And then there are those work-at-home careers in high demand — ones that are growing super quick and show no signs of slowing. These professions give you a chance to secure at-home employment in industries that can offer steady work while letting you create your own income. And, the best part? You don’t need experience to get started.

In fact, these five professions not only offer tons of work but they are super beginner-friendly too. If you’ve been searching for the perfect way to get your foot into the work-from-home door but just didn’t know what career path to choose, read on. These in-demand remote professions may just be perfect for you — regardless of your existing experience!

Become a Transcriptionist

There are no shortages of opportunities to earn a living as an at-home typist. Gigs range from short-term projects to career opportunities — and everything in between. Really, there are many ways to make extra money as a typist or even earn a full-time income.

Regardless of how much you earn, most transcriptionists are tasked with listening to audio recordings while simultaneously typing out what is being said. While it sounds simple, typists actually need a good bit of skills to be successful.

Transcription work is very remote friendly — all you need is the right equipment and software that allows you to get the job done, no matter your location!

Who Hires Transcriptionists?

So many different professionals use transcriptionists — lawyers, doctors, marketers, and authors all benefit from having their work transcribed. These professionals usually dictate their thoughts or client information and need the help of skilled transcriptionists to put their words on paper.

But companies involved in many different industries use transcribers. Entertainment companies, SEO agencies, market researchers, and even financial firms use transcriptionists to transcribe recorded videos, focus groups, meetings, and interviews.

Who’d Make a Great Transcriptionist?

Of course, you’ll need to type quickly and accurately to be a good transcriptionist. But a strong grasp of grammar and the ability to discern difficult audio while typing out what’s be said are also musts! To be great at what you do, you’ll need to proofread your work and meet strict deadlines.

But transcriptionists also handle a lot of sensitive information — so tons of discretion is needed. The ability to work without supervision and manage your time to get things done are also important traits of remote transcriptionists.

When Transcription Might Not Be the Best Fit

Transcriptionists spend long hours in front of the computer which can be difficult on the eyes. And with so much typing, hands and wrists can also take a beating. If you wear out easily while in front of a screen, taking a job as a transcriptionist probably isn’t the best fit. Honestly, this work isn’t for everyone — you need quite a bit of self-discipline to make it work as a typist.

Where to Find Transcription Jobs for Beginners

Transcription is one of those remote-friendly jobs with tons of work to go around, for both beginners and experts. If you’re new to the world of transcribing, check out these 19 companies that hire beginners. You can also start applying to jobs right now — yes, now — by visiting these 7 companies that are actively accepting applicants!

How to Increase Your Job Prospects

If you’re serious about transcribing for a living, head on over to Transcribe Anywhere. There, you can sign up for a free general transcription mini course where you’ll learn exactly what transcription is, how much you can expect to earn, and what you need to get started.

Become a Bookkeeper

The terms bookkeeper and accountant are often used interchangeably. However, they typically come with different job descriptions and unique skillsets — with one being beginner-friendly and the other requiring experience.

Of the two, becoming a bookkeeper is the entry-level option. Typically, bookkeepers are responsible for handling day-to-day financial transactions like updating financial records and checking for accuracy. They record money coming in and going out as well as the documents that support these transactions.

And since software and collaboration tools make you feel like you’re ‘present’ even when you’re not, many bookkeepers are able to perform their jobs while working remotely.

Who Hires Bookkeepers?

This list could go on and on — but typically, small business owners hire bookkeepers to help them keep tabs on their financial happenings. For the most part, this means helping to monitor daily transactions and keeping an eye out for any red flags that may require a second look.

Who’d Make a Great Bookkeeper?

Since bookkeepers are tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of money within a business, it’s important to be detail-oriented and organized. You’ll also need basic math skills and be able to comfortably  use a computer. Familiarity with spreadsheet programs, like Excel or Google Sheets, and prior use of bookkeeping software is also a definite bonus!

When Bookkeeping Might Not Be the Best Fit

While you won’t be dealing with complicated formulas or solving quadratic equations, you will be working with numbers every day. So, if you’re not a numbers person or the thought of math makes your skin crawl, bookkeeping may not be the best best for you.

Where to Find Entry-Level Work

Working as a remote bookkeeper is a great way to strike out on your own. That is, you can offer your services on a freelance basis since most small businesses will only need someone a few hours a week to manage their finances. Another option is to search Indeed. Just type “bookkeeper” in the what box and “remote” in the where box below:

what	where
job title, keywords or company	city, state or zip jobs by

How to Increase Your Job Prospects

While you don’t necessarily need previous experience to work from home as a bookkeeper, you will certainly benefit from training! The Bookkeeper Business Academy has launched a new free training series that shows you how to prosper as a bookkeeper — even if you have no experience!

Become a Virtual Assistant

The name says it all — a virtual assistant performs a number of administrative-type tasks from a remote location. This can include just about anything you might expect to do in an office environment: type, manage calendars, schedule meetings, travel arrangements, create marketing materials. Really, it all depends on the type of client you work for and the nature of their business.

