Student Services Specialist Application
(Part-Time, Remote)

 

Type: 1099 contractor
Hours: 20 + hours per week – at least 4 hours per day, Monday to Friday
Pay: $30 per hour
Location: U.S. residents only

 

About the Role

The Student Services Specialist is responsible for providing support to both students and staff. The ideal candidate will have expertise and formal education/training in traditional Western herbalism, experience with organic gardening and medicine making, and excellent written and verbal communication skills. This remote position participates daily in supporting students enrolled in The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine’s online courses: answering questions, reviewing coursework, directing students to course and external herbal resources, assisting with payments and technical issues, and more. You’ll also communicate daily with the general public and prospective students via the school’s support email account, video messaging, phone calls, and other channels.

This is a part-time remote position starting at 20 hours per week with weekly check-in meetings with the Student Services team, and occasional all-team meetings.

The work is fulfilled from your home on your own computer. You’ll work Monday through Friday, approximately 4 hours each day during business hours (9am – 5pm EST) – with weekends off. Flexibility, including extra hours (up to 40 hours per week occasionally), will be needed to cover shifts for other team members during their planned days off. Occasional evening hours may be needed for help with sales, student Zoom sessions, or other promotions. You may need to work during some holiday seasons (but not on actual holiday days) to support students or help with sales or promotions. Graduates of the Chestnut School’s Herbal Immersion Program are HIGHLY encouraged to apply. Ideally, you would also be interested in more hours over time based on your skills and the school’s needs.

 This position is for someone who enjoys working with a team and is comfortable receiving feedback and direction from other team members in a highly supportive and collaborative environment. But you also thrive on working alone. You’re self-motivated and creative, thinking up new ways to teach and break down complex subjects. You are patient, compassionate, and naturally helpful. Clear communication is extremely important to you, and you understand the nuances of conveying positive feedback in written communication. You’ll be directly communicating with the general public, so it’s imperative that you’re a compassionate and patient communicator with excellent problem-solving and customer service skills.


Responsibilities

Student Communication

  • Review all students’ coursework for the purpose of awarding certificates and providing meaningful feedback on projects
  • Answer student questions via email, student question forms, video messaging, and in comments on online lessons
  • Moderate student forums and post about herbal resources and events
  • Provide students with technical support, with assistance from our tech team
  • Maintain comprehensive knowledge of herbalism with the purpose of answering students’ inquiries accurately
  • Respond to blog comments daily
  • Answer prospective student questions on social media during sales and launches
  • Complete other student support-related tasks and outreach as requested

 Administration and Customer Service

  • Complete general administrative tasks
  • Process payments, update credit cards, and answer payment questions
  • Monitor recurring payments and manage default payments
  • Answer questions from the general public and prospective students, primarily via email, and also by online chat, video chats, social media messaging, and phone
  • Reply to all questions from the website contact form

 Writing/Teaching Assistance (preferred skills)

  • Create quizzes, review sheets, and experiential projects using existing content
  • Contribute to and edit newsletters, articles, and other texts as requested
  • Do live and/or recorded Q&A videos for students
  • Copywriting for email newsletters and blog posts

Internal Relationships

  • Reports directly to the Student Services Manager
  • Coordinates and communicates daily with other team members, responding to emails within 24 hours M-F


Qualifications & Personal Qualities

  • 2+ years of formal education or training in traditional Western herbalism in a rigorous program (not self-taught)
  • 5+ years experience in the field of herbalism
  • 2+ years of administrative and customer service experience
  • Experience in educational environments optimal
  • Extensive knowledge of herbal medicine, including medicine making, herb cultivation, materia medica, sustainable harvesting, botanical terms, herbal safety, and general medical herbalism
  • Superior written and verbal communication skills
  • Comfortable using video, audio, and writing to communicate with students
  • Positive and helpful attitude and ability to work as part of a team
  • Ability to respectfully and compassionately communicate with people from all walks of life (who are sometimes frustrated, unclear, or uncivil)
  • Ability to multitask and meet deadlines
  • Must be comfortable completing work in allotted time increments based on historical Success Metrics
  • Intermediate + web/computer skills with a willingness to learn new systems and time-saving technology practices
  • Given that this is a technology-based business, you must be familiar with Facebook groups, Dropbox, Google Docs, and be willing to learn Asana, our project management software, AccessAlly, our learning management software, and Keap, our customer relationship management software
  • Comfortable using automation, learning new tools for efficiency, and generally being open-minded when it comes to technology
  • Comfortable with changes in student communication and protocols as technology develops
  • High level of emotional intelligence and innate helpfulness when communicating with students, colleagues, and the general public
  • Positive and helpful attitude and ability to work as part of a team
  • Confident to take full ownership of projects and comfortable asking questions as needed
  • Adaptable, flexible, and skilled at problem-solving; creatively dealing with challenging situations
  • Detail-oriented and highly organized; loves systems
  • Able to demonstrate discretion and handle highly confidential information
  • Excellent time management skills and ability to multitask and prioritize work
  • Committed to implementing equity and anti-racism policies
  • Consistent access to suitable office space with high-speed internet
  • Available for occasional tasks on evenings, holidays, or days off for student Zoom sessions, sale support, and launches throughout the year

Student Services Specialist Application

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
Your Location(Required)
You must be a resident of the United States and legally authorized to work as an independent contractor within the U.S.
DEIA Statement(Required)
Share any thoughts or questions you have about our DEIA statement. (Optional)
Why do you want to work for Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine? What's intriguing to you about this position?
How does Chestnut’s style of herbal education resonate with you?
How would you bring fresh energy to our team and excel in this job?
Do you have at least 2 years of formal education or training in traditional Western herbalism in a rigorous program (not self-taught)? Please provide the names and links (if available) of school(s) and program(s) attended.
Do you have at least 5 years of experience in the field of herbalism? Please describe your experience.
Do you have at least 2 years of administrative and customer service experience? Please describe your experience.
Do you have experience working in educational environments? If so, how many years? Please describe your experience.
Describe your experience with the following platforms: Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Dropbox, Asana, Keap, Google Docs & Sheets, Facebook groups, AccessAlly.
Do you have consistent access to suitable office space with high-speed internet?
Please write your cover letter without using artificial intelligence so we can get an idea of your human writing style.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, Max. file size: 5 MB.
Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, Max. file size: 5 MB.
Would you be interested in taking on additional hours in the future as our student services needs expand? What would your ideal schedule be?
Do you have any other strong skills to bring to our team, particularly in copywriting? What would your dream position look like at the Chestnut School?
We’re hoping to find someone who:

  • Has patience and kindness and can authentically connect with our students and the general public.
  • Is a clear communicator, encouraging teacher, accurate writer, and has a sense of humor.
  • Considers themselves tech-savvy and can learn new platforms and systems quickly.
  • Is dependable and adaptable, with excellent time management skills.
  • Wants to be part of a close-knit and hardworking, collaborative team.

Please let us know if any of the personality traits listed above do not accurately describe you, and feel free to share any additional information that might help us understand your working style.