What work from home jobs could I start quickly?

January 11, 2022 3:46 PM

What is the most guaranteed/surefire way to begin working from home? I have general office skills, am good with technology, etc. and I am taking an indefinite break from my normal job (substitute teaching) until omicron in NYC is over.

I need to make $1,000 a month to cover rent. I'm pretty open about what work-from-home jobs I would consider, and I have about 15 years of (mostly) non-profit work experience.

I'm hoping to begin something ASAP, as *apply for jobs for the next 2 or 3 weeks* won't help me to pay rent.

Is there anything that you can recommend that I can start quickly and pays at least $15 an hour (willing to go down to $12 an hour if I get desperate). Thanks!

posted by davidstandaford to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Perhaps working at Fancy Hands. They are a virtual assistant company and do both on demand and dedicated assistants.
posted by wowenthusiast at 4:12 PM on January 11, 2022 [3 favorites]

I have an acquaintance who teaches English online via one of the big sites, primarily tutoring kids in China. My understanding is that it had a low barrier to entry (he has no particular teaching qualifications), but I also expect it takes time to build up clientele.
posted by hoyland at 5:52 PM on January 11, 2022 [4 favorites]

Ditto the online tutor thing, esp. since you *do* have teaching experience. Would be even better if you have ESL experience, but I'm sure you can find a Coursera course to fix that in no time at all.

You will need good Internet though, cable or fiber. DSL won't do.
posted by kschang at 6:31 PM on January 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

I would absolutely also just hang out your shingle on craigslist/social media as a tutor for kids whose schools are closed. May as well, why not.
posted by potrzebie at 6:37 PM on January 11, 2022 [4 favorites]

The company that hoyland was likely referring to is VIPKids. Also consider Outschool and offer tutoring in things you are confident teaching.
posted by Brent Parker at 10:25 AM on January 12, 2022

A lot of copy editing or technical editing roles are 100% remote now, and many are staying that way. Sign up with agencies like Aquent or Robert Half. That may help you out with longer-term stuff, but may not get you anything immediate. Since you're in NYC, you can ask for metro-area rates: $20 would be the floor for stuff like this, if it's corporate (which is the clientele that Aquent and Robert Half primarily work with, though there will also be contracts available with smaller firms.) Look on Glass Door to see if a given company's salary info is posted for editors.
posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 11:17 AM on January 12, 2022 [1 favorite]

Having my own need for some flex work, I've been following your question and just looked into Fancy Hands and dug up this review, which does not make them sound all that appealing. BUT!

The site the review came from, $ideHusl, looks like it's a marvelous resource. They have dozens of detailed reviews of various wfh/gig sites as well as job search sites. I've just doubled my open browser tabs with reviews of those that seem like a fit for me, including a couple of sites they recommended as being much better than Fancy Hands on the virtual assistant front.

Considering the number of dead ends I'd hit myself looking for this kind of information, this has been a revelation. Hope you find this helpful too.
posted by ursus_comiter at 3:25 PM on January 12, 2022 [3 favorites]