And thanks to collaboration tools and online programs like Google Docs, you can easily create and share your work no matter where you are.

In recent years, the VA arena has exploded — many solopreneurs, small business owners, freelancers, bloggers and other online pros turn to VAs to help them tackle to-do lists and manage their day-to-day happenings.

Who Hires Virtual Assistants?

Everyone from large corporations to single professionals use virtual assistants. VAs can step in to lend a helping hand on a large project or can be a regular assistant who manages set tasks each week. Depending on the types of services you offer and your preferred niche, you’ll find your workload and assignments will vary.

Who’d Make a Great Virtual Assistant?

If you’re a jack or jill of all trades, great at getting things, and genuinely enjoy checking things off of to-do lists, you’d probably make a fantastic VA. It also helps if you enjoy the nature of administrative tasks since your days will be spent emailing, writing, managing calendars, and other routine clerical assignments.

When Virtual Assisting Might Not Be the Best Fit

Some people just don’t thrive in an administrative environment. And that’s okay — just make sure you know that before jumping in. If you find it hard to stay on top of tasks, have difficulties multitasking or find your head starts spinning when you have a mile long to-do list, you might want to shy away from VA work.

Where to Find Entry-Level Work

Working as a VA lends itself well to freelancing — you can play to your strengths and target a specific niche. For example, if you’re a WordPress user and love to write, you could be a VA to busy bloggers. Or, if you have entrepreneurial experience, you could offer your assistance to solopreneurs.

There’s also the opportunity to contract with larger VA companies that match assistants to clients or offer a pool of VAs to tackle assignments as they come in.

How to Increase Your Job Prospects

When you’re just starting out, it can be tough to pick a direction and get going. Thankfully, you can learn the keys to success and jumpstart your career as a VA with the right training. Over at 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success, you’ll be given the strategies needed to start your own successful VA business from a woman who quickly grew her earnings from $0 to $4,000/month in just a few short months!

Become a Writer

There is a lot of content out there. And even more is created every single day. Most of what you read is probably online. Websites, blogs, and social media networks offer a chance to catch up on news, keep tabs on events, and otherwise pass the time when you’ve got nothing else to going on (or even when you do!).

So who writes all this content that’s updated on a daily basis? Well, it could be you. Writers are needed to draft all kinds of content, making it a great career path no matter your existing experience or background. Chances are, you can translate what you already know into a lucrative writing career.

Who Hires Writers?

Writers can work with big-name companies to develop a content marketing strategy or can draft a one-time assignment for someone who is too busy to do it themselves. There’s even a chance to routinely accept work as a contributor or contractor for a large site or content company. Online writers come up with newsletter campaigns, social media updates, copy that converts — really, anything and everything!

Who’d Make a Great Writer?

Writing is one of those remote-friendly professions that is best suited to those with natural talent — as in you either have it or you don’t. That is, if you have a natural way with words, enjoy sitting down to pen everything from a snappy tweet to an email or even a comment on a blog or forum, you’d probably enjoy the nature of writing for a living.

While you don’t need professional experience, you should have a strong grasp of grammar. You’ll also need the ability to take constructive criticism without taking offense and be able to make chances to your writing as needed.

When Writing Might Not Be the Best Fit

If you struggle with putting together a cohesive sentence, hate the idea of writing — anything, and find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to formal writing assignments, you might not want to go down the work-at-home writing path. Remember, you don’t need experience to get started as a writer, but you should genuinely enjoy writing. Otherwise, you won’t make it very long!

Where to Find Entry-Level Writing Work

When just starting out, you might want to try writing for a content mill. Granted, a content mill doesn’t offer the most glamorous writing assignments but it can give you a confidence boost and help you improve your writing skills.

My personal favorite content mill is Textbroker. You can accept assignments 24/7, get paid weekly, and can earn more money based on how well you write. Plus, their editors give thoughtful feedback that help you improve. Think of writing for Textbroker, or similar site, as a paid writing internship — you don’t have to do it forever, but it sure can help you develop your skills!

You can also check job boards like ProBlogger where gigs range from long-term project to one-off opportunities — you never know what you’ll find. And, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, you can start a freelance writing career from scratch — I did it, and so can you!

How to Increase Your Job Prospects

It’s entirely possible to build a profitable writing career from scratch. And by that I mean with absolutely zero prior experience. The thing is, it’s not always an easy path — especially when you try to go it alone. To give yourself the best chance of success, head on over to Write Your Way to Your First 1K where Elan Cain will show you what it takes to earn you first $1,000 (and beyond!) as a freelance writer.

Become a Proofreader

We already talked about all the content that needs writing, which is the perfect lead-in to the next beginner-friendly, in-demand work from home career: Proofreading! With so much content, there’s an equal demand for proofreaders to give writing a thorough once over before it goes live.

