Four Hour Shifts for Telecommute Editor

 

an ad:

“Work from home providing corrections and suggestions for academic and business papers. Work in four-hour shifts according to your schedule. This is a contract opportunity that requires skill in style manuals like Chicago, APA, MLA, CSE and AP. Two years of professional editing experience and a graduate degree are required. Location: remote Compensation: $300-$3000”

I considered this employment opportunity since I am set up for writing and editing at home and have been doing it for years. A new to me wrinkle was that you work in four hour shifts. The style manuals listed are well enough known. They don't mention Turabian. A graduate degree is needed? But then you could make 3000... or 300.

So I went to their website and looked at the detail about the position. Actually, you work according to their schedule in 4 hour stretches at certain times they specify and on certain days they specify. In addition your rate of compensation depends on what day and shift you work. No breakdown of specifics per day and shift is stated. Also, how much you are compensated depends on how many other editors are on your shift. This number, this competition, is unknown to you.

Nevertheless, I filled out the online application that asks for name, phone, address, and more particulars. Thereafter you are to take tests to gauge your suitability. I didn't make it past the first test. I would have preferred the test before the application.

The test was on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and markup per a style sheet. Doing the test I encountered questions about the Turabian. The questions often were 4 sentences that at first glance looked very much alike. How they were different was the key. Something about one of them was correct. Sometimes I couldn't find how they differed. I assumed it was something to do with spacing. Sometimes there were 2 sentences to compare. If it were to be 2 or 4, so what, that's not real work. A customer wouldn't offer you a choice. In reality you look at one "example" and don't have to play needle in the haystack. One particularly irritating series of questions, four in number, was about a matchup of letters standing in for the style sheets vs. matchup with placement of parts of a document.

Something like that. Anyway, I missed those 4 and that in itself would have been enough for failure. It turns out that of the 42 questions, you could miss two. I assume one or none was preferable. And, no, I did not miss 3, I got the old time gentleman's B-. If they would have told me at the outset that miss three and you’re out, then one quickly comes to the realization that this isn't the only game in town.

Good luck to all of you who attempt the test. May the score be with you.