Personal Assistant ($45/h, Berkeley)
Berkeley-based entrepreneurs and researchers are looking for Personal Assistants (PAs). This is a unique opportunity for people in/near Berkeley to work flexibly, help friendly and high-performing individuals be more productive, and get paid at a generous hourly rate. Our application process is quick and easy, and we would very much appreciate hearing from you.

In this role, you will research optimal solutions to a wide range of challenges and take care of in-person errands around Berkeley. You will be offered to work on a range of tasks such as online research (finding products, travel plans), answering emails, helping with workshop logistics, personal errands (bicycle repairs, fixing housing issues, in-person purchases), moving house (finding apartments, assembling furniture, GP registration, etc.), personal life admin (e.g. taxes), data entry, etc. Over time, you might take on more challenging responsibilities, such as setting up legal entities or viewing and buying Berkeley real estate. While we are looking for candidates who can cover a wide range of tasks, you will always decide yourself whether you want to do a particular task. The ideal candidate gets a lot done, is reliable, and is detail-oriented.

Your client(s) will be part of the effective altruism community, a global community of people aiming to solve the world’s most pressing problems using careful reasoning and analysis. The hiring round is run by Jonas Vollmer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonasvollmer), who is looking for a PA himself, and he plans to recommend strong applicants to ~20 other potential clients. His previous assistant writes: "I worked for Jonas (very part-time) for nine months in Oxford. He is a really nice boss! The work was mostly very enjoyable. Lots of online research, summaries, and making suggestions for purchases."

You will work at least 10 hours per week and possibly full-time (depending on your availability and client demand), compensated at $45/h (negotiable), with the option to negotiate a retainer with each client to ensure a steady source of income. You will either be self-employed (preferred), or hired through the Atlas Fellowship, a global scholarship program (at $40/h plus benefits).

Interested? Please fill in our application form. We recommend spending no longer than 40 minutes on it. We will then invite the candidates who submitted the strongest applications to a brief interview over video call. Please note that your submission will be forwarded to potential clients.

There’s a $100 referral bonus: If you recommend someone we end up hiring, you’ll both get a $100 bonus. The applicant should indicate the referrer’s name and email address in the ‘Anything else you’d like to tell us?’ field.

If you're not sure whether to apply, please simply submit a quick application. We'd love to hear from you! :)
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Email *
Your name *
LinkedIn profile (optional)
When would you be able to start this job? *
If accepted, you would commit to this job for *at least* the following time period: *
Location *
During the time period indicated above, where do you expect to be located? If you won’t be in Berkeley (or near Berkeley, and willing to commute) for most of the time, please elaborate.
Time commitment and schedule *
We expect client demand at 5–40h per week. What is your minimum and maximum time commitment per week for this role? How will this vary over time? Please also indicate whether you are open to working on evenings and weekends (it's fine if the answer is 'no'). Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Why are you interested in this role, and which types of PA work are you interested in? *
What are your life circumstances that make you interested in doing this? Which types of work do you enjoy? Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
How do you intend to handle a large number of incoming tasks and ensure they get done promptly and reliably, without missing any deadlines? *
Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Achievements *
Please list some of your most impressive achievements to date. E.g., major projects you coordinated (such as co-organizing a conference), standardized test scores, or volunteering experience. If this information is available in sufficient detail on your LinkedIn profile, please simply copy-paste from there. Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Problem-solving: Please provide an example of a situation where you solved a difficult problem unconventionally and hit the target a lot more quickly/easily than you were supposed to. *
Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Sample task 1: It’s Sunday 8:30pm, and one of your clients informs you that they just moved to Berkeley and urgently need to buy a bicycle, ideally by 10pm on the same evening. You happen to have time to help the client. How would you approach this problem? *
Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Sample task 2: Please draft a polite response email turning down the following request: "Hi there, I'm contemplating starting an existential risk research institute and community-building organization in Vancouver. I would love your input on these plans. Would you be available for a 30-minute call sometime in the next week? Best, Alice" *
Please make it a complete rejection (e.g., don't refer Alice to someone else), be honest (e.g., don't say the project is great – you don't know that!), but ensure Alice feels appreciated. Please keep your response brief (10-100 words).
Preferred mode of compensation *
References (optional)
Please include any reference information you can easily provide, such as names or letter. Note that we won't contact anyone without checking with you once more, and you're welcome to provide references at a later stage if you prefer.
Compensation expectations (optional)
Our default rate is $45/h. For individuals with unusually strong qualifications, we may be open to negotiating. Please indicate here if your expectations are above our default rate.
Anything else you’d like to tell us? (optional)
A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
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