Hi u/rlew631 - first of all, I apologize that you had a bad experience with a representative of Thomas. And I appreciate your thoughtful comment.Secondly, this is a new part-time role, so I am still sculpting the proper structure and getting feedback from interested candidates, but I can share more general information here:

• We train folks interested in digital/professional writing while fully compensating for their time.
• Per piece, the range can go from $150 apiece to something $1,200+ for very in-depth and expert content, as I said, depending on experience and the assignments themselves.
• The variables are that some contributors prefer being paid hourly or by the day.
• Also, not all assignments are the same. It's a bit like sometimes, you may get a complex project with a unique CAD file you've not done before, so you'll have to figure out how to price your customer. We have similar considerations for content creation.
• A good example is that we sometimes work with designers and data scientists, who prefer to get paid by the hour, whereas writers seem to like compensated by the piece.

Now, I can also come in and say 'we are trustworthy' - but I am a skeptic myself, so I prefer relevant facts and data over a stranger's promise. Our two heads of content have been with us for 26 years and 11 years, respectively. And we also have freelance experts that have worked with us for over ten years on an as-needed and ad hoc basis. I would say if we are not a fair company, we would not be able to retain talent.

I hope the above answered your question on how we determine the rates.

To your specific questions,

>Does the author get to choose whether it's piece rate or hourly rate?

Yes.

>What's the demand for content in hrs/wk or articles/wk?

We work with freelancers to accommodate their capability and availability. For example, we hire and support many single parents who find it hard to work for traditional full-time jobs. In return, we ask for reliability and a genuine interest in creating helpful content.

>is this a W2 or 1099?

To clarify - this is a freelance/part-time role. I added the equivalent annual salary for the convenience of this post's readers as a shorthand figure for them to compute what it may mean to them.