Searching for work at home used to be a fairly simple matter. Most companies who began to offer telecommute positions were well established, and therefore well known. Nowadays, when anyone can post an ad anywhere, it takes a lot of time to weed through all of the garbage, and by that time, you are so skeptical of everything, most people give up or end up desperately involved in some scam or ponzi scheme.
Work at-home employment and business opportunities are now abundant, and several are just a mouse click away. But then so are the scams!
"Now, with 4,500 to 5,000 work-at-home job ads screened weekly, the Web site finds 57 phonies for every one that's for real", says Christine Durst, CEO of The Rat Race Rebellion.
But yet we still have millions of people trying to beat the rat race, and dreaming of the perfect work at home opportunity. Those people include: parents who want to be home with their children, military spouses who need to be flexible and able to move, the disabled population, people who already work outside of their home and need to supplement their income, the driven Corporate manager or CEO who is just burnt out by all the hours, and those who have supposedly retired but still can't make ends meet. If you think about it, that includes almost every category of the working class!
There's no doubt that to work from home successfully, an individual needs to be self-motivated, disciplined, and independent. Many people picture "easy street" when dreaming of working from home, but that simply isn't true. Yes, it may be more flexible in some cases, however, you have to be disciplined and motivated enough to make yourself work! Many companies do require a "schedule" and complete silence during that scheduled time. Those types of jobs aren't recommended for the parent trying to work while having the kids at home. A home business or deadline oriented work would be more suitable for those parents.
An increasing number of employers are starting to jump on board with allowing their employees to telecommute. It reduces their overhead expenses as well as call-offs, turnover rates, insurance costs, and access to more qualified employees who may live to far to work in the brick and mortar building.
Here is a brief list as offered by Yahoo Finance for work at home ideas:
1. Franchise or Home-Based Business Owner
It's a no-brainer: Owning a business can be the road to at-home work. For a considerably small investment/overhead, franchises offer a ready-to go business with brand awareness, a system that is already proven to work, an already established niche or market, and complete training and support. It's the best of both worlds: owning your own business with on the job training. Some of the best home based businesses involve health and/or wellness, relate to the increasingly popular "green" movement, involve electronics or software, prepaid wireless, or investments. Some examples would be AmeriPlan USA, Herbalife, Numis, and Solavei
2. Virtual Assistant
This is a field with much potential, because you can offer what you already know how to do, or learn new skills that are in demand from a VA. This is also a flexible option because one can own a Virtual Assistant business or can work for a VA company, and learn of requests for assistants through the company. Homewiththekids.com currently features a dozen such companies. The purpose of a VA is to be hired on a "per job" basis or to consistently do a certain job, such as the accounting or content for a small business who can't justify hiring a full time employee for a certain job. A VA is generally paid per job, or if agreed by both parties, on a continual weekly/biweekly basis for a consistent job. If this is something you would like to pursue, do some research about what VA's are usually hired for and what they average in pay. Then you can begin with small jobs, such as an article or balancing an account. You can always add skills or jobs to your resume.
3. Medical Transcriptionist
This one is tricky, because it does require experience or education in the field. Also, most employers who hire telecommute transcriptionists prefer someone who has had some physical, "on the job" experience before accepting a work at home experience. It's difficult to do this job in person, let alone from your home with a recording, because some Dr's may have difficult accents, slur their words when rushing or paying attention to other things and some have even been reported to eat, drink, and even talk to other people while dictating. Nonetheless, good transcriptionists are in very high demand.
4. Translator
Those with fluency in more than one language translate audio files or documents, not just word for word but often with cultural differences in mind. It is difficult to find those who truly know a language and/or culture in local US areas, therefore, it is appealing to offer this telecommute position to those who live in the areas they are translating for.
5. Web Developer/Designer
This job is also in high demand. Of the more than 15,000 new monthly work-from-home job postings on Odesk.com, Web developers are in the greatest demand, says spokeswoman Elizabeth Gordon.
6. Call Center Representative
When you order something over the phone, a big office with rows of cubicles may come to mind. But it is more likely that the person who answers your call is sitting in their home office. While some Web sites, such as Alpineaccess.com, actually hire representatives, most use subcontractors. Just be aware that the pay may be by the minute rather than by the hour, so you may not be paid for time you spend waiting by the phone. Also, you will be required to have complete silence in your home, as well as pay up front for the equipment and your own background and urine screen.
7. Tech Support Specialist
Call centers also hire technical support specialists to work remotely. This job does require prior experience in the specific area you are offering support for.
8. Travel Agent
Be careful with this one; Scams abound in the travel industry, especially organizations that charge for information on how to break into the field. But operating a home-based travel agency (also similar to a franchise) can be an excellent home based business. Do keep in mind that in this field, you will often be required to meet with clients, so it may not be 100% "work at home"
9. Teacher
Online classrooms are becoming as popular as the brick and mortar schools, and is now available all the way from kindergarten through Doctorate degrees and everything in between. Obviously, a teaching degree with a specialization in distance learning will be required. Also expect to show that you have some literal classroom experience, and you must be even more disciplined than a live school teacher.
10. Writer/Editor
Lots of different businesses will hire others to write their articles, blog entries, even Facebook page content. If you are an exceptional writer whom can handle a revolving work load, this can be a lucrative career for you.
One thing that you must decide before finding the perfect work at home is if you want to work for yourself or work for someone else. Either way, you can expect to put in some sort of monetary investment, but a business will often provide a residual income that will make your investment more than worth it. You can also look into companies such as AT&T and Verizon for employment, but those well known companies do have start up costs. However, if you look at the fact that you invest into a job no matter what (i.e. gas to drive there, work clothes and shoes, lunches, taxes etc) then the investment is a little easier to swallow. Once you can accept that, it makes it a little easier to objectively look at scam vs legit company. There are a lot of scams out there, so don't easily hand your money over to anyone. Instead, do your due diligence and research the company whether they ask for money or not. Also, does it make sense what you are paying for? If not, then it will be difficult to stand behind what you are doing, so be sure to choose something that makes sense to you! Good luck =)
*Feel free to leave a comment or question if you need help with your search!*
*Feel free to leave a comment or question if you need help with your search!*
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