Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with telecommuting

Best practices for keeping telecommuters connected?

SomePerlGeek — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:33:16 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions of good ways to keep telecommuting software developers fully involved in the team. Recommendations for technical solutions or morale-related ones are equally welcome. I'm part of a small-ish team of software developers. We have 7 onsite team members, and have recently added two telecommuters. I'm looking for creative ways to ensure that the offsite folks are as much a part of the team as the onsite ones.

Much of our team communication already takes place in a chatroom and by private IM, so in that respect, the telecommuters are on a level playing field. But, having worked offsite myself at a different job, I know that it's very easy to begin feeling disconnected from the rest of the team.

This previous AskMe had some great ideas, but since it's pretty old, I thought there might be some relevant technological advances since then.

Making a case for telecommuting.

Anonymous — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:44:21 -0800

How can I make a strong case for telecommuting? Problem: I don't have the job yet. I'm currently employed, but I'm looking for new jobs (hence anonymity). I've found a position in New York City for which I'm actually rather well-suited. Problem: I live in the Midwest and I cannot move for three years.

What I have going for me: the job is asking for a somewhat unusual combination of skills in rather particular language. I've got them. I'm well above-average at some of them, but meet all of their requirements and preferred qualifications. The work is largely programming and statistics, which I think are fairly proven areas in which telecommuting can work. I don't live in NYC, so salary goes a bit further for me, if that might be a factor (sorry to undercut you, New Yorkers). I also interviewed with a similar (very well-known; they'll know who I'm talking about) company for a similar role a couple of months ago that was a telecommuting position by default.

Are you an HR specialist/manager/employer? If so, what would make you consider a telecommuter? Are you someone who has successfully argued this case? Let me know how you pulled it off.

Thanks in advance for all your help - I'm excited about this job, anticipate failure, but want to take the best shot I can. Throwaway email: telenewyorker@gmail.com

I dont care if its minimum wage, I just want to do it where I want when I want.

baking soda — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:57:39 -0800

I want to find a type of work that I can do from my laptop while travelling, potentially indefinitely. Ideas for my new occupation? I realize that there are many jobs that I could technically ask the boss if I can telecommute but I am looking for something that was meant to be done remotely from the outset, and something that was never localized to any one company or geographical location.
I am willing to train for this but not so far as say getting all kinds of certification in different types of programming languages. I could see myself doing a medical transcription certification course for example. Something semi-skilled.
Some random ideas I have are the medical transcription idea above and other data entry monkey work, day trading, and......
There is also remote call center stuff and online tutoring but I think that may be sketchy trying to rely on voice predominantly when I am staying in random hostels.

How to be a working nomad?

bodywithoutorgans — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:20:33 -0800

I am a recent college graduate and I also suffer a good deal of wanderlust. There is the inevitable problem of combining work and play. At my university, the only career advice I received was graduate school or working the traditional 9-5 job. I'm wondering if it's possible to travel and earn money? I'm not really interested in teaching English abroad, being an au-pair, and I've read this post. I'm more interested in the nebulous world of telecommuting and freelancing. I've seen this guy's page, but it sounds a little vague. I'd like to make money in a country where cost of living is low with a unique culture (Thailand, Guatemala, Kenya) but at the same time has access to steady internet so I can work.
Some specifics:
1) How does one break into the freelancing/telecommuting world? I know some webdesign (PHP/MySQL) and programming but often geared at an academic level for university classes. I don't have the faintest clue how to make money out of this! I have some down time right now where I'm picking up skills and making a portfolio. Any advice?
2) Will the stability of the internet connection be a factor? Will I need to have access to an internet cafe every day?
3) How are taxes worked out? Are there any books/information for people who are US citizens but live/work globally?
4) How does health insurance work out?

Thanks a lot MeFi!

Connecting to the Internet from Asia, via the UK?

uk_giffo — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:17:01 -0800

I have some Internet work that depends on me accessing the Internet from the UK as it involves location-specific search engine results. That's no problem whilst I'm here in London but shortly I'll be making a trip to Asia and would like to carry on working while there. What are my options? The obvious one is to use a proxy server specified in my Firefox settings, but the problem with this is that the web interface I need to use is quite jazzy, with Javascript and Ajax and so on, and I've had trouble getting these proxies to work with anything but the most basic HTML-only sites. That was just using those free proxies though, perhaps I'd be better off with a premium one?

Another alternative is to leave a computer here in the UK and connect in remotely to it with VNC or something like that. The problem with that is that I only have one computer, my laptop, and it'll be with me in Asia. Is it possible to rent a UK-based virtual (or real) machine of some kind that will allow me to VNC in and launch a browser window from there?

Anyone have any other ideas? Am I overlooking an obvious solution?

