We live in tough times. Those who are not unemployed are under-employed.
Many people agonize between taking a second job and family time.
My goal is to share with you some legitimate work from home jobs that will allow you to earn extra income for your family part time from the comfort of your own home on your schedule.
Many of these examples I have personally used to add extra income to my household when needed. I am not going to focus on starting an online business or starting a blog in this post (although, for the diligent there is money to be made in blogging (FREE Book here), Adsense, creating your own products, selling on Ebay, and affiliate sales.)
Instead, I want to introduce to you a few reputable work-from-home companies that will pay you for your work. All of these will send 1099’s for tax purposes.
5 legit opportunities to work from home
1Swagbucks
I was hesitant to put this one one here since it isn’t a job per se, but it is a legit way to make a few bucks. Basically this is a free site that offers you a bunch of ways to earn cash, gift cards, or other rewards.
You can earn by answering polls, taking surveys, doing simple tasks (like giving feedback about a website), trading in old video games or books, and even playing games on their site.
I have used them for months and have received multiple payments from them, so I can attest that it is legit. While you won’t get rich doing this, to me it seems like a great way for stay at home moms (or teens) to make some money. Probably won’t earn as much as some of the others listed here, but it will also be much easier. Find out more check out our Swagbucks review or their website here.
2Demand Studios
They have many different employment opportunities that range from Writers, Editors, Title Editors, Filmmakers, and more. They are usually hiring for certain positions at certain times so you have to keep your eyes peeled. I have made several thousand dollars in article writing and title editing. I even got my wife into doing title editing and earning extra spending money. As a writer you can make between $7.50-$20.00 per 150-500 word article. I usually write about two articles an hour (that’s $30.00 an hour at $15.00 an article). You do not have to be a prolific writer or have a background in writing to get accepted. Most articles are in a “How to” format. So, if you are the type that enjoys learning something new and then explaining it to someone else then this could be a fun work for you. Most of their content goes on eHow.com or LiveStrong.com.
Let’s say you have a trip you want to take in a month. Just decide how many articles you would have to write a day to reach your goal. They pay by Paypal every Wednesday and Friday. There is no payment threshold that you have to meet either. If you have money in your account, you will get paid. They currently have thousands of titles to choose from in the system and you can reserve up to ten at a time.
3Leapforce
They are a vendor for Google. Once you are accepted in the program you log-in to the Google interface and rate websites. Google wants their searches to be relevant. They use human raters to rate whether the content is worthy or spam. At the time of this writing, they pay $11.50 an hour.
4Textbroker
This is a great place to earn extra income if you want to write on simple projects. They pay is much less, but the projects are easy to write on. I once wrote several 150 word articles for someone that was creating an Extreme Sports website. The work was fun. I simply wrote a short bio about different professional athletes.
5Liveops
If you want more human interaction, then you might want to consider LiveOps. LiveOps is an at home call service that you dial into while in the comfort of your own home. You will have to make a weekly schedule, but you will never have to commute anywhere. All calls are inbound from people responding to infomercials and you basically take their ordering information while being logged into the LiveOps system. They pay is around $9.50 but you do earn commission for different products sold.
Wrapping it up
Hopefully, this list will get you started thinking about ways to supplement your income. This resource is also good for Stay-at-home moms that are looking for ways to earn so money without being on a tight schedule. There are many more work-from-home companies out there, but these are all ones I have had personal interaction with and can recommend that they are legitimate. And if you need more ideas, here are 20 more work-from-home companies for you to look into.
never heard of leapforce but it could be interesting. some people build websites from home and try to monetize them, may be a decent alternative.
What a wonderfully helpful post. It is so hard to find LEGITIMATE ways to earn a few extra dollars online without doing so 5 cents at a time.
I love the Demand Studios idea, since I enjoy posting articles anyway, but all of these are helpful.
Thanks!
Good article! I looked at the Demand Studios website and would definitely appreciate some tips for the application.
Great info Jonathan!
I am only familiar with textbroker but never tried them. Having such piece of information is particularly helpful to lead people in the right direction to avoid internet scams.
This is good direction. My wife lost her job just before the holidays and is investigating various situations. The work at home “jobs” are mostly scams designed to get you to send them money. Even many of the regular jobs advertised fall into this category. They seem like legitimate wage jobs, but dig a little farther and it’s a work at home scam.
There must be big money in that right now with so many people out of work and desperate for anything.
Wow, great to see some legit websites out there. I’ll have to pass these on to friends & family that are looking for some side money.
I wouldn’t mind making $30/hr to write a few articles ;o)
Thank you for this post! I live in a small town and it’s not easy to come up with second jobs (or primary jobs for that matter) around here. I’ve been looking for a way to make some extra money. I’ll be sure to check these out.
Thank you SO much for this article! I have been applying everywhere I can think of for minimum wage jobs and having no luck. As someone newly on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover I really wanted to find a second job and these ideas are great! I’m a writer so it promises to be easy work for me. Thanks for the tips and for doing the research to weed out the good from the bad. I’m very excited 🙂
@Julie – You are more then welcome. I have a whole list of freelance sites that either pay up front or pay by revenue. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks!
I too am interested with the additional websites.