Proofreaders are tasked with spotting errors and help make good writing great. This can include finding spelling mistakes, improper word usage, and grammar issues. Really, your specific duties will vary depending on the type of proofreading you’ll be doing — and this can vary quite a bit depending on the gig.

Who Hires Proofreaders?

Anyone who needs help polishing their writing may hire a proofreader. Often, these are one-off projects — say someone writing an Ebook, white paper, or other large writing project that needs perfecting. But proofreaders can be hired on a long-term basis too. Bloggers may require a proofreader to review posts on a weekly basis. Business owners need help reviewing marketing materials. And someone running an online store might want their copy reviewed on a routine basis.

But individuals aren’t the only ones who need the help of proofreaders. There are a number of companies that contract with proofreaders. These gigs can be beginner-friendly depending on the company. Typically, you’ll have to pass a test to prove your proofreading chops before you’ll get paid work.

Who’d Make a Great Proofreader?

Proofreaders are often paid per assignment. So, the quicker you can read while still maintaining accuracy, the better off you’ll be. Typically, avid readers make for great proofreaders — but, really, anyone who has a set of eagle-eyes and can spot errors in writing with ease can do well in this profession.

When Proofreading Might Not be the Best Fit

While you don’t need to be a card-carrying member of the Grammar Police to be a proofreader, you should have a good command of English. If spelling and grammar have never been your strong suit, this might not be the best fit for you. Similarly, if you don’t enjoy reading, there’s a good chance you won’t enjoy proofreading.

Where to Find Entry-Level Proofreading Work

If you’re a writer at Textbroker, you have the chance to work as a proofreader. This is very much entry-level work that will give you experience and a chance to sharpen your skills. Domainite is another company that will take a chance on beginners — you just have to edit a sample piece of work before they’ll bring you on board.

And there’s always the chance to secure work as a freelancer — I frequently come across proofreading jobs on sites like Upwork. Or, you can set up your own freelance website and offer your services directly to clients. Really, there are a lot of opportunities to find work as a proofreader — no experience or English degree required!

How to Increase Your Job Prospects

Getting started is always the hardest part for any beginner. If you’d like to put your proofreading skills to work but need a little help to get going, head on over to Proofread Anywhere and sign up for their free 7-day intro course. It’s the perfect place to start when you want to get serious about making money online as a proofreader!

Work from Home — No Experience Required

While there certainly are a lot of home-based jobs that require specific skills or degrees, there are many more that are perfect for beginners. If you’re looking for even more ways to earn from home, no experience required, check out this list for inspiration.

Don’t forget to sign up below to gain access to the Free Resource Library — a reference point created specifically for out-of-the-cube thinkers, like you! And, as always, if you have any questions — let me know! ashlee@workfromhomehappiness.com

The post Five In-Demand Work from Home Professions (and How You Can Get Started with No Experience) appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

True, some work from home jobs require tons of previous experience, advanced degrees, or extensive work history. And these types of jobs are usually for certain industries like web development, human resources, SEO, marketing, teaching, healthcare, etc.

But, there are quite a few online jobs titles that are beginner-friendly — ones that value skill over experience. So, if you’re worried that lack of experience will keep you from landing a work from home job — think again! Check out these no experience jobs from home that are perfect for beginners. 

Do You Really Have No Experience?

Chances are, you have some existing skills or experience that translates well to working from home. No, you may not have worked previously as an online moderator or home-based customer service rep, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any work from home skills or experience.

And that’s great news because there are plenty of work from home jobs that will choose candidates based on skills and talent and not your work history.

Work from Home Skills You Probably Have

So, what are some common skills that can make you a standout entry-level remote worker?

• Sales
• Customer service
• Writing
• Admin/Clerical
• Online research
• Fast & accurate typist

I’m gonna bet that there’s at least one thing on that list you can do well — and the more things you know, the better your chances are of landing a no-experience required home-based jobs.

Entry-Level Work from Home Jobs

Now that you know that you do have some work from home skills, let’s look at some popular beginner-friendly home jobs. Remember, experience and skills are two very different things.

Although these jobs don’t require previous experience, they often require a certain set of skills. That’s why many beginner-friendly companies require candidates to pass and take skills tests to prove they’ve got what it takes. Ready? Let’s go!

Search Engine Evaluator

As a search engine evaluator, you may work with one of the larger search engines, like Google or Bing, and rate the relevancy of search results based on a query.

To do this well, you’ve got to have a pretty good understanding of current events and pop culture. I always use Paris Hilton as an example. If someone types “Paris Hilton” in a search engine, chances are, they’re looking for information about Paris Hilton, the socialite, not Hilton hotels in Paris, France.

Similarly, if a user types “apple discount” they’re probably not looking for amazing deals on fresh fruit but rather looking for promos on Apple products like iPads or iPhones.

Search engines need to “learn” these things, and as a search engine evaluator, you’ll be their teacher.

Appen

A global company, Appen regularly has search engine evaluator and social media evaluator positions available on their careers page. You can get in here as long as you pass a practice test.

