As a longtime consumer reporter, when people used to ask me about work-at-home opportunities, I always cringed, because most of them were scams. So I love that, thanks to the internet, the work-at- home landscape has changed completely and not only are there legit opportunities, there are lucrative ones!
I’ve already done interviews with people who produce music and videos and write resumes and sell them on Fiverr, a woman who sells fashion on Poshmark, a guy who shoots stock photos for Snapwire, and another who teaches from home via Skillshare. If you haven’t heard those episodes, by all means, circle back to them. Great stuff if you’re looking to work for yourself from home.
But today I want to do more of a survey of several work-at- home options. Some websites connect freelancers with clients, which is a game changer and a very modern way to work at home.
Other companies actually hire employees to work from home virtually. Some even offer benefits like healthcare coverage and paid vacation. Here are several options, in alphabetical order, that I recently researched for a Washington Post piece.
First, there’s Convergys which has 3 types of home-based opportunities: customer service, sales and service, and technical support. This is one of those companies that is looking for actual employees and offers benefits.
Flexjobs is a site where companies list all sorts of jobs for freelancers to consider, many of them in somewhat technical areas like accounting, project management and engineering.
Skyword.com is an interesting one because it is looking for videographers and writers who can create content for brands. Native marketing, sponsored videos, that sort of thing.
SutherlandCloudSource.com. Ding ding! For those who like the stability of being an actual employee, this is the other of those opportunites. Sutherland has everything from entry-level jobs like call center operator to higher-level positions like business analyst and they are available to do at home.
Tutor.com is one of several sites that employee freelance tutors who are qualified to teach students and help with homework in subjects from Calculus to Zoology.
Udemy is another platform, somewhat like Skillshare, where people create and teach online courses. Classes can be technical like how to create animated graphics or homey, like how to make sourdough bread.
Wonder is for all you researchers. Wonder calls them “analysts” and assigns them to research all sorts of things for clients. The clients are real companies like Shell, PwC and Deloitte.
Zintro.com is a freelance platform for consultants. We’re talking highly specialized folks in fields like biochemistry, FDA compliance and waste water. The smart thing Zintro does is have clients deposit their payments up front to make sure consultants get paid.
And finally, we have Zirtual, which hires and trains college-educated virtual assistants. They then get assigned to assist small businesses and sole
proprietors.