I’m interested too please. I went 2 years with no work, then got a job for 3 months then lost it 2 weeks ago. Now I want to work from home and save up money and move to the Philippines with my wife and start doing it from there 🙂
I would be interested in additional websites and information you have on work from home jobs. I am looking to supplement my current income to give myself some breathing room and to get things back in the black. Your information would be very appreciated. I stumbled across this on pinterest of all places. My own internet research was turning up nothing useful or beneficial.
Jonathan – I am VERY interested! I did go to the link you provided in an early comment, and I will investigate those. I assume those are the sites you’re refering to, but if there are others, please share!
Question: Demand Studion, in reference to Editor positions, states they require “five years of demonstrated editing or copyediting experience with a newspaper, magazine or book publisher”. How do you become a title editor, as I didn’t see anything like that?
Thank you so much for this post. This is just what I have been looking for, work from home opportunities from a trusted source. I recently signed up for FlexJobs to find a job I could do from home, but so far I have found the requirements in terms of experience or specific skills to be outside of my background.
I gained even more information by reading the comments of others. Thanks again.
@[email protected] – I got your email, but I got an error message both times i tried to reply. Let me know if you didn’t get them from me.
I didn’t get either…perhaps I inadvertently put .com as opposed to .net?
Jonathan, I would like to start doing some tech writing. Most of my work history was in engineering, until I got laid off about 6 years ago. For the last 4 years I have been working at an elementary school as the tech support person. I taught some undergraduate business courses for a couple of years and my wife and I are currently teaching an ESL class for adults. I enjoy writing and have always have had positive feedback on my writing skills in college, But how do I transform all of this background into a resume for an online tech writing position? I can write some articles to put in a portfolio, but beyond that I have nothing to show. What is the acceptable format for a resume to apply for positons at these websites you recommend? Is it vastly different than the tradtional work history, education, skills resume?
Mr. Milligan, I am a 21 year old home schooled young man. Who would like some tips for the Demand Studios application process if available.
Thank you in advance!
Sincerely,
Micah Tribelhorn
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for sharing the list. My girlfriend has earned a very nice salary working with Demand Studios over the past year. Great company.
I’m frustrated … the sites offering work, it seems, are only willing to pay about $2.50 for 300 words. I am unable to research and then write 3+ 300-word articles per hour for barely minimum wage.
I had hoped Demand Studios would be better, but I just got an email thanking me for my submission but “At this time, we do not have any assignments for you that fit our needs.” Not sure if they are rejecting my writing or my experience, but there’s no promise to keep me in que or suggesting when, if at all, I might re-apply.
Jonathan – thanks for the encouragement. I DID visit the web address you referenced but the forum notes were so cryptic as to be unable to decipher what sites they were referencing. There is a rule about writing any sites out in full (??) and I couldn’t figure out how to get in “the know” about the short-forms (KBG is one that comes to mind). I did post asking the reason for this policy and for a little help in translation but received no replies.
@julie – I hear you. Those are mostly phone jobs anyways. The reason they do it is because people talk about everything (good, bad, ugly) and they don’t want to lose their job if the name of the company is showing up in the search engines is my guess. Keep scrolling down and there is a writing gigs or writing jobs thread somewhere. Also, go to Indeed.com and type in Freelance Writer there are many companies looking to hire people who like to write.
Jonathan & Julie – I put an application in to Demand Studios as well and have not heard yet, but a friend of mine did also, and got the same message Julie did, “At this time, we do not have any assignments for you that fit our needs”. I’m no expert, but that friend has a solid writing history, so it may not be a matter of Julie’s qualifications.
Is it possible that given the state of the job market they’re swamped with applicants?
I really appreciate the time and research that went into this article. It seems there is so much garbae to sift through that this article will be really helpful to the people who desere to go right to the source.
Hi, what is the application process for demand studios?
Now this is a unique list! I have seen so many articles of this time and they usually list every possible moneymaker out there, and most of them are crap.
These are all clearly legitimate, with a clear pay schedule.
My only concern is that they are all “time for money” type positions, and there is a lot of time involved in some of them for only a bit of money.
I also find that the websites are not giving enough information about what is required or expected before asking to to sign up.
Thank you very much for this article. I have a family member struggling right now, and I can’t wait to share this information with them.
What a nice post!
thank you very much. Let me tell you that I am new in this blog
and I just subscribed for newsletters.
this is wonderful!!!! keep the good job!!!!!!
This is great, thanks! How do I contact you on tips for the application process for the article writing?? Or is this comment me contacting you? 🙂
@Lauren – The best tip I can give is when you write a sample article make it between 400-500 words long and write it in a “How to” format. You should have an introduction that is about 50-75 words and then 4-5 steps with a paragraph each. Be as specific as possible when explaining your topic. You can write on even the simplest of ideas.
hi- found your site while surfing the net and just marked it as a favorite. I would very much appreciate for you to please send me some info on the Demand Studio application you mentioned on the site.
your site is very friendly and informative- A real common sense approach. I really apprecatiate the fact that you give the information and then add your personal take.
Tanya Ansley
I’m curious how many people who read this have any luck getting hired on with Demand Studios? I possess above-average writing skills and submitted an entry that was outright rejected without explanation or recourse. An applicant, I was advised, may not re-apply if rejected. As no explanation was provided I cannot know why I was summarily dismissed.
Great Article!
