Comments on: Homebound mom needs work.

Question: Homebound mom needs work.

TheManticore — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:11:49 -0800

A few months back NPR had a story about the budget airline Jet Blue using booking agents who work from home. Does anyone know of other companies with employees doing computer work from home? I have a friend in New Jersey who's a single mom with no transportation who's also limited in her job options because of the high cost of child care and limited marketable skills. I'd like to know what home bound job opportunities exist for someone in this predicament. Any other suggestions for job options would be appreciated.

By: drstein

drstein — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:18:16 -0800

This has been asked here a few times. Did you search through the archives? ;-)

Alpine Access is one of the companies that was mentioned.

By: Otis

Otis — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:43:43 -0800

I asked a very similar question a while back. Might be some useful info in there for you.

By: Otis

Otis — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 10:58:13 -0800

And just to follow-up to that thread. We looked at the eBay Trading Assistant Program as a way to make some extra money, but instead I ended up taking a part-time job doing on-line tutoring.

By: lunalaguna

lunalaguna — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:35:56 -0800

My former employer hired a stay-at-home mom to find and organize its client's press clippings. This requires her to get up very early in the morning, read the local dailies and occasionally some trade mags, cuts the articles out, and then scan and pdf them.

By: TeamBilly

TeamBilly — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:05:54 -0800

Look for call center work - there's tons of it. Most of the larger (and smarter) telecoms manufacturers have developed IP-based call center applications specifically to reduce the number of bodies in a call center - which are the greatest source of overhead. Many of my clients and clients of co-workers are moving to this strategy because it's easier to pay at-home calltakers a little less, and the ancillary savings (insurance, lower turnover) make this a near no-brainer for call centers worldwide.

By: bkdelong

bkdelong — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 13:12:14 -0800

Do a Google search for "homesourcing". That's the buzzword for this practice.

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 14:46:38 -0800

moneyjane over at monkeyfilter reported that she made fiarly good bank as a phone sex operator. Also on AskMe.

By: FYKshun

FYKshun — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 15:51:15 -0800

Medical transcription, but it usually requires certification for familiarity with medical terms.

By: IronLizard

IronLizard — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 20:28:39 -0800

http://www.workathomeagent.com/

By: zachlipton

zachlipton — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 21:56:11 -0800

Your friend might want to look into LiveOps (http://www.liveops.com/become_agent.html"). They provide teleservices for many companies under exactly this model. Anyone with a telephone and an internet-connected computer can work as an "agent" and handle calls. While I have not worked with them, I can say that they are a real company and are in fact "the nation's largest call center outsourcer." It's worth a look and an application, and you can always move on to better offers if you find them later.

By: DeeJayK

DeeJayK — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 13:35:42 -0800

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal regarding this topic: (http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/wsj/access/976068351.html?dids=976068351:976068351&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+26%2C+2006&author=Sue+Shellenbarger&type=8_90&desc=Home+%26+Family%3A+Work+%26+Family+Mailbox)

By: TheManticore

TheManticore — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 08:42:05 -0800

Thanks for the useful answers. DeeJayK, would you have a free copy of the Wall Street Journal article?

By: Otis

Otis — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:42:15 -0800

Here are a couple of similar stories from the same WSJ reporter that don't require a subscription:

Call Centers Tap People For Work at Home

How to Find Work As A Call-Center Agent