical training. Salary range $85,000-$104,000. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2u53b4 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 10. Animators and Illustrators (“Anywhere”) ||||| Viximo, a startup composed of “an elite group of visual creatives,” is looking for Animators and Illustrators. “Viximo is looking for flash artists, animators, illustrators, graphic designers, computer graphic artists who are interested in being involved in the $2 Billion virtual goods industry. Create virtual items that are bought by thousands of people across social networks, virtual worlds, and gaming sites.” => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/1990/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 11. Expert on “Budget Style” (“Work from anywhere in the world”) ||||| About.com, the information supersite owned by the NY Times, is looking for someone part-time to write about Budget Style, for women who want to dress well “without breaking the bank.” 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 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 12. Defense Correspondents for Asia, Pakistan ||||| US-based Defense News seeks Correspondents with “a basic knowledge of military affairs” to cover military-related issues in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Pakistan. “Defense News is the largest military publication in the world. We are considered the ‘Pentagon's Bible’ and have correspondents around the world.” => Learn More: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/details.php?cat=free&ID=6431 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 13. Sourcing Specialist for VIPdesk (US) ||||| US-based VIPdesk, which hires call center agents in the US and Canada, is looking for a Sourcing Specialist to build volume of call center agent applications. Requirements include “5+ years experience managing full lifecycle recruiting/sourcing. Experience in call center industry or within temp agencies preferred.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/27rgu5 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 14. Technology Marketing Writer ||||| US-based Hoffman Marketing Communications is looking for a full-time Technology Marketing Writer with at least 5 years’ experience. “The job's primary responsibilities include: Development of business-to-business white papers, sales guides, marketing collateral. Web content that address complex business issues, technologies, and services. Interviewing, online research, and information synthesis. Managing multi-document projects at an accelerated pace for fast-growing clients.” “Hoffman offers an attractive benefits package that includes paid vacations, health insurance, dental insurance, retirement contributions, disability insurance, and more.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2c3rsf <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 15. Front-End Designer (“Anywhere”) ||||| Website BabyPips seeks a Front-End Designer. “We’re open to a short-term contract to get things going and a long-term, long distance relationship if that works for everyone. This gig WILL turn into a multi-gig position for the right candidate.” Requirements include “an unhealthy obsession with making things perfect.” => Learn More: http://gigs.37signals.com/gigs/3346 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 16. Web Applications Designer (“Anywhere”) ||||| US-based MNDCreative seeks a Web Applications Designer for a long-term relationship. “The ideal candidate will have intermediate to advanced PHP skills, in addition to working abilities with javascript libraries such as Prototype & Scriptaculous. CSS basic knowledge is also preferred.” => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/1987/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 17. Freelance Attorney / Writer for Healthcare Newsletter (US lawyer) ||||| US-based legal staffing and services firm Special Counsel is advertising for an Attorney / Writer to handle a client’s healthcare newsletter. “Candidate MUST be an attorney with experience in the healthcare industry.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/2h3c7e <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 18. Expert on “Budget Decorating” (“Work from anywhere in the world”) ||||| About.com, the information supersite owned by the NY Times, is looking for someone part-time to write about Budget Decorating. 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 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 19. Graphic Designers ||||| Viximo, a startup composed of “an elite group of visual creatives,” is looking for Graphic Designers. “Viximo is looking for flash artists, animators, illustrators, graphic designers, computer graphic artists who are interested in being involved in the $2 Billion virtual goods industry. Create virtual items that are bought by thousands of people across social networks, virtual worlds, and gaming sites.” => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/1990/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 20. Freelance Recipe Writer ||||| US-based marketing communications firm McMurry seeks a Recipe Writer “who can produce a variety of healthy recipes for various healthcare publications. Knowledge of nutrition and nutritional information required.” => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=73942&page=2 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ******************************* 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.