Leapforce

Leapforce prefers candidates with bachelor’s degrees or degrees in progress. However, you don’t need any experience to be a search engine evaluator or personalized search engine evaluator here.

Lionbridge

There’s several no-experience-required jobs to choose from — usually broken down by state. Check out their career page to see if they’re hiring for everything from search engine evaluator to personalized social media assessor.

iSoftStone

Help improve Bing when you work from home as an ads evaluator or search engine analyst at iSoftStone. Experience isn’t necessary but you must be able to pass a series of practice tests!

Data Entry

Ah, data entry, one of the most sought after work from home jobs there is. It’s true that you don’t need any experience to get paid for data entry work. However, it does help if you’re a fast and accurate typist. After all, the quicker you work, the more you’ll earn with online data entry jobs!

It’s important to note that legitimate work from home data entry jobs are few and far between. Beware if you come across a company advertising home-based data entry positions that isn’t on this list.

The Smart Crowd

Formerly Virtual Bee, The Smart Crowd is part of Lionbridge (the search engine evaluation company mentioned above). There’s a short qualification test to take before you can key work for pay. Pay rate is low ($0.60 for each 1,000 characters keyed). Consider this an extra income opportunity!

SigTrack

Process voter registrations and petition signatures when you work from home for SigTrack. No experience required, but it’s helpful to have two monitors to increase your speed and accuracy.

Moderation

It’s time consuming to manage an online presence, especially for larger businesses. That’s why many companies choose to use a moderation service. And, this is good news for entry-level online job seekers since several of these companies hire beginners!

Crisp Thinking

Crisp Thinking looks for freelance moderators who come from a variety of backgrounds since they work with a clients across many industries. Simply fill out their short survey so they can get to know you better.

ModSquad

Joining the ModSquad doesn’t require previous moderation experience. But you must be comfortable with digital engagement and be familiar with social media, chat, and forums.

LiveWorld

LiveWorld works with some big-name companies from around the world. Many of their moderator openings don’t require experience (although preference is give to those who do). If you’re bilingual, you’ve got an even better chance of finding entry-level work here.

Transcription

Transcribing is one of the most beginner-friendly work from home jobs out there. For one, there’s quite a bit of work to go around. And two, there’s a number of companies that give newbie typists a chance.

I’ve covered no-experience-necessary transcription jobs quite a bit already. If you think you’d like to give typing a try, check out these 19 transcription companies that will hire beginners. You might also want to read my complete beginner’s guide to work from home typing jobs. Both articles are a great place to start if you want to get paid to type — no experience required.

Virtual Assistant

Let’s face it, sometimes there’s just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. That’s why busy professionals and small business owners outsource parts of their to-do lists to virtual assistants.

The VA industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years — and shows no signs of stopping. With no shortage of companies that hire VAs, beginners have a couple of options to get their foot in the door in this popular work from home profession.

Fancy Hands

Fancy Hands is part micro job and part VA work rolled up into one crowdsourced platform. Payments are made per task and you can work whenever and however much you’d like. No experience is necessary but to be a VA here, you should be great on the phone and have strong online research skills!

Time Etc.

You don’t need prior VA experience to contract with Time Etc. But, you should have a background that involves some type of clerical work — personal assistants, secretaries, receptionists, executive assistants, and admin assistants are all welcome to apply!

Virtual Receptionist

A virtual receptionist is kind of like a virtual assistant but the work here is mostly phone-based. Virtual receptionists answer incoming calls on behalf of clients, take messages, and relay important information — all while maintaining a pleasant phone demeanor.

Vicky Virtual

To work at Vicky Virtual as a receptionist, you don’t need previous experience but a sense of humor and cheerful attitude are a must. Candidates must also reside in the U.S. and have reliable high-speed internet.

EXEC-U-SIST

It’s all about personality and the willingness to go the extra mile when it comes getting hired as a receptionist at EXEC-U-SIST. To get a sense of who you are, you’ll go through a self-guided interview where you can win them over, regardless of experience.

Writing

Getting paid to write is more about talent than experience. So, needless to say, this is a very beginner-friendly way to earn money online. The road to freelance writing success isn’t always glamorous. But, nonetheless, anybody with a desire to write for a living can. Go into freelance writing with an open mind, and look at these entry-level writing sites as a paid writing internship — you’ll get to earn while honing your skills.

Textbroker

Commonly called a “content mill,” Textbroker pays by the word depending on your skill. When you go through the application process, you’ll submit a short writing sample and will be given a rating based on that. Your rating ultimately determines how much you will earn per word.

BKA

An acronym for Buy Keyword Articles, BKA will hire newbies to write SEO-driven content. All you have to do is demonstrate your writing chops during the application process.

Crowd Content

Crowd Content welcomes beginners who do well on their writing sample. They aren’t always accepting new writers — you’ll have to check their hiring page to see if/when they’re bringing new writers on board.

Grading/Scoring

Review essays, grade tests, and offer feedback to help students as an entry-level grader or scorer. Given the nature of work, these opportunities are usually seasonal. But, when work is available, there’s typically plenty to go around.

