Are you looking for the best side jobs from home to make extra money? In a world of social distancing and working remotely due to the pandemic, the options are nearly endless.
Whether you’ve been laid off or your work hours have been reduced, starting a side job from home is a great way to supplement your income.
Side jobs from home also provide freedom and the flexibility to make money in your free time. Getting a side job is a great way to become debt-free, build an emergency fund, or even start saving for retirement.
So, if you’re looking to start a side job from home for whichever reason, I have summarized the 10 best, all of which can be done working remotely. I also provide steps to choose the right one and tips to help you succeed.
In This Post:
- What a side job from home is
- How to choose a side job
- 10 best sides jobs from home
- Tips for working a side job
- Final thoughts on side jobs from home
What Are Side Jobs From Home?
Side jobs from home are opportunities you can pursue that allow you to work without going to an office as a way to make extra income in addition to your full-time job.
They also allow you to work whenever you want creating flexibility in your schedule.
Starting a side job from home has more benefits than just making extra income. A side job is great for anyone trying to grow their skills to qualify for a better job.
Some people also get a side job from home because they aren’t ready to commit to a full-time job, or just don’t want to work a regular nine-to-five.
However, In some cases, a side job can start earning you so much money that it becomes your primary income, creating the opportunity to quit your day job.
How to Choose Side Jobs From Home
With nearly endless opportunities to work from home to make some extra money, it can seem difficult to choose the right one.
However, there are a few steps you can follow to narrow down the list and find a side job that’s the right fit for you.
1. Assess Your Skills
One of the most important things you should consider before finding a side job from home are your skills.
From previous work experience, education, etc. you probably have quite a few skills that are marketable and can help you land the side job you want.
When choosing a side job, look for one that involves both your skills and what your passionate about. This will help you approach a company that is hiring for a position you want with a lot of confidence.
2. Consider What You Enjoy Doing
As previously mentioned briefly, the second thing you should consider is what you enjoy doing.
Since this won’t be your primary occupation and you will be working on it in your free time, it should be work that you’re happy to be a part of and enjoy doing.
Doing what you enjoy will make a major difference when you’re working your side job from home after a long day at work. To determine what you would enjoy doing, consider your hobbies and anything else you’re interested in.
3. Figure Out How Much Time You Can Commit
Although most of the options on our list allow you to choose your hours, some side jobs from home do require you to commit more time than others.
Considering this, before you start a side job, determine how many hours per week you want to devote to it before you commit.
4. Gather Information on Potential Companies
Once you have determined what you want to do and have found potential companies to work for, take some time to research the business or company that is hiring.
You should also research the position itself to make sure it involves what you want to do and enjoy.
If you’re looking for a part-time side job from home, there’s also a chance you will come across a lot of job listings that are not legitimate and might even be scams.
Considering this, it’s important you perform due diligence before applying for any potential side job.
10 Best Side Jobs From Home to Make Extra Money
Now that you know what a side job from home is and how to choose one, here are the 10 best you should consider if you want to make some extra money from home.
The majority of these side jobs are flexible and allow you to choose your hours so that you can work around your schedule. They are also easy to get and don’t require training or additional education to land one.
1. Typing
There are many ways to make money typing. Considering this, you will have the ability to choose a position that aligns with your interests, skills, and experience.
If you’re interest in working a side job from home as a typist you can find work on sites such as Rev, Transcribe, Scribie, and Athreon to get started.
Here is a quick summary of the three most popular jobs you can get as a typist to get a feel for your options.
Data Entry
Of all the ways you can make money typing, data entry is one of the easiest. As long as you have a decent typing speed and are detail-orientated, a data entry job may be a good fit for you.
Transcription
Unlike data entry, transcription does require a bit more skill. Transcriptionists listen to audio or video recordings, such as interviews, seminars, speeches, conference calls, etc. and type out what they hear into a document.
This may sound easy, but you have to be an expert typist and have a flawless attention to detail. If this describes you, you may want to consider a side job from home as a transcriptionist.
Captioning
Captioning is rather different than both transcription and data entry. As a captioner, you will listen to audio and video recordings and transcribe them in real-time.
If you work as a captioner, you will need specialized equipment, high accuracy, and a very fast typing speed. Typically, only the most skilled and experienced typists can find work as a captioner.
2. Bookkeeping
Do you enjoy working with numbers? If you have experience in accounting or any other related field, you can get a side job from home helping small businesses track and record their business transactions.
Although previous experience is beneficial, you do not need an accounting degree or any certification to get a job as a bookkeeper.
If bookkeeping is something you’re interested in, you can find job postings on indeed.com. Just type in “bookkeeper” in the “what” field at the top of their homepage. You can also type in “remote” in the “where” field to find bookkeeping jobs you can work from home.
3. Customer Service Representative
Believe it or not, customer support is one of the fastest growing industries. Considering this, you’ll be able to find countless opportunities to work as a customer service rep from home.
Many customer service roles are also needed outside of regular business hours, so it’s an ideal side job if you work a nine-to-five.
If you’re interest in working as a customer service rep as a side job from home, you can find job opportunities on sites such as indeed, Flexjobs, and Monster.
4. Teaching or Tutoring
If you’re knowledge in a certain academic subject, offering virtual tutoring is a wonderful option for a side job from home.
