Permaculture Dream Gig (remote work with Permies)

Paul Wheaton is doing lots of big things, and Permies is resting on the tipping point of fully-blown magnificence.  

We're looking for a handful of folks who want to work with Permies & Paul.

These is a full-time, remote-work opportunity, with flexible hours and generous hourly compensation that scales up along with your skills and productivity.

Already know this is the gig for you?
Click here to fill out this survey thing: permies.com/s/va-survey

Some things I want to address:

Working with Paul is *good times*.
In the past, Paul has been pretty vocal about how it's "hard, boring work," and that it's like "staring into the black abyss" of things that need to be done.  I'm not going to say that those things are invalid, but I would like to offer a couple counterpoints, as someone who has had a great experience working with Paul.
It's a lot of fun.  There's always something different going on.  If there's a task you don't really enjoy, you're probably going to be done with it within an hour or two, at least for that day.  

Working with Paul affords a great opportunity for those interested in Homesteading and Permaculture.
You get to work from home so you can look out your window and go wrangle your goats or flash-prune your orchard if you need to.  Some folks find that they are able to do this job really well while the baby sleeps and the kiddos are at play.  That's a skill not all parents have, but I've seen it - it's real.  
Some "normal" people think like, I don't know, rock stars or actors or something are cool.  I've known those folks, and it turns out they're just humans, only probably a little more neurotic - surprise!  Working with Paul can at times put you in contact with various Permaculture and Homesteading rock stars, who I find much more impressive than mainstream celebrities, and generally, possibly, ever-so-slightly less neurotic (in some cases).  So that could be fun for you.  One of our favorite permies' staff and Paul's former VA, Nicole Alderman once received an email from Sepp Holzer himself, addressed to "Frau Alderman."  Insert fan-girl scream.  (Did I get that right, Nicole)?

Working with Paul can be a part of a balanced, homestead- or family-focused life.
Paul works tirelessly to advance his flavor of Permaculture in the global consciousness.  I for one, am 100% on board with that mission.  At the same time, part of that for me is fostering healthy relationships with my family and community and stewarding a thriving ecosystem at our farm.  To me, these are all parts of the same mission.  And, while Paul does not hesitate to avail himself of the "send" button when he needs his people to help him get stuff done, he is very understanding, flexible, and accommodating with whatever boundaries you need to set.  It just takes a little communication and some good list-making skills.  On the other hand, there may be someone out there who wants to live and breathe Permies with every waking moment like Paul does - and you could also thrive in this role.

Paul is really, really good at doing things.  He does so many things it'll make your head spin.  I can personally attest that the right person in this role can increase their productivity and creativity many times over, simply by osmosing Paul.  

Paul looks at business and media in a radically different way than anybody else on the planet.  It's like Paul, unlike just about anybody else, is able to apply Permaculture principles to running a business.  There are formulas, but we never go by the formula.  It is always a given that there are probably a dozen other excellent ways to get something done, and it is a totally valid use of an hour to burn through 100 terrible ideas to find the few good ones.  And thus, we unlock the mysteries of the universe.

Paul doesn't demand that you agree with him.  You can even say so, too, as long as you don't belabor the point, throw a fit, or waste his time or his money getting paid to do stuff he asked you not to do.  When you respect his time and his resources, I would say he actually welcomes the discourse.  Maybe he gets a kick out of the new neural pathways that conflict can open up, I'm not sure, but he's cool like that.
I guess, the last thing I'll say is that by working with Paul you get to do a lot of really cool stuff.  Help make movies, books, videos, classes, events, and grow the best place on the internet, Permies.com.  Hard to beat, in my book.

Oh, the nuts and bolts:
- We need folks who can commit to full-time (read: 40ish hours/week - more is fine, sometimes a bit less is okay)
- We're asking for a commitment to stick with it for a minimum of 6 months.  
- Are you one of those people who wants to read twelve pages of commentary before you slowly raise your hand?  That's cool, here you go.
- If you're interested, please take some time to enjoy this "I'm interested In Being Paul's VA" questionnaire:

permies.com/s/va-survey

- Questions?  Comments?  Good-natured heckling?  Ironic haiku?  Reply to this thread.

Log-built hobbit homes
Hugelkulturs, swales, and berms
Won't make themselves.  Help?

Update

Good news: it saves itself and I can return to it soon.

ARGH. I started the survey but did not know it would take the time it does. I now need to take a break but don't know if/how I can save the work I've done and come back to the survey. Is this possible? If so, how?  At the top of the page I see "draft saved". Maybe that is enough and I can just come back to it through the same link I used to start it ....

Would you be willing to give someone a try on a part-time basis (15-20 hours per week) until June 2024? Then I can commit to more hours. We are working on house remodeling and between that, babysitting of grandchildren, farm chores, and gardening needs I am hesitant to promise more. I am filling out the "So you wanna work with Paul" questionnaire just in case.  Jeff

Looking for folks with full-time capacity.

I am new to Permies but not permaculture. I have read you are more likely to be a good candidate if you have contributed posts. How heavy does this weigh? I am 100% confident in my capabilities as I have NEVER had the proper skills to fulfill any of the other endeavors in life I conquered, so why should this be different? Seems the figure it out approach is a desired quality for this role.

I did not want to waste any time, nor resources submitting a completed survey if the activity on Permies is a necessary requirement.

Thank you for your time. ♥️✌️

The gig will involve lots of use of all the bells and whistles around permies.

The folks who will look at the questionnaire responses will be likely to see someone with lots of permies activity and say "Hey!  Look at that.  They already know a lot about how stuff works around here."

Which will translate to many hours and effort saved bringing an active permies users up to speed, versus someone with a very low post count.  

There is no possible answer to the question "how heavy does it weigh?".  Just a suggestion that folks with DM listings, folks who are already pollinators (or better yet, volunteer staff), folks who have a high post-count and perhaps a high apple-to-post ratio are going to look mighty appealing.  

There is always the pathway for the eager person with a slim permies history to spend a short chunk of time trying to be more active around here.  That might be a nice look.  

I did not realize the form required writing samples, so I saved before completing it. How can I access it again? I tried going to Google Forms and didn’t see it there. Is it because I’m on my phone? Thanks for your help!

MiaSherwood Landau wrote:I did not realize the form required writing samples, so I saved before completing it. How can I access it again? I tried going to Google Forms and didn’t see it there. Is it because I’m on my phone? Thanks for your help!

I think you can edit your response.  Or you can submit a second one someone will use some brain to smush the two together.

Rather than complete another form, here’s my short-notice version of a bio for Paul -  Paul Wheaton is a master coder, master gardener, and benevolent Shakespearean King over coderanch.com, richsoil.com, and permies.com. What Paul does not yet know about coding, gardening, and permaculture, he is only moments away from learning and sharing.

I researched access to Google Forms that someone else created and I filled out. Everything pointed to optional settings selected by the form creator. Having received email copies of Google forms in the past I thought it happens automatically, but no. That’s a setting.

Sent from my iPhone

What's the status on this?

Yes, would you please post the status of hiring now? Thank you!

Status report:

We hired a guy and brought him on.  He seems really great, and I'm sure he would have done wonderfully.  But he quit on the first day, so . . . back to the drawing board.  Maybe we should have stressed the 6-month-commitment part a little more?

Then someone who is already Permies volunteer staff inquired about the gig, so it is pretty easy to shift him into the roll without a heavy lift from Paul, since he already knows quite a bit about Paul and how Permies works.  He just started today.  

There is a chance that Paul will be able to bring on some more folks in the coming months.  

But back-tracking from that, of all the people that have filled out the survey:
First, we crossed off the folks who couldn't do full-time.
Then, we crossed off folks who didn't answer a lot of the questions, or folks for whom it took a lot of energy to figure out what their answers meant.  

If someone has a lot of posts on Permies, and/or has a handful of threads in the Digital Market, they'd probably be pretty near the top of the list.

Thanks, Beau. That was a quick, good reply. In your original post you said, "We're looking for a handful of folks..." Now we know you have one person starting today. Will there also be more hires soon?  I realize it may be too time-consuming for you or other people, but contacting people who filled out your Google form, to let us know if we are crossed-off the list for now (or forever) would be a good thing to do. Many employers collecting job applications do not reply, it's true. Maybe Permies.com is different. Just a thought. Thanks again!

Paul will bring some more folks on.  The question is when.  2024?  Next week?  The answer depends on many things, only a few of which are in my purview.  My hope is that we can return to this batch of applicants and go on down the list when the time comes.  

I have been asked for an update.  

In the details of bringing on another individual who really knows the ropes around permies already.  

I have gotten a few PMs about this.  I am bad at PMs.  Feel free to post to this thread with questions.

Just filled out the survey.  Are you still going through these?  There's no hurry on my end, so if you need something that matches my qualifications or if you need someone on an as-needed basis, I'm happy to do that as well at any time. (now or 2 years from now)

Thanks Sherry, yes, I'll keep these on hand for at least the first part of next year.  Hopefully Permies explodes 100-fold into global consciousness and we will need many hands.

Beau M. Davidson wrote:Thanks Sherry, yes, I'll keep these on hand for at least the first part of next year.  Hopefully Permies explodes 100-fold into global consciousness and we will need many hands.

Thank you!

You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

Beau M. Davidson wrote:You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

First five syllables
Then seven and yet five more
all of this for Beau

Beau M. Davidson wrote:You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

I'll work on Haiku
After BB work is done
Then, I'll have more fun.

Beau M. Davidson wrote:You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

Permaculture win!
earn at home help Permies grow
stacking functions well.

Never fear because
Timothy is on the case!
Permie Poem Fun

Im very intrigued by this opportunity. I am currently not making any sort of income and in a position that my best options might actually be remote work, such as is offered here.  

I just hope that what I am able to bring to the table can help benefit Permies, Paul, and the World Domination team.  

Ill be checking out the survey and looking more deeply into this.  

But for now, here is a Haiku.  

Off to a new place
Hoping for a new embrace
Now here in this space

(Editing to add another Haiku)

In the frigid freeze
Wofati community
Bees and lemon trees

(Editing again)

To say that... I Want This Job!

Ive spent many hours reading through the links and dialogue that have been shared over the past year, and despite the scary stuff, I think I can handle!  The questionnaire is almost complete. I wrote the Bio, but then realized is was 200 "Characters", not 200 "Words".  The Bio I wrote was 200 Words...  

Is this a test in being able to follow directions?

Ill edit everything, and have it submitted soon.  

Thanks Paul and Team for putting out this opportunity.  Hoping you all find the perfect co-creators.  

Beau M. Davidson wrote:You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

Shall our preferred names
be Galactic Titles or
"realistic" nicknames?

Beau likes good haikus
That's very good news for you
Work for Permies, too

Sarah Franc wrote:

Beau M. Davidson wrote:You guys are all really great.  However, I must admit, I was hoping for more haikus.  

Shall our preferred names
be Galactic Titles or
"realistic" nicknames?

great question thank you
galactic? terrestrial?
what grandma calls you?


Practically, a name that you answer to, and that we can use for you to facilitate doing expedient work without extra labor or distraction.  

I could tell everyone to call me Kalessin the Eldest, but it would not be very helpful if people wouldn't use it, or if I didn't register its usage as relevant to me, specifically.  

If, on the other hand, anyone says "Hey Beau" or "Davidson" or "Hey Ner" (don't ask) it'll readily get my attention.

Permies job seems thus:
Skill level: negotiable;
Desire: a must.

Current job…not great.
Demands change of employed state,
yet I hesitate.

Past wisdom ingrains
Distrust of pay rate queries.
(I detest such games.)

What good be such work
that demands a heart be bought
but sustenance not?

Yet I overstep
While other expectations
have scarcely been met.

As an example:
Most of my activity
Remains in this thread.

I feel a bit dumb, because I'm pretty sure this information is listed somewhere and I'm just missing it, somehow:
Is this an employment or a contractor position?
Forty hours maximum or forty hours minimum?
Is overtime encouraged or discouraged?

While I have most of the VA survey filled out, I would be going from a 60-hour work week to this, and don't want to answer question 3 in such a way that it turns out I cannot afford to work at that rate for six months.

It's a contractor position, so folks set their own hours, around all the other stuff they do.  Not our business to ask, but it seems like this is one of several similar gigs for most VAs.

