<p>Check out Art Explosion Publisher Pro for electronic newsletters. I use it for the newsletter I write for an electronics manufacturing company. It didn’t take me very long to learn the basics and the tutorials are very good. </p>
<p>I am in contact now with several other companies to do newsletters for them. Many small businesses would like to send newsletters to their customers/dealers and the cost of paying for an electronic newsletter produced off-site is much less than in-house through snail mail.</p>
<p>Marian–though I do like people:), I actually crave alone time. Plus, the goal would be for both H and I to find work from home ; so there’d always be company! but, I do see what you are saying.</p>
<p>For me, though, as challenging and worthy and satisfying as my job(s) are, they get in the way of my life! (How whiny is that?!)</p>
<p>I’ve been self-employed for 20 years and don’t think I would “go back” to a job with an organization. Hating meetings and idle time wasting has a lot to do with it, though what am I doing now? Idle time wasting. Marian, a lot of what you say rings true for me and made me chuckle. I’m an editor and writer, too. The grass is always greener, and going solo at home isn’t for everyone. I did it gradually–worked part time for about six months with the organization I was leaving while I built up a client base. I had a solid reputation and lots of contacts in my field, and I did not make a career change except to leave management and go back to being a regular editor/writer. Unless you have a large nest egg, don’t be seduced into thinking that you can find a career that sounds cool and magically transform yourself into a successful home-based business person overnight. I had someone pressing me recently about how to be an editor because that person wanted to work from home and thought editing would be interesting. Um, how about building experience over 30-plus years? Marian, I wonder, too, whether I’ll want a change after my son leaves for college next fall. Next life installment to come!</p>
<p>Marian- I agree with your comments- it can be very isolating and lonely to be self-employed if you work from a home office; if you are busy with family commitments, you will notice a huge drop in social interaction as your commitments change. You have to really make an effort to stay connected with other friends, not just your spouse! Of course, reading CC helps one feel involved in “friends” lives ;)</p>
<p>You also have to be seriously self-motivated and organised so that you stay on top of your work every single day</p>
<p>garland, the essay grading is for ETS. You can find information on the tests they have at: <a href=“http://www.ets.org/reader/osn/iondex.html[/url]”>www.ets.org/reader/osn/iondex.html</a> . It appears that they are currently hiring for CAHSEE ($10/hr, moving up to $15 if you eventually become a scoring leader) and for TOEFL ($18/hr). You need a bachelor’s degree for CAHSEE and experience working with those who speak English as a second language for TOEFL. They do hire for other programs during the year. Also once you get into one program, you will generally receive invitations to try for other programs when they need more people. You do have to pass a certification test for each program. The nice thing about this job is that you set your own work days, scheduling 4 hour shifts as you see fit, so long as you don’t exceed 40 hours a week. Some programs, like CAHSEE, are scored just a few times a year in sessions lasting from a few days to 3-4 weeks. Others, like TOEFL, are year-round, so you can get in plenty of time. I am currently working about half a dozen different programs.</p>
<p>The test question writing I do is for Harcourt, recently bought by Pearson. I know there are also other companies–including ETS–that do this. I don’t feel I should give out contact information on a forum like this. However, if you are really interested, you can contact me privately, and I can tell you more. This really is a flexible job, since I decide how much work to accept, I can work on it any hours I choose–as long as I finish by the due date–and I submit the items online. (These questions are for various state standardized tests, the kind required by No Child Left Behind. Kind of ironic that I dislike NCLB, but earn money because of it…)</p>
<p>Hope this info is helpful! I really love working at home. Can’t beat the commute!</p>