In most cases, you do not need an advanced college degree to work as a tutor. In fact, college students are frequently hired to tutor middle school and even high school students as a peer tutor.
You can even consider teaching English to foreign exchange students if you have a bachelor’s degree, some teaching experience, and a TEFL certificate that is easy to get.
If tutoring is a side job from home you’re interested in, you can find work on sites such as Skooli, TutorMe, Brainfuse, and Chegg Study.
5. Virtual Assistant
Simply put, as a virtual assistant (VA), you will help a business owner with whatever tasks they may need help with.
While tradition assistants would run around an office doing tasks for their boss, most responsibilities of an assistant have moved online, allowing this job to now be completed from your home.
If you enjoy performing administrative work, being a VA may be a great side job from home for you.
Typical tasks you will perform as a virtual assistant include:
- Responding to emails
- Scheduling appointments, etc.
- Booking travel accommodations
- Coordinating events
- Organizing schedules
- Client communications
If being a VA is a side job from home you’re interested in, you can find potential work on sites such as Upwork, VANetworking, Belay, and Zirtual.
6. Online Research
There are quite a few companies, such as Wonder, that offer flexible side jobs from home to anyone that knows how to do online research.
The way Wonder works is by assigning questions to their researchers. The answers to these questions help other companies that have partnered with Wonder for whatever they’re working on, such as a research paper, marketing campaign, or even a business plan.
Common answers the researchers must find are in relation to things such as trend analysis, competitor analysis, and even determining the size of an industry or market for their product or service.
Simply put, as an online researcher, you will receive an assignment, do research to gather relevant information, and then write a report that is simple and easy to understand. According to Wonder, their top researchers earn more than $20 an hour.
7. Social Media Manager
As more and more businesses move online, the demand for social media specialists continues to grow.
If you’re savvy with social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you should consider offering management services to small businesses that need help.
As a social media manager, you will help them create a social media strategy to build their audience, create unique and engaging content, and much more.
If this is a side job from home you’re interested in, you can look for work on sites such as Freelancer, Flexjobs, Upwork, and even LinkedIn.
8. Selling Crafts
If you enjoy and have a passion for creating homemade crafts, you can start a side job from home selling your crafts with your own Etsy shop. You can also sell them on Shopify, Amazon, and even your very own website.
You can sell customized DIY jewelry, soaps, candles, bath bombs, keychains, and so much more, all of which you can create and ship from the comfort of your own home and on your own schedule.
To advertise and promote your crafts, you can use social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram to build an audience. You can also build an email list and even run giveaways to get people’s attention.
9. Selling Stuff You No Longer Use
Are you like the rest of us and have a closet full of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and other accessories you no longer wear? If you no longer wear it, why not make some quick money?
If you’re willing to sell stuff you no longer use (not just clothes), you can make a lot of quick cash and free up some space while doing so. Simply put, if you have a lot of stuff you no longer use, selling it is a great side hustle you can do from home.
While you can find potential buyers from the comfort of your home using online marketplace platforms, you may have to meet them face-to-face to make the transaction depending on which platform you use.
However, if you’re not interested in selling your stuff locally, you can use a platform such as Poshmark, eBay, or ThredUp. Just keep in mind you may have to pay shipping.
10. Taking Surveys and Watching Ads
Taking surveys and watching video ads is a great way to make money from home that doesn’t require any skill or experience. It’s also a very low-stress job.
All you need is to be willing to share your opinion about products and services to help companies improve them. Surveys, for example, are super quick to complete and you can do them mindlessly.
Although taking surveys and watching video ads doesn’t require any skills or experience, you won’t make much and there are far better ways to spend your time.
However, if this is something you’re interested in doing in your free time while watching tv, etc. you can check out Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, and InboxDollars to get started.
Tips for Working Side Jobs From Home
When you have determined what side job is right for you, make sure you follow these tips to be successful and maximize your opportunities.
Choose Your Boundaries
Are you going to work half-time, part-time? It’s important that you make it clear to the business you’re going to work for that it’s your side job and there will be times during the week that you’re unavailable.
This way, there will be no confusion around your availability, and if there are expectations you can’t meet, they can look somewhere else for someone that can.
Determine Your Priorities
If you’re doing something you enjoy, it’s highly likely your side job will be far more exciting than your nine-to-five.
However, considering your day job is your main source of income, you need to make sure your side job doesn’t interfere with your performance.
Simply put, prioritize your time so that you can fit in your side job when you can, without it interfering with your day job.
Focus on Being Organized
To be able to juggle a full-time job, a side job, and all your other responsibilities, you need to be super organized.
Take time to develop habits and systems that will help make this possible. Use a to-do list, a daily schedule, a calendar, and anything else that will help you stay on track and be organized.
Don’t Rush
One of the best things about a side job from home is that that you can start small and not rush it. When you’re just starting out, only commit a little bit of your time so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
Regardless of how organized you are, it can take some time to get the hang of balancing your full-time job with your side job and any other responsibilities you may have.
Final Thoughts on Side Jobs From Home
Whether it’s a part-time position, weekend side hustle, or even a second job, the opportunities to work from home and earn some extra money are nearly endless.
In fact, thanks to the internet, there has never been a better time with so many great opportunities to work remotely.
To figure out what side job is a good fit for you, just consider your skills, experience, and what you enjoy doing. Once you have done so, there should be at least be one option on our list that is a great opportunity for you to pursue.
