2020-07-10 01:25:06

Commtech USA is currently hiring for the following positions.
Course creator
As a course creator your job is to create courses that are related to blindness or visual impairment in some way. We are open to courses on just about anything as long as you make your material accessible.
Sales
As a sales team member your job is to promote Commtech USA in any way you see fit.
Both positions are comissions based.
For more details please visit
https://commtechusa.net/job-openings/

2020-07-10 03:05:22

are there age requirements? I would be extraordinarily interested in this

Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality

2020-07-10 04:34:13

Just submitted an application for course creator. Now that I've started doing AT training this is a very ironic coinsidence.

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2020-07-10 04:36:11

There are no age restrictions, however if you are under the age of 18 we ask that your parent or legal guardian is involved in the process for your safety.  In essence your parent/legal guardian must initiate contact for you and Commtech USA, along with your parent/legal guardian, would sign a legal agreement concerning your course creation and financial payment for any courses you create.
the reasons for this move are many and most of them have to do with security and liability and whatnot, but I'll outline some of the more important takeaways you can infer from this post.
1.  Commtech is releasing self-paced training courses to blind individuals at an affordable price.
2.  These courses have to meet the standards set by vocational rehabilitation agencies.
3.  The reason for the above is quite simply that not only will the average blind/VI person be our general consumer, but we also target the sighted instructor, the parents of blind and visually impaired children, and members of the collecdtive workforce.
4.  A Commtech employee who releases a course of any kind must be able to provide ongoing support for that course.
5.  Finally, a Commtech employee who releases a course through Commtech USA must be willing to accept that once the course is released it is no longer their intellectual property.  We understand that not everyone will agree with this move and do not take disagreements personally.  this is usually the kind of things that puts potential course creators off because their vision does not necessarily align with Commtech's ideas, and that's ok.
If you have any further questions, feel free to reply on this topic and Nightshade and I will answer wherever possible.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-10 04:45:00

Not trying to be rude or anything, but how much of an income would this be about? Just trying to calculate how much money I can make next year

Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality

2020-07-10 05:16:22 (edited by Nocturnus 2020-07-10 05:18:53)

That all depends on the quality of your course, how well it sells and how widely it is received.  this is actually why the course, once up for sale is no longer your intelletctual property.  Let us outline a possible scenario.
1.  You produce a course on the fundamentals of setting up a linux box from scratch.
2.  You feel you have produced it well and submit it to us for review.
3.  We agree with you and discuss pricing.  You believe the course should sell for a hundred dollars and we agree to that.  The problem here is a difference in our setting up that course to work with our platform, the cost of promoting that course, and anything else under-the-hood a course creator does not necessarily have to consider.
The answer?  Commtech likes your course, agrees with your course being valuable, sells and markets your course, maintains your course and, in the event that you cannot provide support for it or something goes wrong, steps in to fill that role.  Commtech agrees you should receive 50% of any profit made from course sales; this is a lifetime pledge.  What that ultimately means to you, the course creator, is that even if Commtech loses its 50% for any reason, be it because we had to pay extra for promotional or marketing purposes you would still collect $50 for that 100 dollar course.  In the event that we cannot come to a price agreement, your course is not sold through Commtech USA and you are free to try and distribute it as you see fit and the course is still your intellectual property.
So, to recap, any course you sell through Commtech USA entitles you to a lifetime 50% profit.  the only time your 100 dollar course might not make you 50 dollars for a sale is if a discounted price is offered, but in the event of a sale or bundle we wish to include your course in you would in fact be notified of any price changing in advance.  An example?  Labor day is about a month away and widely regarded here in the US.  We decide to discount prices for all of the products and services we offer for a huge laborday sale.  Commtech would notify you that we are going to do this and ask you if you would like to participate by including your course in that sale.  We decide that all courses sold through Commtech USA are 20% off.  You make 40 dollars.
In the event you've missed it, however, this also means that the more courses you sell through Commtech USA, the more money you stand to make.  All of this goes hand in hand and is more or less common sense.  More quality, more quantity, better sales and recognition, thus more profitability.  You do something you enjoy doing such as teaching linux or showing off setting up Raspberry pies as accessible security systems or, well, whatever your tech hobby happens to be and you make money teaching it from an accessibility standpoint.
As previously stated, if you have any further questions do feel free to keep sending them this way.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-10 05:50:06

Is it necessarily tech? Is it just general blind life? Or is it strictly about accessible technology

Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality

2020-07-10 06:27:31 (edited by jack 2020-07-10 07:10:08)

@jimmy69: Commtech USA delivers information technology and assistive technology consultation, training, and support. So I would generally be prepared for your potential work to involve technology of some sort. They did say the courses could be about anything you can write about just as long as they are accessible, however.
@nocturnus: If the work is commissions based, am I correct in assuming that none of these positions are scheduled or hourly work? Or at least course creation would not be hourly work since income for that is based off of sales?
Additionally, who do I address the cover letter to when applying? I searched the application page and could not find a specific person to address the cover letter to, and I realize it is generally good practice to avoid a generic "Dear Sir/Madam" if at all possible. However, I could not find anyone related to hr/hiring staff on the contact page either. Does it need to be addressed to anyone in particular, or just to the company as a whole?
Thanks!