I am very interested in several of the work from home jobs. I would like to find out more for an immediate opportunity. My contact number is 909-767-0902
I recently applied to Demand Studios and was rejected saying that they were unable to offer me a writing assignment at this time as they’ve had an increase of freelancing positions and are having to turn away even highly qualified writers. It seems that others are getting or had the same thing happen. In Demand Studio’s FAQ’s page, it says that a person can apply for different positions at different times, but they don’t want you to apply more than once. I was in a forum where someone said they had applied 5 times before they were accepted as a freelance writer for Demand Studios. Maybe a person can reapply at a later date. With that in mind, it still seems hopeful.
I like how dammand studios sound, how do I get started?
Hi Brandie,
It is pretty much like any job. You will have to submit a resume along with a sample article. Just be sure the article is about 500 words long.
Wow I actually never heard of these before, thanks for the great info!
I actually just got hired by Demand Studios a couple weeks ago, before I even found this post. I spend a lot more than 30 minutes on an article though. The actual writing portion doesn’t take more than 30 minutes, but researching the information takes at least an hour for me. They require you to have references for each article, and there is a long list of blacklisted sites that you cannnot use as references. I sometimes have a hard time finding suitable references, although I think part of it is that I may be trying too hard and passing over sites they would be OK with.
There is a huge list of topics available to write, usually well over 100,000. But my experience is limited and I can spend an hour or more just sifting through the lists trying to find a topic I can actually write on. It’s not a fast money maker for me at all, but it is enjoyable and I hope to get faster as I learn. I’m trying to find other sites to supplement this income, so I’m very relieved to find this list of reliably legitimate jobs!
Jonathan, can you tell me more about the Leapforce jobs? If you pass the qualification exams (which they say are difficult), how do you claim jobs? Do you have to bid on them like with Live Work? I’ve been poring over their website and FAQ pages but they are somewhat vague about some things. What exactly do we need to know for the qualification exams, and what would the actual work entail? I really liked how Live Work went into detail to let you see exactly what it would be like and I was hoping Leapforce had something similar.
Sorry for such a long comment! 🙂
Surfie,
There are other companies besides Leapforce that all basically do the same thing. Besides Leapforce, google Lionbridge, Butler Hill Group, and Workforce Logic. All four of these companies are hiring in the United States right now. In fact, I’ve applied to all four companies within the last two weeks and am getting ready to test for Leapforce next week. All you need to do to apply to these positions is make sure you have a resume ready to go. All I did with mine was to change the title of the position I was seeking on the resume and convert it to a PDF to upload to their Websites. If you apply to all four, then whoever hires you first gets you. You can only work for ONE of these companies at a time. From what I understand, depending on how busy they are, it could take a week to get back to you… or several months. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to apply to all of them. Should you get hired by anyone, you can also put your applications on hold with the other companies so that when your contract is up with whoever hires you, you can reapply to the other three companies to keep your revenue stream going. All pay pretty decently for the work that you do. I signed an NDA with Leapforce, so I can’t say how much you get paid, but google it and you will find out. I will say that Lionbridge and Butler Hill Group (and I do believe Workforce Logic as well) pays more, but you don’t get to work as many hours (I believe it’s something like up to 20/hours/week for those companies and up to 30/hours/week with Leapforce). However, if you apply to Lionbridge, be advised that they don’t hire in every state. I think it’s something like they only hire in about less than half of the states, although I don’t remember which ones. Since that application takes by far the longest (as in, you just can’t send a resume in– you have to type up your past positions, education, etc., so it’s a real pain).
I learned all of this information by googling. There are a number of forums that discuss these positions. Be forewarned, though, that people do sign NDA’s with the companies and cannot divulge much information, eg., pay rates, what they do, what they ask on the tests, etc.
Good luck!
I am very interested in the demand post jobs(#1). Any information you could give me would be very appreciated.
Thanks,
Daniel
Jonathan, Thanks for the info. I forwarded it to my daughter who’s a pretty good writer.
By the way do you know anything about this address: Learn today
is it okay?
Thanks again
Hello, I was very interested in the liveops, but unfortunately they are not hiring in cali as of this moment, so I went on to my second choice and I tried filling out the leapforce application and it keeps stating, “A system error has occurred. Please use your browser’s back button to return to the page you were viewing.” it has been doing this over the last 2 days probably a total of 10 times trying to submit my application. I am going to follow Jens advice and try a few others as well to see if they are hiring if not my third runner up would be the freelance writer. I read some of the things you, and others have stated about the freelance writer and it seems very interesting. I actually know some one that has done several articles, and loves it. I am just not quite sure if it is my cup of tea. Thanks for the wonderful tips and insight on working from home. I hope I land something soon. *fingers crossed*
One other quick question, I don’t recall reading any comments about LiveWork.com. Has any one done this? If so, how does it work? is there decent money to be made (and by decent, I mean I only need about 500-1000 extra a month to get by, although if more is involved I would not turn it down…LOL!!) Any suggestions from those who have worked for LiveWork.com would help…thank you!
@Sophia – My wife used them quite a bit and they are very reputable. This was a year or so ago. If you like a variety of work tasks then it would be ideal for you.
Your information is very useful and helpful. I’ve always believed its possible to make an honest income on the internet and i must say im very glad i found this site. But i would like to know if all this oportunities are opened to nigerians.
Great Info, does anyone know about typing jobs? I have done mystery shopping but takes a long time for payment. Do you also know of reputable companys that pay weekly or at least every 2 weeks? I really need work badly. Would prefer to work at home.
