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Work From Home Jobs – The Ultimate Guide

How to work from home? Everything you need to know about at home jobs.

Being able to work from home is a dream for millions of people. Whether you are an employee or self-employed, the freedom to choose your own hours and to combine your professional life with your family or personal life is priceless.

I have been working from home for several years, first as an employee and then as an entrepreneur, and I recognize that there has never been a better time to do it than now.

In this article I am going to give you the keys so that you too can earn a salary from the comfort of your home, starting with a list of the best work from home jobs in terms of employability and economic potential and ending with the main websites where you can find remote job offers.

One more remark on the side: Many people think they need to search for “work from home jobs near me”, but that’s ridiculous in the internet age. Your employer doesn’t have to be near you if your work from home.

Types of work from home jobs

Before we begin, let’s clarify what types of work-from-home jobs are available: those where you are employed or self-employed.

A. Employed

In the United States, where 35% of employees telework, there are rankings of the best companies with remote jobs. In many other countries there are no such reports yet, but it is a good idea to look at the US ranking to see which companies are also present in your country.

The work philosophy is likely to be similar, and you can be sure that you are sending your CV to a company that is going to make it easy for you.

Of course many jobs that do allow teleworking are usually related to customer service or sales, such as telemarketing or sales agents. It is also possible to find content writing and auditing jobs, although these are more rare and usually part-time.

Advantages of working as an employee from home

  • You have a stable salary, which gives you security.
  • You enjoy paid holidays.
  • You have unemployment benefits: you will receive unemployment benefits if you are unfairly dismissed or your contract ends.
  • Social Security contributions are usually higher than for self-employed workers.

Disadvantages of working as an employee from home

  • Fixed working hours: even if you work from home, you will usually have to stick to a timetable in which you will have to be 100% available.
  • Greater difficulty to grow professionally: the fact of not being “visible” will work against you when there are promotions or salary increases.

B. Self-employed

The most common way of working from home is still as a freelancer (self-employed).

New technologies have created emerging business models, and freelancers are often the first to jump on these new opportunities. Many companies also find it useful to outsource these new functions so that they do not have to incur the costs of hiring or renting space.

In addition, the process of becoming self-employed in Spain has become simpler and cheaper, making it the first choice of many professionals who want to work remotely.

Advantages of working freelance from home

  • Freedom of working hours and geographical location.
  • Work-life balance: you can take care of children, a dependent relative or take a day off when you need to.
  • You tend to feel more fulfilled than in an employed job.
  • Greater chances of generating more income.

Disadvantages of working freelance from home

  • Financial insecurity: your salary depends on your clients.
  • Fewer social benefits: you give up unemployment benefits, sick leave and contributions.
  • Increased sense of loneliness: working at home and having no contact with other colleagues can be hard.

The 10 best work from home jobs

Having clarified these points, let’s take a look at the best home-based jobs today in terms of employability, economic potential and viability.

1. Virtual Assistant

virtual assistant working from home sofaOne of the most sought-after new professions with the rise of the Internet is that of virtual assistant. In the vast majority of cases, they start as freelancers, although there are more and more cases of permanent contracts, especially by small entrepreneurs.

The functions of the virtual assistant consist of providing remote support to bloggers, youtubers, digital entrepreneurs or companies in relatively simple or mechanical tasks, so it is not a profile that requires great technical skills.

These are some of the usual tasks of a virtual assistant:

  • Email management
  • Management of social networks
  • Organisation of the agenda
  • Invoicing management
  • Image design and retouching
  • Writing newsletters and blog posts
  • Video and/or podcast editing
  • Organising face-to-face events
  • Who is the virtual assistant job for?

For people who are organised and proactive, with the ability to manage several tasks at the same time.

What do you need to be a virtual assistant?

In addition to excellent organisational skills and a minimum level of English, you will need to have basic knowledge of office software (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), as well as team management tools (Trello, Slack).

In many cases it is also advisable to know how to use the main social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin) and have some knowledge of video editing and blogging (WordPress), as this profile is in great demand by Youtubers and bloggers.

How to get a job as a virtual assistant?

