It is always difficult to find legitimate work from home jobs, but I have found that Craigslist can be a good source. However, it does take a bit of work to find the good telecommute jobs amongst the “regular’ jobs and the scammers. To make the job easier, I have come up with these tips to finding a good work from home job on Craigslist.

1. Don’t limit your searches to cities near you. When you work from home your boss could be half away across the world from you, location really doesn’t matter. Start with the larger cities and work your way through the whole list of Craigslist. One thing I would like to see with Craigslist is a search feature that includes all cities. As far as I know you can’t do that right now. So for now you need to do your searches city by city.

2. Start your search with cities where employers have to pay to place an ad. Not all Craigslist ads are free. In some of the larger cities, employers are required to pay to place an ad. Scammers don’t like to pay for ads, so this weeds out a lot of scam artists. San Francisco and New York are two cities that you need to pay to place a help wanted job on Craigslist.

3. When you work from home, it really doesn’t matter what location your employer is at. So don’t limit yourself to only searching cities near you.

4. Look at all job categories, not just the field you want to work in. Not everyone classifies things the same way. For example, I have found bookkeeping jobs in almost every category, including general labor and manufacturing. Some employers will classify by the type of business they have, as opposed to the type of job. So, if a manufacturer needs a bookkeeper, they put the ad under manufacturing.

5. Use the search box! Don’t spend your time scrolling down lists. Most jobs posted will not be telecommute or work at home jobs. Use search terms such as “work from home”, “telecommute”, “work remote”, etc. Make sure to use the quotation marks to precisely define your search and weed out the results you don’t want.

6. Watch out for the scammers. No matter where you look, there will always be scammers. Be sure to read up on how to spot a work from home scam, and know that with few exceptions, you should never have to pay to get a job.

With these tips and a little work you should be able to find a number of opportunities for legitimate work from home jobs. Good Luck!

In a previous post I mentioned that I had started using Hubpages as a way to earn a little more money on the web. I was especially interested in how hubpages would work as opposed to my own blog.

Well I am happy to say that after 6 months I am very pleased with the results I am getting from HubPages. It has been a great way to try out different niches without making a commitment to a full blog. I have had some surprises. Hubs that I thought would do very well have not, and others have done great.

What really surprises me is that my hubs are quickly getting decent page ranks. I have PR2 and PR3 hubs after just a few months. Not only are the pages getting good PR’s they are ranking well in the search engines.

The biggest surprise, one of my hubs has beat all of my blogs in Google Adsense earnings. Just one page has become a regular and consistent earner with a good click through rate and nice earnings per click.

Despite my success on Hubpages I am not giving up blogging. But I do like the way I can just write a hub on any topic and then just let it go and see how it does.

While there are plenty of legitimate work from home offers available on the web, there are many more scams.
When looking for a work from home job you need to be careful.
If you fall for a work from home scam you could end up:

• Wasting your time
• Losing Your Money
• Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft
• Involved in Fraudulent or even Criminal Activity

The FBI lists these common work from home scams you should avoid.

The Advance Fee Scam

This is where many business “opportunities” fall. In this scam you pay a fee and in return you are to receive everything you need to start your own (fill in the blank) business. You pay your money and end up with a bunch of worthless junk…if you get anything at all.

The Mystery Shopper-Counterfeit Check Scam

This scam seems like a no-lose situation…they send you money!
How it works: Your “employer” sends you a large check that you deposit into your bank account. You spend the money shopping at local stores and sending wire transfers. Some of the money you send back to your employer. But a few days later you find the check was bad, and you are liable for the funds.

Pyramid Schemes

My personal favorites are all the “gifting” programs out there. But the most common way this scam works is that you are hired as a distributor for some type of product. Many times the product you are selling is of low value and overpriced. You make your money by recruiting others to sell the product. Meanwhile you are required to purchase inventory and sales aids, all of which become worthless with the pyramid fails.

The US Agent Money Laundering Scam

In this lovely scam you are hired to be a US based “agent” for a company. This typically involves receiving merchandise and then reshipping it to another address. What you don’t know is the crooks are using you to launder money and/or steal merchandise, with no trail back to them.

