You know that saying, “If there’s a will, there’s a way?” Online work is the perfect example of that. Not too many people are aware that I actually work on other things aside from this blog, and make a pretty decent living out of it, too. There’s also a part of me that can’t let go of making even just a little bit of money on my own. I was just too used to the affirmation and satisfaction of getting paid for a job well-done.
I found online work to be perfect for me because:
- I could choose when to work and what to work on,
- If I get bored with something, I have the freedom to choose something else,
- No extra expenses. I spend all my time in front of the computer anyway, so why not earn while doing that as well?,
- The work is relatively easy. Any mother will tell you extra stress is not welcome in life.
And so, I just wanted to share with you guys how I earn extra money at home. Note that there are many many ways to earn from home, and these are just the few things that I like doing.
1. Rarejob
Rarejob is an online English-tutoring service that caters to Japanese citizens who reside in Japan. Since the time difference isn’t that huge, the work hours are doable (no graveyard shifts!) and best of all, flexible. You’re the one who sets your teaching schedule, the number of classes you want to teach each week and adjust as life dictates it. Sometimes I’m able to teach every afternoon, everyday. Sometimes I only teach one class a week! They are perfectly legit, very professional, and the support given to the tutors is wonderful.
Requirements:
- College graduate of school in Rarejob’s list of accepted universities
- Fluent English speaker with minimal accent
- Previous teaching experience is a plus, but not required
- Broadband connection and Skype account.
All my teaching experiences have been quite enjoyable so far. The age range of my students is from 7 to 65, and I’ve learned a lot from teaching as well. To apply to become a Rarejob tutor, visit their website for applicants here.
2. Writing
I actually don’t do this much anymore, but I just wanted to share. There are a lot of websites in the world, and these websites need content. There are also specialized jobs that needs specialized knowledge. I started to explore content writing while I was pregnant with Basti upon the suggestion of my cousin. I was bored out of my mind and looking for something to do. I was able to get my first clients through Freelancer.Com. My style was, I would get just a couple of clients who could give me work on a regular basis and then take the negotiations out of the website. My account is dormant now. I think some people would prefer to stay active in their accounts and build their profiles on these contractor sites so they could get high ratings and better offers. That would be good to do, especially if you are looking at finding work on these sites on a long-term basis. Recently, I also did a few writing projects for an independent virtual assistance firm referred to me by a friend. Pay for these projects can vary, depending on the work required. It can be as low as $2/article, but it can also go to $15. Again, this would depend on your own working style. Some writers like getting jobs by the bulk, projects of 10-20 articles at $2-$5/article, while some prefer the projects that require some research and longer work, but do pay higher by the hour. Sometimes you will get that dream project of a very good rate on a range of topics that you can write in your sleep.
3. Transcription
This is one “racket” that I just recently got into. I wanted to save my writing mojo for this blog, so I wanted to do something else that didn’t require the same juice. I recently signed up for another contractor site called oDesk.Com, where I was recruited by an Australian firm that contracts transcribers from the Philippines. It’s quite fun – you listen, you type, you submit, you get paid. Along the way, you get to learn about topics you would never otherwise think about. One misconception I had about transcription is that is was all about medical or legal stuff. Not true! I’ve recently listened to stuff about gillnet fishing, chocolate, teaching for the hearing impaired, and engine maintenance. It can be quite interesting! Outside of oDesk, I was also given an opportunity to do subtitling for movies for a local firm that specializes in audio production. So I’ll be basically watching movies and typing up the dialogue. That’s not work to me, because I LOVE MOVIES. Transcription projects start off anywhere from $7-$15 per audio hour, while there are some projects that pay by line.
4. Social Media Management
Social media marketing is a relatively new arena. My first taste of it was handling the customer service Twitter account of a telecommunications firm. Some of you may have actually sent me a tweet complaining about your connection. I promise I didn’t take it personally. 
Other than “Twitter-jockeying”, there’s also management of Facebook pages. Facebook community management is also relatively new, but quite important! It seems when you have a business these days, having a Facebook page is as imperative as having a phone number. It can get busy – messages, wall posts, complaints – and they need someone to monitor it regularly and respond promptly. The opportunities that came to me to manage Twitter and Facebook accounts came from personal contacts, but you can find postings for these kinds of jobs online as well.
Even though this kind of work is not really the focus of my time, I find it a good diversion and a painless, stress-free way to get a little extra money at home. I am not the model of an online worker. I’m not vigilant about building up my profile and I don’t mind if negotiations are taken off the site. This is not a good practice because to be offered jobs, it’s better if everything you do is recorded on your profile so that clients will see how much work you’ve done and be confident about your reliability. For those who want to make it their career (and I know some people who really make a substantial living out of working from these sites), you stay active, build up your profile, get feedback, take in more clients and soon enough you will build a good reputation that will consequently result in a higher rate. You can actually command a per hour or per project rate. It can be rewarding, career-wise and money-wise.
So there, I just wanted to share. I know some moms out there are looking for ways to earn while at home. Whether it be out of necessity, or out of boredom, know that there are opportunities lurking in corners. All you have to do is look for them!
Happy hunting!