Where can I find full-time telecommuting work?

jamietie — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:47:11 -0800

Where can I find a copy-editing telecommuting gig? I have years of experience in newspapers, both as a reporter and an editor, but I'm getting tired of the rat race. I'd love to be able to work from home, and have been looking for full-time telecommuting work. I'd like to find a real full-time job (benefits, etc.), as I'm not really ready to make the job to the dangers of freelancing (and I'd like to have a smooth transition, rather than build up freelance clients). I've looked on the usual journalism job sites, but haven't had much luck. Any suggestions for me?

Best mobile internet service for telecommuting in U.S. and Canada?

beccyjoe — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:11:30 -0800

I'm telecommuting from the U.S. and Canada and am wondering what my options are for mobile broadband/internet. I've done some research... and so far have found:
* Sprint: cheap and unlimited plans but want me to commit to two years and don't provide service while in Canada
* Telus (Canadian company): per GB plans, provide option to allow you to use within U.S. without paying high roaming fees but still more expensive than U.S. companies
* Rogers (Canadian company): provides portable internet service. Cheap but I'm pretty sure you can't use it in U.S.

Any experiences or ideas would be great! thanks!

Telecommuting made me gain 30 lbs in 6 months. HELP me stop the spread!

citystalk — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:43:19 -0800

Please help me stop the butt spread and weight gain related to my 12 hour/day telecommuting computer job before I am relegated to a muumuu. Six months ago I was a fit young woman. I worked in consulting at an office with a light commute. Healthy, refreshed after a good night's sleep, energetic, size six...

Six months ago I was offered an amazing telecommuting consulting job, where I sit at home on my couch with my laptop for 12 hours and eat takeout all day. I haven't time to cook, I don't have a proper desk or chair, and my body is falling apart.

In six months I've gained thirty pounds and I'm getting pimples. And my awesome clothes aren't fitting. And I have cellulite and rolls. And I wake up every morning, weekend or not, at six am because I telecommute on EST which messes up my clock. And I'm always tired and addicted to caffeine. I also have become sloppier.

I LOVE my job. The hours are horrible but they fly by each day when I'm in 'the zone' and the pay is incredible. In this economy I feel very blessed, but my body is rebelling and I feel gross, even though my hubby is super sweet and claims to be into the spread.

I'm not devastated at this point about my physical appearance, but it's the type of spread that won't stop spreading. And I'm only in my mid-twenties. And genetically, I'm prone to spread. And next year commences baby-making so I really, really need to get in shape, for health's sake as well as vanity. So here are my questions:

1) What kind of chair/desk setup might alleviate butt spread? I swear my perky tush has actually flattened (as well as widened) from all of the sitting. I've heard of these expensive bouncy ball chairs, and I'm willing to try them. Also anticipate back problems in near future, too, so this isn't all about vanity. :)

2) What kind of exercise can I do in ten minute increments at my house that can help me get in shape?

3) How can I reset my clock on the weekends so that I can actually get eight hours of sleep?

4) What do y'all do to unsludge if you telecommute? I really want to be fit again, there just doesn't seem to be enough time.

5) What snacks/cooking arrangements do you utilize? Maybe I should get a crockpot or something...

6) Any other advice???

THANK YOU HIVE MIND! You've come through for me and my friends many a time! :)

Remotely controlled presentation?

zaebiz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:06:47 -0800

I need to make an oral presentation with slides (preferably PowerPoint) to a small audience (about 15) in a room in a neighboring country. What is the best way to achieve this requiring minimum effort on their end? I was thinking a speaker phone and some software that allows me to remotely control Powerpoint? I have no idea if such software exists but though it was likely. I will be presenting from a fast connection at a company office that is well-equipped. They have the usual gear for people giving presentations in person (projector, fast laptop running Windows) and their connection is usually fast but not always so (its a University).

I want to be passionate about my work... while working in my pjs

brandnew — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 09:42:22 -0800

Can I make a living coding from home, and where can I find such a job? First, I'm a veteran coder. I've been working in the software industry for 10 years. I'm experienced in all aspects of the software life cycle. I'm an expert in C#, and very experienced in Java. Over the last few years I've been trading time between roles as solution architect and lead programmer. That means I do more requirements analysis and development and system design now, but I still do a lot of coding.

A couple of years ago my spouse started a business, and it has become far more successful than we had expected. However, the problem is that she had started her business in a small city, and that city doesn't have a large software development market. In fact there are only four or five companies that develop software within 50 miles. And, for various reasons, she is unable to relocate her business or us.

So, I currently work for a defense contractor, and I'm making great money for a small city (>$100K). However, I'm yearning to get back to the "real" software market - developing consumer, enterprise, or business-to-business software applications. And, I want to get back to working at a start-up-type environment, and being passionate about the products I'm developing.

