Most of us love the idea of earning extra income or quitting our
full-time jobs altogether and working from home. If you thought
work-from-home companies were just running scams, it turns out there are
plenty of authentic and reliable ways to make money by working from
home.
Here's a hint: Legitimate
jobs will typically never require you to pay a fee to get more
information, and they don't come in unsolicited junk e-mail messages.
Still, there's plenty of earning potential in working from home because,
now, many of the top-earning home-based positions are with big
traditional companies like Xerox, Dell and IBM.
No
matter what your area of interest or expertise, if you have the desire
to work from home, someone, somewhere, has work for you that can use
your skills and natural talents. If you remain diligent and flexible,
you'll find it. And you won't have to spend money on gas or
transportation to get to work.
Rebecca Martin from Covergys.com,
a call-service supplier, says, "be sure you have a quiet,
distraction-free designated work space. Decorate your home office in a
style that is appealing and inspirational to you." Most women do better
if they treat their at home job more like an occupation. Let everyone
know you are working. Get dressed in the morning, stick to a routine
that works for you and those around you and you'll be on your way to
earning substantially more than you thought
you could.
Most
of the jobs in this article require an up-to-date computer, a
high-speed Internet connection, a phone with a dedicated land line and a
quiet place to work.
1. Customer-service rep
Many companies, such as
J. Crew,
Express Jet,
1-800-flowers, and even the
IRS,
outsource customer-service operations to third-party companies who then
hire home-based workers or "agents" to take calls and orders. When you
call 1-800-flowers, you may be speaking with Rebecca Dooley, a retired
police officer and employee of
Alpine Access,
a major call-center service. When you dialed the number, your call was
automatically routed to Rebecca's spare bedroom in Colorado.
Alpine
Access currently employs more than 7,500 work-at-home customer-service
agents who take in-bound calls (there's no outbound or cold calling) for
dozens of companies. "This works perfectly for me because I can set up
my hours around my family's busy lifestyle," says Rebecca, who usually
works 20 to 32 hours a week, depending on her schedule.
While
the typical hourly rate is about $9, Alpine Access agents who work more
than 20 hours a week are eligible for benefits plus a 401k program when
they have worked for over 1,000 hours. (Some companies consider their
staff independent contractors, so they don't provide benefits.) Other
companies that hire virtual call agents:
- LiveOps.com
- Arise.com
- WestatHome.com
- WorkingSolutions.com
- ACDDirect.com
2. Telemarketer
To
do this job, you need a pleasant voice and personality, and really
thick skin—you're bound to encounter some hostility. Still, it's a good
way to earn income. Many large companies now outsource their
cold-calling campaigns to third parties who hire home-based workers to
place the calls. Telemarketers are typically paid by the hour, and they
may earn incentives and commission based on performance.
Companies hiring home-based workers include
Telereach.com and
Intrep.com.
Apply on their websites. Keep in mind that a legitimate company will
typically not require you to pay a fee to get information or leads, and
will explain how to apply, exactly what is required and what to expect.
3. Survey Taking
If
you've ruled out survey taking as a legitimate way to earn money from
home, listen to Bonnie Alcala. She and her daughter Andrea Spain, an
elementary-school substitute teacher, take surveys online for fun and a
little profit. They are careful to avoid any scams by refusing to pay an
upfront fee or other charge. Bonnie and Andrea pocket around $100 a
month for spending two hours a week taking surveys, which gives each of
them extra pin money. In addition, they collect all kinds of gift cards
and other prizes.
If
you've got a little spare time and want to save up a stash of cash for
holiday shopping or even a family vacation, here are Bonnie and Andrea's
favorite survey sites:
- npdor.com
- SurveySavvy.com
- ACOP.com
- ViewpointForum.com
- ePoll.com
- GreenfieldOnline.com
- MySurvey.com
Also,
InboxDollars
pays participants cash to fill out surveys, watch ads, play online
games and redeem coupons, with one caveat: you must earn $30 before you
can cash out (you earn $0.50 per survey).
