Top 10 Work at Home Jobs

Work at home jobs are becoming more and more popular, but there are still some that can be done more easily in a home environment. This article shares 10 of the most common types of work at home jobs you will find online.

1) Customer Service

Thanks to the internet and software programs that allow you to log in to a company's system from home, it is easy for employers to hire remote customer service agents. Imagine sitting in your home office, answering telephone calls from people all over the world. That is a reality for many thousands of home-workers today! The duties that come along with customer service positions vary from company to company, but most often you would be answering customer phone calls, providing general customer service, addressing complaints, entering orders into the company computer system online, and so on.

Requirements: Most companies would require you to have an updated home office environment with computer, telephone, headset, and fax machine, though this will vary depending on the job duties.

2) Telemarketing

Telemarketing is another job that can easily be done from home. Most often this involves making cold calls to sales leads and either selling merchandise or services directly, or sometimes you would be simply setting appointments for sales people to close the sale.

Requirements: Most of these jobs would require an unlimited phone plan so you could make long distance calls without extra charges, but some companies do have a program where you could log into their system online and make the calls over a broadband connection. Some of these jobs do require sales or telemarketing experience, but some are willing to train.

3) Transcription

Transcription is done by listening to audio files and typing them into written form. There are two basic types of transcription jobs: medical and general. Medical transcription requires more intensive training so you will know the medical terminology used on the recordings, which are often created by doctors and other health professionals. General transcription can include many different types of audio recordings, such as meeting notes, seminars, teleseminars, and interviews.

Requirements: Transcription jobs will usually require equipment like software programs that can play the audio files at various speeds, and sometimes a specialized foot pedal is also required to control the software. You may also need a special headset.

4) Web Design

Web design jobs are great options for working at home. You can either work as an employee for a company, or as a freelancer who hires out your skills to many different clients. These jobs would obviously require that you have knowledge of web design, HTML, CSS, PHP, and other computer languages.

Requirements: The only equipment requirements for web design work at home jobs would be the software you need to create, design and update web pages. Some companies might require you to use a specific program like Dreamweaver, but others might not.

5) Writing

Writing is a great option for working at home too. You could either work for one company exclusively or freelance for many clients. This job also offers great flexibility with the types of writing and publications you can choose from. You could write for print markets like magazines, or focus on online publications by writing for e-newsletters and e-zines. Writers are needed for many different types of materials, such as sales brochures, technical manuals, parenting publications, health websites - you can even be a "ghostwriter" for people who want to publish their own books but don't have strong writing skills! Writers can also create their own income by writing and selling e-books online, creating content websites funded by advertising, affiliate products and more. Basically, if you have strong writing skills, there are endless ways to turn them into a paying venture.

Requirements: Even better, the only requirements for working at home as a writer would be having the skills and motivation to do it. It may be helpful to have at least the basic software programs that most clients would use, such as Microsoft Word.

6) Graphic Design

Just like web design, graphics design can be done from home too. This would involve the creation of digital images like artwork, company logos and web site graphics. Graphic designers can also work with print images, but that would more likely be done for a local company, even if you could still work at home much of the time.

Requirements: Once again, software programs for graphic design would be needed, as well as proper training.

7) Sales

Sales jobs can be done from home by telephone or internet, but some may also require daily visits to prospective clients. Some sales jobs would pay commission-only (you would only get paid if you make sales), but some do offer a base salary plus commission.

Requirements: This will vary depending on the company and type of sales job, but most often you would need to have some sales experience, and a home office with computer, telephone and fax machine.

8) Virtual Assisting

Virtual assisting is becoming one of the more popular work at home jobs these days. Most often these jobs require basic clerical skills like knowing how to use a computer, the internet, telephone, email, word processing programs like Microsoft Word, as well as spreadsheets, perhaps accounting software, and other basic office equipment. A virtual assistant can work solely for one employer, or be a freelance independent contractor. The duties of a virtual assistant would most often involve answering telephones, doing clerical work, answering email inquiries from clients, sending mailings, making travel arrangements, and more. (It varies greatly depending on the employer.)

Requirements: Usually you would need an updated computer system, telephone, fax machine, and the right software programs that your employer would use.

9) Teaching/Tutoring

Teaching and tutoring jobs can also easily be done from home, and they can apply to different settings. For example, you could tutor children who need help with their studies, or teach English as a second language to adults. You could work independently on your own, or sign on with a company who will connect you with clients.

Requirements: Besides specialized knowledge and teaching credentials, very little equipment is needed for this kind of work at home job.

10) Consulting

If you have specialized knowledge in specific areas, you may be able to create a lucrative consulting practice from home. There are consultants for pretty much everything, from legal to medical to business to personal life coaching! Consider your areas of expertise and ask yourself if people would be willing to pay money to learn from you. More often consulting is done on an independent basis rather than working specifically for one company.

Requirements: Depending on the type of consulting you would be doing, you may need a full home office setup as well as other equipment or software programs related to your line of work.

There are many other types of jobs that can be done from home, but these are probably the most common. However, as technology continues to advance we will likely see more and more opportunities to do even more jobs from home in the future.