quilterj

Are there work at home jobs out there that are not scams? Is anyone working like this now? Someone mentioned to me about the operators for the things they sell on tv. Is anyone working like that?

DogHouseMom

I know of a few people who have regular type jobs but work from their homes as opposed to an office. One of them is an Insurance Claims Adjuster and the other is an Editor for a University Journal.

Both of these people were first hired as regular employee's who went to work every day and were then able to convert to a work-at-home job. I know both of them are required to go into the office on regular basis (one weekly, the other monthly), both are required to keep a log of their hours, and both tell me that it does take a good self discipline to say "I'm going to work for 8 hours from home" and REALLY work. They said it's soooo easy to go from "well I'll just change a load of clothes real quick" to "I'll change a load of clothes, then run the vacuum, and start dinner - and oh it's so pretty outside I think I'll water the garden" and the list keeps getting longer and longer. They now shirk ALL home responsibilities and act as if they are NOT at home - except they're wearing their jammies

I'm honest enough with myself to say that I don't think I have the self discipline to work at home for any length of time - although it sounds soooo tempting.

ckcowl

there really are lots of work from home jobs- many office type jobs are done at home now days- it saves the companies lots of money- jobs like Medical Transcription, Court transcription, marketing- telemarketing, lots of innovative jobs people have come up with on their own- found ways to make things, do things, sell things they make or provide from home.
you need to decide on the skill you want to use to create your own home-job, research what it takes, figure out how much time you can spend- then market your (job)
the get rich quick- too good to be true (s) are generally scams/ too good to be true- but with hard work, organization, and a true desire you can create successful ones.
just remember- people who own their own business seldom can afford to have any time off & work alot more hours than a person who goes to a job for 8 hours a day-then goes home- it takes dedication....and sometimes it takes years to reach the point where you can actually pay your bills with it- i know a few (at home) business owners who also work outside the home- and tend to put in 75+ hours a week between the 2- dreaming of the day when they can quit the outside job- but now with the medical insurance requirements= and other tax changes it may take longer to be able to afford to actually support yourself/household.
i do pretty good with my quilting business- but there is a definite (season) and i do still have a couple months of slow time every year- i also work 80-126 hours every 2 weeks outside my home which is another (self-employed) position- it just takes me out of the house 5 days a week ---- home based business is a definite change from a 9-5 job!

SewSassy

Many years ago,when right after my daughter was born, I worked 4 hours in the office and 4 hours at home. I do medical billing, so working at home was not difficult. However, it seemed as though you never stopped working, friends would call (before caller ID was available), or drop by just to "chat". Once I went back to work full time, I had more time to do the household duties.....many many years later, after I retired, there was a special project that needed to be completed, I worked part time via computer and by then was much more focused and truly was able to get the job competed in the time allotted

momto5

I went from working in the medical field full-time for 40+ years, to retiring, to a home-based quilt business in the blink of an eye. I stay pretty busy, using any downtime I may luck up on to do charity quilts and other things I'm interested in. The one thing that really bothers me about being at home and sewing is that other people seem to feel that "since you sew"...your talents should be readily available to the family/community for such mundane things as sewing on buttons, repairing stuff and altering clothing. And you know what? Sometimes I WILL do it...but when I do, I resent the heck out of it! I think I've told everyone I know that my shop is purposely called a "quilt shop" and not a "sewing shop" for a very real reason. Anyone else have that problem? And to answer your question...I'm sure there are legitimate "at-home" jobs out there but you really need to be careful so you don't get stuck...

AFQSinc

I worked for a company that notified the utility companies to go and mark their underground lines before people or companies would begin digging. I worked from home with the exception of 1 week per month when you had to go into the office and have meetings, do audits and just spend time in the group/office environment. It was not had to focus and work because you were on the phone most of the time or required to be available to take calls. It is not for everyone, though. The jobs are definitely out there but the companies are becoming more selective.

