Top 8 most in-demand home-based jobs for freelancers in 2020

According to the Global Gig Economy Index by Payoneer – an online Payment platform, the Philippines is the 6th fastest growing market for freelancers in 2019. While the online jobs platform Upwork (formerly Elance-oDesk) already has more than 1.4 million registered Filipino users alone. Is freelancing really rocks the world?

Thousands of Filipinos are inspired to lead a more balanced but rewarding lifestyle like working from home. A lot of you might be asking, is it really possible for me to enter the world of freelancing. The answer is definitely -YES!

But before you enter the world of freelancing, let us first tackle the most in-demand home-based jobs not just for a dad, mom, but also open for the students.

1. General Virtual Assistant

One of the most well-known home-based jobs all over the world which doesn't require any specific educational degree. A general virtual assistant, also known as GVA basically does the same work as a Personal Assistant, Secretary, and Office Administrator all in one but the only difference is, they deliver work remotely. The task includes but not limited to administrative tasks (such as data entry, designing tasks, e-commerce, etc.), schedule management, creating presentations, and handling your boss’s emails, and many more. It is not the kind of job where you can afford to slack off (even if you're working from home with no one watching you!). Many of you might think that working from home gives you a more slacking time off but it's a BIG BIG NO!

When applying for a virtual assistant position, always remember to be professional even if the test, email, and interviews are all done virtually. Think of it as a secretarial job. This job can be easy if you know and understand your limitations. Apply for REAL one position that will MATCH your skills now. If you are new to the world of freelancing, $3 per hour is a good start. Do not compare the rate of the other freelancer to yours. I t will only make you lose your focus on your chosen niche.

2. Customer Service Representative

Customer service representatives or also known as CSR interact with customers on behalf of an organization.  With the popularity of call centers in the Philippines, freelancing sites also open the opportunities of hiring a remote CSR staff. The role of the customer service representative is not limited to handling customer complaints, process their orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services. Written and oral English communication is a MUST. Being a CSR requires you to be computer savvy but there is no required educational attainment for this type of job. An average hourly rate varies from $3-$6 depending on your skills and experiences.

3. Online English teacher / English as first language  (ESL) teacher

ESL has been around in the Philippines for quite a long time now. Due to our fluency in the English language, non-English speaking Asian countries like Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, and other countries want to connect to the Philippines to aid their language barrier.

I myself started my home-based career as an English online teacher for intermediate and advanced Asian English learners. I am not good at handling kids so I really requested the company to let me teach business or professional adults but unfortunately, favoring my request is against the company's rule. Anyway, here's the story of my ESL world. Back then, 95% of my students are intermediate and advanced levels which makes me enjoy my teaching career. Most of the students I handled are engineers, accountant, model, singers, doctors, and even the CEO of the company. Don't be intimidated by their titles because non-native English learners are very polite to their English teacher. Disregard the age differences. It's a teacher-student relationship after all. 

The primary job responsibility of an ESL teacher is to improve the English reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of students of diverse ages and backgrounds. A successful teacher should enjoy people, show enthusiasm and excitement in the online classroom, and be positive. A teacher should know the word "flexibility". You might not want the students to adjust on you, but YOU as a teacher should be flexible and open to change when things go differently than planned. Don't expect that every student has the same attitude, learning ability, and understanding. All students are different so make sure that as an English online tutor, you will respond in a more positive way to meaningful tasks that allow them to “use” the language. 

If you think you don't have that much confidence to teach adult students, you have other options. Teach kids or teenage students. In order to catch the attention of beginner students, the teacher must be cheerful. Kids students range from 4-12 years old. If it's a teenager, it normally varies from 13-19 years old. Most of the teenage students are very good at reading, writing, and listening but struggling a lot in speaking. So, help them speak with confidence. Make them feel that they can improve as they practice more. "PRACTICE makes PERFECT!" The rate will depend on your educational background and English proficiency.

4. Social Media Manager

From the title itself, the social media manager is literally responsible for curating a brand's social channels. A social media manager is monitoring the company's Social Media strategy in order to increase brand awareness, improve marketing efforts, and increase sales. They monitor, moderate, and respond to audience comments; manage social media partnerships with other brands; basic knowledge in website creation, and make and/or post shareable videos and images online.

