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As the coronavirus
(COVID-19) was declared a pandemic, businesses across the globe shut
down their offices and transitioned their employees to remote work. TIME magazine
has even dubbed this the “the world’s largest work from home
experiment.” While employees hunker down in their newly-thrown-together
home offices, one thing we might see from COVID-19 is how remote work
can be successful on a large scale.
Cyndi Cinnamon Hicks
Email me: 500worldtraveljobs@gmail.com or worldtraveljobs@yahoo.com
Become your own boss, run your own online company. Earn $500 per day while you sleep easy as pie.
As the coronavirus
(COVID-19) was declared a pandemic, businesses across the globe shut
down their offices and transitioned their employees to remote work. TIME magazine
has even dubbed this the “the world’s largest work from home
experiment.” While employees hunker down in their newly-thrown-together
home offices, one thing we might see from COVID-19 is how remote work
can be successful on a large scale.
Just a few decades ago, the vast majority of work-at-home job
opportunities were far from profitable. And before the dawning of the
Internet, it was much harder to sort through the scams and the real
opportunities.
Some of the “gotcha” job offers from the past include check-cashing
schemes, mystery shopping, medical billing “jobs” that require you to
purchase expensive computer software, and craft-making jobs that ask you
to pony up the cash for materials before you get started. And let’s not
forget about the famous envelope-stuffing scam that was nothing more
than a pyramid scheme designed to siphon money from as many people as
possible.
As the old adage goes: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” But, is it?
In 2020 and beyond, the questionable work-at-home jobs are still out
there. But improvements in technology and the birth of social media have
ushered in a new wave of such jobs that are actually legitimate.
A 2017 study from Upwork and Freelancers Union
even predicted that more than half of the workforce will do freelance
work in the next decade, citing the fact that nearly 50% of millennials
are freelancing already.
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If you want to coast into the future with real skills that pay, check out these real work-at-home jobs for 2020 and beyond:
Virtual Assistant
With so many businesses operating mostly, or even completely, online,
it’s no wonder that many hire virtual assistants to help keep them
organized and complete administrative tasks. According to the
International Virtual Assistants Association, these workers are
“independent contractors who (from a remote location, usually their home
or office) support multiple clients in a variety of industries by
providing administrative, creative, and technical services.”
Although virtual assistant jobs vary drastically, tasks can include
composing and responding to emails, creating and distributing
business-related documents, responding to media and business inquiries,
writing and creating content, and more. Check out virtual assistant jobs
at sites such as Upwork.com and Zirtual.com.
While pay varies, virtual assistants average around $26,350 a year,
with the top percentage making $43,000. However, what you’ll earn
depends on who you work for and the level of skill required for your
daily tasks.
Medical Transcriptionist
Although many medical transcriptionists work for hospitals or
physician’s offices, most are able to work at home, and at a time or
place of their choosing. Since their tasks involve transcribing recorded
medical dictation, a computer, desk, and earpiece are generally the
only requirements after completing a postsecondary medical
transcriptionist program.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS), medical transcriptionists earned a national median wage of
$34,770 in May of 2018, or $16.72 an hour. Although many medical
transcriptionists are self-employed, many find jobs through their local
hospital, physician, or community college or vocational school.
Translator
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most translators do
their work at home, and often under tight deadlines. Although some need a
bachelor’s degree, the most important requirement for translators is,
of course, fluency in at least two languages.
As the BLS
notes, around 22% of translators were self-employed in 2018. The
majority were spread among these industries: professional, scientific,
and technical services (33%); state, local, and private educational
services (18%); hospitals (8%); and government (8%).
The national median wage for this career was $49,930 in 2018,
although the top 10% of workers earned an average of $90,610. Look for
job postings for translators on sites like Upwork.com.
Web Developer
It’s fairly easy to build your own website if you take advantage of
the many free learning opportunities online. However, much of the
population isn’t equipped to build their own site or don’t have the
time, which is why so many people make a living building websites and
blogs for others. According to the BLS,
around 16% of web developers were self-employed in 2018, with the vast
majority able to work at home, or anywhere with a laptop and speedy
Internet connection.
Even better, the national median wage
for web developers was $69,430 in 2018, with the top 10% earning an
average of $124,480. And you typically don’t need an advanced degree to
begin working in this field. All you need is some postsecondary
education, applicable experience, and a portfolio of successful sites
you’ve built and managed. There are even intensive coding boot camps designed to teach programming skills in just a few short months.
Travel Agent
Although the demand is expected to decrease over the next decade, the
opportunities are still there for travel agents who can harness the
Internet to earn clients and help them plan their adventures. According
to the BLS, job prospects may be best for travel agents who offer
expertise in certain regions of the world, have experience planning
tours or adventures, or who focus on group travel.
Around 11% of travel agents
were self-employed in 2018, but the vast majority of the rest of them
worked in the travel arrangement and reservation services industry.
Travel agents earned a national median wage of $38,700 in 2018.
Freelance Writer
More than ever, writers are needed to formulate news articles, create
content, and come up with creative ideas that fill the pages of nearly
every site on the Internet. And although many bigger sites have in-house
writers, a growing number of sites outsource their content and hire
freelance writers and content creators. Writing experience is very
helpful, but what you really need to get started are drive, ambition,
and the ability to find a unique angle on events that happen every day.
Sites like Upwork.com list online freelancing positions, as does Freelancer.com and Media Bistro.
To get hired, you’ll likely need to have a portfolio of solid work, or
at least some writing samples you can include with your resume.
While writing fees vary depending on the job and the freelancer, many
writers earn at least $150 per article and some earn up to $1,500 per
finished piece. The BLS notes that writers earned a median wage of $62,170 nationally in 2018, although the top 10% of workers earned around $121,670.
Social Media Manager
Almost every big business has gotten on the social media bandwagon as
a means to reach their customers directly, and without paying heavily
for television, print, or radio ads. But not every big business has
someone to manage their social media accounts, which is why more
individuals have begun marketing themselves as social media managers and
helping businesses grow their online following and expand their reach.
Although very little data is available for this work-at-home job
since it is relatively new, thousands of listings for social media
managers can be found on sites like CareerBuilder.com, SimplyHired.com, and Upwork.com.
If you have a demonstrated command of social media and a sizable
following, you might even be able to get started by reaching out to
companies directly and asking if they need help. According to Glassdoor,
social media managers average $50,473 a year.
Data Entry
A wide range of businesses need workers to enter various data into
their systems, whether that data are used to track inventory or
shipments, create business plans, or measure performance or output. And
since a computer and typing skills are the most important requirements
for this job, many data entry workers are able to work at home, and on a
schedule that fits their lives.
According to the BLS, data entry workers
earned a national median wage of $33,740 in 2018, although the top
10% earned more like $48,010. Since many data entry jobs are at-home
jobs, you can always find dozens of data entry job postings on sites
like Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, and SimplyHired.com, as well as dozens of others.
Call-Center Representative
Many businesses need workers who can answer the phone at all hours,
assist customers, and process orders or deal with returns. But since
more businesses are operating online, a growing number of these jobs are
going to customer service workers who work at home.
