Freelancers Wanted

Unique Property Bulletin is looking for freelance journalists who enjoy unique property…

 

 

 

Click Here


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Apologies to Our Super-Bad Poet Hero, William Topaz McGonagall – Here

The photo above is one of Unique Property Bulletin’s own owned office locations.

P.S. If you spot the typo in the advert above, we will send a fiver to your favourite charity.

This is one of the reasons we need freelancers. To help copy-edit and proofing!


Latest Update

Unique Property Bulletin started out as a hobby in the late 1980s. Volunteers have run this publication since 1989. Since transferring the Bulletin online in 2011 the numbers of folk reading this website rocketed. This is really good, but by 2017 our small group of volunteers could no longer cope with the high number of enquiries from readers looking to buy their own style of unusual home.

The revenues from Google Adsense (here) can be good. But they fluctuate to highs and lows…

Google Adsense Website Income Streams Can Be Good

But not reliable enough to guarantee the secure revenue stream needed for PAYE staff and freelancers

So in 2018 we decided to deploy some lateral thought. Buy a set of buildings, sell a few off and the remainder, left with no mortgage could be rented out and that very secure income stream will be used to cover the monthly wage bill and social security/PAYE/NI costs.

Unique Property Bulletin would, at long last have a staff that would save the volunteers from burnout.

In proper fashion for a website that specialises in property that is a tad unusual we bought a lighthouse station…

We detail the advenures of this amazing experience elsewhere. Te point ws reached where Unique Property Bulletin was set to employ staff and have its own offices…

New Unique Property Premises

The Engine House Is To The Right of This Photograph

Unfortunately, whilst travelling aboard a ferry to the island of Arran, the founder of Unique Property Bulletin stepped backwards from the coffee bar aboard MV Caledonian  MacBrayne and tripped backwards over a piece of equipment that a crew member had negligently stowed in an improper manner. He cracked his head on the ship hull.

At first it this just seemed like a minor accident. But within five hours it had deteriorated into a TBI (traumatic brain injury” and urgent admission to Ninewells Hospital resulted in  several brain scans, CT scans, MRI scans.

Fortunately only a mild stroke was the diagnosis. But medication for the rest of his life has been proscribed.

Thank you CalMac.

The upshot is that we must apologise to anyone who has written in for the job application on this page.

Our remaining crew have made best efforts to reply to all those who have written, texted and emailed. If you have NOT had a reply within 3 days, PLEASE text the up-to-date number at the foot of this segment. Thank you.

The result of this unexpected turn of events is that the founder of this website is still making his recovery and cannot travel overly long distances. So Unique Property Bulletin took the decision to sell our Engine House offices and buy a property that is a 12 mile round trip rather than a 501 mile journey from where the main Unique Property Bulletin volunteers and their families live.

Please meet the new UPB-HQ...

Abbey Studios, 290 High Street, Arbroath, DD11 1JF

In financial terms, the lighthouse engine house was swapped for our new office block

next to a beloved and historic Arbroath Abbey.

There is no mortgage on this building next to Arbroath Abbey. We have 2 spare offices which will be the base of Unique Property Bulletin and our amazing group of friends at the Unique property Club. The other office is dedicated to the day-job of Russ McLean…

Scotslion: Click Here

That leaves TEN spare offices. These will form the BUSINESS INCUBATOR UNITS to help thos folk looking to move their embrionic enterprises from the back-bedroom or garage into a more professional and prominent High Street setting. The income from these rents will go to pay our freelance writers and PAYE admin staff. The business mentoring advice and support to the 10 adjacent office by Unique Property Bulletin HQ will be free. On a side note, we aim to p rove it is possible to regenerate the tired looking Arbroath High Street. We have succeeded in other UK and USA ttowns where several empty shops have been brought back into useful life.

Though there are some parts of Arbroath that we will be leaving well alone. For example our immediate neighbour’s house built exactly 700 years ago in 1320…

Arbroath Abbey. The Immediate Neighbour To Unique Property Bulletin

Incidentally whilst most of the research and writing for this website will soon be completed by folk TELECOMMUTING remotely from their home (as is fashion during a global virus pandemic such as Covid-19), once the Coronavirus is on its way out, we will be looking…

To buy an ideally unique property in the south coast of England, maybe on the isle of Wight, but certainly near the English Channel on order to balance our physical side of the relaunched Unique Property Bulletin

So if you spot anything that might fit the bill, please get in touch ~ text us at: 0757 2768 795.

