Re: STC vs. NWU

[Gotlieb Carl R1478C <r1478c -at- TEMPECCPB -dot- SPS -dot- MOT -dot- COM>]

OK, here goes.

Andreas said:
>  The STC, on the other hand, approaches this very differently. The hotline
>  is an advertising medium for recruiters; they then charge 25-30% of the
>  job contract from the writer.

I'm glad that at least one officer of STC's international board (i.e. Saul)
responded, and he is correct in what he said.  However, I'm wondering if
there is some confusion here.  The "they then charge" refers to recruiters,
as I believe Andreas was trying to say.  Not to STC. At least I hope that is
what she meant. Maybe Saul thought otherwise (?).

By the way, as a contractor working through various job shops for the last 3
years, I've never been charged a fee by any job shop.  The job shop adds that
~25% fee onto the bill it gives to its client as its commission. As far as I
know, only "headhunters" charge the writer/contractor a fee directly, which
comes out of his/her paycheck. But I suppose it all depends on how you view
it. Only true "freelancers" get to keep everything they charge the client.
:-)

Andreas also said:
 >I wondered if STC members felt that they were getting someinting out of being
 >members.

STC has some 16,000 members worldwide, so I guess some of us feel it is
worthwhile to join.  Membership has grown consecutively for years.

Finally, I think one perception still needs clarifying.  Whereas NWU is a
union which is concerned mainly about *jobs* for its members (from what I've
read), STC is an _educational_ organization which is mainly concerned about
the *careers*  of its members, thus it provides seminars and conferences and
publishes information about technical communication.  (Saul can probably add
more about that, if necessary.) STC is not a job service organization, though it
does provide employment leads and can solicit information from employers
regarding job openings and then pass on the information to its members and
nonmembers who request it. At least I have done this.

I'm outta here!  Have a good weekend everybody.

Carl Gotlieb
President,
Employment Committee Mgr,
Phoenix Chapter, STC
r1478c -at- tempeccpb -dot- sps -dot- mot -dot- com