Re: Question for people with tech writing businesses

[Beth Agnew <beth -dot- agnew -at- senecac -dot- on -dot- ca>]

I'm biased, but I'd say go for the intern if you don't mind the amount 
of your time that might be necessary for supervision and teaching. Make 
sure your contract with the organization gives you the freedom to use 
subcontractors (or interns); some contracts prohibit this. Troll your 
local techwriting programs or the professional writing department of the 
nearest college or university. Anyone with some education in 
institutional writing would be a good candidate, or any corporate 
communications, mass communications majors could serve as well. They are 
more likely to be clued in about graphics, layout and publishing than 
your average English major. Campus offices geared toward helping 
students get summer jobs will help you efficiently find the right 
candidates.

You might want to be more specific in your proposal regarding the 
on-site presence of your intern, how much they will be involved in 
research/analysis, drafts, reviews, etc. In my proposals I spell out the 
(marked-up) rates for various tasks so would include writing time at one 
rate, and project management time at another rate. This way your time is 
reimbursed, and you of course get the premium on your sub's time. You 
probably wouldn't want to include all the time you will spend guiding 
your intern in the proposal itself, but take it into consideration when 
you set your schedule. A three day turnaround for a corporate client 
could end up being five to seven days with the back and forthing 
required to work with the intern. The supervising and teaching should be 
relatively transparent to the client, unless they are fully supportive.

How you want this contract to appear to the client is important. Will 
they know that you are using an intern? They might need to be reassured 
that your involvement is very much hands-on. The same caution is true 
for a subcontractor. Some clients are hiring YOU and they want to feel 
comfortable that it's your work they are getting. Still, if it was fair 
for the Renaissance masters to have apprentices do much of the mundane 
work, it's equally fair for us to involve the rising generation in 
similar tasks.

I have used students many times on projects, and I find that if I pay 
them slightly better than entry level rates, they are extremely motivated!

It's a win/win/win situation. Your client can get a price break (if you 
choose) because you will be using lower-cost intern labor, you get 
satisfaction from the project and fair compensation, and the intern gets 
a great experience as well as a portfolio piece, a reference, and 
potentially future work.
--Beth

Dick Margulis wrote: