There’s
a certain appeal to working from home, particularly if you’re starting a
second career, or kicking off a “working in retirement” sideline.
In today’s job market, lots of people are finding ways to do just
that. Most home-based jobs come with flexible or part-time schedules.
I love this kind of work. It’s what I have done for the
past ten years. My office is portable. I write and report from
virtually anywhere I can tote a large canvas bag filled with files, my Apple must-haves-MacBook Pro laptop, iPad and iPhone– and have an internet connection.
I enjoy the flexibility of my hours… and the view when I write from
my cottage near the Shenandoah National Park in Sperryville, Va. For
writers, a home-based job is a no-brainer. Lots of my friends make a
living this way.
In the past year, I’ve written a couple of columns for AARP on Great
Home-Based Jobs, and the range of possibilities always amazes me. Some
of the jobs I have covered include: customer service call center
positions, tutoring, mediation, translating brochures and manuals for
businesses, graphic design, bookkeeping, virtual assistant, and grant
and proposal writing. You can read more here.
If you’re noodling around with the idea of dipping your toe in, here are a few tips to consider:
1. Work-at-home scams have been around for decades.
In the past few years, the FTC has seen the number of complaints nearly
double. Legitimate work-at-home jobs exist, but you’ll need to do some
homework to avoid the too good to be true operators. For tips, see
AARP’s advice here. The home-based work website ratracerebellion.com, a website co-founded Christine Durst, an internet fraud and safety expert, for example, prescreens job leads.
2. Search online for telecommuting jobs.
- You might start with LinkedIn and other social media outlets for opportunities via your network. Read my post: Job-hunting? Facebook, LinkedIn and You –Six Social Media Tips for more. Your alma mater’s career center job board is another avenue to explore. Surf the big job boards: CareerBuilder, Simply Hired, Indeed, Monster.com, and Flexjobs.com.
- If you are looking for a specific niche or industry, refine your
search to the appropriate job-posting site. Stop by company websites and
head to the career section for job openings. For grant-writing
opportunities, for example, check out The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Idealist.org for postings.
3. Tap into online employers. If you have a hankering to tutor, for instance, Tutor.com,
is worth a visit. Hourly rates are between $10 and $14 an hour, based
on experience, subject tutored, company and grade level. Some private
tutors, however, can make as much as $65 an hour. A certified teacher is
preferred, but not required. Professional experience can get you hired.
At Tutor.com, high-level math and science expertise is highly sought
after.
For customer service, you might try Alpine Access,
a major call center service, headquartered in Denver, Co. The firm
currently has 4,500 work-at-home customer service agents working in
1,700 cities. The agents take in-bound calls for the IRS and a variety
of companies, including Office Depot and Hewlett-Packard.
4. More flexibility = less money. These jobs don’t
always pay the big bucks and few offer benefits. A job answering
customer calls might entail logging into your home computer for anywhere
from 18 to 30 hours each week answering customer’s questions,
processing and tracking orders for a rate of $9 an hour. That said, a
translating job might bring in $50 to $120 an hour. Grant and proposal
writers can pull down anywhere from $18 to $50 per hour and up; part of
compensation may be based on the value of the grant obtained.
Bookkeeping pays a range of $10.23 per hour to $24.25, according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, but $50 or more is possible depending on
advanced training/degrees and location.
5. Don’t expect a face-to-face job interview. Sure
it’s possible, and you might even find yourself taking part in an
“out-of-your-house” training session if you land a job or client, but
for the most part it’s really a blind date. I work for several clients
who I’ve never met in person or Skyped. You’ve got to have great phone
and e-mail skills to keep the communication lines open and build a
relationship without a physical meet and greet.
6. Discipline and motivation count. Be honest
with yourself. To make a home-based job a success, you must be keenly
focused and a self-starter. Plus, you should be comfortable with a
solitary work environment. There are no “let’s slip out for a lunch”
breaks here. This is obvious advice, but it can be a pitfall for well
intentioned work-from-homers. Your reward: All the money you’ll save on
your wardrobe, and if you’re lucky, a view you can use. PJs, anyone?
