Our world definitely has changed in the past few months. The current Covid-19 pandemic definitely has shaken the lives of many. Unemployment is at an all-time high and it is not safe to just take any jobs that require us to be outside.
Fortunately, we live in a time where working from home is not exclusive to the developers and designers of the world. These jobs range from non-voice work (meaning you don’t have to talk to anyone) such as data-entry, transcription jobs to voice types like customer service and online tutors.
These jobs only require you to speak English, have a good internet connection and a computer. So what are the jobs that you can do right now?
- App Tester
- Community Manager
- Content Writer and Editing
- Customer Service Representative
- Live Chat Agent
- Online Juror
- Order Entry Agent
- Survey and Research Participant
- Transcriber
- Translator
- Tutor
- Virtual Assistant
We break down what each role is below.
1. App Tester
Tech startups and companies are starting to care about how their apps work. They want to make sure that the software they’re building is easy to understand and use. This is where you come in.
Don’t be alarmed, they are not testing you despite the title. On the contrary, you are testing them, their app. The App Tester’s role is to use the client’s app and you provide feedback.
Some projects require you to accomplish a set of tasks while others just ask for your overall experience. An example of a test is you’re recording your screen, going through their website and you speak out loud what’s going through your head as you go through their website.
The pay varies between $5 USD up to $250 USD depending on the testing company, testing length, and app that you’re testing. Payments are usually made via Paypal so make sure you have an account when you sign up.
Companies: PingPong, UserTesting
2. Community Manager
Do you find yourself on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter for long hours in the day? If so, you can turn the time you spend on social media into some good money! Become a community manager today!
Community managers act as the bridge between brands and their audience. Their main purpose is to cultivate a relationship and make the brands they work for seem more human. A good example is the famous Wendy’s Twitter account.
You will be monitoring the social media accounts of the brands you’re working for and reply to customer inquiries and comments. Most roles work in tandem with the Social Media Manager as you will be providing insights as to what your brand’s community are talking about.
It is a very fun and digitally social type of work that can definitely lead to a more permanent role in another company.
Companies: ModSquad
3. Content Writer/Editor
Content marketing is very popular and the competition to be heard is more intense than ever. Most companies outsource their writing to content mills as it is much more cost-effective for them to hire outside of the company. Content writing comes in different forms such as blog posts, copywriting, ghost-writing, and technical writing.
Your job as a content writer is to help companies publish articles that will help them educate their audience and rank up on Google’s search results. Knowing what Search Engine Optimization is will definitely help boost your value as a content writer so do not skip out on learning about that.
Content mills usually prefer applicants who can write and edit but most do not make this as a requirement. Content editors take the content someone else wrote and they check for spelling and grammatical errors. Some even rewrite sentences or paragraphs to structure the content better.
Companies: Constant Content, Textbroker
4. Customer Service Representative
Everyone is familiar with Customer Service Reps. They are in malls, shops, boutiques. The rise of e-commerce and online sales has transformed the role of a digital one.
Online shopping is expected to hit $4.2 trillion sales by the end of 2020 and it will continue to grow. Because the internet never sleeps, companies need people to help them answer phone questions, process orders and deal with customer inquiries at all hours of the day.
Some companies hire for CSRs in-house but there are also outsourcing agencies that hire freelancers or contractors as well. These agencies work very similarly to your typical call-center agency that supports different clients.
If you’ve worked in retail, you have customer service experience. Your skills will easily translate online and companies are looking for people like you.
Companies: Arise Work From Home, Contract World
5. Live Chat Agent
Did you ever notice those pop-up support chats that show up when you visit a website or Facebook page? Ever notice that for most of them, when you message no matter what time of day, you get a response? That is what a Live Chat Agent does.
A 24/7 company usually hires live chat agents from different parts of the world to make sure they have someone available at every hour of every day. That means whether you live in North America or Asia, there is a spot for you.
Live chat agents mainly respond to customer inquiries but unlike the CSR role, this is mainly done through chat and not by phone. The role does require you to at least know what product your company is selling and who to direct next-level questions such as sales or technical ones.
