I Need a Job: Real Work at Home Jobs by 40 Companies (Hiring Now!)

Now, whether you are a stay at home mom or dad wanting to help with the income, a student trying to pay off his or her student loan debt by taking on jobs, or someone who has just lost his or her job and is looking for a new job, I have gathered a small list of reputable and trusted companies that offer all kinds of home based jobs.

I have published a list of companies that hire people to work from home in the past, but this list is a little bigger. I am hoping it will help more people.

Working from home for the companies mentioned below can be a great way to earn extra cash. The good thing is that none of them require you to pay any fees.

Keep in mind that these are not get-rich-quick jobs. You’ll find most projects will just pay enough for supplementary income.

Let’s get started!

1. Search Evaluator

Search evaluator jobs are becoming popular mainly because they are very easy to do. All you have to do is search for certain keywords and terms and verify that the results shown are actually helpful to that specific query.

Normally, this freelance job pays about $13 to $15 per hour.

Most companies will allow you to work on your time, but will ask for a minimum time commitment.

While this sounds like a great job that you can do on your own time, you may want to think carefully because many of these companies require you to pass long and difficult two-part exams just to qualify.

Not only are these tests unpaid and take a minimum of 10 hours to get ready for, but most companies will not allow you to take it again if you do not pass the first time around.

Companies with real Search Evaluator jobs:

1. Leapforce
2. Appen Butler Hill
3. Lionsbridge

2. Call Center Agent

Problem solvers who love helping out people should consider working as a call center agent.

While you may not have as much flexibility as you want with your schedule, you can talk to your employer about the number of hours you can commit to the project.

In general, this is a good job for those who do not travel a lot, but if you need to have the flexibility of being able to drop things for a crying baby or an audition, you may want to consider other types of work like transcription or writing.

Normally, the hourly rate for call center agents ranges from $9 to $12.

You may also want to search “virtual call center” on Google, Monster, or Indeed.com to see what job opportunities are available.

Keep in mind though that this type of job requires you to have a broadband or DSL connection with a Windows OS.

Before wasting your time applying to these jobs, make sure that you have the technical requirements.

Companies with real Call Center Agent jobs:

1. Accolade Support
2. Xerox
3. 1-800 CONTACTS
4. 1-800-FLOWERS
5. Accolade Support Call Center Services
6. Advanis
7. AdviseTech
8. Alpine Access/Sykes
9. Amazon.com
10. American Express
11. Apple
12. Cox Communications

3. Virtual Assistant

When you’re a virtual assistant, you can pretty much be tasked to do anything that an executive wants you to do.

From sending birthday wishes and flowers on behalf of your boss to doing market research and answering emails, this can be an interesting and challenging job for the right person.

Normally, you can expect to be paid about $5 to $20 per hour.

Because the competition for virtual assistants is high, you may want to focus on a specific skill when marketing yourself to potential employers.

Are you good at copy editing, capable of proofreading and polishing reports, emails, and more?

Or does your particular expertise lie with PowerPoint presentations that your boss can use for potential investors and clients?

Depending on the nature of the business, some employers value certain skills over others.

Companies with real Virtual Assistant jobs:

1. VirtualAssistants
2. Zirtual
3. Elance
4. Odesk
5. Freelancer.com

4. Legal Transcriptionist

Legit online transcription jobs are hard to find but they are out there.

Legal transcriptionists are sent an audio file, and they proceed to transcribe what they hear.

Compared to medical transcription where you need a certificate, legal transcription does not require you to have an extensive knowledge of legal terminology. Even so, the best transcriptionists have a wide vocabulary and an excellent grasp of the English language.

While you can probably book a wide range of one-time transcription projects, some employers also offer long-term projects.

In general, legal transcriptionists can earn about $20 for every hour of audio.

They often work their own hours but will be required to meet client deadlines.

Companies with Real Legal Transcriptionist Jobs:

1. Aberdeen
2. AccuTran Global
3. Alice Darling Audio Transcription Services
4. American High-Tech Transcription and Reporting
5. Cambridge Transcriptions
6. Capital Typing
7. Clark Fork Communications
8. Cyber Dictate
9. DionData Solutions
10. e-Typist.com
11. Morningside Partners
12. Mulberry Studio
13. QuickTate or iDictate
14. Scribie
15. SpeakWrite
16. Terescription
17. Tigerfish

5. ESL Instructor

I’ve talked about making money teaching English online before.

Being able to read, write, and speak fluent English can open a lot of doors for many people.

It’s no wonder then that ESL tutors are in demand because so many people are looking to enhance their grasp of the language.

Being able to speak another language is a plus, but isn’t always necessary, especially if your role is to read college essay applications, for example.

The hourly rates for this type of job normally range from $20 to $40.

You can choose the time you want to work, but may need to arrange it with the student.

Take a look at websites like TutorTutors, Italki, and Wyzant if you want to book jobs.

Some of these sites, however, may ask for a commission or a membership fee.

If you want to avoid paying fees, find a student at Monster, Craigslist, or Elance.

Companies with real ESL Instructor jobs:

1. GoFluent
2. I Speak U Speak
3. Human English

Work from Home scams: What you should know

Unfortunately for all of us, the Internet is littered with work-from-home scams, so you need to watch out.

Here are some red flags that you need to pay attention to so you don’t fall for one.

• Upfront Costs

This type of scheme will need you to buy company equipment like hardware, machines, software, and other things before you make money.

You’ll find medical billing projects to be a nasty variant of this kind of scam, especially since it requires you to spend so much.

• Training Investment

Some companies charge you for training you on medical transcription, graphic design, or article writing before you are even allowed to take a job with them.

After you have sunk hundreds of dollars into your training and have completed the course, you’ll find that there is hardly anything to do.

Processing rebates and stuffing envelopes are two of the most common work at home jobs that scammers use to get money from you in the name of “start up fee”.

• Multi-level Marketing

Sure, there are products to sell, but the sad truth is you’ll earn more money when you recruit new people under you.

Think Avon, Herbalife, and Amway…

While some people are able to resell products from these companies, earning using this method is slow compared to recruiting people.

Unfortunately, with this type of scam, you not only lose money, but you can also lose your friends as well, especially if they are never able to get their money back.

How not to get scammed

The good news is you can make sure that you do not become a victim of work-from-home scams by taking note of the following:

1. Check if the company is registered with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
2. If equipment needs to be purchased, make sure that the company has no financial gain to be made from the purchase. In other words, they should not earn from the equipment purchase.
3. Review their terms and conditions. Make sure you know the payment milestones, method, and how much. If the company gives pay estimates, are they talking about an hourly rate or a commission? Are their figures based on senior employees who are faster than average?
4. You may also want to know the grounds for contract cancellation, or if they can choose not to pay you.
5. Knowing how the company makes money will also help you know categorically if they are scamming you.
6. Are they charging you membership fees? Normally, membership fees are something that you avoid.
7. Lastly, search the particular company name on Google to get a picture of the place’s bad press.

What to do if you do get scammed?

If you are among the hundreds and thousands of people who do fall for work at home scams every year, be sure to report it.

It may very well help stop the scammer, while also saving others from falling victim.

You can file your complaint with the following organizations:

• The Better Business Bureau
• The FTC – Federal Trade Commission
• Internet Crime Complaint Center
• The Attorney General of your state

The bottom line

As you can see, there are many legitimate sources of work from home opportunities, you just have to look in the right places.

Do you work from home?

Do you work for any of the companies mentioned in this post?

If so, I would love to hear your opinion about your experience working for these work at home companies.