No, you don't have to clock in at an office to be part of the workforce. In fact, there are plenty of jobs that are perfectly suited for moms-and anyone else-who want to make extra money working from home during pockets of free time (and we don't mean telemarketing!). Which one is right for you depends on your skills and passions-after all, you need to be self-motivated when you're working on your own. Here, to get you started, is a short list of great set-your-own-hours jobs that more and more women are signing up for.
Virtual Assistant
The job: Do administrative tasks-such as word processing, bookkeeping, or transcribing voice-mail messages-for a variety of businesses. Some companies desire more specialized work, such as writing press releases, designing websites, or legal proofreading-and they pay accordingly.The pay: $15 to $100 per hour
The hours: Minimum of 10 to 12 hours a week. Some jobs require you to work during the day-if you're handling customer service calls, for instance. But you can probably handle tasks like creating flyers or analyzing spreadsheets in the evenings or on weekends.
What you need: A computer, Internet connection, fax, separate phone line, and, depending on the work, proficiency with office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
How to get started: Learn more about the industry by contacting the International Virtual Assistants Association (ivaa.org) and the Alliance for Virtual Business (allianceforvirtualbiz.com). Then check out guru.com and elance.com for job listings. You can also join local business groups to network-and don't be shy about contacting former employers!
Online Auctioneer
The job: Sell products at online auction sites, like eBay, Yahoo!, or MSN auctions. This works two ways: You can buy items at a discount and resell them online at a higher price, or you can work on consignment, selling used items for other people and taking a cut of the profits. You'll first need to do research on the auction sites themselves to find out what the hot-selling items are, and how much you can list similar items for, says Barb Webb, author of The Mom's Guide to Earning and Saving Thousands on the Internet.If you're selling new items, keep an eye out for sales at bricks-and-mortar stores so you can snap up products to sell.
The pay: Varies widely, but Webb, who resells women's clothing bargains she finds locally at stores like Kohl's or Macy's on eBay (often for double what she paid!), says online auctioneers can easily make $5,000 a year working 10 hours a week. If you take the consignment route, a typical commission is 25 percent of the sale price.
The hours: Completely up to you, but the more items you list, the more money you'll make.
What you need: A computer, an Internet connection, and a digital camera for taking snapshots of items for sale.
How to get started: Get a feel for the process and for what sells by posting some garage-sale items you have. Then you can branch out to reselling new products or collecting used ones from friends and family to sell for a commission. You can also find used goods to sell by advertising for them in church bulletins and on public-notice boards at the local library, the gym, and even in the newspaper.
Direct Sales
The job: Sell products-anything from cosmetics to scrapbooks to clothing-on one-on-one client visits or phone calls, or at "parties," where you get friends and potential clients together and show off your wares. Of the 13.6 million direct salespeople in the U.S., 75 percent to 80 percent are women. "A lot of moms do direct selling because of the truly flexible schedule and the social contact," says Amy Robinson, director of communications at the Direct Sales Association.The pay: $5,000 a year working 15 to 20 hours a week. You earn a commission on the products you sell, and, with some companies, you'll also get a 2 percent to 5 percent commission on the sales of anyone you bring in to work for the company.
The hours: Flexible, but it's not all about hosting fun parties. You'll need to spend time training, then filling, preparing, and delivering orders, plus organizing the parties or sales trips.
What you need: Good people skills and lots of motivation (it helps if you truly like and believe in the product you're selling).
How to get started: Look up a list of companies on the Direct Sales Association's website (dsa.org), and contact the ones you're interested in. Some well-established companies to consider: Longaberger (which sells crafts), Tastefully Simple (easy meals), Creative Memories (scrapbooking materials), and Mary Kay (cosmetics). Ask to speak to current salespeople at those firms so you can get a good sense of what the work involves.
Tutoring
The job: Help students with homework, test preparation, college application essays-and any variety of academic studies. Tutors are needed in all subjects, but those with expertise in math, reading, and foreign languages are in especially high demand.The pay: $10 to $125 per hour, depending on the subjects you tutor, your level of experience, and where you live. A calculus tutor in New York might charge $125 per hour, while an elementary-school math tutor in a rural area would charge $25. Online services, such as tutor.com, where you assist kids over the web, pay $10 an hour.
