As our economy continues its struggle to recover many of us are turning to work at home jobs. Stay at home moms and dads are finding a need to supplement or create a main source of income. College students and many others are discovering the benefits of working from home and saving on gas, wardrobe, commute and meals. But what kinds of jobs are available, and what makes a job legitimate?
First of all let's differentiate between at home jobs and at home opportunities or businesses. Having a job whether you are at home, in an office, at a warehouse or any other location, means you are an employee.
As an employee you have certain rights dictated by labor laws. Your employer must deduct payroll taxes from your check as well as social security and Medicare contributions and he must issue you a W-2 to report your earnings and deductions for tax filing purposes.
If you participate in a work at home opportunity or business, there is no doubt that you will work, but these are not at home jobs. No matter how many instructions you have to follow, you are not an employee. You may be considered an independent contractor, sole proprietor, individual, or subcontractor, but you are not an employee.
No one will deduct taxes or contributions from your paycheck and you are responsible for submitting the proper payments to the proper government entities, namely the IRS. This is a simple process, but remember that it is your responsibility.
Some of the most popular at home jobs include customer service, call center work, virtual assistant, telemarketing, writing and research. Big name companies such as U-Haul hire home workers to handle incoming calls and customer service and pay on an hourly basis. Research companies such as Westat hire workers to conduct phone interviews. These are nationwide companies and there are many others.
Companies are finding that telecommuting is a profitable way to conduct business. If you have experience you may easily find a telecommuting job with a well known company simply by accessing the careers tab on their website.
Speaking of experience and locality, many at home jobs can be found locally. Companies have come to realize many employees are more productive at home. They may require that an employee only come to the office to pick up work. Some companies have a “come when necessary” policy while others have a more standard schedule such as three days at home, two in the office.
In your search for at home jobs, be sure to thoroughly check your potential employer. Contact the Better Business Bureau and local government to confirm the business identity. Conduct an online search of the company's history. You should always know who you are working for, and what type of reputation they possess.
HomeJobStop is one of the one of the best resources we know of for finding telecommuting at home jobs. If this is type of work at home is what you are seeking, we strongly recommend that you register with them. You can find their website by clicking here. Good Luck!
Many people are looking to either get out of the office altogether or they are looking to work for their company but at home. There are jobs you can do which are solely based at home and then there is the possibility of telecommuting with your current job, if that job is something you can do at home.
The two types of jobs are different. One is based solely at your home and is your own business while the other is an office position you do from home. With technology growing in leaps and bounds the possibilities of landing a computer job at home is growing daily.
Many companies are always looking for people with skills in Microsoft Office to run billing services from their home. In this way companies save some money on office space as well as the hardware needed to perform the job since you use your personal computer. Database and bookkeeping services are also commonplace for this type of work.
Technology being what it is, more inventive companies are taking this a step further using video technology as well. Through video conferencing equipment and ingenious camera use, a position as a receptionist can even be done while you are at home and the company is in another state.
Other computer jobs at home can be involved around tax services and other accounting related positions. If you are skilled at either of these professions, you can easily make a tidy sum, making your services available to people in your area. This is a great type of position as long as you have the skills and want some extra money.
One very common job at home is writing web content from home. This is generally a part time position you do to add some extra income to your bank account. There are a few websites online, which you can join to write articles and other web content for people and be paid per article. This is something, which can blossom into a full-blown business at home for you.
Now, for as many legitimate possibilities you come across there are five, which are designed to take your time, and sometimes your money, and leave you nothing in return. In other words, scams. You have to run with a particular rule of thumb when dealing with any computer job at home and that is simply if it seems too good to be true, it normally is.
You want to do a little research on the jobs and the companies with whom you intend to work to make sure they are legitimate and honest. You don't want to pour a lot of effort into a computer job at home only to be left with nothing in the end.
Finding a great computer job at home is something that takes a little bit of time but with some effort and patience, you can either find or create one that perfectly fits your skills and your lifestyle.
posted by Chris Simpson
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