How To Work From Home: You Need A Few Good Eggs

Naysayers will tell you working from home is a scam. More than likely, they say, you'll get ripped off, cheated, kicked around, and have blood poured over you at a prom dance.

Oh, sorry...channeling Stephen King for a second there. My bad.

To have real success, THEY say, you have to put on a suit, get in a car, drive to a big stuffy office and put up with a boss who has coffee breath and is prone to manic depression.

Come on, people, that's so 1997. This is 2012, and you CAN find jobs working from home. The Mayan Calender said so.

Ok, I said so, and I should know. I've held one of my online jobs ("egg") for 8 years now. It's completely legit, I didn't have to enroll in any pyramid scheme, and I really what love what I'm doing.

There is one minor problem with my online job; it only makes me about $4000 a year, $5000 a year if I'm lucky. Many online jobs are low-paying or part time, not enough to make a decent income at. Don't get me wrong, that extra money ($300 to $400 a month) comes in handy, but these days, I need a little more to supplement my income.

Thus, to really succeed at working from home, don't put all your eggs in one basket!

I know this sounds yucky. Nobody really likes writing SEO (search engine optimization) articles for other people. You have to conform your writing to someone else's standards,rules, and topic choice; it's like being in English class again. But you need to look at it this way: it's a great way to hone your writing skills. Believe it or not, I have learned a lot and improved my writing style immensely by writing those 200-500 word articles about "air conditioning, Los Angeles."

I've also researched topics that I would have never learned about otherwise. Therefore, you are improving your craft while expanding your knowledge.

Oh, and the best part: getting paid on a regular basis. Cha-Ching! Depending on the job and your skill level, usually you can earn anywhere between .01 and .03 cents per word. .

Some of the articles were actually pretty fun. I wrote one article about the "Many Tattoos of Amy Winehouse." The employer gave me a lot of creative license with it, and I had a blast!

These are the two websites I recommend (yes, you will need a paypal account. And who doesn't have one nowadays?):

www.textbroker.com: You need to submit an original article, and they will rate the article from 1 to 5 stars. After they approve and rate your article, you can start writing. (Be aware, most of the articles available are for 4 star writers and higher.) The pay is ok, usually about 1.5 cents a word, with a variety of topics to chose from. After you earn $10, you can get paid weekly, but you need to keep track of your pay and set aside money for taxes. You also have the option to become a proofreader, but to do so, you have to pass their very difficult exam. The best I've gotten is 80%, and you need 90% to pass. Finally, they have a nice forum selection for authors to get help.

The upside: They have a lot of articles to chose from, and pay on a regular basis.

The downside: Some of the clients are very picky about format, writing style, etc. Make sure you read the all client's introductions and comprehend them completely. They will surely reject your article if you do not follow guidelines; and sometimes, they will reject it because you didn't "read their mind" (i.e. their instructions weren't clear enough and you assumed you had more creative license than the client had in mind). Personally, I tend to avoid jobs that have several paragraphs of instructions. After all, I'm only getting paid $4 to $5 to write this paper, and I'll never get any credit for it; I don't need the added stress of a zillion guidelines and rules.

www.writersdomain.net: This is a bare bones kind of SEO writing site. It's pretty basic; they give you an article title like "Houston Dentists", and no real rules, just 200 words or more. But that doesn't mean content and quality isn't important. They will rate each paper on the content and quality and pay you accordingly. So your star rating can fluctuate quite a bit from paper to paper. Again, you need to be responsible for your taxes.

The upside: Less rules, more freedom to write creatively.

The downside: They only pay once a month, and sometimes it takes a while for a paper to get approved.

Remember those state tests you had in middle/high school? Well, someone needs to score those tests, and it could be you!

Scoring companies scan their essays to the Internet so hundreds of people can score them remotely. The company saves money on overhead and you get to work in your pajamas!

Many scoring companies require a teaching degree to score tests; but a few programs only require a Bachelor of Science degree in any field. For instance, my degree is in Wildlife Ecology.

You also need to take a certification test to qualify.

Benefits:

• Pretty decent pay, usually $10 /hr to start.
• Opportunities for advancement. I got promoted a few times at ETS, and now I make $22/hr.
• Fun! I reading enjoy reading what these kids have to say, and some of it is really creative and interesting.
• You are employee, not an independent contractor. This means you don't have to worry about keeping track of your taxes.
• Make your own schedule.

Down side: Not enough hours! They will invite you for 1 or 2 week sessions, and then you may not have work for about 2 to 4 months. You can't count on this for a steady income.

Here are the two I work for:

Educational Testing Service (ETS)

Pearson

Yes, you can get a decent job making the internet better. I worked for a company called Leapforce for 6 months and made about $4000.

So, you are probably wondering, why aren't you still working with them, ya schmuck? Because they fired me. No reason, they told me my contract was up, no explanation, nothing. All my reviews were good, so it really was a frustrating mystery. I was left confused and bewildered.

Just fair warning, my story isn't uncommon; many people have the same experience with Leapforce and Lionbridge. Everything seems fine, and then poof, you're let go with no reason whatsoever. You have no recourse.

There are a few lucky people who have been with these companies for a year or more, so maybe you'll be one of lucky ones.

• To qualify, you will need to take a very, very long and intimidating test that you won't get paid for. But if you pass, you're in.
• You will have to claim your own taxes.
• Make your own schedule, but you need to work at least 20 hours a week
• Earn about $13/hr

Click these two websites for more info:

Leapforce

Lionbridge

Ok, this isn't something you can usually do completely online. Usually you have to drive to a location to critique the retail store, restaurant, etc. But it's still a way to make a little extra money, earn some great freebies, and have a lot of fun!

To do this job, you have to have a good eye for detail and be able follow instructions carefully.

Beyond Hello: This mystery shop company was an amazing blessing for us; my daughter desperately needed eyeglasses, and we didn't have eye care insurance. With one shop, I got a free pair of prescription eyeglasses for my daughter. ($100 value).

TES-Movie Trailer checks: Very simple shops; you go to the specified movie and watch the ads and trailers. Most of the time, the movie theater will let you stay and watch the movie for free! I got to see several free movies plus payment for the shop itself. Sweet!

I hope this hub helped you with your "egg" gathering. Don't give up on making a decent income from home, you can do it! Someday, I hope to say that hubpages is a great egg, but until then, I'll keep plugging away!

For some reason, I'm really craving an omelet right now....hmmmmm.