We are sure that the Coronavirus will be beaten. The news that Daxamethasone has REDUCED the LETHALITY of Covid-129 at ventilator stage by 30% is the best all year. Scientists have ensured tha tother global pandemic, HIV is now NON_LETHAL with the regimenn of anti-viral medfication beaten by medicen. Thaose blighted by HIV once viewed that horrendous dsease a death sentence. Now HV sufferers have a comforting 67 year lifespam (here).

With pretty much every laboratory in the world putting major efforts into defeating Coronavirus and it now 30% beaten, we reckon life will be getting back to some form of normality within 10 to 20 months.

Though the shocking scars from this Covid pandemic will likely take years to heal. Some meay never recover from losing loved ones. From experience we would endewavour to help by saying it does get better. Yes there are days you still mourn the loss of loved ones, but the pain lessens and you learn to live with it.

If anything the journey of this past while at this end of the Unique Property Bulletin keyboard has taught us to value every precious minute of life.

That is one of the reasons a group of us including readers bought that amazing lighthouse station. Seriously, this is a major antidote to the depressive parts of life..

The Old Unique Property Bulletin HQ

We still have several acres and a couple of buildings at this wonderful lighthouse station

But the Arbroath Abbey Studios is now the new Unique Property Bulletin HQ

Hopefully, this updates our prospective writers and freelancers who will soon be asked to write a “guest presenter” feature for Unique Property Bulletin.

Similar to the way the television series: Have I Got News For You, adopted the protocol of a new presenter for each edition following the departure of their host, Angus Deaton…



Unique Property Bulletin Aims To Invite Guest Freelance Journalists To The Team Here At UPS-HQ

If you are interested in some contract work from home, please…

TEXT your name + email address + your Facebook page link to:-

TEXT ONLY: 0757 2768 795


Earlier Narrative…


Working From Home Can Be Fun

Even once the occasional apocalyptic pandemic passes, it can still be a comfort to raise your draw bridge at night.

This Castle Is Not For Sale. But Many Are.

Our job is to help our readers find unusual homes to buy and/or rent.

One of your first tasks is to write about finding ideal remote telecommuter work stations for our readers (and maybe even yourself one day).

Freelance vacancies have been brought forward to help self-isolating folk earn some extra money ~ and also keep some sanity. Perhaps add a little hope for the future into the mix as well.

It is crucial that applicants have a good WORKING KNOWLEDGE of the WORDPRESS internet systems. It is possible to self-learn via the very kind WordPress Youtube community.

If I can learn WordPress from this very desk where these words are being typed,

surely you can do the same at your home?

You can teach yourself WordPress operational protocols to the requisite standard. It just takes several hours. But hey, what better time? You are likely to be self-isolating for at LEAST 3 weeks (more likely 3 months if we follow the Italian tragedies). Have a look at WordPress on Youtube. Teach yourself how to write on internet websites and you may well find this frustrating time stuck in the house will open some new doors for you to a life that is much improved on your current one. Just a thought.

If you are interested in some contract work from home, please…

TEXT your name + email address + your Facebook page link to:-

TEXT ONLY: 0757 2768 795

Please avoid telephoning as we have been inundated with enquiries to buy nuclear bunkers and private islands since the outbreak of Coronavirus. Hence our employing admin., staff once the lockdown has been lifted.

The Facebook page link and an ability to work social media are also very important to the skillset we are seeking.


For those seeking to apply, here is some background to enlighten you as to the what, why, where and how of Unique Property Bulletin…


Unique Property Bulletin has been run by volunteers for the past 31 years. Originally a monthly journal…

Unique Property Journal: Paper Format: 1989-1992.

In 1992 the A5 monthly spot-colour format was changed to an A4 full-colour presentation…

Unique Property Bulletin: Paper Format: 1992-2010

In 2011 we went from a paper format to an online version…

Unique Property Bulletin Went From Paper Format To Online: 7th February 2011.

All throughout this 31 year period, Unique Property Bulletin has had articles, features and the fundamental inclusion of unusual buildings that are for sale grace the pages. Research and editorial supplied by our core group of volunteers…

Great Fun With Unique Property For Sale All Round

Examples of Unique Property We Have Helped Our Friends To Sell .

If It Is Unique & For Sale: We Feature The Property

However, the internet version of the Buletin proved a turning point. Our modest 2,000 to 3,000 readership of the paper format went a little bit viral on the internet. A stable readership of 25,000 to 35,000 was built up month-on-month. Sometimes, that number has reached as high as 100,000 from our own “regulars” plus social media going a tad viral…

The email and telephone enquiries that flowed from such large numbers of site visitors was very welcome, but the volunteer group here struggled to cope.