The easiest way to get started as a virtual assistant is as a freelancer, looking for private clients:

Contact entrepreneurs, bloggers or small businesses directly and present your services. It is a good idea to provide a demonstration of your skills, for example by sending a video layout or showing a social media campaign.

Keep an eye out for virtual assistant requests from popular bloggers to their subscribers.
Sign up for Upwork, Workana or Freelancer. Many entrepreneurs post virtual assistant jobs there.
How much does a virtual assistant charge?

Virtual assistant fees can range from 10 to 30 euros per hour worked, although some experienced assistants can charge more.

2. Digital copywriter

copywriting from homeEvery self-respecting company needs to have a presence on the Internet, and to do so it needs content. Whether it’s website copy, blog posts or social media posts, writing for the Internet is a growing profession.

Although many professional copywriters are freelancers, more and more are working for online marketing companies, so it is a profession that can also offer a certain amount of stability.

Who is the job of digital copywriter for?

For people who are comfortable writing, have a good level of general knowledge and are looking for a job with some creativity.

What do you need to be a copywriter?

The most important thing is to write well. It seems obvious, but you still see a lot of texts on the Internet with spelling mistakes or structural problems. It is also advisable:

  • Learn some SEO. Especially if you focus on writing for blogs, because the aim of these posts is usually to be positioned in Google and attract organic traffic.
  • Specialise. Although being a generalist writer is not a bad thing, if you focus on a specific topic or sector it is much easier for you to carve out a niche in the market.
  • Be original. The best way to end your copywriting career is to get caught plagiarising a text.
    The next step many copywriters take is to become copywriters.

Copywriting is writing to sell. To do this, you need some knowledge of marketing and persuasive writing techniques.

Being a copywriter allows you to significantly increase your rates and get out of traditionally low-paying sectors such as SEO copywriting or social media. It also opens up a whole range of job possibilities: texts for websites or sales pages, advertisements, email marketing, video scripts, ecommerce, etc.

For this, there are already specialised copywriting courses that give you the basics to start your career.

How to get a job as a copywriter?

You can join platforms like Lowpost or Workana. They are a good option to start, but keep in mind that the prices they offer are low. Ideally, you should start by building up your own portfolio of clients and a portfolio that allows you to increase your rates.

How much does a digital copywriter charge?

In general, a copywriter’s rates are between 3 and 10 euros per 100 words, which means that a 2,000-word article can cost more than 100 euros.

Copywriting, on the other hand, is charged per piece rather than per word. For example, a sales page can cost between €200 and €500 (or more).

As you become more experienced, money may no longer be an issue (a copywriter can easily earn more than €2,000 per month) and your main concern becomes time, which is limited and prevents you from taking on more work.

3. Affiliate marketer

I started earning my first bucks from home with the system of affiliate marketing, and which currently provides me with a passive income of several thousand euros per month.

The best thing about it? There is practically zero investment needed in advance, and there is enormous potential for high earnings. Also, it requires very little knowledge.

Broadly speaking, affiliate marketing consists of creating a simple website on which you publish your opinion on certain products. In these reviews you will link to online shops that sell the product, and if the reader buys, that shop will pay you automatically a certain commission for referring a customer to them.

The first step is to reach a reasonable advertisement compensation agreement with these ecommerce. Fortunately, there are some affiliate network platforms where you can sign up for free in order to participate in this agreement. The best known is Amazon itself. However, Amazon doesn’t pay much. So I’d recommend to go to a large affiliate network such as Awin or Impact Radius.

If, for example, you are a running enthusiast, it would be a great idea to create content about it: So you could create an own niche website and publish your reviews and recommendations of different running shoes, and on each one you would put an affiliate link to an online shoe shop.

An affiliate link is an individual link containing your partner ID and other parameters that will tell the affiliate network / your partner platform that this click and sale came from your website. The link sends your website visitors to the promoted web shop or product page, and if they buy something you get a commission.

People would find your website on Google when they search for running shoe reviews or recommendations. They’ll read your post, click on your affiliate links and you’ll get a percentage if they end up buying any.

So, from the comfort of your own home, your job would be to write and publish recommendations on your website. Once you had visitors, it would become a source of money.

