~*~*~ THE RAT RACE REBELLION TELEWORK BULLETIN ~*~*~ Dear Reader, A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR This week, in addition to our customary 20 hand-picked job leads, brings news of hiring in the UK, our new “telework primer” website, an “F” on telework for Ireland (sorry, guys), and much more! Enjoy and Be Well. UK-BASED OUTSEC HIRES TRANSCRIPTIONISTS INTERNATIONALLY (THOUGH UK OFFICE EXPERIENCE A PLUS) I was doing more research on home-based transcription services recently and came across OutSec, a company headquartered about two hours north of London, in King’s Lynn. OutSec hires transcriptionists internationally. “We have demand for our services from solicitors, lawyers and barristers, estate agents, surveyors and the medical world as well as generalised business, including interviews,” says their site. “If you have experience in any of these areas in a secretarial capacity we would love to hear from you.” For more, see http://www.outsec.co.uk/workfor.php, and job link no. 2, below. OUR NEW “TELEWORK PRIMER” WEBSITE If you’d like more information on telework generally (or know someone who would), come see our new “telework primer” website, The Telework Hub. We’ve designed it for folks who may not be as accustomed to the world of virtual work as other Netizens are, and would like a few swimming lessons before jumping into the deep end. Have a look at http://www.teleworkhub.com/, and let us know what you think. (It’s in “beta,” just getting under way, so please pardon our dust.) Send me your kudos, criticisms or suggestions at mhaaren@staffcentrix.com, and thanks! SELF-ASSESS OR SELF-DESTRUCT: IS SELF-EMPLOYMENT FOR YOU? Ever dreamt of being self-employed, but wondered if the path was really for you? Here’s a quick self-assessment that Chris and I developed from working with thousands of actual and prospective “independents” around the world. (We use it in the Virtual Assistant Training Program we designed for the US Armed Forces.) Just circle the answer that most closely describes you, then tally the points. (No peeking at the Scoring Key before you finish!) It’s not a fortune teller or litmus test -- there’s no “one size fits all” in such things -- but it will give you an additional reference point as you weigh whether to go down the indie road. 01. Are you a self-starter? A. I often need help to get a job going. B. I have the ability to decide what needs to get done and get it going quickly. C. I wait until the last minute to start a project because I work better under deadlines. 02. Why do you want to start your own business? A. I'm tired of the people I work with. B. I want the freedom to manage my own business. C. I want to get rich quickly. 03. How do you feel about other people? A. Most people irritate me and make my job more difficult. B. I like people and get along with just about anybody. C. I like to have a small circle of friends and acquaintances. It simplifies things. 04. How do you manage projects? A. I take care of everything myself to make sure it's right. B. I delegate as much as possible and let people execute tasks with little supervision. C. I delegate, and jump in to help every chance I get. 05. Can you lead others? A. I have to push very hard but can make people perform. B. I don't have to do much to get people moving. C. I usually let someone else get things moving. 06. Will you have family support? A. My family will complain if I have less free time. B. My family is likely to realize that I’m working toward our future and will understand long hours. C. My family will probably want to get involved with my work and help in any way possible. 07. Can you take responsibility? A. I take over if I have to, but I'd really rather let someone else be responsible. B. I let people who are more outgoing or eager than me take the lead. C. I like to take charge of things and see them through. 08. How are your organizational skills? A. I like to have a plan before I start. B. I often have trouble setting priorities. C. I have trouble juggling my responsibilities. 09. Can you "stick with it"? A. I don't let anything stop me from pursuing my goals even if it means sacrificing other goals or projects. B. If a plan isn't going as expected, I don't waste any more time on it. C. I put in as much time as necessary to make a project successful, while balancing it with other priorities, and don't stop until it's done. 10. What expectations do you have for your work schedule? A. I'd really like to have more free time in my new business. B. It seems that when you start your own business, you're always on the clock. C. I plan to work hard but want to limit the amount of time I spend on the business. 11. Can you make decisions? A. I need plenty of time to make a decision, or I'll regret it. B. I’m a fast thinker and usually make an acceptable decision. C. I usually let other people make decisions because I really don’t like being wrong. 