So, how do I find such a job that will allow me to telecommute 75% of the time? Is there a job board that exists specifically for telecommuting jobs? Or, do I just scour the web sites of potentially interesting software company and email them my sales pitch? Plus, would I expect to take a big pay cut if I switch to telecommuting? I may not care, but just curious.

[AustinFilter] What are your favorite places to work from in Austin?

nightwood — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:51:20 -0800

I'll soon be telecommuting, but I'd rather not work from home all the time. Being in Austin, of course, we've got hundreds of places with WI-FI access. What are some of the best places to sit and work in Austin? I would need network access (free or paid) and access to an outlet for my laptop. I don't spend much time on the phone, so I don't need privacy for conference calls, etc.

Please help me not have to dust off my resume!

bristolcat — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 06:21:38 -0800

How do I convince my boss to let me telecommute? I am moving halfway across the country (USA) in a little over a month. I would be leaving behind a job that I dearly love. I already approached my boss about possibly telecommuting in every day and he was very open about it--but he wants me to prove to him that it will work.

We are a small company with a similarly small budget. I work on a small art team and we do both production work for screen printing as well as creative work for marketing.

My questions are:

-What technical solutions can I bring to the table? I need to be able to access their network as if I was sitting there, and PC Anywhere is too slow. My fiance suggested a dedicated VPN line, but did not elaborate. I'm also looking into a Skype phone and a fax-to-email program. Any suggestions?

-What workflow solutions can I bring up? We have paper orders that float through the plant as part of the workflow. How can I make it easy to integrate myself into that process?

-What is reasonable to expect from an employer? I want to minimize the cost as much as possible for them, as I feel that otherwise, I won't be considered. Should I be able to take the computer I use now with me or be forced to buy my own? Can I expect my salary to stay the same? Benefits?

-What benefits of telecommuting (from a remote office, not home) can I put in my proposal? These would be benefits for the company, not me.

-What potential problems will there be?

I know that a lot of these questions are going to vary from company to company but if you have any insights, I would be most glad to hear them. I tried to Google, but it seems like most of the resources out there are from 2004 or earlier and I'd like something a little more up-to-date.

Thanks much!!!

Earn money from home!

Squid Voltaire — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 13:43:33 -0800

Jobs my friend could do with a laptop and an internet connection? (i.e., data-entry from home?) I have a wonderful friend who has spent the last year in constant pain, due to a mysterious back injury. She is finally getting back on her feet (quite literally), which is wonderful. However, she's still far from "fully functional".

She's an activist, and a good one. When she is healthy again, she plans to return to her previous occupation--helping poor folks in Palestine. For the moment, however, she's still too sick to leave the house for more than an hour or two (and sometimes needs to rest all day). This makes it rather difficult to find a job, as you might imagine. She has no professional internet-type skills (e.g., she's not a programmer or graphic designer, &c.).

The one bit of good news is that she isn't too concerned about salary--after spending years on an activist's stipend, she's quite used to living in poverty. She does need rent money, money for medication, &c., however. And yes, she's applied for disability, but has no idea about how long that will take / whether she'll qualify.

This post is prompted by the revelation that another friend happens to have a job just like she's looking for--apparently he gets a list of data in an email, and he manually enters it into a database every day, from his laptop. I'd never heard of anything like that before, and it sounds way too good to be true, but he's been doing it for a while now. Maybe there are other jobs like it? Maybe you know about them, or could point me in a useful direction.

Telecommuter travel.

mammary16 — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 11:24:20 -0800

Travelling and telecommuting. Where would you go? I currently have a full-time telecommuting job that pays more than I'm used to making. My hours will decrease in March, probably necessitating me taking another job.

It just dawned on me that at this moment in my life I have an amount of flexibility I doubt I'll have later (I won't be telecommuting my whole life) - and that I need to capitalize on it. I live in Minneapolis at the moment, and would like to go someplace warm for a couple weeks - within the next month.

Caveats: 1. I will need a private workplace with wireless (I can't work in cafes) because I will need to be available over the phone for much of my time. 2. The place I stay must be in the United States.

I've thought about going to the american Southwest - my work day ends at about 2:00 in that time zone, so I would possibly have time to do a little hiking. I'd like to be by mountains and desert.

I've considered an extended stay hotel, but I wonder if there is something cheaper I can do.

I'd like access to night life, but also easy accessibility to mountains and other natural wonders...

What would / do you do? Where should I go?

I submit to the will of the hivemind.

Getting hired as telecommuter software engineer?