Literably

As a Literably scorer, you’ll listen to audio recordings of children reading and note/mark when they make mistakes. No experience is necessary but you must pass six sample files to be approved for paid work.

Gradiate

Becoming a Gradiate Genius doesn’t require experience but you do need to be familiar with certain subjects. At this time, Gradiate hires graders who are knowledgeable in English and/or Computer Science.

Measurement Inc.

This is one of the oldest grading/scoring companies out there. While you don’t need prior experience to become a grader, you will need a bachelor’s degree in any subject to be considered.

Customer Service

More and more companies are outsourcing their customer service departments to virtual call centers. This means there’s plenty of options to work from home as a beginner, as long as you don’t mind picking up a phone!

LiveOps

When you join LiveOps, your experience isn’t as important as your drive to succeed. This is, after all, more of a be-your-own-boss opportunity where you’ll get to choose the campaigns you work on. Part of signing up at LiveOps includes paying for a background check (which happens AFTER you’ve been invited to contract).

NexRep

Like LiveOps, NexRep offers contractors a chance to work on projects of their choosing while maintaining their own schedules. As a business opportunity, you will be responsible for paying all costs to get started — including a background check.

Sitel

Although Sitel prefers candidates with previous customer service experience, it is not a requirement to get hired on here. This is an employee position that comes with competitive pay and benefits (not something you see too often with entry-level home-based jobs!).

Miscellaneous Work from Home Jobs for Beginners

There’s some entry-level home-based jobs that don’t really fit in the others categories. Nonetheless, they are great places for beginners to gain valuable experience. If you haven’t found anything on the list yet that stands out, perhaps one of these jobs will be a good fit.

MaritzCX

A customer experience company, MaritzCX hires virtual market researchers to join their team. This is a part-time employee position that doesn’t require previous experience to get started.

Wonder

If you enjoy conducting online research, consider signing up to be a researcher at Wonder. This is a contract position that lets you login and perform research whenever you have free time. No experience is needed, but you do need to pass a few sample tasks to get started.

Rev

Rev hires freelancers to caption videos from home. You don’t need to have experience as a captioner but you will need to pass three sample videos before being invited to contract with Rev.

NextWave

This is a unique opportunity to work from home in public affairs as an outreach rep. This isn’t sales or telemarketing, and requires absolutely no experience to get hired.

Cambly

Become a tutor at Cambly and earn $10.20/hour helping students improve their conversational English. You don’t need teaching or tutoring experience but must be comfortable chatting with students from different cultures.

Entry-Level Work from Home Jobs

Don’t let lack of experience keep you from landing a work from home job. Instead, focus on your existing skills and use those to help you find (and get!) the right home-based job for you. And, remember, when it comes to work from home jobs, you’re only limited by what you’re willing to learn.

Make sure to grab your free copy of my guide: Develop Money-Making Skills with These Work from Home Courses for Beginners.

Have any questions? Leave them in the comments below. Or, contact me directly at ashlee@workfromhomehappiness.com

Don’t forget to like Work from Home Happiness on Facebook for daily job leads, information, and helpful advice!

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure statement for more information.

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Work from home jobs for moms can give the best of both worlds — career & family. It used to be that moms had to choose between the two — each decision having both its pros and cons. Nowadays, parents can have their cake and eat it too when they land a flexible job that allows them to work from home while watching little ones.

The benefits are numerous — money saved on childcare, extra income coming into the household, and being readily available for your family. This is especially helpful when littles ones come down with a nasty bug, your car won’t start or the weather is just absolutely atrocious.

But, if you’ve never worked from home before, you probably have a lot of questions:  Are there legitimate work from home jobs for moms? Will I be able to find something that works for me? Can I really earn a living with kids at home?

Yes. Yes. And, yes.

But, be warned, it’s not always easy or convenient — but if you’re willing to make it work, it can. And nine times out of ten, the benefits of being a stay-at-home working parent far outweigh the rough patches.

Be Realistic

While there are legitimate work from home jobs for moms, you also have to be realistic about what might be available. If your availability is a short four-hour window that falls between the time you drop off your oldest at school and pick up your youngest from daycare, expect your options to be limited.

Similarly, if you have an infant requiring constant care, there will likely be even fewer options available to you.

I’m not saying these things to discourage you — I just want to make sure you go into the work-from-home job search with realistic expectations and an open mind.

Assess Your Work from Home Skills

You’ve probably got a number of skills that translate well to popular home-based job options. Think about what it is you can do and that will give you a good indication of where you should start looking.

• Can you write well?
• Are you a natural salesperson?
• Fast typist?
• Grammar aficionado?
• Social butterfly?

It’s always a good idea to play to your strengths no matter what kind of job you’re looking for, but especially so when looking for a work from home job. Why? Because when you’re working from home and raising a family, you can get burned out pretty easily. If you’re doing something you don’t mind or actually enjoy, you’ll be more likely to keep going, even when the going gets tough.