The Phishing Scam

This scam may be the hardest one to spot. You apply for a job and it appears you are being considered, or even hired. The company then asks for your personal information and then the job disappears. The scammers now have all the information they need to steal your identity and and ruin your credit.

Tips to Avoid Getting Scammed

Watch Out For The Warning Signs

1. You are offered large profits for only part time work.
2. They don’t tell you exactly how the plan works until you pay them the money.
3. They never actually offer you a job without taking your money.
4. You need “little or no experience” to make “huge guaranteed profits”.
5. You are pressured to make a decision immediately.

How To Protect Yourself From Work From Home Scams

Be suspicious whenever you are asked to pay money for a job.
First contact the Better Business Bureau to make sure the company is legitimate.
Don’t provide personal information until you are sure the offer is legitimate.
Do some research! Google the company name with “scam” and see if anything comes up.

Following these few simple tips can save you money and heartache.
For more information check out
FBI-Work From Home Scams
Better Business Bureau Work From Home Schemes
Federal Trade Commission Work From Home Schemes

Click on This “Ad” for a fun way to learn about Work From Home Schemes.

Make Lots of Money Now!

Mostly I like to look at work from home jobs where you can earn enough to make at least a basic living. But is always nice to have a way to earn some extra cash. And when that way costs nothing to start, and has the potential to pay a decent amount, I think it is worth a look.

I signed up for Hubpages about 3 months ago, and didn’t do anything. Then about 2 weeks ago I went back to the site and wrote my first Hub. At Hubpages, a hub is basically a webpage. Just one page where you can write about any topic you like. The Hubpages interface is easy to use, and depending on your writing speed you can have a hub published in not more than the time it took you to write it.

You earn money on Hubpages through one or more of the affiliate systems they have in place. All Hubs have Adsense placed on them. You can also choose to participate in the Amazon, eBay, and Kontera affiliate programs. You make money when a visitor to your Hub clicks on an ad. You get 60% of the impressions, Hubpages gets 40%.

Why Hubpages is Better Than a Blog

I love my blogs, and I continue to write for them, but on a blog, it is best if you stick to one subject. That way Google knows which ads are relevant to your site. On Hubpages, I can write a hub about American Idol one day and a hub about credit card debt the next. Each page stands alone and Google will show relevant ads on the page.

Hubpages also gets Google traffic quicker. I wrote my first hub on getting out of debt, and I had Google search traffic on it the very next day. For making money search traffic is great! I also had my first adsense click the first day the hub was published. I have never had a blog start making me money the very first day it was published.

I also like Hubpages because I can make money by sending people to other hubs. When I link to another hub, I get 10% of the impressions that I send the Hub. This is taken from the hubpages side, so the author of the hub doesn’t lose anything.

Why a Blog is Better Than Hubpages

I like my blogs better than Hubpages because I have more control. I get to decide the look and the layout. I also get to keep 100% of the revenue I generate. I don’t need to share it with anyone. It might change after I have been with Hubpages longer, but right now I don’t really feel like the Hubs are mine. Even though I retain all the rights to my hubs, they don’t feel like they belong to me the same way my blogs do.

Why Hubpages and Blogs Are Great Together

I really like having both Hubpages and blogs. I can use Hubpages to send traffic to my blogs, and conversely, I can use my blogs to send traffic to my hubpages. (Like I am doing here) My very first Hub that made me money the very first day it was published, well it also sent traffic to another one of my blogs, and that made money too!

Will You Get Rich With Hubpages?

I suppose it is possible, if you wrote a lot of very popular hubs. However, no one has gotten rich yet. But you can make a little extra money each month. Many hubbers are making over $100 per month and I think a few are making $400-$500 per month. I haven’ made that much…yet. One of the best parts about Hubpage income is it can be very passive income. A well written hub can bring you income long after you have written it. You might need to tweak it now and then, to keep it current, but as long as your hub is published and getting traffic, you should be earning money.

I have really been enjoying writing for HubPages. I have made a small amount of money, and the community is fun. Sign up for Hubpages and start writing. Let me know and I’ll become your fan and help you to promote your hubs!

Happy Writing!