I am a middle-aged woman working retail management in a position where the demands grow greater every day and time at home is less every hour. Holiday hour increases started a month early this year. Without going into personal detail I need a way to make enough money to stay at home with my disabled husband. Something has to change, but I don’t have a lot of time to invest in reading and researching all my options to get started. The situation is desperate. Can you help me by narrowing the search a bit and say a prayer?
I went to bbb.org and they gave Leapforce, Inc. an F rating. How can I trust such an organization if there is really no information on that site about them and they received an F rating?
Hi Becka,
I worked for them for several months and never had a problem. That was my own experience though. It has been over a year so maybe things have changed?
i`ve tried some of the links that you have posted but i cannot apply because i am not an american citizen. what do you think should i do? i am a high school student and i want to earn money for my needs.
Thank you for the post. Like Renz I am not American, (Canadian) and will probably run into similar issues. I have some medical problems which have thrown a wrench in my employment plans. Just like in the US, people often fall through the cracks here in Canada too. I am sure I can find a way to take these great suggestions on home/self employment and find companies or sites willing to pay a foreigner.
Good luck to everyone reading, I hope you find something which interests you and assists your income.
This is a great article. I am interested in the Demand Studios site and you mentioned you do not have to be a professional writer, however, the website asks for professional writers.
I am currently a student seeking a degree in English and technical writing. I am pursuing a career as a print copy editor and I do not have any professional experience at the moment, but I am seeking experience.
With little experience and in my final year of school do you feel I could still apply for a copy editor position with Demand Studios and the other sites?
Hi, I would like to get more info on work at homes. Particularly Demand Studios, Live work, Leapforce & Live ops. Thank you, Debi
Thank you so much for this article! As a college student trying to put school first but still needing to work part time (well more if I could) these idea’s will definitely help me make a little extra money to fill out what my small part time gig doesn’t! Thanks again Bob & Jonathan!
Anyone tried livework?
Jonathan,
I just wanted to stop in and say thank you very much for posting up a well written article like this. It is rare that I find anything of tangible value online these days. I fully intend on researching and applying for a vast majority of these. I also wanted to note that I find it awesome that you actually respond to your readers posts and that you try to help people as much as you can. Kudos!! Keep up the great work
Hey Jonathan,
Great article and thank you for not posting about the typical work at home scams that most biz opp junkies write about! I was anticipating the usual nonsense that I see everywhere else on the Internet when searching for work at home related information.
People should also consider reseller opportunities for various services as another viable and legitimate work at home job. You can resell services like SEO and web hosting and make a very good living without having to actually perform the services yourself or invest in expensive equipment or software.
Just out of curiosity what are your feelings on network marketing? Do you support it as a legitimate business model? Have you ever tried it?
Regards,
Dan
Hi, Jonathan. I am new at this researching work-from-home experience, but your site has been very helpful. I am very interested in Demand Studios, but was wondering if you would be willing to email one of your own writing samples to me. I am trying to get a good idea of what it is for which they are looking. Thanks!
Hi Jonathon,
I’ve been reading your emails and articles for some time now and wanted to express my thanks for your good ideas! I’m ready to pursue some of the writing opportunities but I do have a question: As I read through the posts I noticed that they go back over a year. Do you feel that the information regarding the different venues was current? Or do were there any changes we should be aware of before plunging into this? Thanks again!
I must admit ive never heard of these 5 companies, and Ive read a lot online about working with your computer. That leapfrog looks interesting I have to say. Will check it out in a bit, thanks
Si
workingsolutions.com is another legitimate. They have both phone and data entry jobs. The application/screening process is quick but they are very popular and you can be on a waitlist for months. They are picky about their projects and the people completing the projects. I was on a 6 month data entry project last year and they paid for all training, conference calls and quality assessments during the process.
I’ve also heard about elance.com and chacha.com. I made it through the online training for chacha.com then discovered the pay is horrible – two cents per task completed. Even if I am running at superhero speed, the most I could make per hour was low compared to the amount of time and tasks involved. elance is for professionals who have skills and can offer their skills for projects – such as creating a document template, website, etc. The pay seems to be very good for the tasks. Some of the projects require short term commitment and pay hundreds of dollars.
I worked with Lepaforce for 1 1/2 years and now work for Lionbridge. I was wondering if anyone has ever worked for “Butler Hill” or been hired for the ads quality rater job from google but through workforcelogic. My position at Lionbridge is a new one (as far as I can tell) and I don’t feel very secure because the project does not seem to be doing as well as my superiors were hoping. Any info for “butler hill” or “googles ad rater” would be nice. I plan on applying at “demand studios” this weekend, that one looks like good pay!!!
Thanks so much for the work at home opportunities. I lost my job 20 months ago, which has NEVER happened in my 25 years of working, because I became wheelchair bound. Although I AM able to work, it’s pretty hard to get a job in my field (non-profit, working with children & families) in this economy and especially when you are handicapped! It doesn’t help that I live in the county with the highest unemployment rate in NY, and it’s an historic town, which means many of our buildings aren’t handicap accessible, and with the snow and ice we’ve had this winter, getting in and out on my own is virtually impossible at times!