12. Can people trust what you say? A. Sometimes I just say what people want to hear. B. My word is as good as gold. C. All's fair in business, right? I say what I have to. 13. When I’m in an unfamiliar place with new people, I usually A. Sit back and observe other people. B. Talk about myself and what’s going on in my life. C. Ask many questions to get to know new people. Scoring your responses: A number value (in parenthesis) has been assigned to each of the possible responses to the 13 questions. Simply write the corresponding number next to the letter you selected for each question. 01. A (3), B (8), C (5) 02. A (2), B (8), C (4) 03. A (2), B (8), C (5) 04. A (1), B (8), C (6) 05. A (5), B (8), C (4) 06. A (2), B (6), C (7) 07. A (2), B (5), C (8) 08. A (7), B (3), C (4) 09. A (5), B (2), C (7) 10. A (1), B (7), C (5) 11. A (4), B (8), C (2) 12. A (4), B (8), C (1) 13. A (1), B (4), C (8) What your score means: 42 or less Self-employment may not be the best course for you, as it’s unlikely you have the characteristics necessary to be successful in running your own business. 43 to 54 While you possess some of the core characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, you’re likely to find many difficulties in self-employment and could often feel that you have to act “out of character” to succeed. 55 to 65 Achieving a score between 55 and 65 indicates you possess good entrepreneurial traits, and are well-matched for the self-employment path. 66 or higher Achieving a score of 66 or higher indicates you possess top-notch entrepreneurial characteristics and should have an excellent chance of success in self-employment. IRISH GET AN “F” ON TELEWORK, STATS SAY “In the decade or more since Irish executives have been encouraged to work from home to cut down on travel, help the environment and achieve a work-life balance, it seems we are among the worst in Europe when it comes to teleworking, preferring to go to work every day.” That’s the inauspicious opening in a recent piece on teleworking in Ireland, which appeared in Ireland’s tech news service, siliconrepublic.com. (The article goes on to note that only 2% of Irish execs work at home at least one day weekly, compared to 21% on the EUR continent.) How to explain the poor showing? Christopher Plockelman of Irish broadband provider Centercom says, well, “The Irish just want to come to work.” That begs some questions. Are the Irish more gregarious than, say, the Yanks? How’s home life in Ireland? Was James Joyce, who bucked the trend and worked at home, right to flee? Are the cars spiffier there? (Dublin has the slowest traffic speeds of any EUR city, says Plockelman, and petrol ain’t cheap; I checked.) What do you think? For more: -- The article is at http://tinyurl.com/45y3ow. -- Centrecom has a site on eWorking in Ireland, at http://www.centrecom.ie/eworkingireland.html. -- TechCentral.ie covered the issue, too, at http://www.techcentral.ie/article.aspx?id=12733. -- Free home-cooked James Joyce works at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page. IS HOMEWORK STRESSING OUT YOU AND YOURS? JOIN THE CROWD! Now that school is back in full swing, the homework pigeons are coming home to roost again -- to the apparent chagrin of many families. A number of readers have written me about our recent interview with Sara Bennett, co-author of “The Case Against Homework,” and when I posted the interview to our blog a week or two after it appeared here, it immediately drew visitors. Shortly after the blog post, I was contacted by Angela Tyler, a parent, former teacher, and educational consultant, who asked if she could add the interview to her website. I visited her site, “Family Homework Answers,” at http://www.family-homework-answers.com/, and it’s an excellent resource for parents who have questions about homework. Here in the US, where a recession, a war, disappearing retirement savings, foreclosed homes and a swarm of other stressors sometimes seems to grow by the day, we need to be sure that school -- for all the good it accomplishes -- doesn’t become yet one more thorn in the family side. . SECOND LIFE SEEKS TO BOOST “VIRTUAL WORK SOLUTIONS” IN-WORLD Companies like IBM use the virtual world Second Life as a central place for scattered workers to meet (via animated representations of themselves known as “avatars”), collaborate, and get things done. Since corporate involvement at Second Life is a source of revenue for its creator, Linden Lab, LL has partnered with Rivers Run Red, an “immersive spaces” company, to help companies get more virtual work done. (Just for clarification, that’s my take on it, not theirs.) As a recent press release from the two companies