Home-based jobs - it may sound easy, but, is that so?

I read from Philstar.com that “work-from-home” is every worker's right. Particularly in the Philippines, 87% of employees are open to working from home.


Home-based jobs - it may sound easy, but, is that so? I’d say it depends on your educational background, work experience, and a lot more. Sad to say that not all employers are ready for this phase, or maybe not yet. Hands off on that. But, what are the jobs that can be done at home? What are the things that we should consider? What are the benefits? What are the not-so-good effects of it? What should be prepared - in terms of devices, let’s say? Let’s try to tackle all that.



What are “in” in terms of home-based jobs? Oh well, a lot of my friends, including me, started as an ESL Tutor. ESL stands for English Secondary Language. Commonly, the lesson duration is 25 minutes per student. There’s no need to prepare for a lesson plan, usually, the company will provide curriculum.


Before applying for this job, be sure to invest in the following:

1. Laptop with 4gig RAM, an i3 or equivalent
2. Noise-canceling headset 
3. An external webcam if your laptop does not have an internal one (though most do)

Also, familiarize yourself with google hangout, zoom and Skype. Usually, interviews happen here. Create an account now after reading this. It’s as easy as how you created an account on Facebook.


You can find ESL jobs on Facebook, Linkedin, Fast jobs, Online.ph, Google, and more. You may look for companies such as Rarejob (Japanese students, usually adult), 51 Talk (Chinese students, mostly kids), and Acadsoc. Search their websites first as I am not very much familiar with their students’ nationality. The salary depends on your experience and will be discussed during the final interview.



I also know a lot who do typing jobs - data entry if that’s their title. I tried QA World before. It’s a freelancing platform - first, you apply, I forgot if there was an exam but once you’re in, you can work at your convenience. You get paid for every transcribed audio - depending on the length. If you’re a touch typist, maybe this job is for you. If you have the skill in terms of active listening, this really is for you. Go try it, it’s a free platform anyway.



Now if you’re an Excel whiz, then pay attention to this. Have you heard of Excelchat Support? Yes, it does exist. It’s not very common though, but the pay is good especially for first-timers. So first, apply. There’ll be two online exams; one is English 101 - mixed stuff, and the other one is, of course, Excel test knowledge. You’ll be an Excel Support so obviously, you should know Excel. This, too, is a free platform. Once you’re in, you may work at your convenience. The pay is ranging from 2 USD - 4.6 USD per 20mins to 1 hour, it depends on how long are you going to resolve an issue. Yes, an Excel issue. Customers would send a problem via chat, and you try your best to resolve it within 20mins - 1 hour; and then you get paid.


Why 2 USD - 4.6 USD? It’s like a bidding style. You name your price, and whoever bids the least will get the client. If your bid is the same as the others, whoever has the higher QA score (yes, you are being scored) gets the client. That’s why you need to bid wisely. Tip: There are times when very few are logged in, that’s when you can bid high. If there are too many supports, bid lower.



There’s also this VA (Virtual Assistant) job and eCommerce jobs that I know of, but I’ll post it next week (or the week after). Go grasp first what was discussed in this article.




What are the not-so-good stuff in working from home?


For most ESL Tutoring Companies, and data entry jobs, and the Excelchat Suppor that I mentioned, you get paid only if you have a student or client. If you don’t, though you’re logged in, you won’t get credited for that.


You also need to pay your own SSS, Pag-ibig, Philheath, etc. Remember, you are an individual contractor. Although I heard that a lot of companies already upgraded to paying for their home-based employees’ benefits as mentioned, good if that’s the case. But don’t expect that it would be the same for all. To me what I was most concerned about was my mother’s health card.


Another thing is, you will have to really invest in the good stuff.


Let’s say for me, I have to buy an aircon because, during a meeting, the stand fan would be all that everyone would hear. Turn it off and everyone would notice my wet forehead and nose. LOL. Buy a cheap one, expect a monthly dilemma on your electric bill. So I really invested in my “S-Series Inverter” Kolin.


The same goes for headsets. You can buy some really affordable headsets all over, but how confident are you that it will last? Well, it does for some. Good for them. But I have heard a lot of bad experiences when it comes to class A types. Buy the original. Mine is Plantronics, bought it for approximately 3,000 PHP. There’s a cheaper version, but still original, I think that’s only 1,500PHP. Go check in Octagon or anywhere in Cyberzone.


Also, to me, it’s important that I have an external mouse and keyboard to preserve my laptop’s mouse pad and internal keys. That’s my preference. It’s optional for you.




So the question is, YES YOU ARE WILLING - that’s not the point … Again, the question is, are you ready to work from home? If yes, I’d be glad to be of help. Talk to you guys soon!