Posts Tagged ‘work from home’

Working from home a real job? Get out!?! All this time I thought it was a pajama party!!

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Ahh remember the good ol’ pajama parties of elementary school?  Bowls of popcorn, chocolate cake, movies, and my favourite — comfy pajamas, you know the fleece ones with the feet? Ohh those were so great! — I have only fond memories of those days.

Many people automatically say — whether in joke or not — after I mention that I work from home “Ahh, in your pajamas right?”. Now, for me – I take my job really seriously — I may be working from home — but that doesn’t mean that I am any less professional.  I may not do the whole make up and hair thing every morning – but I do get dressed everyday in regular clothes.

This comment although harmless — will always make a working from home job seem unprofessional and not serious.  True, there are people who cannot grasp the fact that working from home means to ACTUALLY WORK — work as you would in an office — and actually I would venture to say it takes more effort to work from home than in the office — just to get into the “zone” and get rid of all of the distractions.. kids, spouses, fridges, movies..

Working from home is a REAL job.. just like any other job… It’s hard to find someone who understands what it means to work from home.. surprisingly — there are few that truly understand what it means to be professional — professional attire, professional atmosphere, professional attitude.  But once I find these people I try my hardest to keep them for as long as I can.

So next time you want to apply for a work from home job — think twice about what work from home means to you — because I can tell you it sure isn’t anything like a pajama party!!!

A day in the life of a TalktoCanada.com Manager — Jillian Zavitz Programs Manager

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Jillian Zavitz

-Programs Manager
-Working at TTC since early 2008

What exactly is a Programs Manager?

Well the Programs Manager is someone who does a little bit of everything.  I am primarily responsible for interviewing, hiring and training new teachers.  I have a staff of over 20 regular teachers that I keep track of and am always on the look out for new teachers.  I also write blogs, teach lessons, am an emergency go to person for everything.  I am always researching on how to be better, how to train and manage people online — and most recently have been involved in many interviews about my experiences related to human resources for major news outlets.

How did you get involved in this type of online work?

By chance — google is a great tool for everything — especially finding jobs.  I started out as a teacher with just a few individual students — and then quickly moved up to Programs Manager and have been in this position ever since.  I love being involved in something that has so much potential — and seeing that what I do directly impacts the outcome — which is of course why I give it my all — all the time :)

A typical day?

Involves me looking at my google calendar — figuring my schedule for the day.  Sometimes my day starts at 1am or 3am and goes until 10pm that night — of course not continuously.  I teach on average 6hs/day (throughout the day), then do some Programs Managing (maybe 2-3hs/day).  I chat and talk with Marc the General Manager on a daily basis — figure out new information and new action plans.  It’s very busy — I don’t have a regular schedule — normal sleeping times or eating times.  But that is perfect for me — as I am more of a laissez faire type gal in all aspects of my life anyway – luckily this just fits in perfectly.

Advice for teachers who want to get into working online?

It’s hard work — not easy at all — but it’s SOOOOOO much fun! This is the best job that I’ve EVER had — and I’ve had some pretty awesome jobs before.  I get to work from home — make up my own schedule — and meet people from ALL over the world.. it’s pretty sweet if you ask me.  You have to be the right kind of person for the job, and if you have a look at some of my earlier posts you’ll see what it takes to be a “wow” online teacher.