The 10 Best Working From Home Jobs That Will Earn You a Living

The rise in ‘working from home’ jobs has been a phenomenon of the 21st Century, which has been catapulted into the ‘norm’ thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re keen to pin down a role where you can work part or full-time from home, this article will provide you with all the necessary information you’ll need to join 52% of the global population who now work remotely at least one day a week.

Are you looking to earn some extra money on the side? Or perhaps you want to delve into an entrepreneurial endeavour on your terms. Whatever it is, starting a full or part-time home occupation is a significant decision that requires research and planning.

Fortunately, this article is going to answer your working from home questions:

1. Is working from home for you?
2. What are the 10 best remote jobs?
3. What are the benefits of working from home?

Before COVID-19, Infometrics originally estimated that only 29% of the country’s workforce would be capable of working from home. However, 36% of the workforce were able to log on to work from home at some point during lockdown, and this new statistic is setting the tone to continue remote work practices in New Zealand.

Before considering working from home, you need to consider whether it is for you. Telecommuting requires a substantial amount of discipline, strong work ethic and a suitable environment to ensure you are meeting deadlines.

Ask yourself, do you have an appropriate home environment to ensure you can complete the work? How are you going to ensure you maintain a healthy work/life balance? Compiled below is a list of skills you can use to judge whether working from home is the right fit for you.

The increase in technological advancement has been a major contributing factor to the 53% increase of work from home jobs listings over the past two years.

We are witnessing a surge in the telecommuting industry right now because smart devices and internet connections are more available and affordable than ever. Work has become something we do, not somewhere we go, and our office is anywhere we happen to be.

If this sounds like the career path for you, then join over one-third of all New Zealand employees who work from home. If you’re ready to take the next step towards your dream job, we are here to help with a list of the ten best working from home jobs.

Different jobs and industries can vary in their suitability to being done remotely, but these 10 roles are perfect for working in the comfort of your own home:

Read more about each one below to find out whether they’ll suit your lifestyle, skillset and interests.

One of the most attractive and popular remote jobs is the occupation of a freelance writer. Writers are in increasingly high demand to formulate news articles, create content and come up with creative ideas to advertise media. This job does not explicitly require qualification but some writing experience is very helpful.

Consider taking a course in writing to get you kick-started. Ultimately, if you want to be a freelance writer, all you need is drive, ambition and an interest in writing on a range of topics.

The compensation varies depending on the job and the specific writer, however, many freelancers can earn anywhere between $100-$1500 per finished piece or an average of $24/hr according to PayScale.

If you’re looking for a more interactive hands-on working from home job, then look no further. A Childcare Worker involves the supervision, responsibility and development of young children during the day while parents are unavailable.

Valuable skills would be experience in childcare, the ability to relate to and care for babies, toddlers and young children, first aid skills and a good knowledge of nutrition. Childcare is expected to have an increase in demand of approximately 20% in New Zealand over the next five years, according to the NZ Children’s Commissioner.

Pay for childcarers varies depending on qualifications, experience, and location. Unqualified childcarers with less than one years’ experience usually earn between minimum wage and $19 an hour.

Businesses are always in need of reliable workers to enter various sources of data into their systems, to track inventory, record performance, or measure output.

Being able to know your way around a computer is an extremely advantageous skill for this profession as it involves manually inputting data accurately into a spreadsheet. This job has an hourly average of approximately $21 dollars.

Beauty/Hair therapy allows you to create flexible hours, have clients visit you in the comfort of your own home while earning a relatively substantial income.

Beauty therapists must have a well-rounded knowledge of makeup and beauty products to suit the client’s needs for events such as weddings or formals. Commission for beauty therapists is highly dependent on the number of clients the therapist’s books or wants to take on.

The occupation of a ‘social media manager’ is a relatively new term that came about from millennials recognising the gap in the market. In this day and age, every successful business has a myriad of social media platforms to reach, promote and communicate with their customers directly.

If you have a strong understanding of social media or sizeable following, you could reach out to companies through Instagram to find out if they need with branding or awareness. Social Media managers earn a range of different amounts ranging from $15-75/hr.

Another way to earn money working from home is to put your expertise and knowledge of a particular subject to use. Perhaps you are a math wiz or a competent language student; these skills can all be taught from your living room.

The occupation of an online tutor would involve creating a learning plan for your student, teaching them your skills, assessing their work and preparing them for examinations.

A graphic designer creates virtual displays of art and graphics by using their creativity to come up with images that can be used by businesses to promote their brand. This may include creating logos, packaging, labels and other types of advertisement.

Becoming a graphic designer will give you the flexibility to work from home while allowing you to get the experience necessary to progress in your career. Graphic designers with 1-5 years of experience usually earn between $40-65k per year.

Software development has become one of the most sought after jobs for companies across a range of different industries. You will need some level of qualification for this job. Still, you will reap the benefits as it is one of the most flexible and lucrative telecommuting jobs.

Software development involves building websites, developing and maintaining computer code and fixing system bugs. The chances of getting a career as a Software developer are incredibly high due to the shortage of workers.

Companies are always in need of workers with competent communication skills and computing ability to help customers with any queries. Call-centre representatives are responsible for ensuring their customers are happy by solving problems they may have.

There are no necessary qualifications for this job, but customer service experience would be beneficial. Job prospects in this field are high due to increasing demand for their services. The average salary for a Call Centre Representative is $25.88/hr in New Zealand.

Lastly, a job in transcription can be a great working-from-home job that requires minimal experience. Transcription involves directly converting spoken audio into written text such as books, movie scripts, or podcasts. Easy enough, right?

Many companies such as Amazon will hire transcriptionists to transfer audiobooks into written text and vice versa. Data from New Zealand transcriptionists revealed those who work part-time can earn between minimum wage and $25 an hour.

Whether you’re after a career change or simply a stay at home mum/dad looking to earn a bit of money on the side, the advantages of working from home are plentiful.

Many workers are merely tired of committing to the long stressful morning and evening commutes to and from work. Working from home removes that stress and allows you to plan your day in a way that enhances your productivity.

Some of us may find it challenging to focus in amongst the hustle and bustle of co-operative workspaces and prefer a custom environment with little distractions. Also, working from home has an immediate impact on your work-life balance.

This means you have more time for the things that truly matter like spending quality time with family and friends. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in the number of telecommuting jobs means that there is virtually a job from all walks of life that can be completed from your home office.

Most big corporations are rethinking what work is – rather than a place, work is now a process that can be completed anywhere, anytime. Statistics New Zealand found that over 50% of all corporations are now adopting flexible work methods like working from home or use co-working centres and hubs.

Ultimately working from home offers the flexibility and responsibility of being your own boss, setting your own expectations and working in an environment that suits you. With this list of the ten best working from home jobs, you’re now ready to take the next steps towards your ideal work situation.

Read more about how to actually get a job that lets you work from home (or convince your current boss to let you do it).