Posting this as a little anecdotal pro-tip.

Paul got a delightful email from someone who seems really eager for this gig.  The person seems great.  And yet, we're not quite ready to bring on someone new at this exact moment.

What we decided was that . . .
if this person had 100 or so posts on permies, with 100 or more apples, and . . .
they had bagged some bbs, maybe up to say, bb20 or so, and . . .
if they had an f-code and and had maybe even made a few bucks selling stuff in the digital market already . . .

then it would be a no-brainer.  We'd bring them on, probably today.

Beau, I sent you a PM but your auto-reply suggested I post it here, so here...

I don't know if you crossed me off the list because of inexperience when I filled out the survey a couple months ago, but I've been immersing myself in the permiverse and have been trying to be helpful in the threads, especially toward newbies.

Since becoming active on Permies a couple of months ago, I've pushed through two levels of scavenger hunts, tried my hand at some daily-ishes, have been working with Timothy Norton to possibly get an Indiana region up and going, and then someone shot me with an arrow on Valentine's day and made me a pollinator, then gir-bot put a master in front of it on the first of March. I'm PEP20 and have a lot more projects ready to start. I haven't been taking pictures or videos of a lot of the stuff I've been doing on my property that would have counted as oddball or in other categories, simply because I had so many projects to get done in a short amount of time on weekends with mild weather, I didn't document. I was busy doing, doing, doing: Herb spiral, two keystone beds, purple martin house, beehive, planting bamboo and willow starts, sheet mulching my orchard in preparation to turn it into a guild, fencing in my entire backyard with t-posts and 4' garden fencing with one 8' and one 4' gate, relocating my rhododendrons to a shadier spot, templating a possible pond at the lowest point of my yard...

Something is saying that I should strive to get to PEP1 before even saying that I would be open to opportunities like this, but that will come in the not-too-distant future. And I'm "retiring" from my current facility-bound job at the end of this year. After that, I would absolutely love to come out to Missoula as a SEPPer for a couple of weeks just to get a better feel for the vibe, and to knock out some hugel and machinery BBs.

If you feel I'm being an asset to Permies and feel I'd make a good VA, keep me in mind.

j

Beau M. Davidson wrote:Posting this as a little anecdotal pro-tip.

Paul got a delightful email from someone who seems really eager for this gig.  The person seems great.  And yet, we're not quite ready to bring on someone new at this exact moment.

What we decided was that . . .
if this person had 100 or so posts on permies, with 100 or more apples, and . . .
they had bagged some bbs, maybe up to say, bb20 or so, and . . .
if they had an f-code and and had maybe even made a few bucks selling stuff in the digital market already . . .

then it would be a no-brainer.  We'd bring them on, probably today.

Just a reminder...



I spend enough time each day on Permies, doing it full-time wouldn't be a stretch.

My compensation as stated when I filled out the questionnaire is negotiable.

I'll be here...

j

Jim,

Your post count, apple count, BB20 and look!  PIE too!   --- all good stuff.  

Of course, we need help - if we had enough help, somebody else would have responded to you by now.

At the same time, I kinda need the current VA peeps to ramp up just a little bit more before bringing in a noob.

Paul,

Thanks for the reply. I’ll be here. I’m ditching my 9 to 5 at the end of the year, and a work from home opportunity at that point would be something I’d be able to devote my full-time and attention to.

For now I am happy to continue on this journey contributing to the forums and pursuing badges.

j

I am totally necro’ing this post but I’m interested if you guys still need help! I filled out the form. I’ll look around for more recent forms and announcements and catch up with the more recent happenings in the community.

Hello there! I am absolutely totally without a doubt interested in this opportunity!! I filled out the survey, not sure if it was received but I would be happy to share my portfolio and resume if an email is provided!! I am eager to hear back from you and would be happy to discuss thing further. I have a great passion for this type of work and very flexible ! Thanks in advance, what a cool opportunity and network this is!

Hi Jenna,

At this time, we aren't looking at bringing someone on who isn't already on staff, or at least very active with a lot of history on permies.

Thanks though, and if you hang around for a while please check back in. Happy to give some more guidance after 100 posts or so.