Work from home jobs are on the rise.
Particularly in light of the disruption that the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing to commercial activities and economies worldwide, words and phrases like “telecommuting,” “remote work,” and “telecommute jobs” have entered the collective consciousness.
But what does telecommute mean? What’s remote working? And what is a telecommute job?
We’ll be providing some answers in this article.
What is Telecommute?
If you break the word down into its component parts, “tele” comes from the Greek root signifying “long-distance” or “far away,” and to “commute” is to perform a regular journey of some distance to and from your place of work. So in this sense, the telecommute meaning suggests a regular journey to and from a working place that’s a long-distance away. But in this day and age, that journey doesn’t have to be physical. And the long-distance could potentially be between your current location and the other side of the planet.
Taking this into account, a more relevant way to define telecommuting is by describing it as a situation where an individual performs their job from outside a company’s physical office — typically via telecommunication options such as the phone, email, or an internet platform.
Till now, this telecommuting meaning has mostly been confined to a formal business setting, where at least some of an organization’s workforce will spend all of their time at a head office or branch office, while others (such as sales or field maintenance personnel) might work remote shifts outside the company premises. Historically, the term has also been applied to freelancers.
But as working remotely has become more universal due to the movement restrictions and social distancing requirements of COVID-19, our telecommuting definition must expand to include all the possible permutations of remote telecommute jobs, namely:
The remote worker: Someone who performs their job from a location other than their employer’s physical offices. This would include the sales and maintenance workers we mentioned previously, but it is now also a blanket term for everyone working from a place outside their usual employment station.
The virtual worker: People in this category operate under no obligation to work in an office or other designated workspace, and can do their jobs from anywhere with telecommunications facilities and an internet connection. In formalized positions of this type, companies typically employ contractors, and the employer organization itself has no physical offices. Due to certain industries’ legal and regulatory requirements, workers in this situation may occasionally need to work from a specific area to satisfy the company’s tax and compliance requirements.
The Work From Home (WFH) worker: This job category includes a spectrum of activities, ranging from home-based craft and service jobs to online work requiring internet and telecommunications access. Workers will typically require some form of a home office or dedicated workspace. While often required to be available in some way during standard office hours, they can generally operate to a flexible and self-determined timetable.
Work From Home Jobs
With so many of us confined to our homes on account of the coronavirus pandemic, and with the slow and uncertain return rate to the traditional office and workshop-based jobs, opportunities to work from home are increasing in demand. In a separate article, we discuss the five best and highest paying jobs of this type, but there are many others. Here, we’ll look at five real work from home jobs that offer economically viable options.
1. Customer Service
Many commercial organizations are now looking to outsource their customer service departments to remote workers — both regularly and on a seasonal demand basis. Home-based customer service workers are responsible for interacting with consumers or users of a platform, on behalf of the company. This typically occurs by phone, email, and / or chat services, and the work generally involves handling complaints, solving problems, or helping customers to use the service.
Basic computing skills, good communication skills, and a high school diploma are typical entry-level requirements, and candidates should have access to a quiet work environment, high-speed internet, plus the ability to work independently and solve problems.
According to the 2018 edition of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median wage level for customer service representatives of this type is $34,710.
2. Work from Home Jobs: Bookkeeping, Accounting, Auditing Clerk
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are tasked with producing financial records for various organizations and ensuring their accuracy. These jobs can be largely performed from home, with direct communications to the client for occasional clarification, and flexible time management to allow for occasional overtime.
Though technological advancements and increasing automation in certain industries are reducing the demand for some of these positions, a median annual wage of $41,230 is achievable in the current market.
3. Data Entry Specialist
Generally, no prior training is required for data entry jobs, but candidates must possess strong computer and typing skills. An organized mindset, good communication skills, and a familiarity with common software platforms such as Microsoft Office and the G Suite of Google applications are also typically required.
Operating as a data entry specialist (also known as a data entry operator or clerk), you’ll be responsible for the input of information from handwritten or physical records into a computer system. This might include bills, reports, medical records, canceled checks, or other data.
The work is repetitive, often requiring long periods sitting at your desk, but these jobs are in high demand due to their minimal skills requirement. A median wage of $16 per hour is typical.
4. Work from Home Jobs: Medical Transcriptionist
Doctors and other healthcare professionals frequently record their observations and activities by dictating them into audio devices. As a medical transcriptionist, your work is to listen to these voice recordings and turn them into written reports. Due to technological advances and the rise of outsourcing, many of these jobs are available remotely, with access to voice recordings provided through downloadable audio files, and document sharing platforms to receive the written results.
The continuing expansion of healthcare services is expected to drive demand for this job, which has a median salary level of $33,380 per year.
5. Teacher Or Tutor
Teaching conversational or business English as a second language has become a popular option for many remote workers. Elsewhere, the shift to online learning for many students across the globe has created a demand for instructors at various formal education levels.
Most employers in the education sector will require you to have a computer with a high-quality webcam, good lighting, noise-canceling headphones, and fast internet. Some additional software may be required, depending on the situation and subject matter.
The median annual wage for instructors at kindergarten level is $56,850. This rises to $59,670 at elementary school level, $61,660 for high school, and $79,540 for tutors at colleges or universities.
