We all have some type of skills, some of which we are not even aware of. Now is the time to tap into your God-given natural skills and start earning a honest income from your home.
Stay-at-Home Moms Working From Home
Having children is a blessing, and moms has a natural instinct to protect them and make sure that they are nurtured and taken the best care of. Some stay-at-home moms are not aware that they can still stay at home with their kids, while making an income from home.
Doing online work gives a stay-at-home parent the ability to be there for their kids, help them with their homework, and be able to attend parent-teacher meetings, etc. Basically, they can watch their kids grow up and still contribute to the household.
Caretakers Working From Home
If you are a caretaker for elderly parents or children with disability, telecommuting is a great option for you. You can do part-time work in your spare time, maybe when the children are gone to bed at nights. There are graveyard shifts for those who want to pick up a few hours after the house quiets down.
College Students Working From Home
College students can become overwhelmed with study materials and may have very little time to work. Working from home gives them the convenience to fit in a few hours here and there to help out with whatever necessities they need.
Searching for Working From Home Jobs
The first step in starting telecommuting from home, is to do your research. Before you start searching for online work, you should familiarize yourself with the different terms that are used to land a job working from home.
Some of the most common terms that are used are: work from home, work at home, remote jobs, telecommute jobs, online work, virtual work, home-based business, independent contractor jobs. When looking for jobs online, you should use these terms to find potential jobs.
Most Popular Remote Jobs Hiring
Customer Service: Online jobs are becoming very popular these days. Many big companies are offering the opportunity to work in your home office, which reduces costs such as travel expense and child-care cost. One of the most common type of jobs you can do from home is customer service jobs.
To get started, you can easily setup your home office with a good telephone and noise-cancelling headphones to block out background noise. Customer service jobs pay pretty decent, based on your skills and experience. Some companies even provide healthcare benefits and 401K to their online employees.
Non-Phone Chat Jobs: There are also a few none-phone jobs such as customer service related chat jobs. Those are sometimes hard to get into, but if you search diligently, you will find them. You have to have a pretty decent typing speed and must be able to multi-task.
Medical or General Transcription: Transcription jobs are also popular in the telecommuting world. If you are a natural at typing and have good grammar and listening skills, this would be a great field for you. You have to be disciplined and be able to meet quick turnaround times, depending on who you are transcribing files for.
How Transcription Jobs Work
You are given an audio file to transcribe, with a certain turnaround time, some of which can be due in 24 hours to a week. So, you have to manage your time wisely, because you are paid for whatever time you put in, per audio hour, not actual hours.
Teaching Online English Classes
Online teaching is another popular work from home opportunity. Some companies require a bachelor’s degree, while others just want a high school diploma. If you are fluent in English, you can teach online classes, teaching English to students in places like China. You will need a professional web camera to communicate with your students.
Working Independently From Home
One thing about working from home, is that you are usually expected to work independently. This means that no one will be in your presence supervising you. You have to have good time management skills to ensure that you start your shift, or your day on time.
Some jobs are more flexible than others. For example, transcription jobs may offer some more flexibility, but can be very challenging.
You can also do simple side gigs such as Swagbucks in your spare time. Every little bit adds up. You can just let your points add up and redeem gift cards whether it’s from Walmart, Amazon, or a ton of other popular stores.
Getting Involved with Online Job Forums
Working at home doesn’t have to be a lonely job. There are work from home forums, where you can find people like yourself who work out of their homes. There are many online communities that share job leads, support or simply chitchat about their day.
Taking Your Job Serious
You many find that when you start your online job venture, some people may not take you serious. They may say stuff like, “Why not go get a real job?” Some may even want to drop by whenever they want to. You are responsible for putting a stop to this behavior before it becomes worse.
If you are serious about making an online income, you have to take your job seriously. Have a schedule that you follow, give yourself breaks to prevent burnout, and separate your work-life from your social life. As time goes by, you will get accustomed to working independently in your home office.
How to Dress for Online Jobs
What you wear in your home office can affect your mood for the day. Some people may work in their pajamas, while others may dress in business attire, just like they would do if they were working in a brick and mortar company.
Whatever makes you feel comfortable is what counts. What is most important is that you do your job well and get paid for doing it.
Home-based Business Versus Online Jobs
Know the difference between home-based business and an online job. If you are interested in starting your own online business, you may have to pay a startup fee. A majority of the legitimate jobs online do not ask for money, unless you are paying for a background check.
How to Make Working From Home a Success
Working out of your home can be a success if you put in the work. You should set manageable goals and work towards them. Start with smaller goals, then increase them as you go forward.
Multi-tasking Working From Home
One of the biggest mistakes that many people do when trying to earn a consistent income from home, is that they find a job, then throw themselves into that one job, which is good, but you should also seek out other types of remote jobs. Always have more than one “egg” as they would call it in the work-at-home world.
Sometimes it’s good to have two flexible jobs, than to have just one, so that if you lose one job, you’ll still have some income coming in until you can find another online work.