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Scoreprep: SAT tutoring
Working as a tutor for Scoreprep can be a relatively painless and lucrative thing to do. The pay is $18/hourónot the most you can get for SAT tutoring, but not too bad either. The tutoring itself requires little to no preparation: Scoreprep finds the students for you, you take on as many or as few as youíd like, and you make your own schedule. Training involves approx. 4 hours of going over Scoreprepís workbook, which is the same one youíll be using with students. In other words, Scoreprep provides all the necessary materials for the student, and has its own method. All you have to do, more or less, is show up and get to work. Tutoring sessions generally last one and a half hours. Almost all communication with Scoreprep after the initial training is by way of e-mail. They are, by the way, a division of Kaplan, and are based in Philadelphia. Contact: Dan Hanna (dhanna@scoreprep.com).
Quarterly Review of Literature: Literary journal
I worked at the Quarterly Review of Literature for my first three years here, at 185 Nassau Hall. QRL is a very prestigious poetry annual that publishes several "books" of poetry under one cover. Summer work-study usually will continue through the school year. You can work between 3 and 12 (approx.) hours a weekómaybe more in summer, maybe less during school year. The work is typical of a small (though prestigious) poetry journal: often tedious (photocopying, copyediting, licking envelopes, etc.), sometimes paradisal (reading manuscripts, formatting poems, etc.). Renee and Ted Weiss run the show, and a major perk of the job is that you become part of their family when you work for them. Youíll get lots of free books and free dinners. Renee always needs help, so donít hesitate to call her: 258-4703, or 924-6976. Advice: draw a line and be firm about what hours you can work; Renee will try to recruit you to do as much as possible, but as long as youíre firm about your limits itís not a problem.
Educational Testing Service: Test item writing
I worked for three years writing reading-comprehension passages and test questions for the Educational Testing Service. This job is well-paid, independent, and (within reasonable limits) interesting. For each passage I wrote, the subject area was assigned to me (humanities, science, or "teacher-related"), the length of the passage and number of questions were specified, and I found a recent article or book and wrote up the material (itís not permitted just to make up material). ETS supplies extensive guidelines for how to compose questions; I made a significant initial investment of time in studying these, in trial and error putting together my material, and then in revising based on my supervisorís comments. Payment is a flat rate per passage (varying according to length and number of questions), so there is an incentive to master the process and work efficiently. I initially earned about $20 to $25 per hour and eventually earned about $40. Note, though, that the program I wrote for is active only in the autumn and winter, and because of the time they need in order to review and accept passages, there are practical limits to the number of passages itís possible to write; the most I earned in a calendar year was around $3000.
I couldnít say whether there are formal qualifications for this job at present, but to do well you must be patient, detail-oriented, and prepared to follow rules closely. Writing twelve multiple-choice questions about a 400-word passage is like trying to make a New York Times crossword puzzle out of the text on a billboard: itís both simple-minded and pretty challenging. I learned a lot, though, about how to formulate questions that demand various levels of thinking from the reader, something that turned out to be a valuable skill for classroom teaching.
ETS is located in Princeton, but the work is done entirely by mail, email, and fax. I wrote items only for the Praxis I test (administered to beginning teachers in public schools), but outside writers are also used for the GRE and perhaps for some other tests. To find out who is hiring at a given time, telephone ETS at (609) 921-9000 and speak with someone in Test Development. I do know that no more work will be assigned for the Praxis I test until autumn of 2000.
Freelance editing and translating
Freelance jobs involving copy editing and content editing are often advertised in the department (on the bulletin board in entry 1). You may find some translating jobs there as well, but you should also check for these in the relevant foreign language departments. Obviously each job has its particular requirements, but having done three editing jobs from the bulletin board as well as freelance translating for publishers, I can also make some general suggestions about getting and keeping clients.