I am awaiting disability, but would rather NOT be “disabled” and truly we can’t afford it! Medical bills are outrageous, and having health care is almost worse than NOT having it because we can’t afford my monthly medications co-pays, much less our specialist and hospital co-pays! I’ve already applied for the Leapforce job, and attempted to apply for the Live Ops positions, but they AREN’T hiring in NEW YORK, for all of your NY readers. I already write for Squidoo, but haven’t made any money for my posts, yet, so I’m considering starting my own blog and registering with ad-sense. I believe I will apply for ALL of the other opportunities you have listed as well! Since I stay up all night while my kids & husband area sleeping, they all make perfect sense to me. PLEASE let me know via e-mail if you have a blog site that you recommend over others. I’ve taken several looks around, but can’t decide which is the best for me. Squidoo just fell into my lap because I liked their format and the opportunity to make money that they described, and perhaps it’s just a waiting game and I will find myself making some in a bit.
Again, thank you so much and God Bless!
Alicia Passamonte
I know I wrote a long post earlier, but I couldn’t find out how to contact you and I’d like some tips for applying for Demand Studios.
Again, thanks so much for your post & God Bless you for trying to help others! That’s something I’ve spent my life trying to do, but in a different way.
Alicia Passamonte
Great topic, I have endlessly searched for ways to bring in extra income. I like the structure at demand studios, sadly I’m just not a good enough writer for them…but I’ll live. In actuality I have found a way for me to make more money and am very happy about it, it’s not a lot but it does bring in around an extra $200 per week and these days, what more can we ask for.
Anyways again…great topic.
Thanks,
April
Well I did’nt get accepted by Demand Studios but I may try again later with a different email address. April, what do you do for that extra $200 a week. I have little extra time but really need at least an extra $100 a week. Thinking about looking into elance, odesk and text broker.
Thanks
Wonderful info…thanks so much…how do I prepare for the Leapforce testing? Also , as for the other sites, I love to write but don’t fully know what format/file to send in…ie: I need help/instuctions or a website referral to learn about using pdf, jpg, how to attach resume..etc. as this was something I never had much experience with and feel totally computer illiterate in this aspect. God Bless…..
I have heard that you can earn money by blogging, and did a google search to research some ways to do that. This website was the first one I clicked on. Wow! One article has led to another and I’m blown away at all the great info you have here! I lost my job a year ago, and still haven’t found a job. Things are tight, and I need to find something to make some extra money. These are great ideas and I’m looking forward to checking them out. Any advice is welcome! 🙂
Bob, I am interested in learning more about Demand Studios. My talents are in the research, communication and teaching areas – which seems to me to be a good fit. I see where I can apply on the Demand Media website, but any other info would be much appreciated.
Thank you,
Jim
This is a great work from home resource. Some other reputable companies that often hire telecommuters are HSN (Home Shopping Network), Dell, Hilton Hotels, Uhaul, and Jet Blue Airways.
Hello Jonathan:
I have spent over 11 years dedicated to pursuing a career in software developmet; however, since graduating from college in 2008, I have not seen any real prospect of achieving my goals in this field. I don’t need a $60,000 hobby!
Many people, including previous instructors, have indicated that I have natural writing ability; therefore, I am considering freelance writing as a possible course of action. Can you help my learn how to break into this field?
Thanks in advance, Dan
Hey Jon! I just wanted you to know that you have helped me so much! I’ve been praying for something I can do from home just until my daughter goes to school in a year. Her twin passed away a year ago and she is still very clingy to me and we are both sad and just want to continue to spend time together until her schooling begins. Thank you so much for this article! I hope to eventually help others as you have helped me! Thanks again and take care!!
Just tried to apply to LiveOp and got a message stating they don’t offer services in California. FYI
I believe freelancing is a good way to increase your extra income. I recommend Elance: nice projects, a lot of them very well paid. My relationship with Odesk wasn’t the best because i find it difficult to find well paid projects. A lot of indians are bidding very low rates: 1/2$ per hour and a lot of times they are preferred due to low rates.
Yes, but for me, it depends on the client that you can get. You have the choice to choose the jobs that are good paying. I am more comfortable working at Odesk than Elance…
I live in Australia and I love to know if there are any reputable programs that are similar to these available for Australian residents. I looked through a few of the sites and they’re for US, UK and Canada residents only! Thanks.
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for such an informative and clear article. Your answers to the posts are encouraging too.
I’m grateful that I’ve found this site tonight. My daughter and I have entered a new and unplanned phase in our lives and while I have a very supportive family and a great high school teaching job, it would be fabulous if I could spend more time with my little girl. I want my life to show her Jesus’ love for us, and being stressed about income is not part of that.
I love writing and had to put my postgrad studies on hold, so I was excited about the opportunities you mentioned. However, the positions require me to be a US citizen and I live in New Zealand.
Would you know of anything similar open to me?
I realise there are a few differences in our writing styles (eg we have all the colours, not colors, of the rainbow) but I can adapt my writing for that.
Is there a site which accepts articles from people outside of the US?
I appreciate your help, your wisdom which you’ve shown in this article, and your heart for people.
Bless you!
Rebecca
I like that you have personally tried many of these. That makes a huge difference. Thanks much!
Hi, I am looking for a home base job / business which do not require writing
skills. Do you have any suggestions? Thanking you in advance for any help
given. May God continue to bless you and yours.
Oh yes we’re live in tough times and a tough economy
but with God all things possible.
But sometimes i wonder if people really work at home and get pay
like they mentioned.
Nice…
I am looking for a home based business opportunity start up packages that really works. I don’t want to work for a company, but rather myself. Can you recommend any legitimate start up packages that aren’t scams? Thanks!
