Working at Expert Support

Enjoy the flexibility of being an independent writer with the security and benefits that come with full-time employment.

A Better Way to Become an Independent Writer

Independent writing attracts many writers for its promises of freedom from the daily grind. However, writers quickly learn that running their own business simply exchanges one set of challenges for another. Working for yourself means finding your own contracts, managing customer expectations, handling invoicing and billing, doing your own taxes, and budgeting for the sudden and unexpected lulls that are bound to happen. And in the specialty field of technical writing, you often find yourself undercut or undervalued when compared with writers who contract through high-volume, impersonal staffing firms. Getting paid what you’re worth can be quite a challenge!

Yet when a writer gets a taste of independence, they might not relish the idea of going back to a 9-to-5 job. That’s where Expert Support comes in. 

Expert Support is a consulting company, nothing like the typical staffing firms writers are sometimes forced to use. Working for us is much more like working as an independent writer but without the hassle of finding and managing clients and conducting important but routine business tasks like contracts, generating leads, sales, invoicing, collections, benefits administration, business insurance, and more. We get to know you as a writer, find contracts that fit your strengths and desired career track, and keep you working for as many or as few hours as you want. We won’t bother you with prospective assignments that we know wouldn’t interest you, and you’ll always have the support you need in dealing with client issues. We’ll be there to celebrate your finished projects, and we’re always working to find and qualify your next gig. You can even keep your independent business active to fill additional hours with your established client work, or migrate that work into Expert Support to simplify your life.

And that’s precisely why we attract great writers. The way we run our business means that you gain the flexibility and the freedom enjoyed by independent writers without the challenges of trying to find and manage your own engagements.

So you want to Expert Support Solo Writer Staffing Firm Regular Job
Control your own calendar
Limit client engagements to tech companies ?
Take side gigs
Work from anywhere ? ?
Qualify for vacation and benefits
Let someone else handle invoicing, billing, and collections ?
Feel supported through and beyond each assignment
Have full transparency in billing and compensation
Get paid a competitive rate commensurate with your skills and experience ? ?

Are you a technology professional or writer who is curious about becoming a technical writer?

What Expert Support Does for Our Writers

  • Sales and marketing: While you’re working on one engagement, we’re working to develop the next one.
  • Billing and collections: We bill the clients. We make sure that we get paid.
  • Medical insurance and other employee benefits: We have group medical, life, long-term disability, and a cafeteria benefit (FSA) plan.
  • Taxes and employment verification: With us, you’re an employee with a standard W-2 for tax purposes. You don’t have to file your own business tax forms. When you apply for a loan, you aren’t self-employed, you’re a regular employee.
  • Business insurance: Most big clients contract only with corporations and they require a long list of business insurance policies. We spend over $10,000 per year on insurance to comply with their procurement requirements.
  • Support group: You’re not alone. You’re a member of a collection of people who have similar abilities, interests, ambitions, and issues. You can expand your abilities, share your interests and ambitions, and resolve issues with colleagues who share a common perspective.
  • Flexible engagements: Some of our clients want long-term, full-time engagements. Others only need a few hours of your time. And many more fall somewhere in between. We help you find engagements that fit your technical capabilities AND your desired work/life balance.
  • Ongoing training: Writing is an evolving field, just like technology. We keep up on the current trends and best practices, and we offer training sessions for our writers to help you hone your skills.

And speaking of training, you have to keep up with technology trends to stay marketable, and that’s a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about marketing your business, managing invoicing, and worrying about health insurance, taxes, and business insurance. 

The Expert Support Lifestyle

When we say we’re committed to helping you achieve your best work/life balance, we aren’t just throwing buzzwords around.

  • Some of our writers work at home; some work on-site at a client’s office.
  • Some of our writers work full time; some work part time.
  • Some of them work year round; one used to take December off each year to go diving in Polynesia.

That doesn’t mean our writers don’t work hard. We work with some of the top global technology brands, and with some of the smartest and most demanding professionals in the industry. Our assignments are challenging, exciting, and leading edge. We simply expect you to keep your customers happy, produce great work, and honor the commitments you’ve made, whatever they might be.

Who Are Expert Support’s Writers?

Customers come to Expert Support because they need world-class tech writers who can produce precise, engaging content on demanding schedules. Our writers are consummate professionals who can work independently for clients who are creating groundbreaking new products.
 

You might be a great candidate for Expert Support if

  • You’re task oriented and results driven: Clients pay you for results, not just showing up. As a consultant, you need to be able to work independently and produce high-quality results, sometimes on tight deadlines.
  • You can quickly adapt to new environments: In many ways, consultants are outsiders. But you still need to be able to read the room quickly and fit in with company cultures, procedures, and policies.
  • You take responsibility and accountability seriously: As a consultant, you’re on the hook for customer satisfaction from project start to finish.
  • You’re friendly and collaborative: The faster you can integrate and work collaboratively, the better and faster your projects go. Also, your clients are more likely to ask to have you back if they enjoy working with you.
  • You’re a self-starter: You need to stay current with documentation tools and techniques, technologies, and market trends. Additionally, you need to come up to speed quickly with client technologies, software, tools, and practices. And you need to take charge of your own learning so that you can work effectively in new environments.
  • You’re open to criticism: The ability and willingness to solicit constructive feedback and act on the advice you get—without taking offense or getting defensive—is possibly the most important skill for independent writers to master.

Does this sound like you? If so, check out our current job postings.

Compensation

Your total compensation is a percentage, based on the rate that we bill our customers, for the number of hours that you work during each pay period. We operate with complete transparency regarding our bill rates and your pay rates. Your individual rates can vary between projects, but you’ll know and agree to the details before any assignment begins.

Working for Expert Support is not a guaranteed 9-to-5 job. It’s unpredictable when we’ll need new writers. Sometimes we get many requests from clients and we can place all of the technically strong writers that we have. While you’re actively working on contracts, we’re hard at work growing our network, finding new clients, and matching the skills of our writers with exciting opportunities.

Do you know of a company that wants to work with you as an independent technical writer? Send them our way, and we’ll help you work out the details of your engagement so you can focus on what you do best—writing and producing great results.

Interested in Becoming a Writer with Expert Support?

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