explains, “Immersive Workspaces enables organizations to construct custom virtual work environments - including meetings rooms and design centers - that can dramatically change the way they collaborate and communicate.” The jury is still out on whether artificial worlds like Second Life are just a fad, or the beginning of something that could end up on the walls, ceilings and floors of our homes and offices. However, some say that when Hewlett-Packard, Cisco and others who are working on “telepresence” (the next generation of videoconferencing) can make it cheap enough for the average office, most workers will opt for “face-to-face virtual communications” rather than use avatars in 3D worlds. My suggestion? Since the ostensible raison d’etre of technology is to give people more leisure time (who would’ve thought it?), why don’t we just program the avatars to work for us wherever they want, and go drink some lemonade in Hawaii? For more: -- Linden Lab and Rivers Run Red press release: http://tinyurl.com/5tpouc -- Second Life: http://secondlife.com/ -- Telepresence vs. Second Life: http://tinyurl.com/5cpsj5 HOMESOURCING AT JET BLUE In my usual media scans, I came across a brief article that does a good job of showing how JetBlue handles having a workforce of home-based reservation agents in Utah. Here are some interesting tidbits: “[T]he vast majority of the employees are Mormon women who live in the Salt Lake City area… Home reservationists work on average twenty-five hours a week and must come into the JetBlue regional office in Salt Lake City for at least four hours a month to learn new skills and be brought up to date on what is going on within the company…” Well worth the read if you’re interested in the home-based agent trend, which is growing (in the US) by leaps and bounds. (It’s gradually making headway in the UK, too, and other countries are looking at it as well.) For more, see http://ftp.ocf.berkeley.edu/~rickjonh/page2.html. FROM THE R3 MAILBAG -- QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKING FROM HOME, AND OTHER RAT RACE TOPICS DEAR R3: I would like to attend your Virtual Assistant Training Program, but I’m not a military spouse. Do you have any Virtual Assistant workshops for non-military spouses? R3: We don’t yet offer Virtual Assistant training for the general public, but our 15-hour VA training program for military spouses has been condensed into our book, “The 2-Second Commute.” Depending on your budget, some community colleges also offer VA certificate programs, which can be a useful credential. For more on Virtual Assistance, see our page at http://www.ratracerebellion.com/VirtualAssistant.htm, and the International Virtual Assistants Association, at http://www.ivaa.org/. FRUGAL AND SIMPLE LIVING Voila this week’s freebies from our Research Team. If you see something you like, be sure to grab it fast, as free stuff goes quickly on the Net. (I’m afraid we have no control over supplies.) US-only unless otherwise noted. Enjoy! Free sample Hugo XY & Hugo XX fragrances (men and women; international): http://www.hugo-xyxx.com/ Free Chex Mix Snack Bar Sample: http://freechexbar.bettycrocker.com/turtlechexbar/ Free sample Sweetstacks Gourmet Pancake Mix: http://www.sweetstacks.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ Free Reach Access Flosser: http://www.reachaccess.com/sample_accept_decline.htm Free bra, from Stock 23 apparel liquidators (US, CAN & UK): http://www.stock23.com/Stock23-Fgifts.html Free Mineral Makeup sample: http://www.gsenterprises.net/requestSamples.html Free 7 lb. bag of Feline Fresh kitty litter (mail-in rebate): http://www.planetwiseproducts.com/breeder_coupon_2008.pdf Free tote bag: http://www.naturesbounty.com/totebag/index.aspx RAT RACE QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Boldness becomes rarer, the higher the rank.” -- Karl von Clausewitz 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. Customer Care Specialist for Earth.org ||||| Earth.org seeks a part-time Customer Care Specialist. Pays US$10 [presumably per hour -- Ed.]. “You are the contact person for our Earth.org travellers' requests. You have a good knowledge of Earth.org website and fuctionnalities and communicate appropriate solutions to our users' requests and problems. You only handle the more complicated requests, the more simple ones are handled by our volunteers;-).” Should have “strong grasp of English, German is a plus.” One year of customer service experience ideal. => Learn More: http://www.earth.org/pages/Customer_Care <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 2. Building Surveying Typists ||||| UK-based transcription outsourcing firm OutSec seeks Building Surveying Typists familiar with Quest and Valuation Exchange. “Must be fast and accurate and available during office