Jonathan, Do I need anything to qualify for the job at Demand Studios? Im in between looking for jobs and am not qualified in English or any degree relating to it. Am I hopeless?
Tim,
As a writer and title editor at Demand Studios, I can tell you right now that Demand is not the way to go at this point in time. They have virtually no assignments for 85 percent of their writers at this point. Just Google Demand Studios and you will see what I mean. Skip the “content farms” all together, as the work is rapidly dwindling. Go for the telephone work if you have a landline.
Thank you Jonathan,
Since this article was written in February 2010, I was wondering if you have discovered any “new sources” for work at home jobs.
It appears many of us would be appreciate more on this matter.
Thank you again.
Sheila
Is there an available online job for individuals living here in the philippines
I am a middle age woman who husband of 25 years has walked out to become involve with someone much younger. For many years I didn’t have to work but now I am completely destitute. I am desperate to make money to support myself and my young adult disabled daughter. I am college educated and computer literate but can’t find a job even in a fast food restaurant. I found this site by mistake because on just today I read an article while waiting in the doctor’s office about businesses that you can start at home. The article was interesting but I don’t have even the small amount of money need to get started. I never thought about working from home until today. If I can find a website and get a job that doesn’t care about my age that would be wonderful.
Nice list there. Gave me some additional ideas I will be posting on my website. Currently found many interesting websites where you can do different jobs from home (obv legit stuff – that’s why I am doing a research, to be able to advise others how they can too and also to earn some extra money myself with the websites offering good legit jobs). Most likely I will be updating my website with that topic step by step until the new year as I want to provide as much valuable info as possible. You will be able to find it under the Jobs Online tab.
I’m 19 years old. I attend college and I’m looking for part-time work to get myself out of debt and to graduate debt-free too. I’ve applied to Leapforce twice now and I keep getting declined. But they always allow me to take the test again which is weird. They give you some guidelines to study, but it’s a 157 pages long, so I failed, because I only studied like half of it. I hope they send me the test again so I can try one more time.
Thankyou so much. For the longest while I had been looking for ligit work at home biz , but only got scams , Thank god for your help I hope that I can get some work because I really need some now! I have no job no money and I am an older lady almost ready for retirement with no retirement money, Put kids through school working for meager wages had no left over for savings and with the economy going downhill did not help either. But god is great I know he will help!
I have been reading your article and have used several of the sites you have mentioned. Just a word about live-ops. My sister worked for them for several years. They do the 800 numbers sales but also take orders for several national food delivery places. Liveops is fanatical about the scripts you are given to read. Very little ad-libbing is allowed or tolerated even if you know the products or food you are selling better than the person who wrote the script. The scripts must be read verbatim. If you are a person who can do this, apply and make your money.
I applied to live-ops over a month ago and have heard nothing from them. How long does it take for them to review the application and the voice qualification? Also, what is your experience with other sites?
anita
It took a bout 6 months to go thru the whole thing. She had to take the voice test twice. Just a couple of hints, if you don’t have a landline(telephone) you won’t get hired. Digital and wireless telephones are not secure enough. Setup your work area now. You need to be away from distractions. Also go ahead and buy a good headset for your phone. Learn how to use it before you get the job. The heaset doesn’t have to be the most expensive, mine cost around $25 and my sister got hers on ebay for $12. Also save all receipts for taxes. If you rent, have your rent receipts available or your mortgauge, also your electric, your phone and your internet. These can be deducted from your taxes. Another source you can try is West-at-home. They also have work at home opportunities. Hope this helped.
Thanks for the info. I am making the arrangements you mentioned and will check out West-at-home.
If you’re not in the USA or you don’t have writing skills (or even if you do), you can check out clickworker.com. They have lots of tasks. If you can work fast, it’s decent money, and they pay by PayPal.
great information. i found a way to make some quick doe. i found these, “8 point and 7/16 wrench catv cable star key security tool” listed on eBay for $50.00 each. Found the source (newelectronx) that sells them for $5 to 15 bucks per piece. I sell them on craigslist for a good return. i’ve been making good money every since. i’m not wealthy yet, but income is going smoothly and sell aren’t that bad. profit is at least $35 per sale. if i sell eight pieces per day then i make like $280 which is better than a 8 hour job to me. so online selling works too.
Jonathan, Demand Studios now requires you to have experience if you want to write or copyedit with them.
How old do you have to be to do this? I’m 16 & am Gavin a hard time finding places that will hire 16 year olds & I really could use the extra cash.
Most of these places (that I’ve looked at) require that you be at least 18, unfortunately. However, there are many jobs outside the home available for 16 yr olds. My first job was working at a movie theater (pretty awesome first job). The mall is always a nice place to start, but the schedules are wacky, the pay is min. wage and you only get about 10 hrs a week, depending on how many employees a store has. Many grocery stores are a good bet, some have great advancement opportunities. The key is to apply everywhere and keep your options open. You may think you might not like working at a certain type of job and end up loving it.
Good luck!!
How old do you have to be to hold these jobs? I am 14 years old and I’m looking for a way to make money for some concert tickets. If you have to be 16 for all of these, do you have any ways that a 14 year old can make money?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, you are probably going to be out of luck. With the kinds of labor laws in place, the majority of jobs will not hire under 16 anymore. I do know that many grocery stores will hire baggers starting at 15, but that is something you will have to check out in your area.
