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A lot of us dream of working from home. The idea of working with your pajamas on while sitting on a comfortable couch or desk, with no commuting whatsoever, is too good to be true. Unfortunately for most of us, it is still too good to be true.
If you have run into scams in the past for work from home jobs on the internet that promise to pay incredibly well for really easy work, you are not alone. I spent the better part of 2018 scourging the internet for such jobs while having no relevant job skills whatsoever; a plan that was doomed to fail. To make matters worse, I actually persuaded my mom to pitch in for a new laptop that I intended to work on. I was so sure I would find something!
Fast forward to 2019, after gaining a lot of experience from scams and click-bait, I actually started to see results. While everything you see on the internet is not scam, the legit ones do make only a small piece of the cake. I managed to find a couple of good websites that seemed offer task-based and contractual work, and thus began my journey to the unknown. Also, that was way too dramatic, I know.
So let's just skip to the real thing. Below are 3 websites that provide part time jobs that anyone can do, as long as you are over 18 and familiar with the internet. Starting off the list is -
1. Lionbridge
Lionbridge is one of the oldest companies that offer Translation, AI Training, Data Interpretation and Machine Learning services to a huge roster of clients worldwide, and most notably Google. Essentially, they receive outsourced projects from companies and hire independent contractors to work on them.
You can apply for a wide variety of roles here, and most of them only require you to have basic internet skills. There are more advanced positions available like translators and interpreters, and you can apply for them if you have the relevant skills. Please note that applying for any role would require you to provide your resumé/bio-data and proof that you have effective communication skills in the language required by the position. To get started, visit the Lionbridge website, and click on Join Our Team.
Scroll down on the page where you see the following sections -
We are going to use the second section called Testers, Raters & Curators this time, but be sure to explore the other options and see if something sparks your interest. For now, click on Learn More below the second option.
You should now see a new webpage with Current Opportunities as a prominent heading. A world map below shows you places around the world where work is available. You can find your country by hovering your mouse pointer over the orange dots as you can see below -
For the sake of this article, we will be selecting India, which leads us to another page with a list of job opportunities available for the region.
As you can see, there is a wide variety of positions available for the region, and in different languages. So if you are more comfortable with, say, Bengali or Hindi, you should try those out!
The most effective way to succeed on this platform is to apply for as many jobs as possible, while of course keeping in mind your abilities in contrast to the requirements of the job. Having worked for the company in two very successful projects, I am pretty sure anyone can find success here with some dedication and a strong desire to learn new things. Duration of jobs vary as some projects are short term while others are long term. The projects that you qualify for will require you to go through a series of tests, and they will provide guidelines and study materials for each of them. Good things don't come easy!
IMPORTANT NOTE
The application process is starts with you creating an account on the Lionbridge SAP network, after which you are required to put in your details, upload soft copies of relevant documents like PAN card, proof of expertise in selected languages, etc., and go through a series of questions related to you and the job. Treat it like an indirect interview. Also, do keep in mind that you might not hear back from immediately. It might take a few weeks to a few months, so be sure to be looking at other options while you wait!
2. Appen
Appen is another crowd-sourcing company that is popular for providing work from home jobs across the globe. What sets Appen apart from Lionbridge is that it provides workers with a far wider range of jobs, albeit most of them being short term ones. While that seems like a big turn off, you actually get to work on tons of interesting projects, and you keep building your profile to qualify for more advanced and higher paying projects.
Keep in mind that most projects will have requirements that you must meet, like going through tests, knowledge about particular niches, etc. They seem have a good number of projects available at any given point of time, and you must qualify for them individually. One thing I noticed during my time working for the site is that the projects that you see come from a wide range of companies, which is why every job is is very different from each other. This is the perfect site for people who like to dip their hands on different things.
Start off with the Appen website, and click on Jobs on the upper-right side of the landing page.
On the next page, you will see four sections, namely, Raters, Language Jobs, Micro Tasks and Corporate Jobs.
For the purpose of this article, we are going to choose Raters, although feel free to explore the other sections and see if you find anything of your interest. For some reason, clicking on Micro Tasks takes us to the same page as Raters, and I have no idea why. Do note that once you have your account up and running, you will have access to both Micro Tasks and Rater tasks. Click on Apply below Raters.
The next page gives you an overview of the career opportunities on the site along with a few examples of roles that you might be applying for later in the process. Select a your country of residence and proceed.
You will now be going through the sign up process. Fill in your details and create your account.
I also noticed that unlike the other example in this article, Appen acts as common centre for all your assignments, and allows you to work on multiple projects at once. Below is a screenshot from my account that will give you an idea about projects and how the site basically functions.
This is my Appen Dashboard. Most of the content has to be blurred since there is a confidentiality clause in their agreement, so if you are working for them, ssshh! The main content here is the list of tasks available for me. A blue Work This! tab indicates that I am qualified and ready to work on that project. Other projects will show a green Qualify+ tab, which means you have to enter a separate qualification process for that project. The pay varies from job to job, mainly depending on factors such as work hours, difficulty level of work, and specialisation required for tasks.
