Please help me find a low stress, low pay job

February 20, 2023 3:50 AM

A steady income - no matter how small it is - would improve my mental health, but most of the options I can think of (retail, customer service, warehouse work) are well known for being unpleasant. I don't have qualifications past A-Levels (UK). Help!

I currently don't work while going to therapy weekly. My boyfriend pays for our living costs and entertainment, but as much as I appreciate that, I am someone who values independence. Contributing to rent and food would improve our collective quality of life and allow me to buy clothes, hobby supplies and other luxuries.

I want to avoid retail and customer service. Due to my emotional problems, it takes a lot of effort for me to socialise well, and if a customer became angry with me it would undo the confidence I've painstakingly built.

My previous job was working remotely with a small team to build websites. I was eventually told I wasn't productive enough... The majority of it was clicking buttons and recording the numbers in a spreadsheet, which I had trouble focusing on. My favourite parts of the job was when I was occasionally asked to do preliminary research for other people's projects; I'm a fast reader and I'm good at synthesising information, so I can write instructions, explainers etc. very well. A job which takes advantage of that would be great. (I left university because of how bad my mental health was; learning the content itself wasn't a problem).

I'm looking for suggestions of sectors I can work in, or specific job titles that would suit me. I know I am a difficult person to employ but I appreciate everyone's ideas. Thank you.

posted by wandering zinnia to Work & Money (24 answers total)

If you have any jobs near you for grading tests, maybe that would work for you. Some of my friends have worked for a place that grades standardized tests and they were assigned based on their interests and experience (ex grading 2nd grade English answers).

This other job is customer service and I can't honestly say a customer would never get upset with you, but you tend to get the same customers over and over again which helps reduce that as you work there longer: bank teller. If you have any cashier experience, that would help get this job. It also opens up the door to many other jobs, both at the bank and elsewhere. Also, it's kind of nice having "witnesses" (the other tellers) when someone IS rude. It makes it feel less like the status quo somehow.
posted by Eyelash at 5:06 AM on February 20, 2023

If your typing skills are up to it, what about University Transcription?
posted by essexjan at 5:10 AM on February 20, 2023

Transcriptionist (medical or otherwise)? The pros buy an actual device so they can speed/slow/pause the audio while they're typing, but I don't think that's a must, especially at the beginning while you're just figuring out if it's a good fit.
Library work? Locating books, reshelving boks, checking out books...
posted by wisekaren at 5:12 AM on February 20, 2023

Anything involving stocking and inventory would work well in terms of low customer interaction.
posted by Ausamor at 5:30 AM on February 20, 2023

Even library pages have to put up with (as PG Wodehouse puts it) the Great Unwashed. I wouldn't recommend most library jobs for OP.
posted by humbug at 5:30 AM on February 20, 2023

Since your work involved using websites, what about becoming a paid website usability subject? https://www.usertesting.com/get-paid-to-test

You work from home and record yourself speaking aloud your impressions of the customer's website. You're asked to complete tasks ("put 2 shirts in the commerce shopping cart") and point out aspects that are confusing ("I don't understand how to view the shopping cart"). It's not interactive -- you record your voice and the client watches it later.

I think you get $10 per usability session, which lasts around 15 minutes.
posted by sandwich at 5:48 AM on February 20, 2023

If you don't mind physical work outside of your home... house cleaning?
posted by gold bridges at 6:54 AM on February 20, 2023

My favourite parts of the job was when I was occasionally asked to do preliminary research for other people's projects; I'm a fast reader and I'm good at synthesising information, so I can write instructions, explainers etc. very well.

Lots of companies that make hardware and software don't have good documentation for their products. What often happens is that their documentation is written by their engineers, and is out of date, incomplete, or doesn't actually meet the needs of their users.

The skills you mention might make you the right sort of person to help with this: can you read bad documentation, gather additional information, and write better documentation? This isn't a need that gets acknowledged and advertised for often enough, but it's also the sort of thing where if you approach a company and say you'd be interested in working for them on this, the response might well be "oh yes, we actually desperately need that".
posted by automatronic at 6:59 AM on February 20, 2023

A few ideas:
* Data entry,
* Deliveries, whether as an employee or a gig worker,
* Landscaping employee.

