General Chat

Morning everyone.

does anyone know of a good site for "jobs at home"

Does anyone use one?are they anygood?

Many thanks helen x

Hi Helen, are you looking for home-working opportunities that will give you an income or are you looking for people to do jobs for you as Rita suggests? I assumed on reading your post that you want information about the former, in which case Google for money saving expert home working. Good luck, and don't part with any money!

Ive struggled with this, I want to work from home as I have 3 children and no family to mind them in holidays or if they're ill etc etc. All I've come across (and one or two might suit you, some do involve going out) is Betterware, Kleeneze, Avon, delivering Yellow Pages/Thompsons/phone books, leaflet distribution, taking in peoples ironing, childminding, hairdressing, psychic phoneline work from home, and dog walking. Not much help am I! Some years ago I did phonework selling insurance and mortgages from home, was scared stiff but you soon get your confidence up and you're just reading from a sheet.

Have to say, Romany, yours is a very comprehensive answer.

Over the years I have: transcribed marketing recordings onto paper. This was a lot of fun. Had foreign students stay (mostly French). Worked as a Learning Support Assistant in local primary and secondary schools. The most lucrative was the foreign students. I have considered ironing as everyone around here wants someone to do this. I even have an email address set up for this - although I have never used it.

None of these paid anything like a living wage but pocket money was always good when you need to be home for the children.

I progressed to training in childcare and ran my own class for 11 years.

Now I have trained in basic book-keeping, which many small businesses need. I also raise hens and sell the eggs.

A friend of mine signed up to be a film extra. It was basic wage but she enjoyed it. I think, to work from home and earn money, you need to think "outside the box." But you won't get rich!

Ooh a film extra! I'd love that. I suppose if you live near London or can drive its good, neither applies to me! The foreign students idea is good, I'd be worried about waking up in the morning to find my house cleared out but thats the same worry with any lodger. In years to come we might have a spare room. How did you find out about transcribing the marketing recordings?

A few years ago I would have suggested you try some of the market research firms as they kept us well for a long time.

Sadly, most market research work has gone as suveys are carried out on-line. They do pay you a little bit to take part in them.

Mystery shopping can be fun and pays expenses and a small fee as well. My OH flew to Venice once on a mystery shop and we have stayed in a few hotels. We eat out for them and go to the cinema.

It doesn't pay you a living wage but it is a way to be paid for going out.

Romany, my friend who was a film extra lived in darkest Hampshire, so it doesn't have to be London.

The students were very nice and, over many years, we never had any trouble.

I do some on-line market research: the pay is pathetic but it's not a lot of work and not hard. There are some companies who pay you to do research on line, just looking up odd facts and stuff for them: it can pay decently if you work all day. Just try googling until you find them.

A friend of mine was a mystery shopper. Again, there wasn't much money but she had lots of free meals out as part of her work.

Oh yes, and what about offering your home for TV and film companies? Remember programmes and films need all sorts of locations, it doesn't have to be posh, just available when required. The road I grew up in had a couple of houses that used to be taken over by TV crews for a couple of weeks. They would be redecorated and returned to normal once filming was over.