Top 10 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs
by Fred on 29/06/09 at 2:32 pm
30 comments
At Ideate, we get a lot of request for information on legitimate work from home jobs. While making money from home has become all the rage recently, especially with the rise of the web (and with it, internet home business opportunities), it seems that our audience still need some prompting on where they can make their moolah from home.
So, without further ado, here are our top 10 work from home business ideas:
1. T
ranslation
Here’s where those Spanish lessons you took at school can finally come in handy. So what if you only did them thinking that it would be your ticket through Latin America while you learn how to surf? If you know German, Italian, French, Portuguese, or the biggie, Mandarin, you’re in the money. Place your free ad on Gumtree or Craigslist and you can start raking in the orders.
What you need?
Dictionaries for all the languages you know.
Where to start?
- Advertise online on directory sites
- Contact the relevant embassies and consuls in your area to let them know you’re available.
- Language schools are also a great source of referrals here, so look them up online and give them a ring to let them know you’re around.
2. Teach English
This is a no-brainer. English is the de-facto standard of the web, and hence the new frontier of business – especially in exporting stuff online. Everyone wants to learn the language of our old colonial oppressors… so brush up your grammar and get teaching.
What you need?
A dictionary and an active sense of humour, especially when teaching Eastern bloc, Chinese or Indian visitors to the country. You’ll do well to download Skype, since a lot of folks will contact you via the net.
Where to start?
- Varsity College if you need to get qualified
- Gumtree or Craig’s List to advertise to all the migrant workers visiting the country, as well as the sons, wives and daughters of visiting dignitaries and business people.
3. Website content writer
Every website needs content. Every website owner is too busy to write content. Hey presto: a gap in the market! Fire up your laptop, google “writing for web” and tell your friends that you’re a bonafide copy-writer. Despite your lack of experience, chances are pretty strong that you’ll churn out better content than 99% of the crap out there.
What you need?
Home pc with a good internet connection.
Where to start?
- Freelance directory sites out there (Google it, there are loads)
4. Product photographer
You got a 10mp digicam for Christmas, but the only pics you’ve taken are of your cat and the potplant. Instead of sitting at home checking your non-existent bank balance every five minutes, why not fashion a quick infinity curve in your garage and start snapping? There are many, many product sites being launched every day (E-commerce is on the rise, fast, and products pics will be in demand). Odds are that some of these new sites will need a cheap alternative to updating their stock online.
What you need?
You’ll need a camera, the curve, some lights, a laptop, an internet connection and some photo-editing software.
Where to start?
- Digital Camera sites to get the gear
- Photo directory sites to advertise your wares
5. Home baker
Your mom’s old recipes are not necessarily only to entertain your book club once a month. There are hundreds of corner shops, market stalls, schools and churches who will gladly pay for your cooking goodness. Make sure you do your sums when charging for them, though. It’s easy to short sell yourself in the catering business.
What you need? A decent oven, and some cooking tools. A blog (you can also use your Facebook page) is also a good idea to write about your recipes and publish some pics of your gastronomic greatness.
Where to start?
- Your local printer to design a little knock n’ drop brochure to distribute to your neighbourhood’s homes and businesses.
6. Internet marketing
Web marketing is a fast growing industry and there’s more than enough work out there. Once you figure it out, it’s actually a nice little earner – you can charge a few grand a month for your services and once you hit 10 clients, you’re doing quite nicely thank you very much. The only thing is that this industry is notoriously unstable, and you’ll have to keep your wits about you to stay on top of this fickle game.
What you need? Laptop, internet and subscriptions to SEOmoz, Internet Marketing Centre, Daily blog and the 1000’s of other services out there.
Where to start?
- Find a small business networking group near you, something like BNI, which is cost effective and perfect for getting you in touch with your target market.
7.Music teacher
Who’d a thunk? Your many hours of recorder, piano and violin lessons actually will come in handy. Depending on how good you are there are many adults, adolescents and children out there searching for their inner Tchaikovsky. A good start is to contact some of the schools in your area and sound-proof your walls.
What you need?
A nice quiet room, where you can finally put your piano / guitar / violin, / recorder / triangle to good use.
Where to start?
- Get a little brochure designed by a local designer (again, the printer should have an inhouse graphic designer to knock something up) and get it out there.
- Directory sites like Gumtree and Craig’s List
8. Personal shopper
Believe it or not, there are loads of people out there without a heck of a lot of time on their hands. Hey, you got time right? You can offer it to these poor rich folk in order to bend their credit cards on all the various trinkets that they need on a weekly basis – from food to toys, gifts to underwear.
What you need?