Who is affiliate marketing for?

For people who don’t want to have bosses or clients, but their own online projects that generate passive income.

What do you need to be an affiliate marketer?

Actually, all you need is a computer and an internet connection. You don’t need any technical knowledge, because nowadays you can create a website or a blog in 15 minutes with online tools like WordPress.

The most important thing is to document yourself before analyzing the products, be a good writer and have patience, as new websites don’t usually start receiving traffic until four or five months later. That’s why it’s best to start your affiliate sites as side projects while you continue to work as a freelancer.

How much can an affiliate marketer earn?

The income from this system will depend on your websites’s niche (the more the products are sold online, the better) and the time and effort you put into that blog.

With blogging, virtually anything is possible. There are niche bloggers who make up to 100k a month while others only make a few dollars. The commitment is crucial here and whether you are in a niche where partner companies pay a lot for leads. High paying niches are e.g. finance, software or high end fashion while e.g. a blog about flowers will be available to less solvent affiliate companies.

The world’s #1 beauty blogger, for example, earns an estimated 50k a month. Adam Enfroy is also in this league, whose blog is in the software and cloud services niche.

The most important thing is to blog about a topic for which there are products or services to buy online. Otherwise it’s a wasted effort.

If you are looking for a tutorial to learn how to make money from home with Amazon Affiliates, click here.

4. Become a Blogger

Creating a blog and making money from it is another great way to freelance from home.

But success won’t come overnight. It takes hard work and time, but I know from experience that the rewards are worth it.

The idea is simple: you create a blog on a specific topic, position yourself as an expert in it, and start selling online services, such as Skype consulting or your own digital video course. This way you end up turning your blog into an online business that generates income month after month.

It may seem difficult, but it’s much easier than you think. The secret is to choose a topic that you like and where there are more people interested, and then publish content on your blog to build your reputation.

This is exactly what I did on my blog habilidadsocial.com. As I am passionate about social psychology, a few years ago I started a blog where I published articles with practical advice for people who want to improve their social relationships.

The first few months I hardly had any readers, but little by little it became popular. Nowadays I monetise it with an online video course that generates me on average more than 3,000 euros per month, but I have also offered consultancy by video conference or email.

Earning a salary with this system is not quick, as at the beginning you will have to work hard to publish good content so that readers will trust you, but in return you will be building a long-term online project from home.

Who is blogging for?

For people who want to create their own online business and have something to teach.

What do you need to be a blogger?

You just need to have some knowledge that can help people in some way. If so, there will always be someone willing to pay for it.

Just think, there are blogs on almost any subject you can think of. There are blogs about speed reading, Excel for students or even fitness for geeks.

Nowadays, the obstacles are not technical (you don’t have to know how to program to create a blog), but mental: many people think they have nothing to teach or are afraid to expose themselves on the Internet. If you overcome these doubts, you are already a long way down the road.

How much can a blogger earn?

It depends on many variables, such as the subject matter, their popularity or the price they put on their online services. I know bloggers who earn 300 euros a month and others who generate 80,000.

If I had to make an average, I would say that the most common in the sector is around 1,500 euros per month. But I insist: it depends a lot on each case.

If you want to learn how to earn money with a blog step by step, read this article.

5. Translator

In an increasingly globalized world, many companies and entrepreneurs need translators to enable them to internationalize and reach other markets.

Translators are currently in high demand, but most of them work at home on a freelance basis as it can be difficult to become part of a company’s staff. Even so, the pay is usually good.

Who is the online translator job for?

For people who are bilingual or have knowledge of several languages, who are good at written expression and who enjoy working without too much contact with clients.

What do you need to be a translator from home?

To be fluent in your own language. You don’t need to have a university degree such as philology or translation and interpreting, but you do need a high level of knowledge of your native language. You need to be able to write without spelling mistakes and so on.

You need to be fluent in the foreign language. Normally you will be asked to be a native speaker of one of the two languages. Or that you are at least bilingual and have lived for some time in the country of reference. In both cases, you must have a perfect command of grammatical rules and a large vocabulary.