2020-07-10 07:56:25

Is this company yours? I've never heard of it until today.

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2020-07-10 09:06:00

@Techmaster20: You can also find postings from them in a few Blind Bargains classifieds posted a while back. That was the first time I had heard of Commtech.

2020-07-10 11:14:08

@post 7
Courses can be about any subject of your choice as long as the course is made accessible. Generally our courses follow the following format.
A written introductionn.
Summarize what the student will learn in the course.
An audio or video recording for each module that is as near to 10 minutes in length as you can make it.
Written summaries of all modules
Summarize what you covered in the video or audio recording.
A quiz for each module with 5 to 10 questions and 4 multiple choice answers per question along with  the answer keys.
Ask questions to make sure the student learned the material you were presenting.
At least 3 modules, more are fine.
@post 8
The work is not hourly, no. At times we do hire assistive technology trainers and those are hourly positions. You may address your cover letter to Commtech USA Staff, Human Resources, or a generic Sir/Madam is fine.
@post 9
This company is not our company, though we are both part of the management team. Thus why we are taking it upon ourselves to reach out to the community to offer this oppurtunity to others.
@post 10
Yes we have advertized on Blind Bargains, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms. Our goal is to reach and help as many people as possible.
Feel free to ask any further questions. If you send in an application for course creation or sales, it will be reviewed promptly and we will be in touch. Our process is fairly simple. Once your application is received we will review it. We will then make contact with you via phone or Email. At this time we will discuss what your first course will be if you are going for course creation. At this time you will then begin creating your course. Once complete you will zip it up and Email a link to the manager of training and course creation at which time we will review it. If it meets the necessary requirements, we will put it through post production editing for spelling, grammar, and audio quality and then discuss pricing with you. After that we will import it into our learning management system, set the price we agreed to, and onboard you as a course creator. What this means is you will be given an Email address, phone extention, and set up on the payroll to get paid.
I hope this clarifys for anyone interested.
Jessica Melchor
Manager of Customer Service and Sales
Commtech USA
http://www.commtechusa.net

2020-07-10 15:20:28

@Nightshade: Ok, great. That makes sense.
Thanks!

2020-07-11 03:21:15

Hi. Thank you for letting us know about this opportunity. I have a friend who may be a good fit. Just curious, is there a deadline for application submission?

2020-07-11 05:05:03

@ post 13
No deadline at all. We will always be hiring course creators.
Jessica Melchor
Manager of Customer Service and Sales
Commtech USA

2020-07-11 19:33:59

Do we have to pay to join the company? How much is the price? Also do you get a commission off every person that joins? I have never heard of this company and I don’t know the benefits of using this service. How is this one different than all the others out there? Do I need to get my rehab counselor too? ission

2020-07-11 20:04:03

I would be interested in a sales position. How much would I be looking at it as an income? How often could I work? I’m very interested

Is this the real life?
Or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide,
No escape from reality

2020-07-11 22:24:45 (edited by jack 2020-07-11 23:11:09)

@Blind angel 444: Assuming you are applying for a position, you would be hired by the company, not joining the company or its services. Commissions are based on folks purchasing the course that you helped create provided you continue to hold your end of the agreement. Costs for joining the company? The one indirect cost I'd consider would be audio gear. You do want decent gear for recording the audio modules, and an uninterrupted recording time available to you. No noisy environments. Not everyone can get a room-in-room studio space, but egg-crates/a blanket/a walk-in closet should pass. Bonus points if the room you're recording in is already carpeted. @Nightshade and @Nocturnus can correct me if I'm wrong or establish any clear audio-quality standards that the company has.
Now for people who haven't submitted their applications, apparently the plain edit field for your cover letter handles indents for your paragraphs, but they count as a space at the beginning of the line. Nevertheless you'll want to paste from notepad since it is not a rich edit.