Companies: The Chat Shop
6. Micro-Tasks
Micro-tasks are probably the most simple and easy way to get started with earning money online. Because the barrier-to-entry is very low, it is not the most lucrative. It is however an easy way to earn some money on the side.
Some examples of tasks are photo tagging, captioning, keyword searches, short editing, and data entry. Tasks like photo tagging are actually very cool because the work done is usually used to train artificial intelligence to identify a photo. If contributing to bigger purpose interests you, check out some of these micro-tasks.
Companies: Amazon MTurk, Clickworker
7. Online Juror
We never knew this job existed until we started the site. An online juror helps attorneys prepare for the real trial by participating in mock trials. They collect feedback and data through your participation.
This job can earn you between $10 USD to $60 USD but the available jobs are scarce. Another caveat is that the online juror job is only available for US citizens.
Companies: eJury
8. Order Entry Agent
Home delivery was rising in popularity before the pandemic but now it is the only option for many places in the world. Order entry agents process online orders for restaurants. This is done either via phone call or online.
Companies: Pizza Hut
9. Survey and Research Participant
Online surveys have been around since the early 2000s but research participants are new entrants to the industry.
Similar to App Testers, survey and research participants mainly help companies answer usability or market questions for them. If you’re familiar with focus groups, survey and research participants are the online equivalent of that.
The beauty of this role is that you get paid for providing your own opinion. Participants can earn between $20 USD to $40 USD depending on how fast you finish them.
Companies: Prolific, Respondent
10. Transcriber
The word “Transcribe” means to put thoughts, speech or data into written form. In this case, you will be focusing on the speech side of things. Transcribers are people who listen to audio or audio from a video and convert them to readable text.
Transcribers’ work are everywhere. When you’re watching TV and you have closed caption on, that is the work of a transcriber. Transcripts of your favorite podcast? It also was done by a transcriber.
Transcribers are awesome because it makes content more accessible. They not only help in visualizing audio but also provides the ability of people who cannot hear to be able to consume content.
Companies: Rev, TranscribeMe!
11. Translator
Are you bilingual? Do you write, speak, and/or understand both fluently? If your answer is yes, then you’re in luck as companies need people like you.
Online translators convert text from one language to another. This job does not require you to talk to anyone and can be done anywhere in the world. Some online translator companies have a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree, many only require fluency in at least two languages.
If you love learning languages and you’re fluent in more than 2, you’re a rarity and should really look into taking translation as a career seriously. The average salary for online translators is $50,000 USD but the top 10% of them earned an average of $90,000 USD.
12. Tutor
Online tutors come in many forms but the most popular ones are English tutors. Similar to translators, some online tutor jobs require you to have a bachelor’s degree but many only require you to know English.
How online tutoring work usually requires you to be on an online facetime session with your student. Some companies target a specific type of student such as VIP Kid, which is an online tutoring service for Chinese children to learn English. Because you will most likely be teaching a student from a different country, a good internet connection is required to be successful in this role.
Earnings for online tutors range from $20 USD per hour up to $26. Some sites even claim that it is possible to make up to $7500 USD per month.
13. Virtual Assistant
Virtual Assistants are what an online secretary looks like. VA tasks vary so you’ll never be bored. Examples of tasks you will be performing are scheduling, customer support, administration, and data entry.
The requirement to become a VA is very minimal that almost anyone can do this type of job. Because of the low requirement, expect VA roles to be highly competitive. We suggest you get your feet wet and try a few gigs and then figure out how you can differentiate yourself from your VA competitors.
VA’s earn between $19 USD to $25 USD per hour depending on the company and type of tasks you’re required to perform.
Companies: Fancyhands, Guru
Summary
The online job opportunities have opened up over the years that they’re no longer exclusive to the developers and designers of the world. Many of these opportunities could also be used as a stepping stone to further your remote career.
Assess yourself and look into your strengths. Is it communication? Then maybe the customer service representative is the right path for you. Is it being meticulous and high attention to detail? Maybe an app tester is more your thing.
No matter what it is, there’s a job online waiting for you.
Which of these opportunities are you most excited about?