Optional: know a non-majority language. It is not compulsory, but it will allow you to differentiate yourself. There are many translators in English, German or French, but not so many in Russian, Chinese or Arabic, languages that are on the rise.

How to get a job as an online translator?

To start with general texts, you can start with platforms such as Gengo or Textmaster. Their great advantage is that you can choose which jobs you do and organise your own schedule, which gives you enormous flexibility to work from home.

However, to access better fees you should ideally create a website where you offer your services to attract clients, deciding what kind of translator you want to be:

Literary translator. The image of the literary translator is bohemian, but it is probably the least profitable option (unless you have a name and work for big publishers) next to that of a subtitle translator.

Technical translator. In addition to more general texts, there are certain sectors that require specialised knowledge. Legal, scientific or technological texts, for example. This is where sworn translations come in, which are legally valid and require a degree and an official exam. It can be a somewhat repetitive job, but as it is so specialised, the rates are quite high.

Advertising translation: To transfer a marketing message from one country to another, it is not enough to know the language: you need to understand both cultures. Otherwise, things like the Mitsubishi Pajero in Spain (which in the end was changed to Montero) happen. Translators of this kind are highly sought after, so if you think you have what it takes, don’t hesitate.

How much does a professional translator charge?

Although the rates vary greatly depending on the type of text and the language, the minimum is usually 5 euros per 100 words.

As an example, some time ago Netflix opened a call for applications to find people to translate its online series through its Hermes program. For the translation from English into Spanish, they even paid 12 dollars per translated minute, which is not bad at all.

And if we are talking about advertising translation, the fees can be even higher.

6. Online language teacher

Online teachers are increasingly in demand by both companies and individuals, as they save time and travel time for their students, while providing personalized follow-up.

Who is the job of online language teacher for?

For people who want to control their schedules, are native speakers of a major language (English, Spanish, etc.), have basic computer skills and an interest in other cultures.

What do you need to teach languages online?

Technologically, not too much: a computer with an Internet connection and a good webcam. Basic knowledge of videoconferencing tools such as Skype or Zoom and a quiet place at home where you can give classes.

Oh, and bear in mind that you will be working with students in different time zones, so some classes may take place at night.

In terms of training, it’s best to have an official teaching qualification, although it’s not essential. If you don’t have one, start recruiting students who speak highly of your classes and that you can showcase as success stories.

How to get a job as a language teacher from home?

The easiest way is to sign up to an online platform that offers classes, such as Verbling, Lingoda or Italki.

From there, it is advisable to create a website or a blog to start attracting students and save the commission of these platforms. In the case of Spanish, there is a lot of demand for classes in the United States, Japan and Korea, so your website should focus on that audience and be written in their language.

You should also plan your business model. Most classes focus on conversation practice, but there are also those who offer step-by-step courses with exercises or advice on how to organise meetings and conferences.

How much does an online language teacher charge?

Fees depend on the language and the format of the class (group or individual). Also bear in mind that a conversation class is not the same as a grammar class: calculate the time you need to prepare, create exercises and correct them afterwards.

As a guideline, an English teacher charges between 10 and 15 euros per hour.

7. Remote tele-operator

This is one of the fastest growing and most in-demand professions today. Although this work has traditionally been done from a call centre, many companies are looking for professionals with good communication and IT skills to support customers or resolve their queries from home.

These are usually full-time or part-time positions, and generally require a minimum dedication of 4 hours a day.

Who is a home-based telemarketer job for?

For people with people skills and patience, as well as a minimum of computer knowledge.

What do you need to be a telemarketer?

In terms of equipment, all you need is a telephone and a computer with an Internet connection. Recently, chat or WhatsApp support has also become more and more popular.

Depending on the type of work, the most common is that the company provides you with the training to answer the customer’s questions and needs. Thus, a telephone operator can perform several functions:

  • Telephone sales
  • Customer service: queries, complaints and incidents.
  • Technical support
  • Occasional support in sales campaigns, product launches, etc.

How to get a job as a telephone operator?

Normally the offers appear on non-specialised job portals such as LinkedIn or Infojobs, as well as in temporary employment agencies. Also large organisations such as Amazon Jobs often have openings for remote customer service positions.