What’s Out There?

Remember, when I said you’ve got to go into the stay-at-home, work-from-home job search with an open mind? Well, now’s the time to implement that!

In terms of work-from-jobs, you can usually expect them to fall into one of four categories:

• Employee position
• Freelance
• Home-business
• Independent Contractor

As with anything, each employment type has its pros and cons.

Employee

Employee-based positions come with stability like benefits, set schedules, and an hourly rate. However, they offer the least flexibility and aren’t always accommodating to schedule requests.

Freelance

Freelancing is great for flexibility since you can choose which projects you work on and when. But the freelance world usually goes in an endless cycle of feast or famine — totally unpredictable in terms of work and pay.

Home-business

Home-businesses are wonderful for the entrepreneurial spirited stay-at-home parents. This can include everything from direct sales to starting a business entirely from scratch. Keep in mind, businesses require a lot of your attention to thrive which may not lend itself well with kids around.

Independent Contractor

As an independent contractor you get a little more predictability than freelancing but less stability than an employee position. Independent contractor (IC) positions allow you to work on your own terms, as long as you meet your contract requirements.

Often, stay-at-home moms and dads are most likely to find home-based success as a freelancer, independent contractor, or direct sales rep. Why? Because these types of employment offer flexibility, autonomy, and can work around a busy family schedule — not the other way around!

Where to Find Work at Home Jobs for Moms

Now that you’ve narrowed down your search by establishing what you’re good at and the types of positions out there, you can start looking for work at home jobs for moms. So, where exactly do you look?

Where you look depends on what you’re looking for.

Employee Positions

Indeed Jobs can lead to some work from home jobs for moms. Openings for companies like American Express, U-Haul, and Hilton Hotels will regularly show up here. I mention these because they are familiar brands that offer remote positions, but there are tons of lesser-known companies listed, too.

The best way to find them is to type Remote or Work at Home in the box labeled “Where”

what	where
job title, keywords or company	city, state or zip jobs by

Make sure you read the requirements carefully — many companies offering employee positions expect you to have availability during normal business hours. And since you’ve got little ones in your care, this probably isn’t practical. A growing number of companies, mostly startups, are embracing a non-traditional work-whenever-makes-sense-for-you mantra. These forward-thinking companies recognize that talent comes from all sorts of places, including stay-at-home parents.

Another option is FlexJobs. They hand screen all job postings to ensure they are 100% legitimate — guaranteed! But FlexJobs does cost money to access their job leads:

If you’re concerned about scams and like the idea of only pre-screened ads, FlexJobs may be worth it — even for just a month to see what’s out there!

Freelance

Stay-at-home parents truly are some of the most untapped business talent out there — instead of letting all that talent go unused, consider launching a freelance career. What can you offer as a freelancer? Just about anything! Some in-demand freelance services include:

• Writing
• Web design
• Social media management
• Virtual assistant
• Business consultant
• Life coach
• Proofreader

This is just a small sample of freelance services but, really, you’re only limited by what you’re willing to offer. One of the easiest ways to get started as a freelancer is to sign up with a popular marketplace, like Upwork. You’ll find thousands of jobs posted at any given time ranging from graphic designer to article writer.

Once you get your footing as a freelancer, you can step outside of marketplaces and set up shop on your own. With an online portfolio and a business plan in place, you can start landing your own clients. Freelancing offers plenty of flexibility and the freedom to work as much or little as you’d like.

Home Business

Home business is such a broad term. It can include everything from flipping clearance products for profit to blogging — and everything in between.

Some parents find direct sales to be a natural fit for them since they already have plenty of contacts that would be interested in the products they represent.

Another increasingly popular option is blogging. As a mom, you probably have genius childcare hacks and practical advice for managing the household — why not start a blog and share your wisdom? Outside of parenting how-tos, you can blog about many different things:

• DIY
• Food
• Photography
• Savings
• Health
• Fashion

While some people argue blogging isn’t a business — I’d say it’s a great way to build a business but not necessarily a business in and of itself.

As a blogger, I earn money a number of ways — some of it comes from affiliate sales and ad revenue, which I can attribute to the blog itself. A substantial portion of my earnings come from clients who approach me for work because they read my blog. So, while the act of blogging isn’t the main source of income, blogging does present a number of money-making opportunities!

If blogging isn’t your thing, perhaps a home business opportunity with one of several companies that lets you be your own boss is more your speed. These companies allow you to become an independent business owner while performing services for their clients like customer service and sales.

Remember, the success of a home business depends on how much you put into it. One great way to have a successful home business as a parent is to find something that is manageable and you enjoy doing. Head on over to The Work at Home Woman for plenty of great ideas and inspiration for parents contemplating a home business.

Independent Contractor

One of the frequent questions I get is, “What exactly is an independent contractor?” An independent contractor is a person who provides their services on a contractual basis. That is, if you work as an independent contractor you bill for your services and not your time.