Being an at-home call-center rep requires a computer and may require
specific software or equipment. A great phone voice helps as well, as
does any experience in customer service, data entry, retail sales, or
management. Dozens of sites list job openings for call-center
representatives, including Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, and SimplyHired.com. However, you may also find listings offered by local businesses in your local newspaper.
While it’s hard to find exact pay for call center representatives who work at home, the BLS says these workers typically earn a base pay of around $33,750 per year.
Blogger
Becoming a blogger
is unlike any other work-at-home job in that you have to show up and
build it yourself. Even worse, the vast majority of blogs make zero
dollars for years as they grow and become established. In that sense,
blogging isn’t much of a job at all.
However, there is a lot of potential for writers who are able to
build an audience, grow their site, and find a way to monetize it and
start earning an income. Some of the ways bloggers make money include
affiliate advertising, sponsored posts, Google Adsense, and product sales. According to Glassdoor, established bloggers make $32,934 a year.
Even better, owning a blog can be an inexpensive way to start your
own business, with domains costing an average of $12 per year and Web
hosting costing as little as $7.99 per month.
Besides those listed above, other websites that offer job postings include Monster.com, indeed.com, Guru.com, iFreelance.com, and Freelanced.com.
When searching a traditional job site such as Monster or Indeed, use
keywords like “telecommute” or “work-from-home” and enter “anywhere” or
“remote” in the location field.
When you start looking for work-at-home jobs, it’s crucial that you
create a complete resume. And if you’ve done any online work, it might
help to provide links to that work. References help, too, especially if
you can list anyone who has overseen work you have done in any of these
fields.
Another important thing to consider if you are a freelancer or remote worker is picking the right business credit card.
As a freelancer, your money might need to go a little further than big
companies’. Make sure you compare each business credit card’s cashback,
annual fee, and introductory periods terms to get the best card for you.
Working as a freelancer also means your taxes are a little different.
In addition to a W2, you’ll be required to file a number of other
forms, depending on what type of work you do. Before you panic, we’ve
laid it all out in our freelancer tax guide.
Is This Work-From-Home Job a Scam?
Even though there are many legitimate work-at-home opportunities, the
scams of years ago still exist. But it’s up to you to find them and
steer clear, and it’s not always easy to tell the real deal from a scam.
According to the National Consumers League and Fraud.org, there are
some steps to take and signs to watch out for when you’re starting your
search for a work-at-home job:
Research, research, research: It’s important to
know exactly whom you’re working for. When you find a job posting you’re
interested in, take special care to research the company that’s hiring.
Check them out with the Better Business Bureau and conduct a Web search
for any complaints or less-than-stellar reviews.
Ask for references: Any company that’s hiring
workers to work at home might have other people working for them as
well. Ask how many and find out if you’re able to contact any of them.
If they are unwilling to provide references or contact information, it
might not be a good sign.
Think long and hard before shelling out any money: Some
work-at-home jobs will require you to purchase materials or equipment
to get started, and while that doesn’t mean they’re not legitimate, it
should be a red flag. If you are asked to pay for equipment, make sure
you understand what you’re buying, and from whom. Also, ask about the
return policy for your equipment if your new gig doesn’t work out.
Many online job platforms such as Upwork.com also have their own
system for recognizing and removing job scams. According to the site,
many of them involve “employers” who try to pay workers outside the
site’s payment system and engage in some sort of check or money order
fraud. For more tips on avoiding job scams on freelancing sites, read about it here.
Working at home is a dream of many, and thanks to technology, that
dream is coming true for more people than ever. But if you want to work
at home, you’ll need to research the possibilities and develop the
skills required for many of these jobs.
So what are you waiting for? With the right skills, you could be working at home in 2020.
If you are self-motivated and consider yourself a go-getter, a work from home career may be a great option for you.
Our
number one goal at DollarSprout is to help readers improve their
financial lives, and we regularly partner with companies that share that
same vision. Some of the links in this post may be from our partners.
Here’s how we make money. Work from home jobs have become extremely popular.
115% more popular according to a recent study by FlexJobs and Global Workplace Analytics.
As
such, it’s no surprise that the 1.8 million Americans that left their
jobs between 2005 and 2017 cited greater flexibility, increased
happiness, and better pay, as primary factors in their decision to ditch
the traditional 9 to 5 grind and work from home. Statistics from Tecla.io’s blog on the global state of remote work.If you are self-motivated and consider yourself a go-getter, a work from home career may be a great option for you.
From
customer service reps and social media managers, to travel agents and
transcriptionists, legitimate work from home jobs provide stay at home
moms, college students, and digital nomads alike, the opportunity to
earn a living on the go.
24 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs for 2020
There are opportunities for everyone regardless of your schedule, age, or home-life responsibilities.
Determine where your interests lie and determine which of these home-based jobs (or companies) might be a good fit for you.
High-Paying Work from Home Jobs
1. Facebook ads jobs
Think
about how many local businesses are in your area (not giant retailers
like Walmart or Dick’s Sporting Goods, but local coffee shops,
chiropractors, law firms, etc). Chances are, most of them are not taking
advantage of Facebook advertising.
These businesses may have a
Facebook page, but most are not using them effectively to attract more
clients or drive more sales via paid advertising. That’s where you can
come in: the Facebook ads specialist. The best part about this work from
home job is that learning the art and skill of Facebook ads isn’t
impossible — anyone can pick it up and secure their first client within a
month. What do Facebook ad specialists do? As
you might expect, Facebook marketers help businesses secure more
customers and generate more sales. Specifically, Facebook ads experts
help local small businesses:
Create Facebook ads based on business goals
Reach their target audience/clientele
Manage advertising budgets and monitor ongoing campaigns
Split test ad variations to get the highest possible ROI (return on investment)
How much do Facebook ads jobs pay? This
depends on the results you deliver for your clients. Most Facebook ad
agencies — and even one man shows — will usually charge a monthly
retainer as their “management fee” for managing the ads.
It’s
industry standard to charge anywhere from $1,000-$2,000 per month per
client, and you don’t need previous website or marketing experience to
get started. As you bring on more clients and build a reputation in your
community for delivering outstanding results, your income can quickly
increase. It only takes a handful of clients to start building a
full-time income. How to become a Facebook ad specialist: The
easiest way to get started with this work from home job is to take a
course that teaches you basic (and advanced) Facebook ad strategy. One
such course, the FB Side Hustle Course, will show you how to start managing Facebook ads for local businesses, step by step.
Bobby
Hoyt and Mike Yanda, two world-class Facebook marketers, created this
course to teach you everything you need to know to go from “I don’t know
how to do any of this” to “working with clients and making a great
income”. Instead of piecing together an education on your own, and
wasting a lot of time and money, this course brings together everything
you need to know into one consolidated place.
The course helps you quickly master the three phases of building your own work-from-home Facebook ads business:
Learning how to set up a Facebook ad system for a local business
How to find prospects who will pay you for this service
Virtual assistants, commonly referred to as VAs, come in all shapes and sizes.
