JobList
Subscription
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For a modest fee, members only may subscribe to the JobList to receive
e-mail notices of a wide variety of jobs,
both freelance and full-time, in-house and at home. Clients from coast to coast use this service (free to them), and many members get most of
their work from EFA's JobList.
Here's what member Adam Eisenstat wrote in the Sept-Oct 2005 issue of The
Freelancer, EFA's bimonthly newsletter:
Not long ago I went through an extended period of unemployment; I applied
for hundreds of freelance and permanent jobs, all to no avail. Finally, thanks
to the EFA JobList, I found a job so well matched to my talents and
sensibilities that it was like some kind of fateful cosmic poetry. …The job? Copywriter for
Donald Trump. (Read the
full article.)
JobList competition, however, is fierce. Here are some tips for
getting the most from your
JobList subscription.
Note: A JobList subscription,
for which members pay to receive e-mail
notification of job opportunities posted by clients, is completely
separate from joining
the free members-only e-mail discussion list (see below), which is an online
forum.
A members-only discussion list where participants
exchange ideas and advice with other editorial professionals all across the country.
A Boston member wrote:
I just wanted to say that I think the EFA discussion list is great and well
worth the price of EFA membership! I have always felt slightly isolated as
a freelancer, but this provides a real sense of community. And I can't
even tell you how much I've learned just in the past week!
NOTE: Joining the online discussion list, which is free to EFA members, is
completely separate from a JobList subscription, for which members pay a modest fee to
receive e-mail notices of job opportunities posted by clients.
Online Membership Directory
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Directory listings are free with membership,
but they are not automatic. Members themselves must create and post their
directory entries (names, contact information, skills and specialties, brief promotional blurbs,
and résumés if they wish to include them). And it is up to the members to keep their directory
information up to date.Using the online directory,
members can find each other, and potential clients can be directly and immediately in
touch with members nationwide. (A number of members report
getting good assignments from clients who hired them after searching the
directory for freelancers with the skills and expertise they were seeking.)
The directory is searchable by
members' skills,
specialties, and geographic location (in the U.S.). It can also be
searched by member name.
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Members enjoy reduced tuition to EFA courses designed
especially for freelancers to build and enhance editorial and entrepreneurial
skills. Courses cover everything from basic copyediting to breaking into the
corporate market to setting project rates. Courses, many online, are usually
offered in the fall and spring of each year and are open to nonmembers also
Regional Chapters
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EFA has regional chapters all over the country, and new ones
form as interest arises. Meetings and other activities are listed on
individual chapter pages.
Chapter events are open to all members, guests of members, and freelancers interested in
joining EFA.
In addition to regional chapters, EFA invites members to act as regional
liaisons in areas without chapters. Liaisons answer questions
on the organization and freelancing in their locale.
Meetings & Events
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EFA offers freelancers a variety of meetings, social events, and networking
opportunities. Meetings may take place at NYC headquarters, at regional
chapters across the country, and by nationwide teleconference. They include expert panels, open-mike forums, special guest speakers,
and joint meetings with related organizations.
On the lighter side, EFA holds receptions for new members, Scrabble
night, and a much-anticipated holiday party.
Less frequently, EFA sponsors national
professional
conferences designed specifically for its members (and open to non-members at
higher fees).
Affinity Groups hold small monthly meetings, often with guest speakers, to
explore interests and concerns on a more specialized level. Over the years, EFA
members have formed affinity groups in such areas as medical writing and
editing, business communications and public relations, el-hi textbooks,
children’s publishing, desktop publishing, and new freelancers, according to
their interests
Group Health Insurance
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EFA offers several health insurance plans at group rates, including
health maintenance organizations, point-of-service plans, long term care
insurance, dental
insurance, and a discount plan. Insurance costs continue to rise,
even at group rates, and insurers are less and less eager to provide coverage to
associations. Under these trying circumstances, EFA strives constantly to add to the plans we
are able to offer members.
Bimonhly Newsletter
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The bimonthly newsletter, The Freelancer,
covers EFA meetings and activities and reports on issues of professional value
to freelancers: language use, reference books, editing standards,
self-promotion, potential markets, member profiles, more.
(Nonmembers may purchase subscriptions to The Freelancer.)
Web Site—Always
Up to Date
The EFA Web site is updated
almost daily. Members will find notices of current meetings on the Calendar
and Chapter pages, reports of previous chapter meetings, contact information for board members and committee chairs as well as the
office manager, and much, much more. Resources on the site include:
-
Some common rates
- Code of Fair Practice
defines ethical standards and contract guidelines for editorial freelancers and clients. The
Code is a resource that helps freelancers negotiate agreements and promotes fair business practices.
- Archived articles from the Freelance Editorial Association News (FEA) a Boston group which merged with EFA in 2000
- Useful links to related organizations and online
references
EFA Member Logo
EFA members in good
standing are entitled to display the EFA Member logo on their Web sites. Call
the office manager for the link.
Discount Programs
Members currently enjoy
discounts on Hertz car rentals internationally and on purchases at J&R Music
& Computer World.
(Additionally,
EFA's online shop offers a wide selection of items stamped with the EFA
logo, from T-shirts, caps, and tote bags to mugs, mousepads, and magnets. And
much more. The shop was
built by and is maintained by
KOK Edit. For more information about the shop, go
here.)
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