How It All Works

Working In Harmony

Two Sided

There are two sides to The Work Vault, we provide a service for students by giving them access to businesses which are looking to outsource. This gives them the ability to gain real word experience while they study.

We also offer a reduced cost outsourcing platform to businesses and individuals looking for a skill set they would traditionally need to employ a full time member of staff or look into outsourcing from an agency.

The idea is simple, and we aim to keep it that way. You can find out more about us and how we work on the about us page, but to put it simply to use this site, you will either be buying skills or selling skills.

Buying Skills

If you require a skill-set or have a project you need help with, simply create a brief with as much detail as you feel is necessary to fully explain your needs. Then you post it as a live job on our site then wait.

Quotes and offers will be sent you via the workstream and you will be notified by email when you receive a new offer. From there you can take your time to pick out the best candidate to complete your task.

Selling Skills

If you are wanting to earn money and increase your experience when you sign up to the site, let us know what jobs you are interested in and we will notify you via email when new ones are posted. We would recommend checking the site when you get chance, because sometimes tags are missed or there is a delay in sending the email.

When you find a job you like, simply put together your quotation and send it in. Successful applications will be awarded the job and work can then commence.

Using The Work Vault

While we are 100% free for students to use, we are aware some businesses will make contact and try to move the transaction away from the site (to avoid the 10% service fee). While we do not want to stop you from doing this, and once you have built up trust with (A) the sellers skills and (B) the fact the buyer will pay on time we have no issue with this. After all we are only here to help you make the connections you need to succeed.

However we would advise that all new transactions are carried out through the site to provide you with a safe environment, where money will only be transferred upon completion and any complaints will be dealt with by a impartial third party (us).

This helps to protect the buyer from paying for work that isn’t to the standard they agreed, or for late/missed deadlines. It also protects the seller from having to chase payment once the work has been done. We also use the workspace to log all communications so there is a paper trail for each side to see how the project has progressed.

How To Buy

Simply sign up to The Work Vault for free and start creating your project briefs. If you need help creating them we have a downloadable PDF (HERE) which will outline some of the key areas we think you should cover.

Then when the quotes start rolling in, review each and decide which best suits your needs and budget.

If you prefer, you can search the database for a student based on their skills and reach out to them directly. This way you can select the student you wish to work with directly without making the project public (for everyone to place bids on).

You can agree milestone payments for larger projects or ongoing projects that have clear defined targets. This helps to keep track of the progress that is being made and also keeps the student motivated throughout the project.

Once the the work is complete and you are satisfied, you can pay for the work by marking the project as completed and releasing the funds.

When the work has been accepted and paid for its time to leave a review. We cannot force you to leave a review and we also don’t want you to just review for the sake of it. Leave a well thought out review that will help other buyers understand the seller and their work.

The review is a learning experience for the student, so be as honest and open as you can. If you want to leave a top review but send them a private message regarding things you think they could change then please do so. Input at this stage is crucial.

How To Sell

Sign up to The Work Vault for free, then begin creating your profile page with samples of any relevant work and compiling your ‘about you’ section.

The about you section is very important so try to be as descriptive about yourself and your skills as you can. A lot of the time, when a quote has been submitted the buyer will review your profile to get a better understanding of you as a seller.

Try to keep your profile fun and easy to read. You don’t want to bore any potential buyer with a lifetime story, but discussing things such as your likes and dislikes can give you a personality along with listing your skill set and education.

We advise you to review the site for jobs using the search feature. This way you will find the mist recent project you can apply for.

When you have found a project you wish to bid on, you have to put together an in depth proposal of how you will complete the work, the cost and the deadline. Along with any milestone payments you require.

At this stage it is crucial you fully understand the buyers brief so if you have any questions ask them before agreeing to start the work. It is also important that the buyer understands your proposal, so ensure it’s easy to read.

When a proposal is accepted and you are expected to start work keep the buyer informed of your actions. Let them know you have started and ideally keep them informed throughout the process with quick updates in the workstream.

Its important to keep your buyer aware throughout the project so they don’t get any nasty surprises at the end of the project. If its possible send them updates along with progress reports so they can see the work as it unfolds.

When the work is complete send the files/project to the buyer for review and request the payment to be released. Give them chance to review the work and come back to you with any changes, however if you have kept them updates throughout there should be no issues.

Once the work has been paid for the buyer will review you and your profile. What they say will be made public for future buyers to see, its worth keeping this process in mind while you are working with them, as bad reviews can hinder your future progress.

Disputes

If you have a dispute you would like to raise then simply close the project (don’t mark it as finished) and the dispute process will begin. An evaluation of the brief and project details will take place, followed by an in depth analysis of the work provided to determine what criteria has and has not been completed to specification.

We also take into account deadlines and agreed milestones, so even if the work is up to par, but its not been delivered to the agreed deadline there may have a case for a dispute.