In the eyes of the law, an independent contractor differs from an employee in that an independent contractor has the freedom to act autonomously to get a job done as they see fit — as long as you meet the contract requirements. As an independent contractor you’re not entitled to benefits like paid time off or health insurance. You will also be responsible for paying taxes on your earnings.

There are a lot of work from home jobs for moms as an IC:

• Most transcription
• Search engine evaluation
• Article writing (Scripted, BKA, HireWriters — to name a few!)
• Fancy Hands Virtual Assistant
• Wonder Researcher
• REV Video Captioner

I come across a lot of these opportunities on Craigslist. I know Craigslist doesn’t have the best reputation, but there are plenty of legitimate companies advertising their jobs here.  Look out for red flags like asking you to pay for opportunities or wanting you to deposit a check in your account and giving a portion of it back to the company.

It’s a good idea to check your local Craigslist market for home-based jobs. Sometimes, you’ll find a job that requires you to come into the office for orientation before you can work from home. For example, food delivery service company, DoorDash, hires contractors to key menus from home, but first they have to come into the Atlanta office for training.

Remember to check the largest Craigslist markets like Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Washington D.C.  When a company is hiring remote workers nationwide, they’ll typically post the ad to one or more of these larger markets.

To sort through all the other jobs, just make sure you select the “Telecommute” option:

More Work from Home Jobs for Moms

If you’ve been wanting to contribute financially to your household while also staying at home with your  kids, it can be difficult to know where to start! Remember, figure out what kind of employment makes sense for you and be realistic about the amount of time you can actually commit to. While it’s nice to have extra money coming in, you’re not good to anyone in the household if you’re run down from spreading yourself too thin!

If you’re not quite ready to commit to a home-based career or take on freelance assignments, try easing into the work from home scene by trying out these work from home extra money makers:

Usability testing

Surveys/Market Research/Product Tester

Phone Mystery Shopping

There’s also a number of hobbies that can make you money and work from home weekends jobs that might fit perfectly into your schedule.

Thanks to all the work from home jobs for moms, you can realistically make a financial contribution to your household while staying home with the kids. Have any questions? Need a little advice? Leave it in the comments below or send me an email: ashlee@workfromhomehappiness.com

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see the disclosure for more information.

The post Work from Home Jobs for Moms: Beginner’s Guide appeared first on Work from Home Happiness.

Because each transcription opportunity is unique, what may work for one person won’t for another and vice versa.

So when you’re thinking about starting a work from home transcription career, it’s important to decide what is most important to you in a transcription opportunity as you gain experience.

1. Accutran Global

According to their website, they’re always interested in contracting with new transcribers. As I type this, they’d like to hear from US workers available to type between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. EST. As part of the hiring process you need to answer a questionnaire and complete a three-minute sample test before you can get started.

As far as transcription jobs for beginners, this should be one to consider. Most of their files are on the shorter side and they pay bonuses for files that have foreign accents or are highly technical. Plus, a rate of pay of $0.005 per word for beginners translates to about $0.70 per audio minute or $42.00 per audio hour.

Remember, an audio hour and real hour are two very different things. But if you use the industry standard that it takes approximately four hours real time to type out an hour-long file, that offers a pay rate of about $10.50 per hour. Not stellar, I know, but considering that many companies will try to offer transcription jobs for beginners with a pay rate less than minimum wage, it’s certainly not bad.

Pros of Transcribing for Accutran Global

• Room for advancement and pay increases
• Software provided at no cost
• Fair beginning rate of pay
• Work scheduled based on availability
• No foot pedal required

Cons of Transcribing for Accutran Global

• Work varies with “peak” and “off-peak” seasons; work is not guaranteed at “off-peak” times
• Pay only once a month on the 15th via PayPal, check, or Bank of America Bill Pay
• Limited flexibility
• Must be transcribed in Word or have Mac software compatible with Word
• Must complete assigned work without interruption

Although Accutran Global prefers experienced transcribers, this is still  very much an opportunity open to budding typists.  If you can type a minimum of 70 words per minute and  demonstrate an ability to fit into their mode of operation, you definitely have a shot of being accepted as a transcriber. With that being said, I don’t think this is the perfect beginner job for everyone.

If you’re looking for something flexible, this is not the opportunity for you. Given that Accutran Global expects that you accept work and return it within a time frame not to exceed six time its length, i.e., a five minute file needs to be returned within 30 minutes and a ten minute file would be due within an hour, etc., those who may have distractions or interruptions will find it difficult to meet these deadlines. In fact, their questionnaire that all potential typists must fill out states:

Our positions are not suitable for those with small children in their care. 

The bottom line?

Accutran Global pays a fair rate of pay as far as transcription jobs for beginners goes and offers advancement opportunities, but given their lack of flexibility and seasonal availability of work it’s not suited to stay-at-home parents or individuals looking for concrete monthly income. However, if you have a four-hour block of time that is completely free of distractions, this would be a great opportunity to gain experience, make money, and possibly advance through the ranks.