Note: in the United States there are companies specialised in hiring home-based telemarketers such as Liveops or Arise, and it is sometimes possible to find demand for Spanish-speaking professionals.

How much does a telemarketer charge?

The difference will be determined by your professional category and the position you hold (the more specialised, the higher the salary), but it is usually around 9-15 euros/hour.

8. Search engine evaluator

Search engines like Google or Bing use algorithms to deliver their search results, but what few people know is that behind them there is usually a group of people who validate that those results are correct.

The best part? Most of these quality evaluators work from home.

Who is the job of search engine evaluator for?

For people who are not afraid of technology, are generally literate and have good research skills.

What do you need to become a search engine evaluator?

In 2015, Google made public the guide it provides to its quality assessors, and since then this document has become the bible of the industry. The document is updated periodically (here is the most recent guide) to reflect the different changes and updates.

The work basically consists of reviewing real Google searches and checking that the results are optimal. The evaluator then issues a report – following the guidelines in the guide – which will be used to implement possible improvements.

How to get a job as a search engine evaluator?

The most widely used search engine worldwide is Google, and it is also the largest employer in this sector. It regularly posts jobs, so the easiest thing to do is to check Google’s job search engine to see if there are any new vacancies.

Also keep an eye on Google subsidiaries such as Leapforce (now Appen) or LionBridge, and on other search engines such as Bing or Yahoo.

How much does a search engine evaluator charge?

On average, a search engine evaluator can charge between 12 and 20 euros per hour.

9. Community Manager

Community management or social media management is one of the most in-demand jobs in online marketing. But until recently, many companies used to fall into the category of ‘inity manager’, thinking that they could manage it themselves and didn’t need to pay a professional.

Fortunately this belief has changed, as managing a company’s online presence is no joke. The community manager looks for and provides quality content that responds to a clear strategy, and must offer measurable results.

Who is the job of community manager for?

For social media enthusiasts with marketing knowledge, who have no problem being hooked to their mobile phones at (almost) all times.

What do you need to be a community manager from home?

A computer with an Internet connection and a portable device (smartphone or tablet) that allows you to monitor what is happening at all times, especially if you have to manage a crisis.

Although it is not 100% essential, it is highly recommended to have taken a community management course (there is a huge range of courses, both face-to-face and online), and many of these programmes also offer internships in a company.

The work of a community manager basically consists of two tasks:

  • Generate quality content in different formats. Each social network has its own rules and objectives that you should be aware of. It is also advisable that you have some knowledge of photo and video editing.
  • Attract followers and generate a relationship with them, solving doubts and responding to their comments.
    In addition to having some knowledge of online marketing, to perform these tasks you must achieve a tone of communication adapted to the brand, know how to curate content and control the statistics of each platform.

You also need to be up to date with new developments: social networks evolve very quickly, and in six months everything can change a lot.

How to get a job as a community manager?

Most general portals, such as InfoJobs, Freelancer, or Indeed publish offers for community managers, in many cases to work remotely. On Working Nomads you will also find them, and very good ones, but in English.

To increase your chances of being hired, lead by example: be present in several social networks, be active and have a reasonable number of followers. This is the best way to introduce yourself.

How much does a community manager charge?

It will depend on your experience and the type of client. If you manage several company profiles at the same time, it is important that you agree on the number of posts per month and the time you will be available to respond to comments.

Ideally, you should calculate your hourly rate and a minimum per client (for example, €200 for managing the profile of an SME). For your reference, a full-time community manager usually charges between €900 and €1,800 per month in Spain.

10. Vlogger on Youtube

More and more content is being consumed in video format, and as a consequence, more and more people are earning money from home with a video channel on YouTube.

There are two types of channels that can be monetized:

Entertainment, where the vlogger shares funny videos or videos about his or her day-to-day life.
Educational ones, where the author shares his or her teachings on a specific topic, such as cooking, fitness or finance.

So if you can provide knowledge or entertainment, it is possible in the medium term to earn extra money with a YouTube channel.

Who is a vlogger’s job for?