You could offer small services around your neighborhood, like babysitting, house cleaning, mowing lawns (yes, girls can mow lawns – I did!!) and charge a small fee. It probably requires a little more effort than working at home, but you may earn valuable references in the form of families you might work for and someone may even like your hard work and creativity and hire you on later at their company or something! It’s never too early to start networking!
Best wishes, I hope you get your concert tickets!
It is refreshing to see opportunity without all the hype.
Are these sites available for canadians as well?
I applied for one of these companies, I’m not sure if I would violate their T&C if I revealed which one so I will leave out the company name, but it is one of the companies listed in the comments.
My only concern is that the company will pay me through direct deposit and asks for a bank account number if I pass their evaluation. I haven’t done the evaluation yet.
I had no problem providing bank account numbers as an onsite W2 employee, but I feel nervous doing this as an independent contractor working remotely online for a company I just learned about.
I would prefer the company paid through Paypal.
Are my concerns valid? Has anyone else had any issues providing their bank account info to one of these companies?
Yes Angie, your concers are valid. I wouldn’t give them my bank account number unless you trust them. if they are BBB accredited, that is a plus. but me myself still wouldn’t give my bank account number to them because i perfer Paypal over direct deposit in this situation.
Jon,
When I was your reading what you had to say regarding Demand Studios, you mentioned that “… even got your wife into doing title editing…”. Did she have previous experience as an editor? I am very interested in possibly getting into that, but the website mentioned that you needed to have 2 years worth of experience.
Thank you so much for taking the time to research all these companies and make such a great list!
I went to the LiveOps site. It appears that there is a cost for this service – or at least for necessary software for the service. Is this legitimate?
Thank you so much for this. I am trying to supplement my income for house cleaning. I have a family and dread the idea of going back to the 9-5 rat race and losing valuable family time.
Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me if Appen ButlerHill is safe to do, what type of work they have to offer and if there is any up front costs? I need to supplement my income and was hoping to work three hours a day Monday through Friday. I understand that it is work from home and was wondering if it has good reviews on the BBB website? I couldn’t find it there. Also, if Leapforce is safe to do at home? One last question is are these companies Christian? Thanks!
Ken
Textbroker has been nice for me as well for some time. Stopped using it thought after a couple of months. Leapforce sounds very itneresting, I might try it out!
Thanks for the great info!
I have been looking for a work at home job making real money but always getting caught up in a scam and never make any real money, so if there is any “real money making” jobs out there someone please let me know cause I am sick and tired of being scammed out of money and my time.
Thanks
I like many Americans have been struggling with life and some with debt. What I want to find is a work from home job that does not require a fee up front and that does not require a computer. Can some one recommend one or even a few.
Hello Jonathan,
I was interested in the part of your article that talked about making money blogging, with Adsense and affiliate marketing. I am to the point where I would like to get my own blog started, and would really like to learn more about this. Do you have any more information you could give me?
Thank you so much!
I currently work for ZeroChaos who contracts with Google to do the ad rating. It is part time, anywhere from 10-30 hours. Pay is about $15/hour. I’ve been doing this for about 4 months, on top of my full time job. It is contract and they can cancel anytime.
I like the comment from Bill… 15$ hour is good for me…. but arent jobs avalaibles now
I have read your information and it all sounds pretty good. I am looking for data entry or just typing. I don’t have a lot of time to spend searching and searching. I need to get started on something now. I am without work and the economy is so bad still. My town is the highest in unemployment in the state. Can you give me some idea which way to go and with what, in order to get started fast? I do not want to call customers on the phone. I do not like customer service. I would, however, love to be able to work at home.
Unfortunately most of them are only available for US citizens. Can anyone give me advice on working-from-home opportunities available for non US residents? I’m Dutch.
Hi, I’m curious I tried demand studios and they wanted to see a professional article I had written. I never wrote a professional article. My question is did you (Bob) emailed Demand Studios a professional article. If so, is there a website or person that edits articles for free or for pennies on the dollar? This would make my dream as a writer easy to accomplish. I write well but not great like Arthur Miller or John Julius Reel.
My wife has worked for Live Ops now for 6 months. It is great ! She works about 2 hours a day 5 days a week and brings home about $200-300 every two weeks. This is nice because it is extra money for us. She has one direct line that she answers for in addition to the general line and makes about $20/hr.
I have been following this post for quite some time. Thank you for listing sites that are trustworthy. As you know, there are so many sites that are not.
You mentioned oDesk.com at the beginning of this article but not in your top five sites.
I have had personal experience with oDesk.com. I worked for a company as a contract employee for seven months and loved it. Very organized and professional, offering many different “types” of jobs. I posted my resume and a brief note of what I am looking for and continue getting invitations to apply for various jobs. You can also pursue jobs by contacting the potential employer who has listed a job.
Just wanted to pass on a worthy site that might help others looking to work from home.
Thank you again.
Hi john,
thanks for this great site, I am a stay at home mom with 2 young kids looking for work for extra income. I am highly interested in livework? The company that does data entry? I didn’t see a link on our post. Can you please send me more information on how to get into that? I have years of experience doing that and believe it’s something I can do while at home. Do you have
other sites you recommend for that type of work that pays well and are legitimate for at home work? Any help
would be appreciated.