A virtual assistant is a relatively new career. Without the aid of technology, working as a virtual assistant would not be possible. As a virtual assistant you work from your own home providing administrative, clerical and other support services as needed to busy executives and business owners who need to focus on their business, and not on their clerical tasks.

A virtual assistant(VA) will save a business money. Because the VA works from their own, fully equipped home office, the client does not need to pay for office space and equipment. And because a VA is only paid for the hours they actually work, the client does not need to pay a full time employee when what they need is just a few hours per week.

There are two types of virtual assistants. The generalist performs general office and clerical support. A specialist will focus on a certain field or area of expertise, such as bookkeeping, real estate, legal, or web development.

Virtual Assistants perform a variety of tasks such as:
* Handle email and postal mail
* Making appointments and scheduling
* Fax/receive faxes
* Research of all sorts
* Plan meetings and events
* Plan parties (business and personal), weddings, reunions
* Make travel arrangements — business and personal
* Handle reservations for seminars given by clients
* Writing
* Proof reading
* Copy editing
* Desktop publishing
* Newsletter publishing (print and internet)
* Coordination of web design/hosting
* Mailings
* Buy gifts/cards for customers of clients
* List managing (majordomo, listserv)
* Reminder service
* Transcription and Dictation
* Bill paying
* Bookkeeping — business and personal
* Manage vendor relations
* Create/maintain databases

To work as a virtual assistant you will need a fully equipped home office, including a high speed internet connection, an up to date computer, and the latest office programs. You should be proficient in Microsoft Office, and be comfortable using instant messaging.

Be careful when looking for work as a virtual assistant. There are many scams out there that will charge you a fee, and then give you a list of jobs that you could find on your own. Remember, you never should have to pay to get a job.

One site that does offer virtual assistant jobs is

While there are a limited number of companies that will pay you as an employee to work at home, if you are willing to work as a freelancer there are many more opportunities.

As a freelancer you are in charge of how much work you take on, what your pay rate it, and when and how you will go about doing the work. You are also responsible for reporting your income and paying your own taxes. In the US, if any one person pays you over$600, they are required to send you (and the IRS) a form 1099 reporting your income. Even if you don’t receive a 1099, you should report all your income.

There are many different types of careers that work well for freelancing. Freelance writing is obviously very popular, as well as graphic design and web development. I started my work from home career as a freelance bookkeeper. Almost any service you can provide can become a freelance business.

Before you start looking for work, you should create a website or a blog for yourself that will showcase your talents and advertise your services. Make sure to have an about page and a contact form so potential clients can get ahold of you.

Now you are ready to look for work. If you are just starting out, and willing to work for cheap to build up your portfolio there are a few forums where you can find work quickly. The good part about using forums to find jobs, is that you can often find a job and get paid for it on the same day. The bad part about forum jobs is that you have no idea who you are working for. It is possible that you will not be paid. Proceed with caution. That said, I personally have always been paid for the work that I have done. Two good forums to get you started.

Digital Point Forums.
Site Point

Job boards are another place to look for freelance work. There can be a lot of competition, but as you get a reputation it will be easier for you to win the jobs.
elance is a well known job board.
Problogger has a job board with lots of writing and blogging jobs.
RentACoder is a great board if you are looking for programing and coding jobs.

And there is always craigslist. If you are looking for telecommuting jobs don’t limit your search to cities near you. You may have more luck finding telecommuting jobs in the larger cities. I always check San Francisco and New York. Then run a search in jobs for telecommuting and work from home. I have found a number of freelance jobs this way.

Finally, look to your local area for freelance work. When I first started out as a Work at home bookkeeper, I got my first jobs through a classified ad in the local paper. Sending a letter to businesses that might be able to use your services can also result in work.

Where have you found good work from home jobs?

With thousands of new websites coming online every day there is a huge need for quality writing.  But of course, for every legitimate write from home job there are at least 3 scams.  Here are some writing jobs that I know are legit. And with a little work, even beginning writers can find sites that will pay them to write.

Right now my favorite get paid to write site is Today.com. At today you start your own blog, and for the first 30 days you are paid at least $1 per post, up to one post per day. After 30 days the amount you are paid per post can go up or down. You are also paid a small amount based on the traffic your blog receives.  Bonuses of up to $250 are paid  to top bloggers. Today claims that their top blogger made $700 in November.  I am getting paid for writing Review Me Today. In less than a month I have earned $38. I should get paid next month!