SomePerlGeek — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 10:56:29 -0800

I am an experienced software engineer and was laid off recently. I'm currently applying for positions. My ideal would be a telecommuting gig, which is the type of position I had most recently. A certain job mailing list I subscribe to has a lot of promising positions, but many of them are marked "onsite". Here's my question: shall I apply for some of these "onsite" positions in the hope that my qualifications will impress the hiring person enough to consider hiring me as a telecommuter? Or would this just be a waste of time for everyone concerned? Obviously, I would carefully consider whether the job as described actually seemed to require someone's physical presence, and not apply if that were the case.

But my impression is that a lot of people/companies have perhaps not really considered the option of hiring someone who would work offsite, and might be open to it if there were a well-qualified candidate with a proven track record as a telecommuter (e.g. me).

How do I explain my international telecommuting arrangement to border authorities?

beerbajay — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:51:35 -0800

How do I explain my international telecommuting arrangement to border authorities? I am an American living abroad under a tourist visa. I've been abroad for the last 9 months. I am telecommuting "to" my programming job for a US university. I'm travelling from the UK to Sweden next week, my stay in Sweden will probably be the full 3 months allowed by a Schengen visa.

The last time I crossed borders I was asked "How long have you taken off from your job?" My response was an awkward attempt to correctly describe the situation to someone nontechnical. I was trying to allay thier fears that I was seeking a job in the country. They seemed somewhat skeptical, but let me through anyway. I want to avoid this situation in the future. I realize now that they might have concerns with my actual arrangement since I would be "working in the country" but not paying taxes, etc, even though it's not for any business or organization in that country.

Is there any way I can honestly answer such a question without raising suspicion from border authorities? Should I just say I'm on indefinite leave so I can travel? Any other ideas?

Where are the telecommuting gigs at?

kookywon — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:39:16 -0800

Where can I find a software engineering telecommuting contracts? I've had a dream for a long time about being able to work from any location and hopefully travel while working. I'm now in the position where I can support myself for short periods of time between contracts. The main problem I'm having is locating telecommuting contracts. I've been approached maybe 2 times in the past 6 years with telecommuting positions. Are there any online resources or maybe good consulting companies that cater to these types of jobs? I already have experience with 1099, making sure I'm insured, etc... so this isn't directed at setting up my own company, just where to find the telecommuting gigs.

I would prefer longer contracts (6 months+), is it easier to find shorter ones?

Working from home

pieoverdone — Thu, 08 Jun 2006 08:36:57 -0800

Help me make a case for telecommuting. I live in one state and work in another. My commute is approximately 52 miles round trip. I drive a subcompact so it takes 2 gallons of gas costing me around 5.00 - 6.00 just to get to work and back. Within the last week a massive amount of road construction began on the main bridge which has extended my commute time considerably and the construction is predicted to last at least until labor day. I've been trying re route myself to other bridges, but none are any quicker. The entirety of my job can be done at home. I've brought this up before and the only answers I've been given have been 'We can't do that', 'We don't like that', or 'Move over here'. I have been completely unable to get a real explanation as to why it's not allowed. Well, it is allowed but we can only telecommute if we use a vacation day to do it. (no, really) My commute is becoming a colossal waste of time and money. I'm losing an hour and 20 minutes out of my day and 30 dollars a week over this.

Any advice for a person new to working from home?

jacquilynne — Fri, 12 May 2006 07:57:11 -0800

Anyone have any tips on making telecommuting work? On Monday, I start a job where I'll be working from home in Toronto. My boss will be in New York, while the company we both work for is in San Francisco.

Anyone have any specific hints, or tips or advice for making telecommuting work successfully, whether from a productivity standpoint, a separating work from home standpoint, or a maintaining a life when you have no actual need to ever step outside into the bright scary sunlight standpoint?

I work from home fairly regularly (one or two days a week) for my current employer, so I'm familiar with some stuff. But there's a huge difference between one or two days a week at home, and being several thousand miles from the office, and working from home every day.

US tax question - telecommuiting

445supermag — Sun, 16 Jan 2005 18:44:50 -0800

Taxfilter: telecommuting across state lines. [mi] We moved from Montana to California last March, my wife continued to work a couple hours a day for her Montana employer (she's a grant writer). Since we lived in both states last year I know we will have to file in both states, but where does my wife have to pay on wages earned from Montana, but living in CA? I though that the bookkeeper at her employer had looked into it, but just learned that they have just been taking out MT taxes with no change. We've always done our own taxes, do we need professional help?

How should I set up my office environment?

oissubke — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 22:34:14 -0800

This idea about not-quite-working-from-home is great. The problem is that I don't live in cali, and I'm looking for the practical aspects rather than the lifestyle. I've seen other setups where small firms share an office space, a receptionist, etc. -- how can I get in on something like that?