-Kellie
Kellie, you might want to check this article for more ideas. By the way, it’s Bob’s site. I can’t take the credit! 🙂
Hi Guys ! Hi Jonathan! thanks for the help! I have try to fill up all the applications but no luck since Im a costarican I live in Costa Rica and they all take only US citezens .) = If anybody knows a real home job that takes a bilingual tica spanish and english Ill appreciete it! Thank you!
Karla, See my reply re translation services, that might be something you could do!
I can’t seem to find any links to LiveWork. Everything points to LiveOps
They were probably bought out by LiveOps. Or they went out of business. I work for WestatHome. Took over a year to get accepted but work has been semi-steady. Lately they have been losing more and more accounts to overseas operations, namely Pakistan, India and Syria.
This is something I will have to look into. Its really hard to have a job when the military moves your family every year or two. And the paychecks don’t leave much for the future.
All of these are great options! I have some more listed on my blog (it is dedicated just to work at home jobs). When I became a stay at home mom a decade ago I had no idea how I was going to be able to contribute financially and still raise my kids the way I wanted to. Luckily, with jobs like these I was able to. I personally have worked for both Liveops and Leapforce among others.
Thanks for your very helpful suggestions! I too am looking to work at home. I am underemployed and have been for quite some time. I have a Master’s Degree in Education and have not been able to get a job in my field. I am going to try the Demand Studios. I am also looking into becoming a Translator. I have done this work in the past and it pays about $30 an hour, so it is a lucrative choice if you are fluent in another language. You can go online and google search for translator services in your area.
Hi there I just lost my job as a driver 4 weeks ago and I would like to work from home doing work from my computer. Im not much computer literate however I need to do something.
I am disabled and can’t do much but I have worked for 2 work at home companies doing phone work.
Live-ops isn’t bad if you are don’t mind sitting and only getting paid for actual talk time. Mostly sales jobs with strict adherence to a script, quotas and add-on items to the actual sales item. (ex: you buy pots and they offer magazines, potholders, 2nd set for ‘only’ shippping” or cooking utensils for a ‘reduced, special price”
I had better success with WestAtHome but their workload has been dramically by companies going out to the Middle East (Pakistan, India, Lebanon ect) and the Far East (Malaysia, Cambodia ect) There is only 1/3 of the companies left who are using them.
I also got the we don’t need you at this time letter from Demand Studios. I do write. Again the legit writing sites are being overrun with writing farms from the Middle East and Far East. (Fifty 500 words articles for $10.00 done in 1 day. actual bid)
There is work out there but it is work and not a magic bullet.
I am trying out swagbucks, and just curious if you can get cash from your swagbucks or is it just rewards? If so, how do you collect the cash?
Owe you one Jonathan!
All these ways to work from are new to me. Definitely I will try one of those.
Any one really earning from these ways??
It seems most of these sites want $ put down to start. I was kind of hoping , I could start for free. I’m always skeptical of sites that want money upfront. Could you she’s light on this? I’m afraid of being out of 50.00, when I need every penny of the money I earn, being a single mother.
Thanks,
Chantele
Chantele, I think that is a red flag as well, but I am not aware of any of these sites charging you money. Can you be more specific and let me know which one(s) was asking for money?
What a great list! Thanks for putting the time into this. I’ve read many work from home lists and never heard of some of your suggestions (which, frankly, sound more legitimate than others I’ve seen). I like that swaybacks made it to the list for some pocket cash. I’m always amazed that they’ll give me coffee money each month for just spending a couple of minutes a day surfing their site.
HI, i also thank you for this post even though i have a quenstion on Demand Studios. You said that you dont have to be a prolific writer to work for them but as a writer they require experience and a college degree. This is what upsets me many times, because i get excited about somthing that might work but then i have to realize it might not work at all.
I am currently pursuing some work from home opportunities. Are these still viable places to job search? I am a home schooling mom and have a great deal of experience editing papers, etc. We have braces coming up and I need some supplemental income.
LiveOps is legit, but horrible to work for. I spent the majority of my time taking complaint calls from products people were underhandedly sold. They ordered a product off the internet or TV and didn’t see the super sneaky fine print that they would be charged monthly if they didn’t cancel. They would be super PO’d when they called and then on top of that you had to tell them “too bad, you didn’t see the fine print”. The other part was where people were calling in to cancel the subscription because it was bogus (diet pills, etc) and you had to go through three screens of trying to get them to stay on and tell them dumb things like “have you tried exercising more” instead of just doing what they wanted: canceling it. Also there were so many people snapping up work hours when they rolled them out that if you weren’t at your computer the second it was released you got to choose maybe 1 or 2 – 30 minute slots for the ENTIRE WEEK. On top of that, for some products you had to pay to be “certified”. All in all I spent about $150 on getting in and made maybe $50 bucks total over the course of 3 months. AWFUL!!
I was really hoping these would pan out. But you said that to apply for the first option, Demand Studios, “You do not have to be a prolific writer or have a background in writing to get accepted.” However, every category is asking for 2-3 years of professional writing or a degree in that field. And with option 2, Swagbucks, the highest paying thing I found was a 15 minute survey that earns you 80 swagbucks, which equals about 80 CENTS towards a coupon. That’s $3.20 an hour at best. They give you a timer with a goal and a reasonable number is to achieve 108 swagbucks, or $1.08 towards a gift card, in 2 hours and 45 minutes. I’ve never seen something more time wasting in all my life. This was disappointing…
Thank you for every other wonderful article.
The place else could anyone get that kind of information in such an ideal approach of writing?
I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am on the look for such info.