What I like about Today.com: Write 100 original words and get paid. Everyone is accepted. Just register and start writing.

What I don’t like about Today.com: Minimum payout is $50.  After the first 30 days you could be paid less than $1 per post.  Only advertising and affiliates placed by Today are allowed.

Hub Pages is a network where you can write web pages, called hubs.  Here you are not responsible for a whole blog, just one page.  You can write as many hubs as you like, and, unlike a single blog, they can be on as many different topics as you like.  Payment is based on a revenue share plan, using advertising networks such as Google, Amazon, and Kontera.

What I Like About Hub Pages: You can write one page at a time, as opposed to needing to keep up a whole blog.  Because each page is separate, you can write on a variety of topics.

What I don’t like about Hub Pages: There is no guarantee of payment.   You will need to work on building traffic, and not just any traffic.  To get paid you need people to click on ads.

Squidoo Lenses: Just about the same as Hub Pages.  You create a webpage, Squidoo calls them lenses, and you get paid a share of the revenue generated.  Same pros and cons as hub pages.

About.com will pay $725 per month for you to maintain a blog on a certain topic.  Not everyone is accepted.   When you apply to become a “guide” you pick a topic from the list About provides. Fill in your application and include a writing sample on the topic you are applying for.  Wait.  Wait some more.  After a few weeks you should hear if you have been accepted to the training level. During training you will write blog posts and articles under the direction of an editor.  Usually 5 writers are accepted into training for each topic.  Training typically lasts 1 month, and after training only 1 person will be hired as an About.com guide and paid a $250 hire on bonus.  About.com says that begining writers usually earn around $1,000 per month, established writers average $2,000 with top authors earning $100,000 per year.

These are just a few of the opportunities for writers that I have found. Later I will post about paid forum posting, and writing paid posts on your own blog.

Happy Writing!

I came upon this great work from home job today. An Internet Assessor reviews the results of web searches, to make sure the websites that come up are relevant to the search terms.  If enjoy looking at all types of websites, (and from what I have heard, I mean ALL types of websites) this job might be for you.

To be an internet assessor you need to be able to read and write well in English. You must have access to a computer with a high speed internet connection,  and you must be willing to commit 10 to 20 hours per week.

I could only find one company that hires internet assessors, that is Lionbridge.  Unfortunately, for some of us, they are not looking for anyone from the United States. They have a fairly rigorous application process, which     includes passing a test. They do provide study materials for the test, but do not pay for training.

The pay looks reasonable.  I find one source that says they are paying over 11 Euros to UK assessors.  You work as an independent contractor and are responsible for your own taxes.

For anyone outside of the US this looks like a very interesting job opportunity.  I would love to hear from someone who is working as an internet assessor.

If you have a talent for explaining academic subjects to children than you might enjoy working from home as an online tutor.   As an online tutor you will work one on one with students, helping them in a particular subject.  You need to be well versed in the subject you are teaching. You will need to be able to explain concepts to students, and help them to understand the subject. All the sites I looked at required you to be able to communicate well in English, and to have a high speed interent connection.

There are many different ways to find work as an online tutor.  I think most people would prefer to work with an established company.  These companies have tools to help you as an online tutor, such as online whiteboard programs.  They also take care of all the billing and paperwork needed.  Unfortunately, none of the companies I found stated how much they pay, but judging from what they are charging students, my guess is that pay is in the $8 to $12 an hour range. All the companies I looked at paid their tutors as independent contractors.  That means there are no benefits and you are responsible for paying your taxes.

Tutor.com seems to be the leader in online tutoring. They require that you live and are legal to work in either the United States or Canada.  You must also be a college graduate, or be currently enrolled in an accredited US or Canada college degree program.  You must pass an education and criminal background check. You can work from 5 to 30 hours per week. Mostly during the hours of 4pm to 11pm Eastern time Sunday through Thursday.

