JOB APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. I WILL BE NOTIFYING 2ND ROUND APPLICANTS APPROX. MID-APRIL. THANK YOU!
After almost seven years of Legal Nomads, the time has come for me to ask for some help with what has become a business built around this site. Often, I’ll receive emails asking if “someone on your team” can reply to a query. I respond noting that there is no team, just me. Usually their reply is “how do you manage?”
I’ve started asking myself the same question.
As the site has grown, some of the day-to-day management has interfered with the bigger projects that I want to work on, and has impeded my writing.
For example: I have begun quietly working on a book for celiacs about worldwide travel. Much like my Food Traveler’s Handbook, this was a reader-requested project. At the beginning of my travels I never wrote about having celiac disease, and in fact was far less careful than I am now, preferring to get sick instead of compromise on food. For health reasons those days are long gone, and readers have asked for help in learning to travel safely. It’s a scary and daunting thing to not know if what you are about to eat will get you sick. For celiacs, stomach sickness is often followed by days of feeling terrible.
Along with that book, I have started to translate gluten free travel cards, hyper-tailored to each destination. My first was Greece. Since that first card, I’ve paid a translator to convert my card for Japan into Japanese, and have sent a few readers out to test it as they were heading that way. I plan to expand these to more and more countries, hopefully with the help of readers who speak other languages. (If you are interested in helping with this project please fill out this form. I’ll be putting out a general call for these later this year, too.)
While running Legal Nomads and often travelling, there has been very little time to allocate to projects like these, including the continued expansion of the maps project in the Legal Nomads shop.
Which is why we are here.
Instead of putting out a job application on a job site or board, I wanted to turn to the people who have made the site what it is today: you.
Job Description
Because this is a one-person site, you will be working on a cross-section of projects, including the two above. Each of them involve writing in some capacity, since the written component to Legal Nomads remains its backbone as the site expands.
Specifics
The job I am hiring for will include the following main things. That’s not to say the list below will be undertaken concurrently; more that each of those things are all within the ambit of the role. There will be others that arise as we begin working together, no doubt!
- Proofreading posts for spelling and/or grammatical errors, duplicative words, or general suggestions.
- Helping manage the gluten free card project, including writing a standard operating procedure for others who we might hire to help with it as it expands.
- Helping with research for specific questions relating to posts or the book mentioned above.
- Helping manage the Thrillable Hours series, since I have quite a backlog and would like to feature these great people with more regularity. This would include inputing their Q&A into WordPress and setting up the posts so they can go into my queue.
- Helping put together collateral if needed for interviews about Legal Nomads and Jodi Eats.
- Working with me on the country maps project for the Legal Nomads store.
- Occasionally managing Facebook ads for the Legal Nomads store.
- Occasionally posting to the Legal Nomads Facebook page when I am offline and travelling.
- For the months that I am in Saigon (usually October – February), helping with the replies to Jodi Eats and setting up the food walk groups for that season.
Basics
The position will be a part time, paid, independent contractor role, with a maximum of 40 hours per month. Payment will be made via PayPal.
As this is my first hire, it will take some time to figure out a procedure for work flow. We will be using Trello to manage the work, since it provides a great way to visualize multiple projects at once. As the role gets off the ground, we will have Skype calls to fill in any blanks and make sure we are on the same page.
Ultimately this role exists to help with overflow so that I can focus on the writing itself, both for Legal Nomads and for these exciting projects listed above.
Job Requirements
This is a paid position. While I am happy to answer any and all questions, I am not looking for someone who wants to be mentored. I am looking for someone who is a great writer, who loves words and appreciates how effective they can be — and who wants to be a part of Legal Nomads as it grows. I’m excited to work with someone who is keen to help improve the site so it is better for readers, old and new.
Specifically, you should:
- Be tech savvy and comfortable working online. Bonus: some familiarity with WordPress.org.
- Be organized and detailed, beyond merely keeping track of what is going on. As we work together, I will welcome suggestions about how to improve each of these projects and/or make them more organized.
- Be happy to do some research if the project requires it.
- Be self-directed and flexible. I cannot provide a fixed structure for this role just yet as it is a first hire, so this job is not for you if you are seeking a rigid job environment.
- Have a handle on written customer service and be able to take the appropriate tone (with guidelines of course) in coordinating the projects above.
- Be familiar with Legal Nomads and the ethos behind the site, including the policies on my Contact Page.
- Be passionate about helping people learn about places. This does not need to be through food necessarily — that’s just the way that I choose to travel — but the desire to share so others can learn is critical.
- Have a laptop and can seek out internet connectivity if you plan to work from far-flung places. While tablets and phablets certainly get the job done, using Shopify, WordPress, and managing other roles will be best executed from a bigger device.
- Have an appreciation for the difficulties celiacs might have trying to eat safely, even if you enjoy a wheat sandwich on your own time.
Bonus points if you:
- Have run a Facebook ad campaign.
- Have experience with self-publishing and/or editing longer form work.
- Have experience with Shopify stores.
This Job is Not for You If
- You were looking for more of a mentorship role in order to work as a travel blogger or travel / food writer.
- You wanted to be writing for Legal Nomads. This is a behind-the-scenes role.
- You wanted something for just a few months, in between jobs. I’m looking for someone who wants to join the site as a team member, and is excited about the future of Legal Nomads.
- You can’t build a routine for a series of projects and work independently.
- You think words are a waste of time.
Still here? Here’s how to apply:
Please fill out the job application form here. (Job applications are now closed) Deadline is was – Sunday, March 29th at 10pm EST.
I will be reviewing the applications on my VERY LONG set of flights to Portugal (33 hours and counting), and will reach out to those who have made the next round during the first half of April.
In the blank box at the bottom of the job form, please write the word soup before you hit submit.