In contrast to Lionbridge, Appen has a more relaxed overall qualification process, although projects with higher difficulty levels will require you to go through extensive tests and training. Also, the availability of more projects means the you get to start working faster. Go try it out!
3. Teemwork.ai (formerly iSoftStone)
A relatively unknown entry into this segment, I found this gem a couple of months ago during an intense online job hunting session. Originating from China, the website is no-nonsense and sticks to it's core purpose - displaying remote job opportunities across different countries. I was lucky enough to find an entry for India, but it's kind of strange as I have been seeing the same post since last year. This is not a bad thing, because it is among the highest paying gigs in the entire list, clocking in at around $12/hour.
I have not actually worked for Teemwork, but I did go through the qualification process, which is long and hard. Pun non-intended. Their main client seems to be Microsoft, and I had to sign a whole bunch of papers and a Non-Disclosure Agreement, so I can't say much. You will be given a book of guidelines for the exam, and there is no way you can succeed in tests without it. Fortunately, it's an open-book exam, where you can take the help of the book while going through questions. I wish you the best of luck, should you decide to try and qualify for the job!
The registration process is relatively simple. Go to teemwork.ai and you are greeted with a bare-bones webpage with a search box.
Click on the Country listbox and select your country. For the purpose of this article, we are going to select India. Click on Search after choosing your country. You should now see all available positions for your country.
Click on sole result named Online Ad Evaluator - India. The resulting page gives a complete summary of the job with required qualifications and job duties. If you feel confident about it, continue by clicking on Apply Now. You will need to create an account on the site, and you can complete the registration process by following the instructions given to you. Please note that it might be a while before you hear from them, so don't forget to explore the other resources listed on this article.
Bonus site - Clickworker
Clickworker is like the undisputed king of Micro-Tasks. The site is incredibly popular around the world as it provides pay-by-task work to everyone, no strings attached! Essentially, you get access to a bunch of small tasks and get paid for completing them. These tasks can range from anything like shooting a video of yourself doing weird faces on the camera, to uploading a receipt of your recent purchase at the mall. That being said, the availability of tasks varies across geographical locations. For instance, a person living in India might see completely different tasks compared to someone living in Germany.
Depending on your location, you could also gain access to long-term projects on the site, although you usually have to go through a qualification process for that. Also, you need to earn a minimum amount of money to actually receive it in your bank account (£10) or PayPal (£5).
If you wanna give it a try, click on this link to set up a profile on Clickworker and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the registration process. Please note that you will need to download the Clickworker Mobile App to get access to some tasks. I recommend downloading it on your phone as soon as your complete your profile.
Getting paid for working online seems really convenient, but I have to stress on the fact that this does not mean it's easy. Often, you will find yourself in everything you've got to maintain a good productivity level, which is vital because you may get dumped if your quality of work is not up to the standards of the employer. Juice up and get motivated with this article to make sure you are your maximum potential when you work.
Also, if you like the idea of working from home, you might be interested in getting into a career that will give you plenty of opportunity to work from home full-time. Read this article to know about careers that you can take up with just a laptop!
Things to keep in mind -
You will need a PayPal account to receive payments from most of these websites. Create an account before you register on any of these sites.
These sites take assignments from different companies, and sometimes you will find similar projects from the same company on different websites. Generally, any contract you are given will state that you cannot work for similar sites. That means, if you are working on a certain project on Lionbridge, you cannot work for Appen. If you sign an agreement like this, stop working for other sites immediately. Failing to do so will result in termination of you contract, and you won't be given a chance to re-apply.
The jobs listed on these sites are specialised jobs, which means you need to develop a specific set of skills to qualify for them. Unfortunately, this means that the experience you will gain from these jobs will be of little to no use when you apply for other jobs later in your career. Therefore, it is advisable to treat these jobs as side-hustles, and not as a primary career.
These jobs are full of uncertainties. Most of these are task based jobs and you don't get paid if there are no available jobs at any point of time. Also, you may get terminated for a whole bunch of reasons, and many a time you won't even be given an explanation. Wrapping up the negative side is the fact that there is very little chance of growth in these jobs, both in terms of career and compensation.
Don't try to cheat the system. That means no duplicate profiles to try and earn more money. You will have to provide you government-issued ID anyway, and you will be blacklisted forever from these sites if they catch you using multiple accounts. Also, they track your IP addresses and stuff, and sometimes they won't even let you work from any other computer except the one you use primarily. Practice basic online ethics!
That's it. Do let me know in the comments how these worked out for you, and how they didn't. Also, I'd be happy to assist you with any hurdle you might bump into. You can send me an email (rishabh.bucket@gmail.com) or a Facebook message and I'll try my best to get you back on the track.
I am in no way affiliated to the websites I have mentioned in the article and I do not get any commission if you click on any link or sign up on a website. These are my personal recommendations from my own experience and I genuinely support each of the resources I'm posting links to.