Time. A good eye for what’s in – the Internet will help to keep you on top of the trends.
Where to start?
Again: Gumtree or Craig’s List are great for these kinds of services.
9. Pet chef
You’re one of those weird tree-hugging, liberal animal rights activists. No one EVER took you seriously. Until now. Just wait til those haters see you RAKE in the bucks by preparing meals for rich people’s pets. Yep, you heard me. Rich folk will actually pay you to cook gourmet meals for their imported Saluki’s, their Russian Blue’s or their pure-bred Shitzu’s. Call it a guilt thing. They don’t have time to love them. However, they DO have money to pay YOU to feed them. Make it happen.
What you need?
Pet ingredients. Thick skin.
Where to start?
- Get to your post office and get them to distribute your business card to the rich suburbs in your area. If you can, make your business card interesting, like having alitte bite cut out of it, or designed in the shape of a bone… something like that, y’know?
10.Book keeper
If you’re male, you’ve spent the last few years in a cubicle. If you’re female, you’ve spent the last few years popping out your 2 kids. Your head is about to explode. You need an outlet. You’ve got dreams. You want to make real money. It just so happens you’re good at maths. What can you do? Ok… so there’s not much else than becoming a book keeper. (Sorry.) But, you know what? It’s not that bad. You can make a good living, and your expenses are low. Give it a go, and save up for that Mauritius getaway (if you can find babysitters for 2 weeks!)
What you need?
QuickBooks. A laptop.
Where to start?
- Correspondence school to get qualified
- Gumtree, Craig’s List to advertise
Post your suggestions and links in the comments. We’d love to hear feedback and thoughts on working from home ideas.
Fred Roed is the marketing guy in the Ideate crew. He runs a web marketing company called World Wide Creative and loves writing about people out there doing marketing right. View more articles by Fred.
Tags: work from home
Cherryflava
Jun 29th, 2009
11. An adult ‘entertainer’
What you need – Yourself and a few props.
How to get started – Advertise your services on Gumtree or Craigslist.
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Carl B
Jun 30th, 2009
Nice post, a perfect for newbee like me…keep it up…you got a regular visitor….
Bruce Wade
Jun 30th, 2009
Great list – add a new one as #12 Coach
Need: Vast experience, love for coffee, the ability to listen and help people through stages of life, a strong butt to sit at Mugg and Bean for 6 hrs a day.
To get started: Become an authority on a subject that others will want to pursue.
Martisa
Jun 30th, 2009
hey great list. Hey everyone come take a look at my website just click on my name. It offers a lot of help and opportunities for work at home jobs.
Gareth Cotten
Jul 1st, 2009
@Cherryflava – the more props you need, the worse an ‘entertainer’ you are yourself!
13. Dog walker
14. Babysitter
What you need – patience, and to be good with dogs/kids
How to get started – knock on every door in your neighbourhood (I guarantee you’ll have work by the end of your street)
I write about stuff like this in my Finance Coach blog (on Fbook and Blogspot), check it out…
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Dec 24th, 2009
[...] 1. Top 10 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs [...]
Derek
Jan 6th, 2010
All great ideas, but they either require certain skills, training or hard work.
If your reader realy want an easy way to make money -
No skills required, No training required, No selling required, No specialized equipment required, No surveys, No Typing, No Processing.
Not just a business Idea or method. – Some more Pie in the Sky offers.
Then they should visit http://www.nagetal.com
TnT
Jan 17th, 2010
A great list, thanks! We like your sense of humour too.
Your list is not just great, but can really really work for many people out there looking for ideas about what they can do from home to earn money.
The writing idea in your list is a particluarly easy one to get into – if people will just realise that with a bit of effort, they really CAN work from home – it won’t just happen, they DO have to make some effort.
Terry and Tony
Francis
Feb 3rd, 2010
Great list of work at home opportunities!
Something else that is also taking the world by storm is Virtual Assistance.
It’s actually relatively new in SA but Virtual Assistance gives people with administrative experience the opportunity to use their skills to assist other business people with a vast array of administrative tasks. All from the comfort of their own homes.
Work such as translation and internet marketing that you’ve mentioned above, falls under the umbrella of virtual assistance. Other services ranges from general admin tasks such as calendar & email management, to transcription to social media marketing and many more.
With the growth in internet technology is the sky the limit with regards to Virtual Assistance and work at home opportunities.
Keep up the good posts
Warm Regards
Francis
urkyle
Mar 11th, 2010
Cool site you have a fan, snece of humor not shabby either.
Thanks will be useing a few of your ideas.
urkyle
Mar 11th, 2010
AAAGH made typos, sorry SENSE “NOT TOO”"
Fred
Mar 12th, 2010
Thanks Urkyle : ) Typos are okay around here every now and then.
