Didn't you accuse ME of being dramatic a few posts ago?? lol


I've read the opinions and I still haven't changed mine. Sorry. Poverty?? My life story can compete against any made-for-TV movie you care to toss at me, I can assure you. Try living in an uninsulated house in Nova Scotia when it reaches minus 40 with 100 MPH winds and the ice forms on the INSIDE of the windows. The only blessing to the weather was it meant that the pimps weren't undeneath the window beating the crap out of the hookers who were too stoned to realize they were even being hit. There was more than one instance where these pimps simply walked into my house to "get" me...offering me the world to "hang out" with them. Many of my relatives went to jail for stealing and dealing. My aunt was beaten to death by her pimp-husband - leaving four young children behind. The opportunity for easy money and regular meals was there, but my mother and grandmother would never take it!! Never. Instead they worked, and they saved and we made do. It would be a complete dishonour to their hard work for me to take an easy-buck that had even the slightest taint of anything unethical. Maybe I won't die rich, but hopefully I'll be remembered as someone who would never compromise her ethics.

No, writing terms papers is not the same as prostitution, or dealing drugs, but the excsuses for doing so seem to be the same: need money. Writing term papers is not a "clean hands" endeavor.

Cathi

Jeez, that brought a tear to my eye. Can't wait for the movie to be released on video.

One guy said that he took 4/5 days to produce a 2,000 word essay for 27GBP, less than 1GBP an hour. Another said she would only take 4 or 5 hours to do it.
Well, I do not believe she could write on a specific question on a specific topic such as the Russian Revolution, that she would only know in a general sense at best, in 4 or 5 hours. And to a 2:1 degree standard. That frankly is rubbish.
I wrote one essay (3,000 words) and it took me 25 hours for 80GBP. Quick and hurried research was included in that. So I earned just over 3GBP an hour.
Yes the guy was right, Tesco would pay better. I may be able to increase the speed slightly, but still it would not be worth it.

I do believe I may have answered the question, rather than just self-righteously criticised everyone.

One of BookCoverDesigner's illiterates.

During my Uni years I used to write essays for my classmates (for money, of course :-). I was earning about 2-4 pounds an hour. That for enough for me then, but after I finished the Uni I decided to pursue my career further.

I think that while you are studying you can do it, because it goes in line with your study (e.g. studying economics you would not be writing on medicine), however after you graduate you should immediately quit this job because if you continue writing essays, in about 5-10 years time all of your classmates will have management positions and you still be writing essays for students.

Now I am head of marketing department in one of UK PLC’s...

I was simply responding to the "feel sorry for me because I HAVE to do this" stories so many here have posted, trying to point out to you that very few lives are easy, but we are still responsible for our actions.

If you feel good about yourself, and feel that writing for such companies has no "shadow" of anything less than integrity, then so be it. I am not your judge. If you think this is a shining star on your resume, or worse, if you really believe this is the best you can do job-wise, well, that's a little sad.

I do have to question why so many of this company's (and those like it) defenders need to try and justify what they're doing with stories of poverty, etc. When you have to start explaining yourself in these terms, perhaps it's time to take a good, long look at why. Rarely does a story that begins "I had to do ______________ because I needed the money" have a good ending. That's just a fact of life.

As for the video, why would I do that? I've been blessed with a great varity of life experiences and I draw directly from them to make my current income. Sellling the rights to anyone else would inhibit my ability to do so. Good or bad, allowing one's circumstances to influence and even determine their actions can be a formula for failure. Instead, you draw from them and turn them into something useful, and if you're a writer, you can turn them into income.

Cathi

Kathi, I agree with you 100%.

However you are saying: "Instead, you draw from them and turn them into something useful, and if you're a writer, you can turn them into income"

People working in this business are not WRITERS - for them it is a temporary job and they are only making money. They do not take writing seriously, therefore it is suitable for them.

And I do, of course, think that its a shame!

I agree, just because their hand moves and they produce words does NOT make them a writer. Or maybe there are levels of writing--that being some counterfeit action of writing but not the real integrity of writing--I dont know. Having been a psychotherapist, I found 'levels of counseling' too-- the least being psychic hotlines. So maybe there are levels in most careers.

I thought I'd throw my two cents in here, too, since I was approached by Devereaux & Deloitte at the beginning of the year. I was hesitant to accept the contract because it just didn't sit right with me - writing term papers for students who should be doing it themselves.

Then I found a discussion about them on Monster between a lot of other people who had been approached by the company as well. About five posts into the discussion someone from Devereaux & Deloitte who had discovered the forum and blasted any naysayers. They were incredibly rude, used excessively strong language (no swearing, but calling people in the forum who were nervous about joining "idiots" and "morons") and by the next day, all ads for the company had been deleted from Monster.

I wouldn't touch that company or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries with a 10-foot pole; however, since I've never worked with them, I can't know if they're a good employer or not. But it strongly goes against my ethics and my pride to work with a company who a) produces term papers for students and b) calls people names because they have questions.