2020-07-11 22:54:59

@Blind angel, post 15, no, you don't pay anyone to join the company.  This is a real job in a corporate environment.  You apply for your position; you interview for that position.  If you fit the ticket you are then given that position.
@jimmy69, post 16, the sales position works on the idea that you market and must make a sale for commtech USA.  Any sale that is $100 or less pays you 25%, any sale from $100.01 to $250 pays you 20%, $250.01 to $500 is 15%, and anything above $500 is a 10% profit.
You would receive an affiliate link that is entirely your own so that we can in fact monitor your sales record and you would be paid once a month based on that record.  Alternatively, if a person calls in and mentions you by name this would also count toward that record.  If you promote and market on a regular basis without your affiliate link or a sale is completed over the phone and your name is not mentioned, we cannot know you were responsible in influencing potential buyers.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-11 23:03:59

to Answer Jack and post 17, some of those are obviously not always ideal but they would tend to produce better results.  We value creativity, thus anything that you can think of which will increase the quality of your material is more than ok.  Believe it or not, when I first started with Commtech USA I had less than what I would have wished for and was recording with some seriously cheap dynamic cardioid mics and a PC that was on its last legs.  I've since managed to obtain better equipment as well as Native Instruments gear.  I could go into much more detail on what my job has had me do, the mistakes I've made along the way and the ways I've corrected them, and even some of the things I've just left for the sake of showcasing that I'm not perfect, but that'd make for a much longer post and I'd hate to bore anyone with it.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-13 09:26:54 (edited by Green Gables Fan 2020-07-13 10:14:46)

I am super interested in this position! I've been trying for months now to establish myself as a consultant, independent contractor, or business owner because I am specifically targeting an audience that might be able to benefit from three potential ideas. I decided to reopen my case with Voc Rehab to see if they might be able to help me determine whether any of these ideas were going to be feasible.
I could probably create some courses or promote sales, though from what I can infer, if you are promoting and advertising, you will have to have capital to begin with.
I also wonder if Voc Rehab will be able to pay the cost of a good audio gear for me to do the recordings, such as making short blurbs to put on podcasts or audio ads.
Edited to add: @11, you said that the course can be about any subject as long as the material is accessible. However, upon looking at the site's content, it appears to be mainly about assistive technology. So, would CommTech USA consider a course about reading music Braille and basic music theory to go along with it?

Ulysses, KJ7ERC
She/they
Reedsy

2020-07-14 04:20:40

@20, absolutely.  We would consider that course and it would more than likely sell like hotcakes!
If you have a case with a VR agency, whatever it may be, and you happen to be an onboarded course creator, Commtech would be more than happy to help you along the way to obtaining better equipment through your agency provided we can properly justify it, and believe me we will do our absolute best.  Make sure you read that properly, since all of the above conditions must be met and we're not set on hiring just anyone to piggyback off of the system and get free passes on whatever they want.  We do carefully vet our staff and, as such, it's best if you do not apply if your heart is honestly not in it.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-14 05:10:32

Yeah, that would be a good supliment to my audio engineering courses...

Power is not the responsibility of freedom, but it is actually the responsibility of being responsible, it's self, because someone who is irresponsible is enslaved by their own weaknesses.

2020-07-14 10:14:36

@21, I spoke to my VR counsellor, and it's the first time they heard of this company, so they don't really know much about it, its reputation, etc. One thing that was not made clear was what credentials CommTech would consider I.E. high school diploma or GED, or if a higher education degree would be required or preferred.

Ulysses, KJ7ERC
She/they
Reedsy

2020-07-14 13:24:57

@Green Gables Fan, post 23, we're more popular in more states than others as far as VR goes, California, Arizona, Atlanta and Florida as examples.  Texas and Missouri don't like us much because we refuse to play by their rules for the most part.  That having been said, we're able to work with any state in the US and don't mind being pushy if necessary when diplomacy seems to be failing.
For anyone headed to the NFB Career fair today, expect us there as well.  We will be outlining most of what you've already read here and taking questions.  Beyond that, it's business as usual and we'll still be watching this topic as well as responding to application submissions and any other matters presented to us as soon as we can.

When life gives you oranges, demand lemons since everyone else is obviously getting them.

2020-07-14 14:31:58

THis is an interesting take on courses and I haven't seen a company that specializes specifically in this one area. I am assuming that course creators and other non-internal hires would be independent contractors and have to worry about their own tax forms and withholdings. Also, have you thought about allowing for course-specific supplementary materials? For example, for GGF's prospective braille music course, GGF might want to emboss and send off some sheets of Braille music along with the audio files so that a user of the course could follow along with the course. THis example might be a bit weaker, sincemost blind people have a Braille display or access to an embosser, but there might be other tools that aren't as easi to acquire.

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