Many
companies will hire VAs if they are looking for help with online
administrative tasks (email, calendar management, data entry, technical
support, etc.), but don’t necessarily want to hire a full-time employee
just yet. VA jobs are the perfect work from home job for busy people
that may need to drop their work at a moments notice (or have very
sporadic availability).
Virtual assistant job tasks include helping with:
Social media management
Transcribing conference calls
Responding to emails or setting up email lists
Calendar management
Presentation preparation
Answering support tickets
A variety of other customer service oriented tasks
How much do virtual assistants make?
Gina Horkey, a professional virtual assistant and work from home jobs
coach at HorkeyHandbook, says virtual assistant jobs pay between $35.00
and $50.00 per hour. Christine Durst, founder of the International
Virtual Assistants Association, says virtual assistants can make between
$25,000 and $75,000 annually.
Because this job title covers many skills, the income one can earn may vary widely. How to become a virtual assistant: Start by taking a training class
that’ll teach you the common skills needed to become a virtual
assistant. Classes are typically work at your own pace, cost between one
and three hundred dollars, and can be completed in just a few short
days — a pretty reasonable trade-off for a job that can earn upwards of
$70,000 per year.
After your initial training, the real work
begins. You’ll need to scour popular sites such as Upwork and Freelancer
looking for work from home job opportunities and new job leads. Also,
be sure to completely fill out your profile and list all pertinent
skills. Potential clients can search for qualified remote workers and
proactively contact them about potential job opportunities.
3. Blogging jobs from home
Bloggers
are typically people who enjoy a particular topic and enjoy writing
about it on a semi-regular to regular basis. If you have something you
are passionate about or are an expert in a particular area, consider
starting a blog. Blogs are a great way to teach people about a
particular skill, entertain, or share their life experiences.
Bloggers
can make money through a variety of different methods including but not
limited to: affiliate marketing, accepting paid advertisements, and
selling digital (or physical) products.
Here are some popular (and profitable) topics bloggers write about:
Cooking
Fitness and health
Relationship
Money
Parenting
Travel
Fashion
Sports
Self-improvement
Crafts and DIY Projects
You
really can blog about anything under the sun. What do you love reading
about? Enjoy talking to your friends about? Browsing through the most on
Pinterest? These are all possible blog ideas. How much do bloggers make?
Highly variable. Bloggers can make anywhere between $0 and $150,000+
per month depending on experience level and direct competition. How to start a blog for beginners: HostGator is
one of the most affordable options to get a money-making blog up and
running. They make it simple and easy to get started (and have
everything you need all in one place), which is why we recommend them to
ambitious new bloggers.
No experience or technical knowledge needed; check out our step-by-step tutorial to get started.
Want to see how we built a profitable blog?
In this FREE 7-day email course, you'll join 50,000+ other readers in:
Seeing the exact steps we took to earn our first $1,000 blogging (and beyond).
Starting your own blog (and learning how to write epic, money-making content).
4. Freelance proofreading jobs
Freelance
proofreading jobs are work from home jobs where a person spends time
identifying errors in printed content. If you’ve got a knack for
grammar, can spot typos, or can easily fix egregious misspellings,
proofreading may be the thing for you.
In 2014, Caitlin Pyle made
over $43,000 by working as a freelance proofreader, in her spare time.
After she had a ton of success doing that, she decided she wanted to
teach others how to do the same thing. That’s when she launched her
course Proofread Anywhere. How much does a freelance proofreader make? Pay
typically depends on the time a proofreader is able to commit and their
experience. According to Salary.com, the median salary for a freelance
proofreader comes in at $49,729 per year — a respectable figure when
considering that no college degree is required. How to become a freelance proofreader: The easiest way to land one of these work from home jobs is to start out by signing up for a free workshop
that teaches you how to become a proofreader. There is no commitment
and you’ll learn more about the tools and skills you’ll need to be an
effective proofreader (if interested, there is an option to purchase a
paid course at the end of the workshop). Related: How to Make Money Proofreading (Step by Step Guide)
5. Freelance wWriting jobs
Freelance writers
can more easily be thought of as a “writer for hire” or someone who is
contracted out to write about a particular topic. If you have some
writing chops, but don’t want to deal with all the extra work that goes
into running a blog, you can hire yourself out and write for newspapers,
large online publications and even other bloggers. How much do freelance writing jobs pay? Between
$30.00 and $500.00 per assignment, depending on difficulty, a writer’s
experience level, and the length of the material. Veteran freelancers
and other remote workers can charge on a per-word basis for lengthy
articles that earn them well over $1,000.00. How do you become a freelancer? Start
by taking a course that teaches you the basic skills required to pursue
freelance writing jobs. Holly Johnson, a professional freelance writer
at the Earn More Writing School offers one such course.
She makes over $225,000 per year freelance writing and shares
everything you need to know to get started for less than a few hundred
dollars.
After
you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll want to create a portfolio of
writing samples that you can show to prospective clients. If you want to
get a freelance copywriting gig, for instance, start by collecting
samples of amazing copy that sells a product. Offer free work to clients
to build up your portfolio, if needed.
Finally, once your portfolio is complete, you can start to find work on Upwork, Freelancer, or any number of similar websites. Related: 51 Best Freelance Jobs Sites to Find Paid Gigs
6. Online teaching jobs
Every
industry is adapting to changes brought on by the internet, and
teaching is no different. If you are a (licensed) teacher, you can now start teaching classes online. Classes are usually taught via Skype or pre-recorded sessions.
Demand
is really beginning to grow for online education solutions as either a
supplement to in-class schooling or sometimes even as a total
replacement. Subjects in the highest demand are English, Science, and
Math (the core subjects of any education). How much do online teaching jobs pay? Average salary for first-year teachers is $30,000-$40,000. Some subjects pay higher than others. How to get a work from home tutoring job: One of the hottest work from home jobs out there right now for online tutors is teaching Chinese children English through VIPKid. The service is super flexible, you get to set your own hours, and there is no lesson planning involved. VIPKid
provides the lesson plans and communicates with the parents, all you
need is a laptop and a desire to help teach children. Tutors typically
earn anywhere from $14-$22 per hour according to their website.
K12
is another option for the online teaching space. One of the great
things about them is the fact that your job will likely include health
insurance, retirement savings accounts, and paid time off. Since you’ll
be working with kids (even though it’s online), you still need to go
through the typical hiring process for a teacher: background check,
reference check, interviews, etc. Related: 25 Online Jobs that are Easy, Flexible, and Profitable
Immediate hire work from home jobs
If
you’re looking to land a work from home job fast, consider looking into
immediate hire jobs that you can do remotely. These may be independent
contractor jobs that you can do on your own schedule, but there are
plenty of apps and websites that will help you find work doing something
you love.
Another benefit of home-based immediate hire jobs is
that there’s often low-barrier in terms of signing up and getting
started. You probably won’t need much experience or credentials if
you’re looking to perform basic tasks. These jobs are also quick-pay,
meaning you can get paid as soon as you perform the task often via
PayPal.