Also, try "research" at in the "What" field at indeed.com. You might find some suitable jobs. There is quite a variety.
posted by NotLost at 7:09 AM on February 20, 2023

Not all customer service/retail/warehouse work sucks. The key thing is finding a company that treats its employees well. Easier said than done, but I've often mentioned that I have the career I do now because I took a $10 US/hour call center job after moving back in with my mom when I was 30 years old. That sounds like a recipe for misery, except the company was a really nice place to work. They had great benefits, they provided plenty of training, their managers weren't overly focused on metrics, they were proactive about escalations so that front-line workers could transfer calls to managers before they turned into yelling matches, they promoted from within (to the point where I know mid-level executives who started in the call center), and the office environment was pleasant, with lots of plants and natural light. I still didn't love talking on the phone for eight hours a day, but I also didn't hate it like I did at other jobs, even better-paying ones. And it didn't really matter, because I only spent a few months there. It prepared me for the next step in my career, which is what an entry-level job is supposed to do.

I want to be clear, this advice has been misinterpreted here before, that I'm not saying to take any old customer service job and look on the bright side. I've worked in some really shitty call centers, too, and I wouldn't recommend it even to someone with perfect mental health. What I'm saying is to do research and find specific companies where you don't have to talk yourself into liking them. Read reviews on Glassdoor and Linkedin, ask for recommendations on local FB groups, etc., and then when you interview, really hammer the interviewer about the things that matter to you. Most people are afraid to ask interviewers tough questions because they think it'll disqualify them from further consideration, but here's the thing: if that's the kind of thing that disqualifies you, you *want* to be disqualified. Your goal should be to find a company that views you as a person, not as a resource. Good HR people and managers know that work-life balance is important, that people have other priorities, and that mental states can be fragile, and they aren't afraid of candidates who ask about these things. You're interviewing the company as much as they're interviewing you. This can be a problem when you're desperate for a job to pay rent, but it sounds like you're not so desperate and you can afford to be picky, so use that to your advantage.
posted by kevinbelt at 7:11 AM on February 20, 2023

Mostly, I think it's easier to find low stress work at a slightly higher paypoint than minimum wage.

Your skills would be a good fit for lots of junior government policy development jobs. Have a look at the Civil Service jobs website, which also allows you to filter for part-time possibilities.
posted by plonkee at 7:14 AM on February 20, 2023

If you don't mind physical work outside of your home... house cleaning?

This is really not a good suggestion for someone who wants to avoid face to face with customers who have unreasonable expectations. REALLY not.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 7:57 AM on February 20, 2023

Working in an animal rescue centre? Working in a riding stables?
I think exam-marking is a great idea.
Data input in the charity sector.
posted by Balthamos at 8:00 AM on February 20, 2023

Also, don't let your lack of a degree put you off applying for professional jobs. Particularly if you are already over 25. It matters less than people think and I know (and have employed) plenty of people without degrees in jobs that are mostly done by those with degrees.
posted by plonkee at 9:03 AM on February 20, 2023

A friend was looking for a part-time job with similar requirements and found a good fit making website updates for a city department. They work with a small, low-stress team they get along with and all the work that comes in is from internal sources. As long as they get the requested work done, there aren't any additional expectations to make additional work, etc. I think this type of job could vary widely depending on the organization/company you are working for.

Their job title is web assistant (we're in the US). I'm not sure what the educational requirements are and my friend did have some related experience, but training and documentation was provided.
posted by verity kindle at 9:08 AM on February 20, 2023

I cannot speak to the pay grade for this particular idea or your own physical capability for it, but....when my parents first retired, they both got part-time jobs with the florist where they lived. My father was their delivery person, and he later said it was one of the best jobs he'd ever had "because everyone is happy to see you when you show up". He didn't take orders or help put the arrangements together, he was simply the guy who brought the box of roses to some guy's girlfriend or the tulips to grandma or whatever. So he spent all day driving around to people's houses, knocking on their door, and then handing them something pretty. Once in a blue moon he would have to deliver flowers to a wedding or something, but he never did that alone, he just tagged along with one of his bosses because they were in charge and he was just the "bring those arrangements into that room over there" grunt work guy.

