The “work from home” approach to employment has been gaining a lot of momentum lately, maybe now more than ever, since the pandemic has forced people to restrict their movements and stay indoors as much as possible.
However, contrary to popular misconceptions, the idea is not new, nor is it revolutionary – the idea of earning cash without leaving your house has been around for quite some time, certainly from before the pandemic, and even from before we had the internet.
Those of us who could not leave our homes and go to work – stay-at-home moms, people with disabilities, or those under certain travel or movement restrictions – had no other choice, but to become creative and figure out how to make money from home.
However, the technological advancements of the last couple of decades have greatly extended the pool of people interested in remote work, simply because there are many more types of jobs to choose from that can be done remotely.
A quick search on Jooble for ‘remote work’ will result in over 709 thousand vacancies, while a search for ‘work from home’ will yield more than 722 thousand results. The diversity and versatility of vacancies mean that anyone can join the ever-increasing category of people working from their households.
However, with great variety comes the challenge of choosing the best. Out of all the remote work available out there, how do you know which one will be worth your time and efforts?
We have looked through materials from reputable online sources like Forbes, Indeed.com and CareerBuilder, to provide you with this shortlist of the most interesting 7 jobs that let you work from home. Here they are, sorted by average salary, from lowest to highest:
1. Translator
If you happen to know more than one language, the translator job is one of the most accessible remote occupations for you.
There are many different types of content that you can translate – articles, books, videos, menus, manuals, voiceovers, subtitles, databases, even something as trivial as cooking instructions.
Freelance platforms like Fiverr and UpWork are saturated with translation gigs that you can quickly apply for and start earning.
Once you build up your portfolio and feel like you are ready to go to the next level, you can take an exam and become a certified translator, which will greatly expand your employment options and increase your revenue.
Average Salary: 21 US dollars per hour.
2. Recruiter Specialist
Recruiter specialists are the head-hunters of the employment market. They represent the bridge between employers and candidates.
They advertise job vacancies (mostly online, and especially via social media), sift through job applications, shortlist and interview candidates, and make recommendations for new hires.
Furthermore, a good recruiter specialist will provide companies with constructive feedback on the recruitment process itself, constantly seeking ways to improve it and maximize results.
In the past decade, the employment market has witnessed the migration of recruiter specialists to online platforms, which means that this is precisely the type of work that can be easily done from home.
If you have HR experience, are empathic, and enjoy working with people, you can try yourself in this role.
Average Salary: 22 US dollars per hour.
3. Freelance Writer / Editor
A freelance writer or editor creates and prepares various written content to be used for marketing purposes on social media platforms, websites, blogs, and forums. If you are good at writing and editing, you should seriously consider this job.
There is always plenty of work available, it pays well and usually does not require any previous experience or special skills, other than being able to write coherently and cohesively, without spelling errors or stylistic mistakes.
You will usually get precise instructions on what to write and technical requirements for the text itself.
Average Salary: 23 US dollars per hour.
4. Online Tutor
In this job, you will be helping students who have trouble with some (or all) of their assignments. In regular daily (or weekly) online sessions, you will be reviewing assignments together with the student, going through complicated questions, and focusing on the parts that the student seems to have trouble with.
Depending on your experience and background, you can choose to focus on a particular level (grade) or on particular class subjects that you have mastered in the past.
Average Salary: 25 US dollars per hour.
5. Graphic Designers
If you are more artistically inclined and enjoy drawing, you should consider this occupation. Graphic designers develop visual concepts for websites, advertisements, brochures, magazines, menus, even for whole products.
They usually create an overarching concept and then use it as the basis for developing the so-called “brand book” for the project – this includes logos, fonts, colors, sizes, and images, to be used in all marketing activities.
Needless to say, creativity, artistry, and attention to detail are crucial for a successful career as a graphics designer.
Average Salary: 26 US dollars per hour.
6. Online Marketing Consultant
Online marketing consultants usually focus on social media. They are employed by companies to promote certain products or services, by creating and implementing a targeted online marketing strategy.
Needless to say, you need to be extremely proficient at SMM and SEO to be successful at this job. The best part is that this activity can be done on freelance terms, which means that you maintain full control of your time and resources, as long as you yield the promised results.
Average Salary: 33 US dollars per hour.
7. Web Developer
It is a well-known fact, that the best-paying jobs with remote work are in IT. Jobs in IT generally involve a steeper learning curve and require more experience than the other jobs on this list.
However, the payoff is certainly worth the effort – salaries are higher, job prospects and career outlooks are more promising, and job growth is above most other sectors of the economy.
You should consider starting your remote work career in IT with the aim of becoming a web developer. Simply put, web developers design and create websites.
They are usually proficient at several programming languages, such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and know how to use the most popular programming applications. In most cases, web developers also act as creators of content, so there is definitely a creative design component to this job as well.
Average Salary: 37 US dollars per hour.