7. Online survey jobs
Most successful companies
want to get inside the heads of consumers. They want to better
understand potential customers so they can improve products and target
their audience better To do that, sites pay people to take surveys. It’s one the easiest work from home “jobs” out there, and it requires zero experience. How paid online surveys work: There
are many different types of surveys you can take. From opinion polls to
answering questions about shopping habits, companies will typically ask
users fairly in-depth questions so they can improve their marketing
tactics. Survey takers are usually paid in cash via PayPal, or with
points that can be redeemed for gift cards. How much do they pay? Between $50.00 and $200.00 per month, depending on eligibility and how many surveys you participate in. How to get paid to take online surveys: Signing up on survey-taking websites is very easy (and free). In our experience, the best survey sites to use are:
Similar
to taking surveys for money, companies will also pay regular people to
give feedback on their website (how it looks, how easy it is to
navigate, how things “flow”, etc.) Companies want to know how easy their
websites are to use and the information you give them about the process
is extremely valuable.
Here are some places you can apply for this type of work:
WhatUsersDo – Pay is $8 (or more) per test. Tests take around 15-20 minutes (you need a Mac or PC + mic).
Enroll – Get paid to test websites before they are published. Earn cash rewards.
Userfeel – This company pays around $10 per test.
Analysia – Tests take around 15 minutes to complete. Pay is $10 per test.
TryMyUI – Tests takes around 15-20 minutes to complete. Pay is $10 per test.
You
generally won’t make a full-time living from a website testing job, but
they are an excellent way pull in some extra income on the side. Related: 14 Best Places to Test Websites for Money
9. Offer web design services
If you ‘speak’ computer and have a good eye for design, you can make $1,000 (or more) each month by designing websites for small businesses.
Business
owners want professional looking websites for their space on the
internet. If you know some basics behind web design, you can start
offering those services to small businesses. For example, we paid a
designer over $10,000 to build our website theme. From branding and
color schemes, to ease of use and user satisfaction, web designers help
bring a website to life.
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are
essential pieces of software you’ll need to master (and proficiency in
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are a must). Upwork is a great spot to start
finding gigs, or you can do things the old fashioned way: cold call or
email every small business in your town and drum up business that way.
10. Join TaskRabbit
Do you like working with your hands and helping your local community? TaskRabbit might be a great way for you to make money working from home.
TaskRabbit
is a service-based app that connects customers with people who can help
them around the house. Customers might ask for help doing things like
mounting a TV, moving furniture, or cleaning. Workers can also build
furniture, help people move, and do home repairs.
To
work with TaskRabbit, you need to submit an online application and
attend an informational session in your area. After you’ve completed the
registration process, the TaskRabbit app will notify you of jobs in
your area.
You choose your rates and negotiate job details with
the client. Once you’ve completed the job, you can submit your invoice
via the TaskRabbit app. Jobs pay $50 – $130 per task, on average.
11. Do micro jobs
Along the same lines as TaskRabbit, micro jobs sites
are great for anyone who’s short on cash and can only work in 1-2 hour
increments. Micro jobs won’t make you rich, but they’re generally pretty
easy, and they often pay immediately.
Plus, if you’re spending
time on things like browsing the internet, or scrolling endlessly
through your phone, you might as well give them a try. For example, Amazon Mechanical Turk will pay you to do light research, process data, and locate images and videos across the web.
Additionally, sites like Swagbucks and InboxDollars will pay you to perform small tasks like watching videos, taking surveys, trying out offers, and searching online.
12. Become a dog or pet sitter
Have a heart for animals? Getting paid to spend time with those furry friends may sound like a dream job then. Rover makes it easy for people to sign up to become a dog walker or pet sitter in their area.
This
site will allow you to create your own profile so you can set your
rates and availability. You can communicate with prospective clients via
the site and book paying gigs.
Normally, dog walkers on Rover can earn $20-$30 per walk
and anywhere from $20-$40 for overnight pet sitting services. Rover
does collect a 20% service charge which is deducted from your earnings,
but you get to keep 80%. Related: How to Launch Your Own Dog Sitting Business
13. Child care and babysitter jobs
Before
all the internet job and app sites started gaining popularity, you
could always earn money from home by providing childcare services…and
you still can.
Decide what age group of kids you’d prefer watching
and create a profile on Care.com or Sittercity.com to help you find
clients. Also, feel free to ask around because friends or neighbors are
often the easiest clients to get.
You can offer morning care
services to help kids get ready for school, keep an eye on them as
parents go off to work, or cover parenting duties while mom or dad runs
errands. Something worth keeping in mind is that child care centers are
often closed during evening and weekend hours. If you have availability
around those times, you may be able to charge premium rates, as there
are often fewer sitters available.
Virtual work from home jobs
Virtual
home-based jobs typically require that you do all your work from the
computer so you don’t have to worry about leaving the house for
anything.
These jobs may require that you own a laptop, have
internet service and have other materials (like a headset) if you’re
going to be talking on the phone. So long as you can type and have basic
computer skills, you have a good chance of qualifying for any of these
virtual work from home jobs.
14. Virtual call center jobs
Virtual
call center agents do everything from sales, telemarketing, customer
service, and customer support. It’s just like a traditional call center
role, only you can do everything from your computer at home.
You
may have to handle incoming calls or make outgoing calls depending on
the nature of the job. Some companies that hire virtual call center reps
may prefer some call center experience but most will offer training as
well. According to Glassdoor, you can expect to earn a base salary
between $30,000 and $40,000 per year to start.
If you don’t mind
talking on the phone and helping customers, this can be a solid part or
full-time work from home job to consider.
15. Transcription jobs
Transcriptionists
take audio and video clients and turn them into text. It sounds simple
enough, but this work requires a certain level of skill. You’ll need to
know how to type efficiently and accurately. Some transcriptionists even
use special equipment like a foot pedal to start and stop audio
recordings.
Still, there are so many unique opportunities to land
remote transcription work. If you’re a beginner, your best option is to
sign up with transcription job sites like Rev and Scribie to find paying jobs that you can do on a contractor basis.
You
can also offer your services on Fiverr or reach out to companies and
entrepreneurs to pitch them for your services. For example, if you like a
specific podcast, see if they need someone to transcribe episodes.
16. Medical coding jobs
Medical
coding is a popular career field and you can actually do this work from
home. Remote medical coders are tasked with translating a provider’s
medical record and services to the correct code for the diagnoses and
procedures in order to bill the patient for the correct amount.
It’s
a slight technical job that anyone can learn with the proper amount of
training either via an online program or through your local community
college. Most medical coders are certified which can help you land an
entry-level role. Some companies hire remote medical coders on a
contract basis or even as a part or full-time employee.
You can
search job boards like ZipRecruiter and Indeed to see who’s hiring. The
average salary for a medical coder is around $60,000 per year.
17. Virtual nursing jobs
Have
a nursing degree? You can work as a virtual nurse and help people over
the phone or via the internet. Virtual nurses use the internet to
monitor vital signs, connect with virtual command centers to communicate
with doctors, advise patients online, and perform other similar duties.