I guess this is my 2 fen opinion, since currently I'm living in China. ;) There's a serious debate about student ethics going on here that's good food for thought, especially for students. I'm sure a lot of students _should_ read it.

I stumbled across "paper companies" when I was in college. I decided I didn't want to get involved. It sounded shady. I realize now that the companies are "legal" in the sense that they aren't really doing anything wrong. Okay, I know people are going to jump on that statement.

I agreed with a statement (way back there now) that these places are like a gun manufacture. They make and sell guns. It's up to the purchaser whether they buy the gun to go hunting with their friend or they shoot their friend. Your actions are yours.

Yes, what these companies are doing is not ethical in the sense that it offers students a way of cheating. But it's up to the students to cheat. If students HAD NOT cheated in the first place, the companies would not have come into existence. If someone hadn't thought of doing something like this, then it wouldn't have occured to them to create a term paper mill.

HOWEVER . . . the pre-law student who buys a term paper online is not the kind of guy I want to be a lawyer anyway. (They have a hard enough time digging themselves out of their terrible reputations.) The architectural engineering student who cheats on his tests is NOT the kind of person I want designing my house or apartment! Heck, the idea of cheating historians, linguists, and literary theorists makes me cringe . . .

I tutored college students, especially ESL students, back when I was in college. Now that I'm here in China, that's what I'm doing again, although most of my students are younger. (My husband is an English teacher here.) Just giving people plain information or answers (such as a pre-written paper) omits the REAL learning. That's what you're really learning in classes: HOW to get the answers, WHERE the answers came from, WHY we have those answers.

If a person is cheating, he or she is not learning information and skills -- he's missing those how's, where's, and why's -- he is expected to know and may need to do a job. He is also proving he has a poor study/work ethic.

Many people think that stuff you do in high school and college is "swept under the rug" after you leave. I hope some students realize this: The fact that you cheated and it ends up on your academic record may cost you later in life. It may cost you any appearances of integrity. Companies do check records. As "fake diploma mills" pop up more and more on the Internet, more companies RESEARCH their applicants' backgrounds. This can cost cheaters dearly, even if it was a one-time mistake.

The flip side of all this is the creeping credentials issue. Now college seems like four more years of "I have to go to school." Many people who go to college aren't really suitable for it -- in personality, maturity, or otherwise.

Well. No easy solutions. Myself, as I said, I'd avoid working for the "term paper mills." It's certainly not a job I'd ever list on my resume, especially if I was applying to a job in academia. However, individual decisions I leave to others.

_________________
Kaerondaes. Only slightly crazy. Feel free to ask where I got the crazy name.

Guys, if you ever see the advertisement of UKESSAYS.COM offering you to write your essay – run away from them! I’ve ordered an essay from them last term. I’ve paid 270 pounds and eventually I received an essay almost fully copied from academicdb.com

I got a fail and warning from my uni that they’ll check all of my courseworks for plagiarism and if it will happen once again – I’ll be thrown out! Don’t make the same mistake! Stay away from this company!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve tried to contact them recently but they did not reply on my emails and the guy there told me that he’ll not be sorting it out because almost 2 months past – I had to do it within 48 hours after I received it! Now I lost my money and don’t know what to do! Can you help me please!

I know that I should not have done that at the first place but I was so stupid. A guy came to me at the uni and persuaded me to order an essay from them saying that it will be 1st class and that I can get a very good marks if I’ll be ordering my essays from them.

And the worst thing is that my girlfriend ordered her coursework from another company and got an A for it! Why did it happen to me???????????????????????????????

"Why did it happen to me???????????????????????????????"

So that you could have the fortunate opportunity to learn that genuine work will pay you unimaginable rewards in the future. Congratulations. And I mean that.

Okay, I'm not usually too cynical, some may call me gullible from time to time...but dear heavens, there's no way on earth this is a legitimate post!!

Cathi

If there is anyone out there who has something to say about this company i.e. a writer who has worked for them in the past, a consumer how has bought from them, an employee who has or is working for them, but is too scared because of the consequences they may face. You may email me directly. I want to gather as much information as I can about this company, I already posses a few leads but I require as much as I can. All information provided will be held with confidential some of the information may be used with your approval.

Ian
at_your_side2001@yahoo.co.uk

Please read our official statement about some of the posts on this thread here.

http://forums.writersweekly.com/viewtopic.php?p=27372#27372

Just for the record, if Angela or Richard Hoy were to ever hand over personal information about me they garnered from running this website, without a valid subpoena, I'd be all over them for violating my rights so fast your head would spin.

In short, you do not have any right to ask any personal questions about anyone. You're an anymous entity on the internet and could be anyone, anywhere of any character. If you feel you have just cause then you are going to have to follow the same laws and do it the same way as anyone else would: Hire a lawyer, get a subpoena and begin action against the individuals you feel have wronged you.

I'm in Canada, so plan on hiring a Canadian lawyer, also. However, being Canadian, I am fully entitled to publish my opinion about your business, and the last time I checked they didn't extradite people across the Atlantic for civil matters.

Cathi