So - maybe a florist's delivery person?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:37 AM on February 20, 2023

It doesn't come up very often, but remote invigilating might suit you well. It involves invigilating exam takers while watching them on a camera.

Regular invigilation often involves a minimal amount of talking and lots of sitting. Aim more for university or specialised tests like OET - lots should be coming up over late spring and summer.

You may also want to talk to a local temporary agency. I've had plenty of chill data entry jobs.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 9:45 AM on February 20, 2023

Also, is there an organization in your area that works on vocational rehabilitation? In the USA, organizations such as Goodwill and the state could help you find something suitable.
posted by NotLost at 10:35 AM on February 20, 2023

Where I live, there are cleaning companies that contract with realtors and property managers to clean empty houses and apartments so they can go up for sale/rent. Also, many years ago, I worked for a temp agency. I requested not to have any customer-facing assignments. I had gigs stuffing envelopes, doing simple medical coding, and helping a large-ish company completely revamp their filing system and shredding old documents. The hours were a little erratic, but it was easy enough to take a break between assignments.
posted by SamanthaK at 10:36 AM on February 20, 2023

I've done a lot of work with customers, and, unfortunately, people who are depressed are more likely to be bullied by customers, co-workers, and managers, in high-stress environments. So not high-volume customer retail service, but low-volume, like medical, dental, vet office, or other office work.

Amazon-type warehouses and many(most) call centers are sweatshops where you're expected to perform faster and better than average, so average is a moving target. Smaller businesses have warehouses and they will really vary; some will be great groups of people and reasonable work environments.

You sound like you'd benefit from some contact with people. I'd contact temp agencies and look for temp-to-hire jobs. There are still businesses that need someone to be present and do some office work part-time. Focus on reliability and dependability. Temp work is also a way to build work experience, and meet employers. During a rough economy, a place where I'd temped hired me months later for a full-time position with good pay, benefits and a really nice group of people. Look for regular hours; changing schedules are difficult.

I agree that if you can get funded for vocational rehab, you could get good new skills, like bookkeeping with software like quickbooks, etc. Look to see if there are companies in your area that do technical work for which you could train. This is a broad category that could include manufacturing, warehouse, name it.

Apply for a bunch of jobs, and unless it will screw up benefits, don't accept jobs in crappy environments.
posted by theora55 at 11:00 AM on February 20, 2023

You don't mention admin jobs - I wonder about part-time admin posts at your local council. Usually relatively good leave allowance, flexible working, opportunities for training, sickness absence policies. Not well-paid, and the possibility of stress depending on the reasonableness of the people for whom you are working. Some local authorities still have their own temp banks, which might be a good place to start. Feel free to MeMail me if you'd like to talk this through more.

Voluntary data entry, suggested upthread, might also be a good place to start, but I'm not sure if your difficulty focussing on the website work means that you find repetitive tasks challenging.

Hope you can find something satisfying and not stressful.
posted by paduasoy at 1:27 PM on February 20, 2023

I worked in a credit union, and tellers had notoriously high turnover. Most people are fine, but the people who are upset with their financial institution are BIG MAD and want it fixed NOW.

I actually worked at a credit union that sold services (think wire transfers, etc.) to other credit unions, so my customers were all people who were at work and met a basic standard of employability and were always polite, even when frustrated. If you can find customer service work like that (software helpdesk for a company, maybe?), it might suit you.
posted by momus_window at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2023

If you aren't stressed about low pay, you could try support work with people with a disability or people in aged care. Many people find this work incredibly rewarding. Hours can be somewhat flexible or part-time if you prefer. This work can involve a range of tasks and interactions, and while they are social, they are not always socially demanding in the way customer service can be. It could be accompanying someone to the shops to do their weekly shopping, visiting the library or a community centre, helping someone learn how to take the bus by themselves or learn how to do their own laundry, doing crafts or outdoor activities, cooking for and feeding someone. Lots of service providers will try to match you up with someone who shares some interests.
posted by amusebuche at 7:31 PM on February 20, 2023

Do you like dogs? Doggy daycares seem to always be hiring where I live but they pay minimum wage.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:16 PM on February 20, 2023