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!

Working as a freelance bookkeeper can be a very lucrative home based business. With hundreds of new businesses starting every day, there are plenty of small businesses looking to outsource their bookkeeping.

As a freelance bookkeeper, you take the receipts and invoices of a business, and enter them into an accounting system. It could be a paper ledger system, but most bookkeeper enter receipts and invoices into a computer based accounting software such as QuickBooks. You then print the reports for the business owner.  As you gain experience and education you might also offer payroll and tax preparation services.

You don’t need to be a CPA to do bookkeeping for small businesses.  Many businesses will hire a freelance bookkeeper to do all the data entry, and then just pay a CPA or professional accountant to review the accounting and prepare the taxes.

There are many places to learn how to be a bookkeeper.  I took accounting classes at the local community college.  The cost was quite reasonable, and I learned all the accounting I needed in just under a year. There are also many online schools that will teach you how to use accounting software.

The start up costs for becoming a home based bookkeeper are quite reasonable.   You need a reliable computer and printer. I would suggest a good internet connection as there are now many ways to work remotely as a bookkeeper.  Plus good accounting software.   I like QuickBooks software because it is  the most popular accounting software. Your customers will be familiar with it and there is lots of support available.

The hardest part of becoming a freelance bookkeeper is finding customers. People are reluctant to trust you with their financial information until they know that you are skilled at what you are doing, and that you will keep their financial information private.  Get started by offering your bookkeeping services for free to a small local non-profit.  Do a  good job and you will have a reference for your potential paying clients. You can also find clients by joining your local chamber of commerce and going to the meetings. Lots of new businesses go to chamber meetings, and most new businesses need a bookkeeper!

The pay rate for home based bookkeepers can vary quite a bit from place to place.   Most experienced bookkeepers charge their customers between $25 to $50 per hour.  It may be tempting to charge less when you are first getting started. But remember you are responsible for all your expenses and your taxes.  You need to charge enough to cover all your expenses and make a profit.

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?

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.

If you like watching courtroom TV, you might enjoy working from home as an eJuror. The United States is a country where anyone can sue anybody, anytime, for just about any reason. Attorneys will use mock juries to help them determine various issues that may come up in court. With a mock jury an attorney can test out their arguments before they get to court, they can determine a settlement amount, and they can get a feel for what the average person thinks about their case.

Working as an eJuror you will be asked to review cases from your local area. You will read a summary of the facts of the case, arguments from both perspectives, and then you will answer questions about the case and what went into the decisions you made.

There are a few sites where you can sign up to be an eJuror. All require that you be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen. You will be asked to provide demographic information about yourself, and agree to standard terms and conditions. According to the websites, cases will take around an hour to read the summaries and answer all the questions.

Trial Practices, Inc. says they pay $10 per hour to their eJurors. There site does not have much information for potential jurors, just a sign up page.

Online Verdict.com has an informative site that says they pay $20 – $60 per case, depending on the amount of time required. They pay monthly by check.

eJury.com pays $5 to $10 per case and pays by PayPal. They have a very informative site, and include sample cases. The sample cases are a nice way to preview what you will be doing.

Unless you were able to take on many cases per day, I don’t think you could make a living as an eJuror. But it is an online opportunity where you could make a decent amount of money per hour, working from home with a flexible schedule.

When you work from home it makes sense to have a space in your home dedicated to work. It makes even more sense when you realize how much you can save on your taxes by having a qualified home office.

I have heard many people, even other professional tax preparers say that the IRS requirements for a home office are too strict, that calculating the taxes is too complicated, (especially when you sell your home), and that claiming a home office is like waving a red flag in front of an auditor.

The truth is, the requirements are strict, but not difficult to follow. All tax forms are too complicated, and, if you claim your home office properly you don’t need to worry about being audited.

The tax savings can be substantial. Not only do you get to deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage interest, you also get a deduction for repairs and maintenance, utilities, and office furniture. A sole proprietor using just 10% of the home as a qualified home office can potentially have thousands of dollars worth of deductions saving hundreds in taxes each year. A home office also qualifies as a place of business and will make more of your auto miles business miles. As an example, $5,000 in home office expenses will save a sole proprietor at least $1,250 in taxes.

To be a qualified home office your office must be used regularly for your business. It must also be used exclusively for business. This is where most people trip up. You have to think of your home office the same as any business office. This means that any use that is not business use disqualifies the home office. So you can’t have guests sleep in your office, and the kids can’t use the computer to do homework. There are two exceptions to the exclusive rule. Space used as a daycare does not need to be exclusive, and the same is for true for the storage of inventory or product samples.

Home office deductions are not limited to the self-employed. If you work for someone else you may also be able to claim a home office deduction. The home office must be for the convenience of the employer, and your employer must not pay you rent for your home office.

For more information on home office visit the IRS website and refer to Tax Topic 509, Business Use of Home, or Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home (Including Use by Day-Care Providers).

And just as a side note, if your tax preparer ever tells you that a tax deduction is “too complicated” you need to find another tax preparer!

Are you patient, analytical, well read, and you don’t mind working alone? Do you have an excellent grasp of language and pay good attention to detail? If so you might enjoy working as a Book Indexer.

To be honest, I had always assumed that the indexes in the backs of books were created by computer. I know that MS Word has an index function, although I have never used it. But it turns out, that computers are just not all that good at creating a useful index, and so that task falls to freelance indexers.

I first found out about freelance opportunities for book indexers while reading Freelance Sprout. From there I found even more information from the American Society for Indexing (ASI).

There is a low barrier of entry for indexing. No specific degrees or credentials are required to be an indexer. However, publishers will look to see if you have subject matter expertise for indexing a technical book or manual. You can learn indexing by taking courses offered by your local college, by taking a correspondence course offered by the US Department of Agriculture, or there are a number of self-paced course offered by ASI.

Once you gain clients and experience, you can earn decent money. This is definitely not a get rich quick scheme! Full time experienced indexers can earn up to $50,000 per year, working from home.

According to ASI, most indexers find work by sending letters and resumes to publishers. Experienced indexers find most of their work comes from networking and referrals from satisfied clients.

If you have good attention to detail, and can work with tight deadlines, indexing could be a good work from home opportunity. Learn more at Freelance Sprout and American Society for Indexing (ASI).

I found this older post from ZenHabits today. I find that while I love working from home, I do sometimes find it hard to stay productive. There are so many distractions, and no one looking over my shoulder making sure I am working!

While I was reading the post I was struck by how much of the advice related to working at home the way you would work in an office. Things such as setting a schedule, limiting the number of hours you work, and taking breaks are all things that happen naturally with most “away from home” jobs. I tend to either have trouble getting started and spend all day procrastinating, or I get so involved in my work I work 12 or 14 hours straight and forget to eat. Honestly, I’m not sure how productive I really am after 10 hours of working without eating!

While all 30 work from home tips were great the last tip was my favorite.

30. Be grateful you’re working from home and not in some cubicle! That gratitude will motivate you to work harder, so you can continue to work from home.

So click on over to ZenHabits to read the rest of the 30 work from home tips, and find even more great tips in the comments.

Would you like to share your best tips for staying productive while working from home? Comment with them here and I’ll put them all together in a WFH Pro post and give you credit!

Those of you who know the joys of working from home, whether you’re self-employed or freelancing or telecommuting, know also the joys of procrastination and the lures of laying on the couch. Now, I’m as much in favor of a good nap as the next guy, but a nap should be a break, not your default work mode….

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