For people with a flair in front of the camera who want to supplement their salary, with the possibility of it becoming their main source of income in the long term.

What do you need to be a vlogger?

Basically, you need to have the time and have something to teach or an innate sense of humour. It is also important to have knowledge of video and image editing, to create the covers and add cuts and effects to your videos.

If you meet these requirements, all you need is a camera, a microphone and dedication to create your own channel and start posting your videos. At the beginning it will be hard to get subscribers and views, but with patience and differentiating yourself from other vloggers you can achieve good results in the medium term.

How much does a vlogger earn on Youtube?

To make a real calculation, estimate that, on average, Youtube advertising pays between 0.20 and 3 euros for every 1,000 views of a video.

Assuming that Youtube pays you 1 euro for every 1,000 views, and every week you upload a video that gets 75,000 views, your income would be approximately 300 euros per month.

Fortunately, there are also other ways to increase your income:

  • Contacting companies to advertise on your videos.
  • Selling your own merchandising customised with your channel’s logo (this is the main source of income for many popular Youtubers)
  • Accepting donations with Patreon

11. Sell online via dropshipping

Another way to become self-employed from home is to create an online shop that sells products by dropshipping.

Dropshipping involves finding a manufacturer of a certain type of products and creating an online shop where you collect orders for those products. But it is the manufacturer who does the shipping and logistics, not you.

The most popular dropshipper is Amazon, as they often keep the stock themselves and ship other companies’ products in exchange for a commission.

Who is the dropshipper job for?

For determined people who have spotted a market opportunity with a certain type of product and want to generate an extra income from it.

What do you need to become a dropshipper?

The most important thing is to find a supplier with competitive and reliable prices, as the system only consists of buying the product from them and selling it to the final public through your website or platform, adding your margin to the price.

Many people use Chinese suppliers to get better prices, but in that case the logistics management can be quite complicated. Fortunately, there are websites like Oberlo that put you in direct contact with manufacturers who work with dropshipping.

You will also need a minimum knowledge of online marketing, such as website creation and search engine optimisation.

How much does a dropshipper earn?

The profit margin is usually between 20 and 50%, and from there the income will depend on the demand for your product and its price. I know people who are generating more than 4,000 euros of monthly profit with this system, but most of them make a bonus of 300 to 1,000 euros.

The disadvantage of this system is that if the shipment does not arrive or a return has to be attended to, the customers will complain to you and you will have to resolve the incident with the manufacturer.

12. Pet sitter in your home

Obviously this job will be done for somebody near you, as it is not an online job, in contrast to the foregoing mentioned jobs.

Going on holiday when you have a pet means having to leave them in the care of family members to look after them or hiring a kennel. However, in the latter there can be bad experiences or not as personalised treatment as we want for our animals.

For this reason, there are those who offer their home as a residence with the guarantee that they will treat the pet as if it were their own.

Who is the job of pet sitter for?

For people who are good with animals and have a house big enough to accommodate several pets without conflict.

If you have extra knowledge as a dog trainer or veterinarian, all the better, but it is by no means essential.

What do you need to be a home pet sitter?

You need a home where the animals can feel comfortable. With several separate rooms in case the coexistence is not good.

In addition, it is advisable to have a park or an area for walks with dogs nearby.

Other tips:

  • Calculate how many animals you can have at home without them harming a good coexistence between them (and without the neighbours complaining).
  • Have your own animals. Or if not, it is essential that you have had them at some point in your life, so that you know how to react in certain situations (for example, giving a pill).
  • Know a vet you trust, in case there are any unforeseen events during your stay.
  • Keep in touch with the owners. They will appreciate it if you send them photos of their animals while they are away, and keep them up to date with the latest news.

How to get a job as a pet sitter?

Start by registering on platforms such as Gudog or Holidog. As you get good reviews, you will expand your portfolio of clients.

Although this job is designed to get some extra income (it is difficult to earn a salary every month), if you want to be more professional you can create a website offering your services.

How much does a pet sitter charge?

The average per pet is around 15/20 euros per day. This includes accommodation, food and walks if necessary. You will also have to give medication (provided by the owner) in certain cases.

