Working from home is becoming an
increasingly feasible and common option in this modern wired
world. Whether clerical work, freelance writing, crafts and
assembly, online research and reviews, consultancy, or other
types of work, the chance to make a living while avoiding the
daily commute has never been easier. Often enough, all that is
required is a computer, a broadband connection, and a suite of
office software. Such work as Internet research, data entry,
and secretarial services may be performed this way.
Add transcription software and a foot pedal
to control the playback, and you can offer transcription or
translation services. For those who do skilled work with their
hands, opportunities can be had with either reputable
manufacturers (piecework, although beware numerous scams) or
through online markets (as a vendor). Programming jobs, Website
design, proofreading, freelance writing – all may be done from
home. If you have a skill, chances are good that you can find a
homeworking job that uses it.
There are a number of options for finding
work to do from home. You can often find appropriate listings
on general job search sites such as monster.co.uk – just enter
a search term such as “work from home”. Freelancers can find
listings on sites specific to the market such as
www.freelancers.net, or, globally, Elance or Guru. These will
vary in practice between those who offer listings freely, and
others who use a bid for hire system (sometimes for a fixed
commission on the contract price, and occasionally collecting
the contract price from the supplier to be held in escrow for
the completion of the job – check the terms and conditions for
a given site). Additionally there are a number of sites that
deal specifically with homeworking, for example, the Homeworker
job or Remote Employment. (The latter is a subscription
service.) Be wary: not all homeworking sites are equally
honest.
Which brings up one of the pitfalls of
searching for homeworking jobs - scams. A very simple rule of
thumb applies here: if it seems too good to be true, it
probably is. Be wary of piecework jobs that appear to require
little in the way of skills. “Get rich quick” schemes that
require you to pay an initial “investment” will certainly make
someone rich; it just won't be you. Homeworking takes an
investment in skills and hard work to pay off, and it can take
time to build a respectable income.
If you set up a business for yourself, you
will want to consider aspects such as advertising, networking
and taxation. At a base level for the first item (advertising),
consider free classified ad sites such as Ad Trader. Paid
options vary immensely; you'll need to work out what best suits
your requirements. Freelancers will find that they may list
their services on sites as listed above, as well as find and
bid on available contracts. Do not underestimate the value of
business networking sites such as linkin.com – contacts with
clients and colleagues are always valuable for generating
business. And consider that, if you are self-employed, it
affects how you pay tax, National Insurance and VAT. You can
find help working out your status here.
Working from home is not for everyone, but
for those who desire part-time employment, supplemental income,
or those hardy souls who prefer to work for themselves,
homeworking can be a viable alternative to regular
employment.