2. TranscribeMe!

TranscribeMe! is very much a beginner-friendly transcription company. They actually proclaim such on their website. This might be the perfect company to test the transcription waters, so to speak, as it has a super-easy sign-up process and user interface.

Pros of Transcribing for TranscribeMe!

• Request payout at any time via PayPal
• Super-flexible, work anytime you’d like as long as work is available
• No initial investment required
• Grow within the company
• User-friendly interface

Cons of Transcribing for TranscribeMe!

• Starting rate of $20.00 per audio hour
• Need to check Work Hub for available assignments
• Pay is reduced if work is rejected by editors
• Files are timed and if you exceed the time limit you lose the file and pay
• Files are small snippets of longer files, so audio may start mid-sentence or cut out mid-word

This type of work is all too common when it comes to transcription jobs for beginners: The pay rate is low, the files are short and the work is crowd sourced, meaning that it is uploaded to a pool and people claim it on a first-come-first-served basis.

The bottom line?

Might not be a good fit for those looking to earn serious money as a typist. However, given its easy sign-up and testing process and absolutely zero initial investment, it would be a good company to try your hand at transcription to see if it’s something you would enjoy doing on a more full-time basis.

Keep in mind, a $20.00 per audio hour pay rate translates to about $5.00 per actual hour if it takes you about four-times the length of files to transcribe it. But if you’re looking to gain experience and get a feel for transcription this would certainly be an easy site to do so.

Personally, I would recommend beginners to give this a shot for a short time frame, request their earnings via PayPal and move onto something that pays more per audio hour.

3.  1-888-TYPE-IT-UP

1-888-TYPE-IT-UP understands what the value of transcription work should be and this is reflected in their pay rates. According to their website, pay ranges between $36.00 per audio hour to a whopping $180.00 per audio hour. Again, thinking about the industry standard that it will take approximately four times the length of a file to transcribe it, you could possibly make $9.00 to $45.00 per hour. Even 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP is quick to admit that the $36.00 per audio hour rate is on the low side, but then again, it still far exceeds many other companies that offer transcription jobs for beginners.

Pros of Transcribing for 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP

• Better than most pay rates, $36.00 per audio hour is the LOWEST rate you’d receive
• Open to beginners who can pass their transcription test and meet their accuracy, formatting, and reliability standards
• Offers file-specific bonuses
• Pays twice a month (15th and last day of the month) via PayPal
• Values their transcriptionists and the work they provide

Cons of Transcribing for 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP

• Must have a foot pedal when starting out
• Can use the free version of Express Scribe but more work is given to those who purchase Express Scribe Pro
• Lengthy application process, test is emailed weeks after first receiving application
• Unique formatting for our transcripts that takes time to learn
• Does not offer second attempts if you fail the transcription test

Although experience is preferred, 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP is open to budding typists:

We completely understand the conundrum of needing experience to land a contract while needing to gain experience at the same time. After all, our first clients had to give us a chance too. As long as you can deliver good work and prove to be reliable while working from home, we are happy to work with you as one of our transcriptionists. Again, we prefer experience, but we do welcome new transcriptionists who can pass our test.

The bottom line?

This opportunity is worth the wait! Although it takes a couple of weeks to get emailed the transcription test after submitting an application, you’re unlikely to find any other transcription jobs for beginners that pays so well. Even their rock bottom rate of $36.00 per audio hour exceeds the highest rate of other companies when starting out–and keep in mind, their rates go as high as $180.00 per audio hour.

Take your time filling out the application and when you do receive your transcription test don’t rush. I know it’s easy to get ahead of yourself when you’re excited about an opportunity, but be sure to read and re-read the instructions, pay close attention to the style guide, and proof, proof, proof your final transcript before sending it in to be scored.

Remember, 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP is open to beginning typists, but only those who are reliable, accurate and can adhere to their strict style guides. So put your best foot forward with the test, even 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP reminds you:

Please be very careful reading the test instructions and taking your time with our short test. Although we receive hundreds of applications every week, most applicants fail our test as a result of not double checking their work.

If you pass, remember that a good headset and a foot pedal are both required in order to work for 1-888-TYPE-IT-UP. Although not necessary, more work is available for those who purchase Express Scribe Pro. You could purchase all these items separately or you can bundle a good headset, foot pedal, and Express Scribe Pro for around a hundred dollars.

Comparing Opportunities

These three companies are just a small sample of what you can expect to come across as far as transcription jobs for beginners goes. When you’re beginning your typing career, only you can decide what opportunities and qualities are most important to you in a transcription company.

For example, if you’re looking to supplement your income or are a stay-at-home parent, flexibility will likely be key. Remember to evaluate all the pros and cons of a particular company before jumping in. Once you gain experience, more opportunities will be available to you.

If you are truly interested in working from home as a typist, visit Transcribe Anywhere where you can learn how to start a lucrative transcription career — they even have a free mini course that shows you what it takes to be successful as a home-based typist!

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