hours 9 am – 5 pm Monday to Friday.” => Learn More: http://www.outsec.co.uk/workfor.php <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 3. Freelance Translators (Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic) ||||| AskMenHealth.org is looking for “students to help translate large volumes of blogging and article content. If you are fluent in Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Arabic, we can use your services.” Pays $10 per 500 words. => Learn More: http://journalism.berkeley.edu/jobs/details.php?cat=free&ID=7090 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 4. Adjunct Teachers, Various Subjects (US; position is based in Houston, TX) ||||| US-based Connections Academy, which serves K-12 students in various states, seeks Adjunct Teachers in English, Biology, US Gov’t., Algebra, etc. “Working out of their home, the Adjunct Teacher will virtually manage subject-specific instructional programs. Compensation will be based on the specific course workload and number of enrolled students. He/she will be responsible for monitoring progress, evaluating work, running online instructional/tutorial sessions, providing academic guidance, and being the subject-matter expert for a caseload of middle/high school students.” Requirements include certification to teach and high qualifications. “May be required to attend training and/or meetings at the school office throughout the school year (frequency dependent on proximity to office).” => Learn More: http://jobs.retirementjobs.com/careers/jobsearch/detail?jobId=13249978 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 5. Freelance Greeting Card Writers ||||| US-based Blue Mountain Arts seeks Greeting Card Writers. “We are looking for highly original and creative submissions on friendship, family, special occasions, positive living, and other topics one person might want to share with another person. Submissions may also be considered for inclusion in book anthologies.” => Learn More: http://www.writerfind.com/freelance_jobs/job5052.htm <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 6. Snowboard, BMX, & WakeBoard Bloggers ||||| GrindTV.com seeks Snowboard, BMX, & WakeBoard Bloggers. “This is a gig for a freelancer or a staff writer to get work on the side. This job entails keeping up on recent happenings such as: Pro and Am contests, rider news, brand lines, the scene, etc.” Must be able to travel. “Magazine or previous sport specific blogging experience with portfolio, a must” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1801 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 7. Expert on Needlepoint (“Anywhere in the world”) ||||| Information supersite About.com, owned by the NY Times, is looking for a part-time Expert (“Guide”) on Needlepoint. “The ideal Guide is a Web-savvy needlepointer, who is capable of explaining the basics of Needlepoint as well as more complicated projects for intermediate and experienced Needlepointers.” Pays a minimum of $725 per month during the first 2 years, with additional potential advertising revenues depending on the popularity of the Guide’s pages. => Learn More: http://beaguide.about.com/applynow.htm <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~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. Medical Transcriptionists (US) ||||| US-based MedQuist seeks full-time MTs with a HS diploma and at least 1 year’s experience. “A $1,000.00 sign-on bonus is currently being offered for Full-Time Acute Care (Tier 2 or Tier 3) medical transcriptionists with a minimum of 1 year recent work experience in an acute care transcription environment, who work all full-time scheduled hours (39 hours per week) between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday through Saturday in his/her local time zone.” => Learn More: http://www.mtjobs.com/job_detail.cfm?RowID=16689 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 9. UK / US Music Blogger (“Preferably UK- or US-based”) ||||| UK-based music blog There Goes the Fear seeks a Music Blogger “who can write a couple of features / reviews a week about up and coming bands that will compliment our existing output.