Virtual Assistant: Writer/Editor & Researcher

I am a former classroom teacher who now runs a well-established business supporting and empowering other teachers. I publish books, conduct speaking engagements, create curriculum and learning resources, and run a website with helpful teaching articles. I love my work because it makes a real difference in the lives of educators, and by coming on board my team, you, too, have the opportunity to do meaningful work that touches the lives of teachers around the world.

I'm looking for someone creative, personable, energetic, hardworking, loyal, and self-directed to take over some of the technical aspects of my job so I can focus more on creative tasks. This is a LONG-TERM position, approx. 20 hours per week for now with strong potential for more if you are interested.

Primary Skills Needed (you must be OUTSTANDING):
-Flawless English (I write for teachers!)
-Copyediting/proofreading
-Internet research
-Writing
-Wordpress

Other Skills Desired:
-Social media savvy
-An eye for graphic design

Proficiency With:
-Google Docs
-PowerPoint
-Adobe Acrobat Pro (PDFs)
-Simple HTML coding (
etc.)

Familiar With, if Possible:
-Google Hangouts (for us to communicate)
-Jing (or other screen casting for us to communicate)
-Pinterest
-Hootsuite
-Twitter
-Facebook

JOB DUTIES:

This is no mindless data entry job working for a corporation. Although your tasks would be similar each week, there is a good deal of variety and some creativity involved so you would never get bored!

ON A WEEKLY BASIS:

-Copyediting blog posts, curriculum resources, and/or book chapters.

-Assisting with the formatting of books or curriculum resources (adding copyright notices in the footer, ensuring spacing is even, etc.)

-Conducting Internet research, primarily for blog post topics. For example, I might want to write a post on how to organize math materials, and you would look online for examples and create a Google Doc with links to articles and images I could use.

-Preparing curriculum resources to be uploaded to TeachersPayTeachers.com. You would convert the PowerPoint to a PDF, add security settings to the PDF, ensure all links are working, etc. You would also create a preview version of the product with a photo collage (I use Picasa to create the collage quickly and easily.)

-Responding to positive feedback for my curriculum materials (I will provide a list of simple responses you can copy and paste from.) On the rare occasions there is negative feedback, you would notify me so I can respond.

-Creating text-based images for blog posts. I currently use PicMonkey to create images with the post title in them to make it easier for users to pin the article on Pinterest. You don't need fancy Photoshop skills, just an eye for what is visually appealing.

ON A REGULAR BASIS:

-Formatting slides in PowerPoint presentations for my speaking engagements. I will put the content in each slide and provide an outline of the fonts/color choices to use: you would simply arrange the text/images on the slide in a consistent, visually pleasing way. This may also involve looking for stock photography online (for example, a slide might say “photo of a lightbulb” and you would find the image online and insert it.)

-Writing a bi-weekly newsletter for website subscribers. This would involve choosing a few resources from my website and social media account to share and writing a few paragraphs of info.

-Updating product listings on Teachers PayTeachers.

-Updating products on TeachersPayTeachers (editing PowerPoints and PDFs)

ON AN OCCASIONAL BASIS:

-Assist with travel planning (researching hotels and flight costs)

-Internet research for purchases I need to make (i.e. finding the best LCD projector in my price range)

-Simple Wordpress tasks on a smaller website I own (uploading a YouTube video, editing text on a page)

Other duties that may be added later on if I increase your hours:

-Outlining/drafting blog posts
-Pinning posts on Pinterest
-Scheduling tweets using Hootsuite
-Moderating blog post comments
-Moderating posts in a Facebook group

As this is a permanent 20 hour a week position, I would expected your work as my VA to come before other freelance work you accept. You would be able to take time off whenever you want—just provide me with at least 2 week’s notice. You may also work whichever hours in the day that you want, provided there is a least a small window of time in which your hours overlap with mine so we can communicate quickly.

I am looking for someone to help me grow my business over the long term—for many years to come. If you are a hard worker, efficient, and extremely talented, I will pay bonuses for a job well done and increase your salary as we work together. There is also the potential for this to grow into full-time work if you are interested.

I am passionate about my work and hope to create a VA position that is rewarding, enjoyable, and fun for a person who is also passionate about what they do.

*********GENERIC RESPONSES WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED********
I am looking for a candidate who will go above and beyond what is required. I expect a candidate who is truly interested in a permanent position to respond in a personal way to the specific job duties outlined above.