Volunteer Burnout Becoming A Problem At Unique Property Bulletin

Indeed one of our good friends, Sam Collett closed her “What Sam Saw Today” website (here).

As a result of the high readership numbers, in 2017 we had to decide whether to close our Unique Property Bulletin website or to keep it alive.

Our day job elsewhere is creating new jobs. In 22 years of renovating closed shops and shut-down hotels + derelict factory units, we have very much enjoyed creating 111 new jobs. So it would be daft to close something such as Unique Property Bulletin that has new job creating potential.

We chose to keep this publication going.

However, in order to secure a way to fund it so we can start to contract freelance journalists and then move to staff reporters we had to come up with a reliable source of revenue.

The internet Unique Property Bulletin already has several income streams such as Google Adsense and donations from house sellers that are appreciative of our efforts. Book sales also help…

Unique Property Manual Cover

Front Cover of Unique Property Manual (c) Russ McLean

But the staccato nature of the three main income sources varies significantly from month to month. It is an onerous matter to contract with folk to provide a professional service when the income from this end can be wobbly.

To solve this, the directors and a group of 52 Unique Property Club members set about creating a property based annuity where two or three buildings are placed in a discretionary trust and the rental income utilised to cover contract freelance and eventually new staff reporter wages. Our income-producing buildings will have no mortgages so the income is maximised.

This is a far more reliable revenue stream to pay contract freelancers and eventurally employ staff reporters.

How can this be done you might ask? We took our own advice. It is a long story that will be narrated in due course due to the sublime fun and adventure, but basically we bought a lighthouse station with 8 building on it…

Unique Property Bulletin HQ.

Tower House, Noss Head Lighthouse Station, Wick, Caithness, KW1 4QT.

In January 2020 we have reached the point where Noss Head Lighthouses have been renovated and brought back to life. Some of the buildings surplus to our requirements have been sold – example: here. So Unique Property Bulletin can now gently start letting contracts to with a suitably qualified and motivated folk for an inaugural freelance contract of £9 to £15 per hour depending on experience and skillset.

Please note you can work on contract for Unique Property Bulletin anywhere there is a decent broadband connection. 

Initially, we are seeking:-

Part-time freelance reporters. Classic training not vital. Quality of output carries more gravitas in our view.

As our current trajectory regrows to the high readership rates prior to our sabbatical lighthouse purchase, we seek to…

Increase from two to five part-time freelance writers.

Then…

Add PAYE staff reporters to the organisation (37 hours per week).

We are able to confidently and securely contract with a freelance journalist to ensure that every alternate day a unique property is added onto our website because of the hard work establishing the property ownership portfolio from whence the rental income shall pay the contracted freelancers and payroll staff. There is a lot of income from Google + pay-per-view and book sales, but that is not guaranteed. Hence the directors’ decision to underwrite remuneration with an asset-backed rental income.

It is crucial that applicants have a good WORKING KNOWLEDGE of the WORDPRESS internet systems.

If you are interested, please…

TEXT your name + email address + your Facebook page link to:-

0757 2768 795

Please avoid telephoning as we have been inundated with enquiries to buy nuclear bunkers and private islands since the outbreak of Coronavirus. Hence our employing admin., staff once the lockdown has been lifted. The Facebook page link and an ability to work social media is also very important to the skillset we are seeking.

You can also post your CV to our main offices:-

The Editor, Unique Property Bulletin Ltd., Abbey Studios, 280 High Street, Arbroath, Angus, DD11 1JF.

We emphasise that the current need for contract freelance writers can be filled by folk who are CURRENTLY on the Covid-19 LOCK-DOWN.

Indeed, we are highlighting these contracts early so as to assist those who would like to earn extra money from home and especially those folk who like the idea of improving their work-life balance by working at home. Though hopefully before long, this will be voluntary telecommuting and not the mandatory type as proscribed in terms of the Coronavirus Act 2020 (here) and related statute.

Please note, for security reasons, we do require to verify a real-world address for the successful applicants. Given the fact this is an internet-based publication, it is ironic, but online applications can be from anywhere in the world and may include miscreant hackers. Therefore we require a return address in the “real” world that is verifiable and identity of the applicant bona fides plus due diligence completed because the website access passwords will be available to the successful candidate.

Initially, the first contract freelance contributors will simply be adding a unique property every second day to the main website.

In due course, the FULL Unique Property Bulletin online magazine format will be returning. Some guidance for the FULL publication, due for a reboot in the autumn of 2020 can be studied on our tutorial website: click here.

Very best wishes,

 

Russ McLean

Director. Unique Property Bulletin Ltd.