Web portals to find work from home

There are two types of websites where you will find job offers that you can do from home:

  • Websites with full-time or part-time offers, where the profile itself specifies whether it will be remote. If you are actively looking for a job, register and set alarms that filter by keywords such as “at home” or “remotely” to alert you if a suitable offer comes up.
  • Portals that offer specific tasks to be carried out from home. You will act as a freelance, getting paid for each job you complete, although in many cases, if the client is satisfied, they will offer you longer-term projects.

Below are some of the most popular and useful websites:

Full-time/part-time job portals

Amazon Jobs. It is one of the leading multinationals and employs more than 90,000 people worldwide. They usually have several remote sales, customer service, IT or project manager positions open, among others. Here you will find their remote job offers.

Liveops. If you’re looking for remote telecommuting jobs, you can’t miss Liveops. This company employs more than 20,000 freelance agents working from home, in sectors such as tourism, telecommunications, roadside assistance, finance and insurance. They are based in the USA but you will find jobs that require Spanish.

Appen. An Australian technology services company that provides opportunities in over 100 countries, serving some of the world’s largest companies. On their website you will find jobs as a search engine evaluator, translator and telemarketer.

Lionbridge. Lionbridge is based in the USA, and offers part-time and full-time remote jobs. They are highly specialised in translation services, employing over 100,000 people, but now also work in a number of other areas.

Jooble. Jooble is a job metasearch engine, as it crawls jobs posted on corporate sites, job boards, job portals and recruiters. It has a presence in more than 64 countries and you can quickly find remote job offers using filters like this one.

Indeed. Also a meta job search engine, it is present in 50 countries and has become the reference portal in the United States. It has more than 250 million monthly users and you can access telecommuting offers from this link.

InfoJobs. This is one of the best-known job portals in Spain, and until recently had a specific section for freelancers. Now these offers are integrated into its general portal, but they are very easy to locate by filtering the search.

Portals for freelance or micro jobs

Workana is one of the leading remote work portals in the Spanish language. The client launches a project and freelancers reply directly with their offer. It is a very agile platform and there are new offers every day, but competition is high and prices, in general, can be improved.

Freelancer. The jobs offered are usually related to technology (programming, design, video editing, etc.). A large number of offers are published, both for one-off projects and for long-term collaborations, although there is also competition for access to them. The platform manages the payment and takes a commission.

Upwork is one of the most widely used in English. It works almost like a normal recruitment agency: the client offers a project and the platform proposes the most suitable professionals for it. It is characterised by filtering the freelancers it has in its portfolio for each offer. Once you pass this pre-selection, you will have a better chance of getting the job.

Fiverr. Here it is the freelancer who advertises their services and the client who contacts them. It is organised into categories: graphic design, digital marketing, writing and translation and programming, among others. The platform acts as an intermediary, withholding payment until the client gives the go-ahead. The downside is that the fees offered are usually not too high.

Guru is another of the most popular platforms in English. Opening your freelance account is free, and from there you only have to answer the offers that interest you. The payment system is quite customisable: by project, by date or by objectives.

Startups that offer work from home

With the boom in new technologies, startups have become pioneers in offering work from home jobs. This saves on rental costs and allows them to access new markets more quickly without a physical presence.

These are some of the startups that publish remote job offers:

Mr. Jeff. This is a Valencian company with a new business model in the laundry sector. It currently has more than 1,000 customers and is expanding in Latin America and Asia. In this link you will find their job offers, many of which development.

Fever. Fever is a Spanish startup that has created an application that offers personalised leisure plans according to the profile of its users. It already has more than 100 employees all over the world, and in its employment section it is possible to find offers compatible with remote work such as programmer, copywriter or community manager.

Ironhack. It is a training school for programmers in full international expansion, with offices in Spain, Germany, Portugal and Mexico. On their employment page they usually publish offers that are compatible with working from home.

Coverfly. Its business model is an application to manage and optimise all the customer’s insurance from the mobile phone. This startup has more than 50 employees and has been awarded several times, and in its employment section you can find several offers that allow remote work, most of them related to programming or business

TravelPerk. This is a start-up that aims to become a comprehensive business travel manager for companies. They are present in several European countries and usually have open recruitment processes for sales or customer service representatives.

