Help! I just got some *really* bad news!

[MittensKittens]

I've had a great job for the past two years (writing articles for a website), doing something that I really enjoyed doing and doing it from home, enabling me to stay at home with my daughter. I am a single mom, and last month I gave birth to my son, so there's three of us now. I thought my job was stable, but I have just been told that I am going to be made redundant. I live in Serbia and will not have *any* kind of state assistance available to me, so I am pretty much f*cked completely, and I feel terrible... I am afraid even to think what the future might hold for us now, and don't know at all where to go from here. I guess I just wanted to vent but, if any of you have any tips whatsoever, that would be great... I just have no idea how I am going to make it with the kids... Plan A is screaming my lungs out at the moment, but I guess that is not going to make any difference

[mtm]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that esp with the new little one. Is there much demand for writing articles where you are? Maybe post in the Writers Forum and see if they have any ideas for work at home writing?

[Blu Razzberri]

I'm not really sure what kind of idea's you're looking for...? Food help? Rent help? Work options? Your situation sounds really really sh**ty, and I'm really sorry this is the position you're in after just having had your baby. I wish there was something more I could say or do to help fix it.

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by Blu Razzberri

I'm not really sure what kind of idea's you're looking for...? Food help? Rent help? Work options? Your situation sounds really really sh**ty, and I'm really sorry this is the position you're in after just having had your baby. I wish there was something more I could say or do to help fix it.

Me neither, really, I am just panicking... Because I loved working from home, and being able to be with the kids, and I know that that is not going to work out any longer. Best case scenario, I will find a job and have to find day care for the kids, which I don't want to do anyway but especially hate with such a young baby. Worst case scenario.... I really don't want to think about it!

Work options would be great of course! If anyone knows where to find online writing jobs or similar, or any online work that is not a scam... Or if anyone has any realistic business ideas that might work out without much start-up capital, all of that would be very appreciated.

And mtm, thanks for the suggestion, I will look at the writers forum straight away.

[beachmommy5]

I write from home, granted what I make is just to suppliment our income but if you work full timeish at content websites like Associated content, Constant content, Helium, and Squidoo you can make decent money depending on how much you need. Associated content is the only one that pays you upfront for articles and the rest give you part of the ad revenue. Websites like Elance, Rent a coder and Guru are places to find freelance writing work although they cost a membership fee. Theres plenty more websites like those but I can't think of any more at the moment. HTH!

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by beachmommy5

I write from home, granted what I make is just to suppliment our income but if you work full timeish at content websites like Associated content, Constant content, Helium, and Squidoo you can make decent money depending on how much you need. Associated content is the only one that pays you upfront for articles and the rest give you part of the ad revenue. Websites like Elance, Rent a coder and Guru are places to find freelance writing work although they cost a membership fee. Theres plenty more websites like those but I can't think of any more at the moment. HTH!

Thanks a lot! Those are a bunch of websites I didn't know, and I'll definitely sign up with associated content. I gather you are a member? Can I ask how much you generally get in terms of performance related payment? Since I'm not in the US, that's the only thing I am eligible for, and I am wondering what kind of money that could earn me. Still looking through the others sites at the moment.

[Drummer's Wife]

I was going to suggest Associated Content as I've been writing for them for a couple years, but they don't pay upfront for citizens of other countries. The page view bonus rate varies, it should start at $1.50 per thousand and goes up from there. So, it wouldn't make you any money for a while.

Hope you find something that works for you.

[Katie Bugs Mama]

I came across this in early January:

ProQuest provides seamless access to and navigation of more than 125
billion digital pages of the world's scholarship, delivering it to the
desktop and into the workflow of serious researchers in multiple
fields, from arts, literature, and social science to science,
technology, and medicine.

Our office in San Diego, which develops the Social Sciences databases,
is currently looking for freelancers to provide English abstracts
(100-200 word summaries of articles) for articles written in a foreign
language. Freelancers receive $11 per abstract, and are required to
enter into an Independent Contractor Agreement with the company.
Familiarity with social science is not a requirement.

