13 best work-from-home jobs
Finding a job that enables you to earn good money without leaving your home is the perfect solution for many Aussies who live remotely or who want to earn a living while still balancing their family commitments.
In fact, a recent poll by specialist recruitment agency Hays shows that 55 per cent of Australians are prepared to drop their salary by up to 20 per cent in order to work from home, with a further 22 per cent prepared to take a hit of up to 10 per cent for the same privilege.
Featured in the list of countries with the longest working weeks in the world, its unsurprising that many individuals are willing to go to many lengths for more work flexibility.
Also read: Job vacancies highest in over three years
Here are 13 great jobs which give you the ability to work from your own home.
Direct salesperson
Direct selling is the sale of a product or service away from a fixed store, typically person-to-person or in a small group setting.
The most common products sold are cosmetics, skincare, nutritionals and homewares.
Depending on the company, direct sales people typically take home around 20-35% of sales in commissions and can work at hours that suit them.
Telephone nurse
Experienced, registered nurses with fulltime clinical experience can manage individual’s health queries via phone from their own home.
Not only does this give the flexibility to manage other life commitments, it also usually comes with extra, very competitive healthcare benefits and perks.
Catering/Baking
From cake decorating to banquet catering, those with the skill and passion to work with food can easily set up their own food business from the comfort of their own home.
Also read: Australia’s highest paying jobs
Virtual tutor
A college degree, a computer and a bit of patience are all it takes to break into online tutoring.
Many sites match teachers and students in online classrooms where they can use live chats to teach lessons or help with homework from a remote location.
Most of these teachers are hired and paid as part-time employees, while other similar sites hire on a freelance basis only.
Web Search Evaluator
When you type a search term into Google or Bing, an algorithm determines what the best results will be.
But that algorithm doesn't operate alone: many large search engines rely on home-based evaluators to test the accuracy of online search results, examining different search terms and the web sites they turn up.
The job involves a lot of analytical thinking, so applicants must pass a test being hired. But the reward is complete flexibility.
Customer Service Representative
When you dial a company's help line, the call usually goes to an international call centre, but increasingly, customer service calls are being directed to home-based agents, who answer questions, complete forms and log complaints through their computers.
This is a great option for those with a lot of patience but not much experience.
Also read: How one Aussie working mum turned her financial life around
Tech support agent
Aussies with qualifications in computers, there is high demand and solid salaries for tech support.
Working out of home offices, such tech geeks generally serve as the first point of contact for customers troubleshooting everything from laptops to servers.
These jobs are available either directly through brands or through third-party providers.
Translator
Aussie who speak at least two languages and have an internet connection, are already well on their way to becoming a home-based translator.
A number of firms hire multilingual people to freelance translations of business documents, consumer web sites, computer software and academic papers.
Also read: 10 best Aussie careers for the next 10 years
Preference often goes to applicants who speak in-demand languages, such as Chinese or Japanese, and have backgrounds that would help in translating technical material.
Home Day Carer
If you enjoy working with children, or have your own at home, why not set up a home-based care service?
Proofreader
It’s hard to hack it in the freelance writer or blogging industry as both fields are already overcrowded.
But those with some writing or editing experience under their belt, may find steady work as a proofreader, especially for academic or foreign firms.
Also read: Eight surprisingly high paid Aussie jobs
Massage Therapist
Aussies looking for a more hands-on career can educate themselves in the current practices and theories of massage through an accredited massage therapy course.
Not only does this give the ability to work out of home, it also provides the opportunity to expand into other areas.