The reality of working from home

Having explored all the possibilities, I would like to make you realise that working from home has great advantages but also hidden pitfalls, which is why I do not recommend it for everyone.

The advantages of working from home

The main one is the feeling of freedom. That doesn’t mean you’ll actually make use of it (you’ll probably end up working longer hours than you should) but the fact that you don’t feel tied down to one place is a very comforting feeling. If this is your main motivation, look for a remote job.

Other interesting advantages are:

  • Freedom of schedule. You organise your time as you see fit. You can go to the gym in the morning, pick up the kids from school or go to the supermarket when it’s half empty.
  • You are your own boss. Even when you are employed, you have a lot of leeway to define your own time, priorities and the way you do your work. Once you get used to this, going back to having a boss costs a lot.
  • Geographical mobility. Digital nomadism is a growing reality and, although it requires discipline on your part, it is possible to live with your office in your backpack.
  • You avoid commuting. You save the time and money you used to spend commuting to the office, and the stress of traffic jams or the hassle of public transport at rush hour.
  • Work-life balance. It allows you to take care of your children and sick or dependent relatives. Or simply do a lot more at home, something that can be difficult if you are away for ten hours a day.
  • Work integration. Working from home is a great option for people with mobility problems or certain illnesses that complicate face-to-face work.

The disadvantages of working from home

Working from home also has a dark side that nobody talks about and many of us suffer from.

  • Loneliness. You can’t socialise with your colleagues, the coffee break is on your own and you have no one to ask any questions to. I really miss those little human contacts.
  • Your social life suffers. This is the consequence of the previous point, and you should be careful because you can become withdrawn in your unsociability. Take care of your relationships and don’t miss the opportunity to attend real meetings.
  • It is difficult to disconnect. Having work and personal/family life in the same space makes it difficult to separate the two. It is not uncommon to find yourself working at night or on weekends.
  • You have more distractions. You get up for a moment to put on a washing machine and you get caught up in drinking a soft drink. These little distractions are a waste of time that you need to control. And if you live with other people, it can be difficult not to be disturbed while you work (especially children).
  • You need discipline. The house is full of procrastination traps. From taking a longer nap than usual to putting on Netflix when it’s not your time. You need to be very strict if you want to get your work done.
  • Lack of social appreciation. Many people will look at you funny when you tell them you work from home, and more than one will think you do it because you haven’t found a “real” job.

Tips for working from home

Working from home means spending several hours a day sitting alone in front of a computer. So if you want to do it in the healthiest way possible, both physically and mentally, there are a number of tips you can’t forget:

  • Create a separate workspace. If you don’t have a separate room, try at least to create a division with shelves, screens or whatever you can think of. But make it clear which is for work and which is for leisure.
  • Set yourself a timetable and stick to it. Avoid lazing around in bed, but also work out of hours. At least try to clear your mind at weekends; taking care of the moments of disconnection is very important.
  • Get dressed! Working in your pyjamas makes you sloppier. Get up, take a shower and put on comfortable clothes that aren’t “house clothes”. It’s easy to let yourself go, and if you’re not careful about this you may find that you haven’t showered for three days and haven’t been outside for three days.
  • Get out of the house. Try to take advantage of several moments to go out, even if it’s just to buy bread. If loneliness takes too much of a toll on you, try going to a coworking space a day or two a week, to socialise and clear your head.
  • Do some sport. A sedentary lifestyle at home is doubly so, because you don’t even walk to work. If you use the computer on top of that, back problems are the most normal thing in the world. Doing sport is a way of taking care of yourself, oxygenating your head and body and another way of disconnecting from work.

In a nutshell

In this increasingly digitalized world, there has never been a better time to work from home. Remote work is the ideal solution for people who value freedom above all else, need to stay at home for health reasons or have a loved one to care for.

If you’ve been dreaming of working from home for a long time, stop dreaming and start looking. There are more remote jobs than ever before, and there will be even more in the future. Don’t get left behind.

Also read my article about how to make money with Shopify.