If interested in learning more about the company and the specifics of
work, please feel free to contact David Miller
([e-mail]; 858-571-8979, extension 2518).

Depending on your language skills, you could probably churn out several of these an hour and make a decent hourly wage.

Good luck!

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by Katie Bugs Mama

I came across this in early January:



Depending on your language skills, you could probably churn out several of these an hour and make a decent hourly wage.

Good luck!

That sounds interesting, will send them an email, thanks!

[Litcrit]

you are a native speaker of English!

Languages! Esp. English! Money! Good!

I teach English as a foreign language and support my family effectively working 5 hours a week, and I'm not even a native speaker. I am a uni teacher with an MSc, so not everyone in the business is that lucky, but native speakers can and do get even better deals!

You can teach at private language schools, tutor privately from home, proofread, maybe translate into English if you understand enough Serbian...

PM me if you'd like some contacts or recommendations or info or anything

[lil_earthmomma]

First that must be so scary.

Second, I would also check out online transcription companies. I used to work for one, and the only thing I needed to do was buy a pedal for my computer, and take an online test of my typing skills.

HTH!

[lolar2]

Are you Serbian and no other citizenship? Americans living in other countries are eligible for Social Security from the state where they most recently lived. It's possible that might be the case for other benefits overseas from whatever country you are from, if that makes any sense; you could look into that.

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by Litcrit

Languages! Esp. English! Money! Good!

I teach English as a foreign language and support my family effectively working 5 hours a week, and I'm not even a native speaker. I am a uni teacher with an MSc, so not everyone in the business is that lucky, but native speakers can and do get even better deals!

You can teach at private language schools, tutor privately from home, proofread, maybe translate into English if you understand enough Serbian...

PM me if you'd like some contacts or recommendations or info or anything

I know that is an option... I would have to leave my newborn in care though and that is a bit horrible, especially because of BF issues. What language school do you work at? Five hours is definitely something I could do!

[laohaire]

You could also consider translation services, if you do written translations, that would primarily be a work-at-home market. There's millions of, say, English-Spanish translators, but probably not so much competition with English-SerboCroation translators. I'm not clear on whether your first language is English or Serbian; if it's Serbian you have even more options because you write English like a native and can translate both ways (and thus get more jobs). But even if your first language is English and you're not quite as fluent in Serbian, you can still definitly be a Serbian-to-English translator.

ETA long after the fact - oops, I see I was the last in a large chain to suggest this!! Not sure how that happened. Maybe I had the window open a long time before submitting my post, and others beat me to it!!

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by laohaire

You could also consider translation services, if you do written translations, that would primarily be a work-at-home market. There's millions of, say, English-Spanish translators, but probably not so much competition with English-SerboCroation translators. I'm not clear on whether your first language is English or Serbian; if it's Serbian you have even more options because you write English like a native and can translate both ways (and thus get more jobs). But even if your first language is English and you're not quite as fluent in Serbian, you can still definitly be a Serbian-to-English translator.

Hi

My primary languages are English and Dutch, I also speak five other languages. So yes, that would be my area . Thanks for your thoughts - that goes for everyone else who replied as well. I have to say that I was absolutely shocked to learn that I lost my job - I went from a seemingly stable situation to having no idea what to do. I also hate the idea of accepting money from anyone, but I am very grateful now that my aunt has promised to help me out for as long as she needs to. I really don't like to be in a situation like that, and I am hoping I will be able to pay her back soon, even though she is not expecting that. So that is giving me a bit of time to work on things. I am thinking of trying to sell cloth diapers, baby carriers and the like - this is an area that has not been explored on the Serbian market so far, so it might be an exciting opportunity. Maybe it is a bit too much for this market though . If I don't succeed in the next two months or so, I am going to be looking to move away from Serbia though, to somewhere with better employment chances.

lil_earthmomma - That sounds really interesting. Would you tell me the name of the company you used to work for?

[MittensKittens]

Originally Posted by Katie Bugs Mama

I came across this in early January:



Depending on your language skills, you could probably churn out several of these an hour and make a decent hourly wage.

Good luck!

Oh yes, I sent those guys an email, but never got a reply, sadly.