You can find these jobs at hospitals and health centers and apply just like you would for a traditional nursing job.
18. Search engine evaluator jobs
If
you ever want to know something, you can just hop on Google, Bing or
any other search engine to find more information. Search engine
evaluators help search engines continue to be a credible place to find
the information you’re looking for fast.
This is a non-phone work
from home job where you’d spend your time evaluating different search
engine results to help improve the experience for users overall.
Companies like SYKES and Appen hire search engine evaluators, and you
typically need to pass an exam before coming on board.
To do this job well, you do need to have excellent:
Web research skills
Analytical abilities
Great written and communication skills
This
is a non-phone work from home job that allows you to evaluate and help
improve the search engine’s results so users can find what they’re
looking for online easily. After applying, you’ll need to pass an exam
in order to work with most companies but this isn’t a super technical
job at all.
The hours are pretty flexible, and you can expect to work around 35 hours per week.
Flexible work from home jobs for moms
For
busy moms, the word ‘flexible’ is a must in terms of scheduling certain
responsibilities. When it comes to working from home, moms might enjoy
jobs that allow you to set your own schedule (so you can work when it’s
most convenient for you). That may mean when the kids are at school or
going down for a nap.
Fortunately, there are several stay at home mom jobs
that focus on deadlines instead of imposing a set schedule. So long as
you get your assigned tasks completed by a certain date, you can do the
work whenever you like.
19. Work from home data entry jobs
Data
entry is a common flexible work from home job to start at the
entry-level. Companies may hire you to input data to a software system,
transfer information, and update records.
It helps if you’re a
good typist, have strong organizational skills, and place a premium on
accuracy. Sites that may hire you for data entry work include SigTrack,
Capital Typing, and DionData Solutions. Related: 7 Best Places to find Data Entry Jobs You Can Do from Home
20. Social media manager jobs
Browsing
social media doesn’t have to be a complete waste of time. In fact, if
you know the ins and outs of social media, you can actually get paid to:
Create and schedule posts
Manage private messages
Run ads
Create promotions
Post videos and other promotional graphics
Monitor online groups
Where
finding (or creating) content to share on Facebook, Twitter, or
Instagram is an exhausting and time consuming task for many businesses,
it comes as no surprise that they may try to outsource the task
altogether. It’s often cheaper to hire an “expensive” freelance social
media manager (you) for 20 hours per week, than it would be to hire a
40-hour per week employee with benefits.
If you favor one platform
over the other, focus on becoming an expert in that area so you can
offer a specialized service. For example, some people choose to become
Pinterest virtual assistants and specifically help clients grow their
presence on the site. Related: How to Become a Social Media Manager
21. Become a travel agent
Travel
agents have a fun job because they get to help clients find the best
deals and experiences for their trips. If you enjoy traveling and
helping people brainstorm their dream vacations, you’ll enjoy a job like
this that you can do from home.
Some travel agents become certified, which is not required but does help. If you complete training through a program like The Travel Institute you’ll learn more skills that can help you better serve clients.
Typically,
working with a travel agent is free for the client. You’ll get paid a
commission when they book accommodations through you and your partners.
Travel agents tend to offer pretty competitive deals for travelers so
it’s not hard to convince interested clients to do business with you (so
long as you prioritize serving their needs).
22. Customer service representative jobs
If
you know you want to work from home but have no idea where to start,
customer service is a safe bet. Most companies need customer service
representatives and a lot of them are leaning toward hiring remote
employees to perform this role.
Major companies like Apple,
American Express and U-Haul hire work from home customer service agents.
Training is usually provided and you get will have to agree to a set
schedule but you can expect a variety of shifts to choose from
especially if the business is open around the clock.
If you don’t
mind using the phone and have a desire to help people whether that
involves solving a problem or answering important questions, consider
applying for a home-based customer service job.
23. Become an Amazon remote employee
Amazon
is an enormous company, which means hiring thousands of workers to make
their business function. If you’ve been looking for legitimate
part-time work from home jobs, now is a good time to be on the market.
Amazon
recently announced plans to add 5,000 remote customer service jobs over
the next year. They’re hiring for a variety of positions ranging from
customer service agents and technical support to data entry, all the way
to supply chain managers.
With job responsibilities and
requirements varying widely, you’ll have to look through Amazon’s
listings to get accurate job descriptions and reimbursement information. How much does Amazon pay? $10.00 per hour to $50,000 per year, depending on your position and experience level. How to apply: For salary information check out Amazon’s Virtual Locations jobs page.
24. Direct sales consulting
One
of the more common work from home jobs, direct sales consulting, also
known as multi-level marketing, has exploded in popularity over the past
ten years.
This is the stuff like Plexus, Avon, Beachbody, and
Thirty-One that you see littering your Facebook feed on a daily
basis. If you want to get a taste of working from home and want to sell
products you already use and love, this may be an option.
It is
worth noting that nearly all of these programs require an upfront
investment for purchasing your initial inventory. They’re not our first
choice when it comes to work from home jobs for this reason alone. We
don’t like seeing users getting stuck with thousands of dollars in
inventory only to realize they’re trying to offload their LuLaRoe into
already saturated markets.
Watch Out for Work from Home Job Scams
‘Work
from home jobs’ has become a huge buzzword over the past few years and
we definitely understand why. Working from home sounds super appealing.
You can work from your bed while in your pajamas, avoid a hectic daily
commute and possibly have more control over your schedule.
However, some people have taken advantage of the common desire to work remotely. For each legitimate work
from home job out there, there is just as likely a scam to match it.
Jobs that ask you to post ads online, stuff envelopes, or assemble
products and crafts from your home are all likely scams.
It’s important to know how to weed through these work from home scams so you don’t waste your money or time. Realize that if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
Avoid work from home job ads that claim:
You can get started today with no experience (unless it’s for a micro job or a site like Swagbucks, it’s probably a scam).
You
can earn $500-$1,000 per week ‘guaranteed’. Avoid these jobs especially
if the role seems super easy. If it were that easy to make a ton of
money every week, wouldn’t everyone be doing it?
You need to pay
for a start-up kit or training. There are plenty of real work from home
jobs that may require an upfront purchase, but spend a little extra
time vetting these opportunities.
You’re asked to send or collect money orders or deal with Western Union. This is a huge red flag.
To
crank up your scam meter when searching for the ideal work from home
job, make sure you carefully assess the credibility of the job offer and
the company offering it. You can do some research on the company to see
how long they’ve been around, or look for honest reviews of the
position online.
You can also check to see if they are accredited
through the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have a good rating. Even if
they aren’t accredited, you may be able to see their rating and if
they’ve received negative complaints.
Finally, don’t ever pay someone money to start a job.
Legit Work from Home Jobs Are Everywhere, But Be Careful
The
rise of the internet has created opportunities that didn’t even exist
just a few years ago. A high demand for remote workers, especially in
the tech industry, has led to the largest voluntary exodus from the in-person workforce in almost twenty years.