Tutorvista.com does not have a country requirement. They are active in both the US and UK markets, so English is required. They offer 24/7 availability so there are more potential hours available for work.  To work for tutorvista.com requires a masters degree in the subject you are teaching, plus some teaching experience. They also require that you work at least 4 hours per day.

AimforA offers tutoring to students in North America, Europe, and Australia, offering a large range of teaching opportunities.  The require excellent verbal and writing skills in English and a bachelors degree and teaching experience in the subject you would like to teach.

If you prefer to work on your own, BuddySchool.com is an interesting alternative. They are more of a matching service.  You register for a free account, set up your profile and availability, and then students will be able to sign up with you for a session.   You set your prices and BuddySchool takes care of the invoicing.  Right now it is completly free to use BuddySchool, both for students and tutors. They have a rating system for both students and tutors. Anyone can sign up as a tutor at BuddySchool, however, there is heavy competition in popular subjects. Some tutors are as low as $5 per hour, and in fact I saw some tutors who were free.

I did find a few services that offered online tutoring jobs, but charged a membership fee.  I did not review them because there are plenty of options that do not require any fees at all. Many of these fee based job services just give you information you can find out on your own for free.  In general, you should not need to pay to apply for a job.

Do you work as an online tutor?  Do you work for a company or are you offering your own service?  Please leave a comment and let us know about your experience!

With the advances in technology many companies are moving away from large call centers, and outsourcing their call centers…to home. There are many legitimate opportunities to work from home as a call center rep. Most call center representatives answer calls from customers wanting to place an order. If you have technical skills you might be placed as a technical support person, where you will be helping customers with support issues. There are also opportunities for people with financial and insurance backgrounds.

Pros
Like all work from home positions you have the benefit of no commute costs. Because you will never need to meet with clients in person you will also not need to spend any money on special clothing or dry cleaning. With most call center companies you have the flexibility to choose when you want to work. Also, many call center companies will hire you as an employee, not an independent contractor, so you have a guaranteed hourly wage, no matter how many calls you take.

Cons
You must provide all your own equipment. Including a computer with high speed internet access, a dedicated corded phone, (No cell phones or portable phones)and a hands free headset with noise canceling microphone. This is not a good position for parents who need to take care of children, because you are required to have a work space that is quiet with no noise from children or pets. The companies don’t want their customers to know that you are working from home!

What to Look For
Before you are hired make sure you know whether you will be working as an employee, or as an independent contractor. As an employee, you will be guaranteed a minimum hourly wage, and taxes will be withheld from your paychecks. Some companies also offer benefits for their work from home employees.
As an independent contractor you will be paid based on the number of calls that you take. It is possible that you will commit to a shift and recieve very few calls. You will be responsible for paying your own taxes. However, as an independent contractor you have your own business, and it is easier to deduct the expenses of working from home. Depending on the number of hours you work you may be able to deduct some or all of your internet and computer costs. Please consult with a tax advisor about your particular situation.

Requirements
The companies I looked at all had the following requirements:

• You need to be a United States legal resident and speak English
• You need to be at least 18 years old
• You need to have a high school diploma or GED
• You will need a tax ID number
• You will need to pass a background check

Fees
The companies I looked at did not require any fees to apply for a position. However, all of them required you to pay for a background check after you were offered a position. The cost for the background check varied widely, anywhere from $35 to over $100, depending on the type of calls you will be taking.

How Much Can You Make as a Call Center Rep?
Working as an employee, it looked like the starting pay was anywhere from $8 to $12 per hour, with opportunities for bonuses for working during certain hours, or for exceptional performance. The companies that hired independent contractors reported around the same potential income.

Working from home as a call center representative looks like a opportunity for someone who can dedicate a block of time with no distractions. This may make it difficult for parents with small children, as you would need to arrange for childcare. The pay is actually pretty good for this type of work, and without the costs of working outside the home makes it a very attractive work at home opportunity.

Here are a few companies that I found.
With Convergys you are hired as an employee. They offer paid training and a full range of benefits.

Live Ops hires independent contractors. You are paid per minute of call time. They do not offer paid training.

Alpine Access hires reps as employees. They state their average rate of pay is $9 per hour. Certain jobs will pay more. They offer paid training and limited benefits after 3 months of working an average of at least 20 hours per week.