Until recently, working from home was unheard of or, at best, rare. Now, however, 3.9 million Americans work from home and believe it provides a less stressful and distracting environment than that of the office. More and more businesses are hopping on the bandwagon. Some of the largest corporations in the world are looking to hire employees to work from home. So, if you are interested in ditching the office and turning your home into your personal workstation, there are countless opportunities that allow you to work remotely. Here are a few of the most common:
1. Airbnb Rental
Short term rental sites like Airbnb allow you to rent out your property to individuals who are looking for a place to stay. You can rent out anything from an extra room in your own house to a full three-story property. Not only does renting out an Airbnb property allow you to work from home, but it is also a great source of revenue. In fact, the average Airbnb property earns $1,000/month.
2. Transcriber
Transcribers require little to no past experience. Transcriptionists listen to audio files, like medical dictations or press clippings, and type out what they hear. Most job offerings allow you to work your own hours and pay around $27,000/year. You can start searching for transcription jobs at Transcribe Anywhere or Transcribe Me.
3. Virtual Assistant
Many companies will hire assistants that work remotely to save the costs of in-house employment. Typical tasks of office assistants include answering emails, managing calendar and meeting times, and recording and tracking data. As a virtual assistant, you can expect an hourly wage of around $15-17 but may have less control over your hours. Virtual assistant jobs can be researched at Flex Jobs and Up Work.
4. Online Tutoring
Online tutoring is one of the most creative and fun careers you can establish out of your home. Millions of individuals sign onto streaming services like YouTube every day to watch educational videos or tutorials. If you possess a skill or passion for a sought-after hobby or career, documenting your work and uploading it online can earn you $3-5 for every 1000 video views you receive.
5. Freelance Writer
Currently, one of the most demanded work from home jobs is that of freelance writing. Thousands of companies are looking for skilled writers to generate interesting stories and content for their customers. After writers develop their portfolio and gain attention, they are often presented with the opportunity to write for multiple publications. This allows freelance writers more freedom to write about what they want. While the average beginning writer makes around $25/hour, experienced writers can make upwards of $100+/hour.
6. Social Media Analyst
Social media is a popular platform that businesses use to present themselves and reach out to their audience. It is critical for businesses to have a good appearance on social media and effectively communicate with their customers/audience. Analysts respond to comments and track followers, likes, and the number of click-throughs, ensuring that social media marketing campaigns are efficient and successful. Social Media Analysts can potentially make around $50,000/year.
7. Web Designer or Content Manager
Those that are creatively and technologically skilled may find their perfect career in web design. In order for businesses to compete, they need to have a website that is user-friendly and attractive to customers. In many cases, businesses don’t need a full-time web design and management team and seek assistance from private contractors. Contracted web developers and managers make around $66,000/year.
8. Travel Manager
Travel managers, or travel agents, plan trips or vacations for their customers. Planning a trip can be extremely time-consuming, confusing and stressful. Many businesses will hire out travel agents to plan their trips, saving them time and money. Travel management is great for those with a lot of personal traveling experience and good organization skills. That is, they know the best deals, best accommodations, understand the fine print of travel documents, have good contacts and are good at managing time. Travel managers average around $35,000-40,000/year.
9. Translator
Those who are both looking to work from home and are multilingual are in luck! Services like Gengo will pay you to translate documents right from your own home. Even better is that you are able to choose the content you would like to translate. Translators bring in an average salary of $45,000/year while working from home.
10. Graphic Designer
Similar to web designers and content managers, businesses also need individuals to create graphic designs and brand content. Generally speaking, businesses do not have their own in-house graphic design team, thereby allowing you to work from home as a designer. Graphic Designers make an average of $42,000 annually.
11. Website Tester
Businesses need constructive/informative feedback about their website without asking customers for their opinions. Therefore, they are willing to pay individuals to analyze and review their website. If you have familiarity with how a website should look and perform, websites like UserTesting or TryMyUI pay upwards of $10 per 10-20 min website test.
Looking to scrap the commute and work in the comfort of your own home? That dream has become a reality for many, as more opportunities to work remotely are available today than ever before. We hope these 12 work from home jobs provide some inspiration and help you think outside the box.