One benefit is that, I found, when you are not self-employed and working from home it is very easy to leave that work behind. I never had a problem with that. I have a dedicated office and when I logged off of my phone I closed the door and that was it. I think that is essential and many companies will require that you have a dedicated area for work.

Think about what your skills are and then look at companies that would need those skills.

TanyaL

My son was in a company that down sized and he has decided to go into business with his brother. However, he has sent his resume out to several head hunters letting them know that in 6 months he will be available for work and so far he has been offered 6 jobs to start now working out of his home telecommuting as a business technical writer or as a part-time telecommuting job as a business analyst. He is still working hard to keep his network of work connections active incase his business with his brother need supplimenting. This type of work pays well and you don't have to live in the same state as the company that you work for. You do need a good background and a good resume and college degree.

oleganny

I worked from home for many years after I retired - would still be working if hadn't developed bronchial spasms making it difficult to talk for any period of time. I worked for West at Home, ACDD, & Live Ops. At West I took calls for HSN & many of the infomercial products. There were also special projects, such as Red Cross, & product recalls. You are an employee with West, & they only hire in certain states - something about local income tax. With ACDD it was mostly PBS fundraisers I took calls for, but they also had special projects, sometimes. With Live Ops I took calls for the infomercial products, & they also had special projects. You are an IC with ACDD & Live Ops. For the most part you can set your own hours & the money is pretty good for sitting in your pjs - lol. You need to pass a background check, have high speed internet access & a dedicated phone line - (my dedicated line cost me about $25 a month. Keep track of all work related expenses & they are deductible on your taxes - If you have a home office (as I did) dedicated to my work, you can also deduct a portion of your household expenses but keep very good records on this as uncle sam looks at it pretty hard if you come up with a lot of deductions of that type. My target income was $500 a month gross, but I could & did make $1000 or more a month if I wanted to buckle down & work the extra hours. There are more reputable companies out there, too but some of them have a non compete clause, which means you can only work for them & I figured 3 companies were enough to make sure that I could always get hours when I wanted them.
Good Luck & Hugs
Shirley in Indiana

aeble

I'm in the process of establishing a small business from home (actually 2--one to pay the bills, and one that I love). There are a lot of "work from home and make millions" scams out there. I wasn't 100% confident I could avoid them so I opened my own bookkeeping/administration business. I have set my office hours, and my family respects them and doesn't ask me household related questions during that time.

On the side, because although I'm really good at bookkeeping and administration it isn't what I love, I'm working on a series of quilt patterns and trying to find ways to start teaching others to quilt. I don't foresee any income from that until I'm more experienced, but I truly love doing it.

Good luck in finding something that works for you and be careful!

AshleyR

My husband works at home, but he's not getting enough hours right now. He works 20 hours a week doing tech support. It does come with full benefits and other perks. We're really really hoping when a new hardware comes out that he will get more hours. The company he works for is world-wide but they put an ad locally that they are hiring for the city we live near. He has to have a dedicated office with his own phone line and high speed internet. They provided his work computer (and it cannot be used for anything other than work) and reimburse for the phone and internet. We had to purchase a desk and chair that met their qualifications (no sitting at the kitchen table!!) and he keeps an air conditioner running when he's working to help cut out the background noise. He got lucky with his schedule, that most of the time, he works while I'm working, but he could have just as easily gotten night hours, which wouldn't be as good, but do-able. He does have a set schedule and is required to work those hours (can't just log in anytime like I could when I worked for the Psychic Friends Network!).
Which brings up my work-at-home experience: several years ago, I worked for a 900 number. I made some really good money, but could log in and work as many or as few hours as you wanted (I think they did make a minimum of 5 hours a week or something like that). I was not an employee. However, my Ex didn't like me being home so I had to get a job outside the house. I don't know if they still have 900 numbers anymore, tho. I'd love to be one of the "Do you have a question? Chat operators available NOW" people but I wouldn't want to do phone work from home again. I also ran a very successful child care center at home (up to four children without a license) and would do that again if I lose my current job.