Virtual
assistants, social media managers, online support specialists, and work
from home data entry jobs are but a few of the high-paying digital
positions that didn’t even exist just a short while ago.
If you’re
not thrilled about hustling to the workplace each morning, or you’re
looking for part-time work outside of your normal job, there has never
been a better time than now to get started with one of these legitimate
work from home jobs.
Just days ago, the website FlexJobs, which specializes in work-at-home jobs, published its annual list of the 100 Top Companies with Remote Jobs in 2019.
I’d have to practically write a book to cover the specific details of
all 100 companies. But instead, I'm going to focus on the ten best jobs
from home, drawing from that list.
This will provide a sample of how the process works, what you can expect, as well as the benefits the arrangements offer.
Let's look at the top ten best jobs from home from the FlexJobs list in some detail.
Appen
is a technology services company based in Australia. However, they have
offices in the US and the United Kingdom as well, and provide
opportunities in 130 countries around the world. The company works with
some of the biggest companies in the world, including eight of the 10
top technology companies. It supports more than 1 million contractors
around the world.
Appen offers positions that are flexible, part time, and home based.
You can work either a few hours a week or full time. Positions are
available in transcription, translation, linguistics, engineering,
marketing, financing, and sales. They even offer micro-tasks, which are smaller jobs that can be completed from home in about an hour.
As you can see, not only do they have jobs from home available, but
they also offer complete flexibility. You can choose your work, and your
hours.
2. Lionbridge
Waltham, Massachusetts-based Lionbridge
has positions available that are part-time, freelance, and remote.
Positions are available in banking and finance, engineering, gaming,
global marketing, autos, legal services, life sciences, machine
intelligence, testing, and translation and localization.
Translation services seem to be particularly common among remote job
offerings. Given the growth of global markets, there's a pronounced need
to reach and interact with customers in hundreds of local languages.
Lionbridge employs more than 100,000 language experts, working in 15
different industries.
But that's just one example. Overall, Lionbridge works with over a
half million people in 26 countries, most of whom work remotely. Like
Appen, it's likely you'll be able to find a position that provides the
kind of flexibility you're looking for, whether that's full-time or
part-time.
3. VIPKID
VIPKID
is based in Beijing, China, but recently opened a US headquarters in
San Francisco. The company focuses on providing English language
instruction. Positions are available working remotely, either part-time
or freelance. The website currently advertises pay at $22 per hour.
The service offers English as a second language to children in China,
up to age eight. Teachers are English speakers who provide one-on-one
courses based on the US Common Core State Standards.
And as a teacher, you'll receive ongoing paid training as well as
professional development opportunities. You'll be able to work from
home, and choose your own schedule.
4. Liveops
Scottsdale, Arizona-based Liveops refers to itself as ”The modern call center that isn’t a call center”.
This should give you a strong indication of what they do, and how and
where it takes place. The company doesn't have call centers in the usual
sense, but instead employs over 20,000 independent agents, working
remotely. As such, it also describes itself as the world’s largest cloud
contact center.
The company specializes in providing agents for travel and
hospitality, telecom, roadside assistance, high tech, retail, finance,
health care, and insurance companies, and even the federal government.
Work is available on both a full-time and part-time basis throughout the
US.
5. Working Solutions
Working Solutions
is based in Dallas, Texas, and has been around since 1996. They provide
home based customer service and sales agents. Positions are available
for retail, telecommunications, finance, health care, travel, and
energy. The company employees over 110,000 independent contractors from
across the US.
You can work full-time, part-time, or freelance, and always remotely.
Positions are currently available as customer service representatives,
senior living customer care, seasonal customer service agents, and
customer service representatives.
Working Solutions offers something increasingly unique in the
employment universe. It educates its agents in a client’s business, at
no cost to them, through Working Solutions University.
6. Amazon
Seattle based Amazon is one of the companies most commonly associated
with jobs from home. The company employs well over 90,000 workers, and
is the largest online retailer in the world. You can access Amazon jobs
from home on their Virtual Locations page.
Jobs are available mostly on a full-time basis. Current positions
available include sales, advertising, account management,
project/program/product management fulfillment and operations
management, human resources, business and merchant development,
operations, IT and support engineering, facilities, maintenance and real
estate, and customer service.
7. TTEC
Englewood, Colorado-based TTEC
has been around since 1982, and is a business process outsourcing
company. It provides services around the world, and operates delivery
centers in 24 countries. TTEC provides work-from-home situations for
consultants, customer service professionals, students, and veterans. In
fact, the company employs more than 20,000 work-at-home employees.
Work can involve helping customers by phone, live chat, or on the
social media. Naturally, you'll be required to have Internet access and a
home phone. The website even indicates it's perfectly OK to work in
your PJ's and bunny slippers.
Current positions available include business sales representatives,
customer service representatives, and bilingual customer service
representatives. Positions are available in the US and Canada. You'll be
provided with proprietary technology that enables you to securely
access applications, so you will be able to support and assist customers
with a variety of services and technical needs. You must be at least 17
years of age, have a high school diploma or general equivalency
diploma, and have wire connected Internet access.
8. Kelly Services
Founded way back in 1946, Kelly Services
is one of the more well established employment agencies in the country.
It's also grown to be one of the largest agencies, with almost 500,000
workers using the service worldwide. In fact, the company now provides
employment opportunities in nearly 30 countries.
In a real way, Kelly Services practically pioneered jobs from home,
since it began primarily as a temporary job service. It now works
regularly with some of the very largest employers in the country,
providing staffing needs at all levels. They specialize in accounting
and finance, administrative, automotive, engineering, information
technology, life sciences, and call centers, but actually cover a
multitude of industries and job classifications.
Kelly Services still handles temporary positions, as well as
permanent ones. But they’ve adapted their business model to also include
freelance, part-time, remote and work-from-home arrangements.
9. Concentrix
Based in Freemont, California, and founded in 1983, Concentrix
claims 90,000 employees worldwide. They work in a wide variety of
industries, including health care, retail, transportation, e-commerce,
insurance, technology, energy, and many others. Their specialties
include marketing, analytics, technology, consulting, financial, and
customer lifecycle management.
Like many companies that offer jobs from home, Concentrix also works
globally, and across dozens of different languages. This naturally
creates opportunities in transformative client services, particularly
for those who are bilingual.
The company encourages work-from-home arrangements. They look for
those who have solid communications skills, and are able to provide
strong customer service. Positions are available both full-time and
part-time, as well as seasonal and temporary. They even provide
shiftwork, which makes abundant sense in a global workplace.
10. United Healthcare
Health care providers are among the most common employers offering jobs from home. So it should be no surprise that United Healthcare
is one of the top 10 companies offering work-at-home situations. Though
health care typically involves hands-on work at a care facility, it
also provides a surprising number of positions that can be handled
remotely.
What makes even more surprising is the variety of positions available
remote through the company. In fact, a search of their website using
the term “work-at-home” turned up more than 1,000 positions. They
include jobs in everything from customer service to clinical care.
