Working from home is a relatively new term when it comes to some countries. It’s much a newer term if you don’t want to be in the corporate world and just want to work online for an organization that might not have a presence in your country.
Online jobs or work-from-home jobs are often frowned upon as many of the jobs you come across are scammy especially in countries like India, Malaysia, Germany, Australia, the UK, France, New Zealand, etc.
There is a reason why this is the usual reaction; telecommuting has not become a common thing in most countries except for the US.
Is there a need for work-from-home jobs in these countries?
Yes.
There is an increasingly strong need for telecommuting or online jobs in all of the above names countries and many more countries that are much smaller in demographics than the US.
Because of more people trying to get work in corporate sectors and trying to strive for the work-life balance, there is a stronger need for a work-from-home option.
Many people are looking for work-from-home options even with bigger organizations like IBM, SAP, Microsoft, etc., as these companies have been giving the flexibility for such options.
Are all the jobs online in these sectors scammy?
Not necessarily.
As the market for working online is growing, and as the companies that recruit workers from home are increasing, there are more legitimate options out there.
But it requires proper research and careful thinking to find the legitimate jobs. It also depends on the sector of the jobs you are choosing. There might be a good number of scammy jobs in the data entry sector as it is exploited a lot, but if you do deep research, you might find a good legitimate company to get employed with in data entry.
Can I make decent money with online jobs in these countries?
Definitely.
Many people have the impression, especially when it comes to working from home, that it cannot generate substantial income when compared to office dwellers. This is not the case even in countries like India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Egypt, etc. I know a lot of people who are making a killing with work-from-home jobs.
It might be that you have to do two jobs on a flexible schedule or do one with a tight schedule, but it’s surely possible to get a decent income from work-at-home jobs.
For example, if you are doing a freelancing job, you can fit a part-time, less demanding web research job on the side. This tallies up to a full-time income—all from the comfort of your home. It all depends on how you juggle the jobs.
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Web Research/Internet Researcher
Internet research is a relatively recent work-from-home position that is becoming popular. Web researcher or internet researcher positions were not that available six years ago. They were very specific to limited countries like the US or the UK.
One would agree that there has been growing demand for online opportunities. Inarguably, crowdsourcing has increased too. Therefore, work-from-home options are available in countries like Vietnam, Iceland, Scotland, etc. so as to meet the demands of day-to-day operations of companies.
Web research positions are advertised in many organizations, but the big ones are Lionbridge, Appen, and Magnit. These companies recruit home workers from time to time.
Translation
Translation jobs have been in the market for a very long time. Most of the time, a formal qualification as a translator is required, but there are some opportunities where they do not ask for qualifications. As most of the job is done online, it is quite flexible.
Appen and Lionbridge recruit home workers for translation roles. Apart from these companies, there are many freelancing companies like WordExpress that hire freelancers working online in this sector. It also helps if you speak multiple languages.
Tutoring
I find teaching very rewarding and a good income source. As the need for good communication skills increases, the demand for tutoring also grows, especially for English tutors. Other languages are also in high demand, and all this can be taught via online tools such as Skype or GoToMeeting. And this is all interactive.
Though formal qualifications are needed most of the time in the subject or language you are teaching, there are many tutoring opportunities where the employers may not ask for any prior qualifications. To teach for countries like China, Japan, and Korea, you do not require any previous experience.
Companies like Tutor.com, Tutor Doctor, etc. advertise regular tutoring positions for global workers. Freelancing tutor positions are also advertised in many forums or job boards independently.
You can find more job opportunities on the Job Board.
Transcription/Typing
Transcription and typing jobs have the edge over other jobs as the companies that advertise these roles have a high volume of opportunities available. Transcription companies like REV have expanded into video transcription/ video captioning as well, which is more creative than audio transcription. Typing jobs are available in large volumes in the freelancing space and depend on speed and expertise.
Companies like LionBridge, Quicktate, and Scribie all employ workers from home. A word of caution as some typing jobs are dressed up as high-paying data entry jobs, so you will have to do proper research about the company before you go further.
More Flexible Options
Test Websites
The pay is $10 per website tested, and the schedule is very flexible. The opportunities you get will depend on the quality of work you provide. Apply for usability testing with User Testing, and Analysia.
Telephone Mystery Shopping
The pay for phone mystery shopping differs depending on the company, but the normal rate of pay might start from $5. Apply for mystery shopping gigs with ARC, and Call center QA.
There are many other jobs in the global market for applicants from many countries, but it requires research and verification to weed out the scams. I do believe that no matter what country you are in, you can always find a flexible job suitable to your schedule.
If you are looking for more flexible jobs, try looking in the “remote” section of Indeed.
So which country are you in and what are your experiences of searching for online jobs? Do share your thoughts on this.