The hours: However many hours you want to or can work, depending on your clients' needs. Typically, tutors offer sessions in the evenings after school or on weekends.
What you need: Expertise in a subject area (prior teaching experience or an advanced degree may be required by some clients) and a knack for working with kids. Another must: a quiet, neat spot in your home for tutoring sessions.
How to get started: To find clients, make appointments at local schools to meet with guidance counselors, academic department chairs, and principals to find out what their students' needs are and ask for referrals. Be sure to leave a business card or flyer with your contact information and qualifications at the school office, as schools frequently keep files of tutors on hand. You can also post a flyer at your neighborhood library, or online at Craigslist.
Mystery Shopper
The job: You pose as an ordinary customer at a store, restaurant, bank, retail website, or other business, then fill out a customer service evaluation form about your experience to help the company assess how it's doing. Typically, you start with simple assignments, such as fast-food restaurants: You might be asked to order a meal and then answer a list of "yes" and "no" questions about the service. As you gain experience, you can move on to more complicated-and higher-paying-questionnaires. A bank visit, for example, might require you to ask about IRAs (individual retirement accounts) and mortgages, then write a detailed analysis of the service you received.The pay: $5 to $150 per report, depending on how detailed the report is.
The hours: Varies depending on the type of report and how many you do. In some cases, you just have to buy one item and fill out a one-page questionnaire. Other assignments might take an hour or longer, requiring you to go through a series of complex transactions before writing up your report.
What you need: Strong writing and observation skills. Some shoppers jot down notes or record their impressions in a mini tape recorder once they're out of the store, says Judith Rappold, author of Get Paid to Shop and the president of Business Resources, a mystery-shopping firm in Austin, TX. Others take a laptop and fill out the report right away in the car.
How to get started: The Mystery Shoppers Providers Association (mysteryshop.org) lists job opportunities; the International Association of Service Evaluators (iasemysteryshop.com) provides a directory of member companies. Try to find businesses you already use, so you can get your shopping done and make some cash while you're at it!
Don't Get Scammed! How to tell if a work-from-home biz is legit.
Working from home has one big disadvantage: You may never meet your boss face-to-face, and that anonymity makes it easy for unscrupulous "businesses" to trick you into signing up for work-and then paying them for it (usually via an "application" fee). "These scam artists make applying really appealing to people by saying there is no experience necessary! You can make large amounts of money from the comfort of your home, but it's all bogus," says Sheila Adkins, director of public affairs at the Council of Better Business Bureaus, which received more than 3,000 complaints about work-from-home companies in 2005. How can you protect yourself from a scam? Follow these tips:Check that the company you're interested in actually exists. Many illegitimate ones are nothing more than shady characters with P.O. boxes waiting for your money. Ask where the company is headquartered and call directory assistance to see if it's listed. Call the post office in that town to make sure the company's address is legitimate.
Be wary of clerical jobs that require you to send money in order to get more information. "They're often schemes where you pay $25 to $99, and all you get are instructions for advertising the same scam you just fell for," says Terri Murphy, general manager of moneyfromhome.com, a site that posts work-from-home jobs, and that rejects thousands of fraudulent listings a year.
With direct-sales companies, you sometimes have pay for a start-up kit, but any kit that costs more than $500 should raise a red flag, says Amy Robinson, director of communications for the Direct Sales Association.
Avoid direct-sales companies that don't buy back products you aren't able to sell-and be sure there's actually a product to be sold. Often what looks like a direct-sales business is just a pyramid scheme, which lures new recruits to "invest" large sums of money, thinking they'll be paid in turn when others join. But these schemes are scams, and they're illegal.
Likewise, skip any mystery shopping opportunity that requires you to pay a fee-it shouldn't cost you anything to get started.
One last to-do: Check with your local Better Business Bureau or state attorney general's office to see if any complaints have been filed against the company you're considering.
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Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
