I used to work for adCenter support and you can always call them up to help you with some basics of PPC and running a good advertising campaign. Google now has a phone number so I hear, so they also might be of some assistance. Also, if your monthly budget is $500 or more you can get an 'optimization specialist' (buzzwords I never cared for) to work with you for up to 45 days on getting a campaign up and running (it's a free service).

Unfortunately all that won't help you much with finding an SEM, but if need be it'll allow you to effectively self-manage.