1. Plan your initial contact carefully. Unless the client has specified that you must email, itís best to telephone. You want to sound relaxed, experienced, and accommodating. You also want to place the client at ease. Remember that for most people, interviewing and hiring is an unfamiliar process, and your call is (in a certain way) putting them on the spot. So donít start, for example, by simply saying "Iíd like to apply for the job you advertised" and then falling silent. After theyíve said hello, explain where youíve seen their ad, give your name, and say youíd be VERY INTERESTED in applying. If the client replies simply "Yes" or "Oh," be prepared to go on directly, saying something like "If you have a minute to talk, Iíd like to tell you about my qualifications." At some point you should ask them in a friendly way for more information about the project youíd be working on, the nature of their business (if applicable), or the like. If you tell them all about yourself and they still say nothing definite, offer to visit. Say that if thereís a convenient time, youíd like to bring them your CV and a writing sample and give them a demonstration of how you would edit a few paragraphs of their project. If you can get in the door and show them how dramatically you would improve their text, you will essentially have the job. If the client is not within driving distance, offer to do something similar via mail or email.
2. Be creative about what counts as experience. Previous work of the same kind is best, of course, but any previous work experience will seem like a good sign to them, even if itís from low-paying jobs. Some clients might especially value experience in a business or office setting, so that you can say you understand the needs of business writing. Alternately, mention any experience in teaching, journalism, putting out an organizational newsletter or correspondence, etc. As a writing sample, an academic paper is all right if you have nothing else, but as you hand it over, say "This is written in a pretty dense/complex/academic style, but for your project I would aim for a more flowing/conversational/straightforward style." If the paper is really abstruse, consider rewriting the first two pages to something they will understand. Or simply prepare some new (brief) writing sample for this purpose.
3. Adapt to non-academic styles of working and interaction. Remember that in academic settings, everyone has been pre-selected to be present, and we can proceed on the assumption that the people we meet are (reasonably) intelligent, responsible, and socially competent. Non-academics donít have this luxury, so donít be offended if your client expects you to prove yourself to them in various ways (or seeks to prove themselves to you). They may initially want to see your work frequently, they may require you to work only in their office (even to the point of declining to pay for work youíve done at home), they may strike up personal conversations that by academic standards would seem trivial or slightly prying or both. They donít mean to alienate you, they just want to be responsible consumers. Again, most people (even if they have permanent employees working for them) are not accustomed to dealing with freelancers, so be ready to tolerate a little odd-seeming behavior on their part.
4. Payment is a matter for your judgment. Less than $15 per hour is out of the question (unless the job really is pure copy-editing), but you wonít find many clients willing to pay what full-time professional publication editors earn (several times that). It might make a difference whether your client is an individual doing a personal project, an individual doing a for-profit project, or a small business. If the projectís scope is well-defined, you might suggest a maximum system. For example, you might say that the charge will be $20 per hour and you estimate that the work will take 20 hours (a total of $400), but under no circumstances will you charge them for more than $500. Nervous clients will feel very reassured by this.
Critical Matrix -- Winner, 1995 Phoenix Award for Significant Editorial Achievement, CELJ
Position open for graduate student: Editor, 1999-2000
Hours: Vary from 5-15 per week; vey flexible. Qualifications: Commitment to gender issues and editorial experience; work study eligibility.
Founded as a publication outlet for feminist graduate students at Princeton, Critical Matrix now welcomes submissions from scholars at all professional levels and disciplines. To be considered for the position, please send a resume and cover letter to Lisa Fluet and Paul Kelleher, Co-editors, Critical Matrix, 113 Dickinson Hall, Princeton Univ., Princeton, NJ 08544.
Please address questions about the applications process to matrix@princeton.edu or call (609) 258-5430.
Visit the Critical Matrix website for information about our most recent issue, "Gendered Labor, Labored Gender."
See the Princeton Writing Center site for more information about tutoring there.
CIT's Academic Technology Services group seeks qualified graduate students to teach Princeton faculty how to put their Spring 2000 courses on the web with CourseInfo. Competitive hourly wages. Paid training (candidate must complete at
least two faculty office visits). To apply, please fill out our form at: http://www.princeton.edu/place/gradstu.html
For more information, see: http://www.princeton.edu/as/CourseInfo.html
or contact:
Emily Dooley
CourseInfo Project Leader
ehdooley@princeton.edu
258-0737