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1808 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 10. General Building Surveying Typist ||||| UK-based transcription outsourcing firm OutSec seeks a General Building Surveying Typist. “Must be familiar with Scottish accents.” => Learn More: http://www.outsec.co.uk/workfor.php <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 11. Personal Finance Product Reviews Blogger ||||| US-oriented site MoneySmartLife.com seeks a Personal Finance Product Reviews Blogger “experienced in the field of personal finance with a history of writing reviews of consumer products and services in the finance industry.” Pays per article. => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1807 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 12. Freelance Proofreaders and Editors ||||| US-based McMurry, Inc., which specializes in marketing, advertising and related services, seeks freelance Proofreaders and Editors for medical and business publications. “The medical proofreading requires experience with oncology-related subjects and AMA style. The business proofreading requires familiarity with various financial fields and industries and rote knowledge of AP style. Candidates will need to show relevant samples.” => Learn More: http://www.mediabistro.com/joblistings/jobview.asp?joid=85204&page=1 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 13. Research / Sourcing Specialists (“Anywhere in US for right candidate”) ||||| US-based Orion International, which places military members in civilian jobs, seeks Research / Sourcing Specialists. “You will need to use the latest search technologies to find qualified active and passive job seekers, and market new opportunities to them via email and phone.” Qualifications include a four-year degree. “Base Pay: $35,000 - $80,000 /Year” “There are Contract, Contract-to-Permanent, and Permanent positions available.” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/598pwe <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 14. Bloggers on Men’s and Women’s Health and Fitness ||||| Israel-based Online 365 is looking for Bloggers to cover men’s and women’s health and fitness issues. “If you’re passionate and knowledgeable about fitness, nutrition and health issues - then you might just be the person we’re looking for.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1802 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 15. “Preparing for Retirement” Blogger ||||| The American Association of Future Retirees seeks a Blogger. “Our focus is twofold: (1) advocacy (saving Social Security and Medicare, protecting private pensions, fighting age discrimination, etc.), and (2) advice (retirement investing, preparing for retirement, retirement lifestyles, good places to retire, etc.).” “Compensation will start off modestly on a trial, per-post basis, and grow as blog traffic grows.” => Learn More: http://jobs.problogger.net/view/1810 <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 16. Internships at NEXGEN Travel Distribution (US; lead does not specify paid / unpaid) ||||| Germany-based NEXGEN Travel seeks Interns (at least 30 hrs. per week) “to assist with marketing, graphic design, cross reference and other related projects. Applicants should be conversational in German and English and have medium to strong general computer and Internet knowledge. Travel experience is a plus.” “Conversational knowledge of German and/or Spanish, as well as any other foreign language for future applications, is also a plus.” => Learn More: http://nexgentravel.com/jobs.aspx <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 17. Google Quality Rater – English Language (US or CAN) ||||| Google continues to seek part-time, temporary Quality Raters, to evaluate web search results. Among other requirements, must be Internet-savvy and have a Bachelor’s or equivalent. => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/6xyblm <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 18. Sr. DBA SQLServer for Aetna (Position is UK / London-based) ||||| Aetna seeks a Sr. DBA SQLServer with (among other requirements) a Bachelor’s or equivalent and proficiency in more than one DBMS. “A Database Administrator Level 5 individual possesses expert design and database administration skills. Support focuses on the data architecture consulting, data base design, implementation, and maintenance of physical data models and databases.” “Pay opportunity: $100,000-$110,000” => Learn More: http://tinyurl.com/5npk3h <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 19. Web Developer (“Anywhere”) ||||| Qualiset Web Solutions seeks “an experienced RoR developer to help with building a web app with social networking features.” => Learn More: http://www.authenticjobs.com/jobs/3034/ <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ||||| 20. Freelance Marketing Assistant for Earth.org (“Remote work at your preferred location”) ||||| Earth.org seeks a part-time Marketing Assistant with 2+ years’ experience in online marketing. “Your main tasks and responsibilities: * Researching, initiating and negotiation of partnerships for Earth.org * Researching, conceptualisation and implementation of new marketing ideas” => Learn More: http://www.earth.org/pages/Online_Marketing_Assistant <= ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ******************************* 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.