Working remotely has become a mainstay since the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are countless ways for consumers to earn money – or extra money – from home.
For those who may be looking to bolster their bank accounts, earn some extra income, or improve their financial standing, a remote side job could be just the thing.
Picking a remote side job
FlexJobs, a site dedicated to highlighting remote work opportunities, put together a list of over two dozen remote side jobs that are currently hiring. Below are just some, including the average hourly wage for each, though actual pay will depend on where employees live.
Project Manager ($37/hour): This option came with the highest average hourly wage, and interested candidates can choose from positions like Senior Software Engineer, Senior Product Manager, Database Administrator, Program Coordinator, and more.
Curriculum Writer ($33/hour): The second highest-paying remote side job is a curriculum writer. Some companies are based in Hong Kong or Toronto, but employees can work anywhere in the world. Interested applicants for these jobs must have strong writing, organization, and communication skills, and in some instances, knowledge about specific state standards or rubrics may be necessary.
Executive Assistant ($29/hour): Organization is essential for remote executive assistants. Those hired will be responsible for keeping schedules in check, planning travel, taking care of expense reports, and sometimes even posting on social media.
Writer ($29/hour): These positions can include everything from Bloggers, Reporters, Content Managers, Editors, Journalists, Copywriters, News Writers, or Columnists. There are also opportunities for technical writers and authors.
Recruiter ($27/hour): These remote side jobs range from industry-specific recruiters, like Blood Donor Recruiters or American Sign Language Recruiters, to general Corporate Recruiters. Experience and skills will vary from position to position.
Social Media Manager ($26/hour): Interested applicants for these positions should have a solid grasp of all things social media. This includes the different platforms – Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube – as well as different post formats – videos, images, text, etc.
Copy Editor ($25/hour): Do you have a solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling? Can you check documents for consistency? Do you excel at proofreading? Then these remote side jobs are likely to be a good fit.
Graphic Designer ($24/hour): Whether you’re interested in part-time, full-time, contract, or freelance work, there are many opportunities for graphic designers. These positions could be Creative Directors, Illustrators, Conceptual Professionals, Commercial Artists, Layout Managers, Designers, or Art Directors.
Search Engine Evaluator ($24/hour): Many of these positions are geared toward consumers who are bilingual – Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish are just a few of the languages that require Search Engine Evaluators.
Career Coach ($24/hour): Whether you’re interested in working with students, seniors, or those in the middle of their career lives, there are options when it comes to remote career coaching. There are also language-specific career coaches, including French and Portuguese, as well as scouting for sports like soccer, football, or volleyball.
Don’t fall victim to job-related scams
While consumers looking for jobs online should consider a number of things, including their skill set, how much time they want to devote to the job, and what their schedule will look like, it’s also important to be aware of the scams that exist within the job search.
Some red flags consumers should keep in mind are salaries that are much higher than similar jobs, employers asking for personal information (Social Security number, bank account information) right off the bat, emails that come in from personal accounts, not company accounts, or a company making a hiring decision very quickly.
People should be diligent in their job hunt, researching the companies, the open positions, and the salaries they’re being offered.