Nursing is naturally a common position, and one that’s often available
on a remote basis. They’re often needed for online or phone consulting,
both to provide clinical information and to direct incoming callers to
direct care services.
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United Healthcare has about
240,000 employees in all 50 states in the US, and in most countries
around the world. It's one of the leading health care companies in the world, as well as being a rich source of jobs from home.
Final Thoughts on the Ten Best Jobs from Home
That’s just the top 10. If you don’t find one of those to work for
you, there’s 90 more employers on the FlexJobs top 100 list. And if
those aren’t enough, there are hundreds more.
The point is, jobs from home is no longer unusual. As the world
becomes more interconnected, and more international, both the types of
jobs needed, and the way they’re handled is changing rapidly.
Meanwhile, this spread of technology is bridging gaps across the
economic landscape. The widespread availability of home computers and
smart phones is connecting people all over the world. We now live in an
economy of the 24/7 consumer, which means there must be someone else
available on the other end of the transaction.
That’s where work-at-home jobs
come into the picture. It’s no longer possible or desirable for
companies to have all employees based in a central location. The ability
to employ people on a remote basis frees employers of the need for
costly physical space. And that’s where jobs from home enter the
picture.
If you’ve been dreaming about a work-at-home situation, stop hoping and start searching. There are more remote jobs than ever, and the future promises even more.
he number of employees who work from home has been escalating for
well over a decade. If you would like a job that allows you to work from
home at least part time, there are plenty of opportunities to find one.
A recent analysis by Global Workplace Analytics
revealed some impressive trends in telecommuting. The company looked at
the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data collected from
2005-2018 and reported some key findings:
Telecommuting has grown by a blockbuster 173 percent among workers who are not self-employed.
50 percent of the U.S. workforce has a job that is conducive to at
least part-time telecommuting and approximately 40 percent of the
workforce works remotely at times.
75 percent of employees who work from home earn over $65,000 per
year, which puts them in the upper 80th percentile for wages among all
employees, whether telecommuters or office-based.
Working from home has benefits for both workers and employers.
Previous studies by Global Workplace Analytics have shown that
telecommuting saves employers and workers time and money, reduces
stress, increases productivity, lowers exposure to office colds and
flus, and helps the environment by reducing the number of commuters.
Avoid work-from-home scams
However, for every real work-at-home job, there are dozens of frauds.
Scammers try to steal your identity and/or money by getting personal
information that a new hire would be expected to give an employer, such
as a Social Security number or bank account number.
When considering a work-from-home job, put up your scam-detection
radar. “First and foremost, trust your gut,” advises Christine Durst,
who runs Rat Race Rebellion, an online job site that caters to the
work-at-home and virtual workforce. “Almost every scam victim I’ve
spoken with says, ‘I sort of felt like something wasn’t right.’”
Durst says to look for these signs that you are dealing with a legitimate employer:
The hirer is an established company.
The job ad includes the company name and does not ask applicants to reply to a blind email address.
Human resources personnel are available for questions.
There is mention of company benefits and vacation policies — information commonly associated with “real” employment.
There is an application and interview process, not simply an emailed offer.
The employer can detail the job duties and expectations.
References/work samples are requested.
Bankrate has put together a list of 20 legitimate work-at-home jobs.
Wage and job-growth data comes from the 2018 edition of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook.
The BLS lists “median” wages rather than “average” wages. The median
wage is in the middle of the data set, with half of the jobs paying less
and half paying more. BLS job-growth projections are for 2018 to 2028.
20 best work-from-home jobs
Web developer
Computer support specialist
Virtual assistant
Interpreter/translator
Marriage and family therapist
Travel agent
Teacher/tutor
Franchise owner
Social media specialist
Licensed insurance representative
Writer/editor
Medical transcriptionist
Childcare provider
Graphic designer
Customer service representative
Short-term rental host
Website tester
Registered nurse
Meeting, convention and event planner
Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerk
1. Web developer
Web developers create and design websites for personal or commercial
use and are responsible for how sites look and function. Web designers
can put their skills to use in publishing, advertising, management
consulting and other fields.
Driven by a boom in mobile devices and e-commerce, employment growth
in this field is projected to be 13 percent through 2028, which is well
above the 5 percent average growth for all occupations. Median annual wage: $69,430
2. Computer support specialist
Corporations, nonprofits, call centers and many other businesses hire computer support specialists to work remotely.
Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics and co-author of
“Undress for Success: The Naked Truth About Making Money at Home,”
names computer support specialist as one of her top work-at-home jobs.
The BLS projects 10 percent growth in this field through 2028 as organizations upgrade their computer equipment and software. Median annual wage (computer network support): $62,770 (Computer user support): $50,980
3. Virtual assistant
Virtual assistants provide administrative, technical and/or creative
services for health care, legal, government and finance businesses,
among others. You can own a virtual assistant business or work from home
for a company that makes you available to clients.
“You can fit your offerings to what you know how to do,” says
Stephanie Foster, a former medical transcriptionist who runs Home With
the Kids, an online resource for telecommuters.
Because virtual assistants work in many different fields, the pay
range is very broad. The highest-paid virtual assistants work full time
and offer executive support or higher-pay services such as web design,
Durst of Rat Race Rebellion says. Median annual wage: N/A
4. Interpreter/translator
If you have a native-level proficiency in English and at least one
other language, you can find work-at-home job opportunities at schools,
hospitals, courts, corporations and other public and private sector
entities. Interpreters work in a spoken language or sign language;
translators work with written or audio documents.
“Companies can access home-based translators with hard-to-find
language skills without being held back by geographic location,” says
Sara Sutton Fell, CEO and founder of FlexJobs, a site that caters to
telecommuters, freelancers and part-timers.
The BLS projects 19 percent growth in this field, which is much faster than average. Median annual wage: $49,930
5. Marriage and family therapist
Marriage and family therapists usually work full time and many have
private practices. Online video conferencing apps such as Skype and
FaceTime make it possible for therapists and their patients to talk
without either of them having to commute.
The BLS growth outlook for this profession is “much faster than average,” with 22 percent growth projected over 10 years.
Lisa Marie Bobby, founder and clinical director of GrowingSelf.com, a
Denver-based marriage and family therapy and life-coach practice, says
she’s been meeting patients online since 2010. It’s simply easier and a
more efficient use of time.
“It’s a 45-minute meeting versus a three-hour event that you have to
find time for,” she says, noting that online therapy sessions are more
conducive to regular attendance and reduce patient no-shows. Median annual wage: $50,090
6. Travel agent
People no longer routinely call a travel agent to buy their plane
tickets and book hotels for them. The internet has revolutionized that.
But if you specialize in niche travel, such as exotic destinations for
wealthy clients, you have the potential to make a good living working
from home, says Tom Ogg, a travel industry veteran and founder of
HomeBasedTravelAgent.com.
“The common belief is that the internet is killing travel agents,”
says Ogg. “The truth is they’re making more money now than ever before;
they just look different. A solid business concept and plan focused on
profitability will take you a long way to achieving your monetary
goals.”
