How long does it take to get work once I’m accepted onto the waiting list?
The timescale will vary according to the time of year, how much work we have coming in, how much work our current writers are grabbing for themselves (we offer to our current writers first) and whether or not a new topic would appear to suit your profile when you applied. As at November 2021, we have a sizeable UK waiting list, but we will contact you at some point if you are on it. Also, we sometimes contact writers from the waiting list if we have a contract that requires special knowledge, so it’s worth being detailed about your interests and specialisms in your application.
Can I try it for a couple of weeks?
We require a minimum of 30 days notice to cancel your contract. Look at it like a job, but one that you can do from home at times to suit you. If you find that you can’t complete your first month’s articles, you will need to notify us immediately.
What if I’m too busy one week or I’m ill?
For this reason, as per the terms and conditions, we recommend that you get ahead on your writing, as our system enables you to do that. However, if you are unable to complete your contracted articles as required, you will need to get in touch with us straight away.
We ask that you give us a minimum of a calendar month’s notice. This gives us time to find another writer to take over from you. It’s worth remembering that we cannot pay you for partly-completed contracts.
How many articles will I need to write?
Depending on your contract, it will be between 10 and 80, and usually not all of these will be on the same subject. Usually, we will start you off on a lower volume. Your contract will vary depending on the needs of the client.
Payment will be specified with each assignment before you accept it and will vary depending upon the length of the piece(s). Please see our terms and conditions for further information.
Please see our terms and conditions for payment methods.
Please see our terms and conditions for the frequency of your payments.
Who pays my national insurance and tax?
As per the terms and conditions, you are wholly responsible for your own national insurance and tax.
We have our own system – once you are offered work, we will provide you with a username and password for that system. It’s very user-friendly and easy to use and you submit all work through this system.
How do I know what to write about?
You will be given a brief on topics and possible subject matter, along with links to internet resources. However, we’re always on hand to answer your queries by message through the system.
How quickly do you respond to emails?
If you are on the waiting list and are emailing us, we usually check this inbox once a week. We get a lot of junk in this inbox as you can imagine, so we do our best to sift out any messages from amongst the applications and junk.
Once you are writing for us, you will be able to message us through our system and will have a response usually within a few working hours, but at most within one business day.
What if I am given a topic I feel I cannot write about?
Certainly for your first assignments, we try our best to match a brief to your profile. However, whenever you are offered a contract, you will be given a brief containing ideas for your article and links to the client’s website and other resources. This is usually enough to get you started, but if you have a real problem with the subject matter you have a right to refuse it.
Can I have more than one contract?
Initially, you can only start on one contract – we have a minimum of 10 articles per month to ensure a minimum payment run. Often, contracts run on regularly each month so where possible, we try to keep the same writers on the same briefs – this way, you become more familiar with the topic and can write easier and faster and we know you can complete the work to the client’s satisfaction. If we’re happy with your work and you’re submitting on time, we will consider offering you further work if you want it.
When we offer you a contract, we will confirm the duration but it is usually on-going until notice is given. The contract is usually yours for as long as we are satisfied with the quality and frequency of your work and you are happy to continue.
What do I do when the contract finishes?
If a client does not renew a contract, as long as we are happy with your work we will offer you a replacement immediately or return you to the top of our waiting list.
You can write at whatever time of day or night that suits you. All we ask is that you stay on track or ahead with your articles. For example, we will expect you to have completed at least 40 articles if you have an 80 article contract and it is halfway through the month.
As per the terms and conditions, scheduling of articles must be spread evenly throughout the month and for that reason you can be ahead of schedule but never behind. Articles can be scheduled beforehand and we encourage you to do so.
This varies depending on the contract, but they are usually 225 – 300 words. Some contracts may require 500 – 700 words.
If you are going on holiday, and are unable to write your articles in advance, then we ask that you give us as much notice as possible so that we can arrange cover. Cover would normally be arranged for the whole calendar month.
Why is there no telephone number or contact details on your website?
We used to have a telephone number, email and postal address on our website when we first started, however we found that we were snowed under with telephone calls and this took up so much time that it impacted on our work.
Can you give me feedback on why I didn’t make it to your waiting list?
We are inundated with applications each week and it takes some time to check each one so unfortunately, we cannot give feedback on individual pieces. All you will receive is a standard message advising that unfortunately the piece wasn’t quite up to standard we require.
When someone applies to be a writer, we have to make a decision on their sample piece of writing and either accept them onto our waiting list or reject the piece. Writing is a very personal thing and some inexperienced writers, unused to rejection, do take it personally and this is another reason why we do not provide a telephone number or postal address on the site.
Is this site simply a way to get some free content from people?
It’s a strange world out there and there are some dodgy schemes going on, so we can understand why people may want to ask this question.
For those who do write for us regularly, it’s clear this isn’t the case but for those whose applications are unfortunately rejected, all we can say is that if all we wanted was some free content, then there are easier ways to get it and in most cases, it would be faster to write it ourselves. Much of what we receive by way of applications is not of a sufficient quality to be used, whether free or otherwise, so this wouldn’t be time- or cost-efficient.