Working at home

Track 05

P: The internet and other new technologies have changed the way we work, and the titles of our
jobs. For example, instead of the secretary, meet Jill Spencer, a virtual assistant. Jill, what exactly is a
virtual assistant?

J: Virtual assistants, or V.A.s, work from home. We offer services to businesses which don’t have
sufficient work to justify employing someone full-time.

P: Why did you decide to be a virtual assistant?

J: I retired from my job as a conference organizer, but I wanted to earn some extra money. I became
a V.A. because it meant I didn’t have to leave my country home down here in Cornwall.

P: Yes, it’s a lovely place. I can understand why you didn’t want to move away. So, how did you start?

J: I had a lot of contacts from my previous work. I began by providing things like bookkeeping but
now I offer a range of services for clients all over the U.K.

P: It’s going well, then.

J: Yes! I wasn’t looking to earn a fantastic amount of money. The biggest advantage is that you can do
as little or as much as you want. If it’s a lovely sunny day, I can sit out in the garden and do the work
in the evening.

P: What do you need to get started?

J: The basic tools are a computer with an Internet connection, a scanner and a mobile phone. Anyone
with basic office skills could do the job. Apart from that, it depends on the kind of services you’re
going to offer and what the clients want.

P: And what’s in it for the companies?

J: Companies get a huge amount out of it, because they only use a virtual assistant when they need
one. Also, they can, perhaps, get someone with a higher professional level than they could get if they
had to pay someone full-time. There’s also no problem of office hours. A businessman could be out
of the office all day, but his assistant is still available in the evening if he needs to discuss things. I
think it could make a big difference to everyone’s lifestyle!

Track 06

P: Ana, what exactly do you do?

A: I’m a concierge at the Western Hotel in Santa Clara, California.

P: What was life like before you became a teleworker?

A: I had to get up at 3:00 in the morning so I could shower and dress, take my kids to my mother’s
and set off to work by 4:30.
P: 4:30?

A: Yes! There was a lot of traffic. On a good day I got there by 6:30, that gave me half an hour to relax
before starting my shift at 7 o’clock.

P: It sounds awful.

A: Yes. I was getting up in the dark and getting home in the dark. I never saw my husband or children.
I liked my job, but my life was a nightmare!

P: And, what is life like now?

A: Ah… I feel like the luckiest person alive. I now get up at 5:30. My mother still looks after the
children. But I don’t have the 80-mile drive to work along highway 101. We’ve set up my workplace
in one of the bedrooms. I sit down in front of a camera, pin on a microphone and I’m ready for
business.

P: How does it work at the hotel?

A: Guests still go up to the concierge desk but, instead of me in person, they see me on a giant TV
screen. They can only see my head and shoulders, so I can wear my slippers while I work.

P: What your employers think about it?

A: Oh, they’re happy because they can’t afford to lose me. In the hotel industry we don’t have the
high salaries of Cisco, Palm or Sun Micro so, there’s a high turnover of staff. With an employment
around here so low, it’s hard to replace workers. It costs them $ 50.000 but they thought it was
worth to try.

P: And the guests?

A: They’re happy. Apart from anything else, they don’t have to leave a tip.