Thanks for the kind words, hope to see you again here on Ideate in the near future.
F
andrew
Mar 19th, 2010
thanks fred brilliant article
Regarding internet marketing here is a site that too has aid in various ways to market online. I’d say worth a look
Quentinuys
Apr 20th, 2010
Hi Fred. thank you so much for the article. It gives one allot of insight. I started something extraordinary myself. Make money with a virtual pet. http://www.fingermoney.co.za. You just walk around with it picking up coins.
The site also allows you to watch ads for money and refer friends to watch ads and get paid for that to.
Check it out I am sure you will like it.
Lucky
Apr 20th, 2010
Finally I found a South African PTC, thanx a lot Quentinuys. I have been earning steady income from PTC and now I will add Fingermoney.co.za my list. But can you tell me what is the minimum payout.
Paid-to-Click(PTC) and Paid-to-read(PTR) are the easiest ways to make money without any hard work. I am obsessed to these programs. I have few of them that have paid which I can show proof to anyone who is interested in earning these steady income. In fact if you click my name you will be taken to my blog where you will see links to these programs under the heading ‘Earn your free share’
In this blog you will also learn about other money making ideas from here in South Africa.
I have posted a proof payment from Clixsense. I will also post other proof of payments during this week.
Lucky
Apr 20th, 2010
Quentinuys, what is your name on fingermoney so that I can put you as my referrer because I can see that you did not put your referral link. Could you please leave it in my blog.
Quentinuys
Apr 21st, 2010
Hi lucky
I tried to leave a message in your blog, but couldn’t figure out how.
You can use patat as referrer on Fingermoney.co.za
Thanks Alot
Lucky
Apr 21st, 2010
Its okay, I have joined under you and my username is 60768. Please join one of programs especially Neobux, but if you are already a member you can join any.You can leave a message by either post a comment or create a new post.
Thanx a lot
John Field
Apr 21st, 2010
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Gavin70
Jun 11th, 2010
Hi Fred, great list as with everything in life you reap what you sew! You have to be willing to put in a little effort, there is no magical button to press and the money just flows in. I am involved with collecting data and entering it online. I collect the data on number plates and I get paid for it every month. The best part is the data is used to help find missing children, stolen vehicles and locate known criminals. How ethical & moral is that? Take a look >>> http://www.datacashaffiliates.com.
alta
Jun 12th, 2010
wil graag meer weet wat julle doen en wat dit kos
Gavin70
Jun 12th, 2010
Hi Alta, dit is 100% gratis om aan te sluit en al wat jy doen is kry die inligting op 20 of meer nommer plaate elke maand en tik dit in n aan lyn data base en dan leer jy 10 mense om die selfde te doen. Dit is baie eenvoudig en dit vat op die meeste n uur n maand om dit te doen. Jy word eenmal n maand betaal deur die maatskapy, so jy het regtig niks om te verloor nie en die beste is die inlugting word gebruik om vermisde kinders te vind, om gesteelde voertuie en kriminele op te spoor. Gaan na my website http://www.datacashaffiliates.com dan sal alles vir jou deur videos verduidelik word.
Groete
Eugene Pelser
Lucky
Jul 1st, 2010
Quentinuys, bad news, where is our Fingermoney? Please check blog for other details.And please leave a comment.
Lucky
Jul 6th, 2010
I have good news for those who wants to earn money without spending a cent. Click my name for further details.
Lucky
Jul 12th, 2010
I made money through these soccer games while everybody was enjoying them. I was not expecting to receive / gain anything until I came across with this method of making money. So if you are interested in other ways to make money please click my name.
Gavin70
Jul 21st, 2010
I have just updated my web page with a series of videos explaining the opportunity (Get Paid To Help Find Missing Children!) in more detail. Wow I didn’t think that it would take that long! Recording, cutting, editing and producing tutorial videos are quite a challenge but fun! Check it out by clicking on my name.
Lucky
Jul 27th, 2010
I just received a payment from one of the PTC sites.Click my name for proof. One payment was received last week and another one this week.
vendgalaxy
Aug 23rd, 2010
……in case you don’t know, the fingermoney site mentioned above, has closed down (for a while now) and is apparently under new management. I have found the same site (with the same name and ads, etc. ) camouflaged under a different site heading). When ‘bisnet’ was contacted, i was told ‘the client has cancelled the hosting of the domain with us’ . So for all intents and purposes it seems that a site that held such high promise…i now regard as a SCAM. It would be interesting to hear what the previous owner, quentinuys, has to say about it!