The BLS wage information is based on the old business model, Ogg
says. Still, employment growth for travel agents is expected to decline
6% over the next 10 years. Median annual wage: $38,700
7. Teacher/tutor
Advanced technology and high-speed internet connections have created
more opportunities for teachers and students to work together from afar.
“With more states allowing children to attend public school online,
there’s been growing demand for K-12 teachers,” says Rat Race
Rebellion’s Durst. “We’re seeing a huge demand for people to teach
children in Asia, primarily in China, to speak English.”
Your income “depends on how many hours you’re applying to it and the type of classes you’re teaching,” Durst says.
The BLS projects the demand for teachers to grow, especially at the college and university level. Median annual wage (kindergarten, elementary school): $57,980 (High school): $60,320 (College/university): $78,470
8. Franchise owner
Owning a business can be a good path to working from home. For an
initial investment, franchises offer an established business with brand
awareness, a business model, a territory and maybe even access to
capital. There are franchise opportunities in mailing and shipping,
cosmetics, travel, marketing, employment and staffing, retail and many
more industries.
Franchises can cost a lot of money, but there are opportunities for
less than $50,000, says Jania Bailey, CEO of FranNet, a franchise
marketplace. “You might be able to get financing from the (Small
Business Administration) or the lenders the brand works with. It’s a
little more affordable than people think. If it takes $100,000, you
might need $20,000.”
Above all, Bailey says, don’t limit yourself. Franchise opportunities
are not limited to small cottage industries. “Unless you are in this
industry, you have no comprehension of how big it is and how many
opportunities there are.” Median annual wage: N/A
9. Social media specialist
It’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to have a
presence on social media. If you have a knack for using social media
platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, you could stay home and make a
living helping businesses reach out, engage and promote their products
through social-media marketing.
Social media managers or specialists also can earn money through training and consulting.
The BLS data includes social media specialists with other types of public relations specialists. Median annual wage: $60,000
10. Licensed insurance representative
Many people find it easy to shop for insurance online, but they often
need to talk to a licensed insurance rep to help them choose the right
policy.
Insurance companies are increasingly outsourcing their incoming phone
calls to contact centers, which then have to hire or contract with
licensed insurance reps “because state laws mandate that only licensed
agents can ‘sell’ policies,” says Durst of Rat Race Rebellion. So, if
you see an ad on TV for a life insurance company and call the number on
your screen, there’s a good chance you’re talking to someone who is
working from home.
“As you can imagine, it can be quite difficult for the contact
centers to find people with the proper credentials, so the job ads are
all over the place,” Durst says.
The BLS projects 10 percent growth in this field. Median annual wage: $50,600
11. Writer/editor
Traditional print publications are declining, but if you have a
computer, internet access and the right credentials and/or experience,
there are work-at-home opportunities for people with writing and editing
skills.
Bloggers, journalists, technical writers and editors who know how to
plan and revise content and meet deadlines face a competitive market,
however. Median annual wage (writer): $62,170 (editor): $59,480
12. Medical transcriptionist
A medical transcriptionist listens to voice recordings from doctors
and other healthcare workers and transcribes them into written reports. A
transcriptionist can work for a hospital, doctor’s office, a
third-party service or be self-employed.
The expansion of healthcare services is expected to drive demand for
this job, but a slight decline is projected due to tech advances and
outsourcing.
Median annual wage: $34,770
13. Childcare provider
If you have small children, providing childcare in your home can have
dual benefits: You keep your own kids busy with friends and activities
while earning money providing care for other people’s children.
Websites like Care.com and Sittercity.com connect childcare providers
with parents who need a sitter. How much you earn will depend on how
many kids you care for each day and the extent and hours of care you
provide.
The BLS projects 2 percent growth in this field. Keep in mind that
your state may require licensing if you want to do this on an official
basis. Median annual wage: $23,240
14. Graphic designer
If you have experience designing logos and T-shirts or using computer
software to create brochures and advertisements, you could make good
money working from home.
Websites like Fiverr.com and 99designs.com can help you meet
potential clients who need your services. How much you earn will depend
on the scope of the project and your experience. The BLS projects 3
percent growth in the field. Median annual wage: $50,370 per year
15. Customer service representative
When you call to order something from a catalog or infomercial, the
person on the other end of the line might be sitting in a home office.
Hiring independent contractors to handle complaints, process orders and
answer questions is a “huge and growing industry,” says Durst of Rat
Race Rebellion.
Many customer service reps work for retail stores, banks and credit agencies, but nearly every industry needs them. Median annual wage: $33,750
16. Short-term rental host
If you have an extra bedroom in your home or apartment, consider renting it out through sites such as Airbnb or HomeAway.
You decide how often you want to rent out your space and how much to
charge. The only caveat is that you need to stay competitive with
similar short-term rentals in your area. Do your research to attract
renters and make a decent return from each stay.
Short-term rentals are a volatile debate topic in some neighborhoods,
so be sure you comply with the rules and laws of your community.
Nearly 11 percent of U.S. adults have used online home-sharing
services, such as Vrbo (Vacation Rental By Owner) or Airbnb, according
to the Pew Research Center. The BLS does not have wage data on this
aspect of the “gig economy.” Median annual wage: N/A
17. Website tester
Sites like UserTesting.com and Userlytics.com pay people to test
different websites and mobile apps, then share their feedback.
UserTesting.com pays testers $10 per test, with each test expected to
take no more than 20 minutes. Testers then share their feedback in a
video.
“Companies want to make sure that the user experience is a good one
and the boardroom is not always the best place to get unbiased
feedback,” says Durst. “So, they use services like this to get insights
from people who come from the demographic pools that are in their target
markets.”
Opportunities for this work, sometimes called “remote usability
testing,” may be limited. This is more of a side gig than a job to make a
living. Median annual wage: N/A
18. Registered nurse
The growth in “telehealth,” which is giving or receiving health care
services remotely through computers and mobile devices, has given
registered nurses opportunities to work from home.
“With more insurance companies adding ‘new parent support lines’ and
‘telephonic triage’ and other phone options that help meet their
customers’ needs without having to visit a doctor’s office, there’s been
a big increase in demand for registered nurses,” says Durst.
The BLS projects 12 percent growth in this field. Median annual wage: $71,730
19. Meeting, convention and event planner
Whether it’s a convention, a fundraiser or a birthday party that
needs to be organized, event planners have ample opportunity to do a lot
of the work from home via phone and computer.
The job may require you to visit potential meeting sites. Candidates
with experience in the hospitality business and a college degree in
hospitality or related field such as tourism management will have the
best opportunities. The BLS projects 7 percent growth in this field. Median annual wage: $49,370
20. Bookkeeping, accounting, auditing clerk
Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks produce financial records
and ensure their accuracy. These jobs are suited to working from home,
with occasional visits to clients and overtime hours during certain
seasons to be expected.
Employment in this field is expected to decline somewhat by 2028 as technological changes and automation reduce demand. Median annual wage: $40,240