I am working as a social media manager and it is not an easy job. In order to be a successful social media manager, you have to possess the following skills:

1. Strategy planning and creative mindset.

2. Tactics and execution.

3. Community management.

4. Understand how content works on the social web (such as graphic content, weekly content, videos related to the company, etc.)

5. Optimizing content and writing skills.

Social media managers have similar working hours to others in the advertising and marketing world but in my case, I always accept a social media task contract if it's a part-time position only. However, sometimes if there's a deadline I have to work outside my normal working hours paid or not paid. (NOTE: sometimes only. Once in a blue moon haha!) If you are a start-up social media manager, you can charge your client $3 per hour. But you can also offer packages to them.

5. Freelance Writer

There are many types of writing. It can be SEO writing, content writing, copywriting, and many more. But the three mentioned kinds of writing are the most in-demand writing task in the freelancing world. 

A writer is a person who uses written words in different styles and techniques to communicate ideas. - Wikipedia. That means a writer engaged in writing books, articles, stories,  to convey a connection with the audiences. 

As a writer itself, you have to think out of the box. If you want to connect with people all over the world, think of yourself as a reader not as a writer itself. A good writer should be able to adapt to any situations, topics, and deadlines. Oral and written English skills and the ability to get focused are a MUST! Most of the clients who are looking for a freelance writer are seeking help for a freelancer who can speak and express his/her ideas in English in a good way. Sometimes, you are entitled to edit, revised, and analyze existing articles for the outline. As a writer, I normally charge my clients not on an hourly basis but on the length of the article. If it's 500-1000 works, I charged them $10-$20 per article. But you can also charge them on an hourly basis. It depends on you.

6. Web Developer

A web developer or programmer is someone who takes a web design - which has been created by either a client or a design team - and turns it into a website.  

Learning and working in web development takes effort and a lot of time as it can take years to master the skills of a good web developer.  Learning is a continuous process after all. Web developers charge their clients $20-$70 per hour depending on their skills and experiences.

7. Transcriptionist 

A transcriptionist is a professional typist who listens to recorded or live audio files and converts into text format what they hear. They offer their services to medical, legal, and general transcription industry but it depends upon their expertise. Transcription is challenging work, but you can train from home and work from home or anywhere you have access to a computer with an internet connection. 

I worked before as a transcriptionist but since I have a hearing defect, working in this field is quite difficult for me. People who know me might be in shock that I was a transcriptionist before because I tend to say "come again, wait, what?! or in short, I am a 40% deaf. Hahaha! Anyway, transcription is a challenging job, but you can train from home and work from home or anywhere you have access to a computer with an internet connection.  Plenty of companies especially in the USA allows their staff to work from home. Transcribing is also a job that is flexible and doesn't require too much phone work. That is why transcribing an audio file into text became known widely not just in the USA but also in the Philippines. An hour audio file will cost $18 for a newbie but can also be increased to $50.

8. Graphic Designer

A graphic designer creates visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers or buyers. They develop the overall layout and production design for applications such as advertisements, brochures, magazines, social media content, logos, reports, and many more.   

Graphic designing is easy to jump into - anyone can get a computer, download the software or applications, and within a couple of minutes, you can produce good graphic art. And because everyone thinks they can do it, the graphic designing world became a competitive field. Graphic design is not that hard if you at least have a certain level of talent toward arts, design, and creativity. 

As a social media manager, graphic design skill is a must. But I am not good at arts but I love creating something out of nowhere. That's the time I develop the love and passion for arts. As a newbie graphic designer, you can charge your client $3 per hour and increase it as you gain experiences.

Unlike a regular office job, remote or home-based work opportunities don’t really require an academic qualification for many roles, most of the time. Take this as a challenge! Every day is a new beginning so try to focus on finding home-based jobs that are aligned with certain roles and responsibilities you’ve had in the past, it doesn’t need to be an exact match of your job title. Focus on the things you can do and as time goes by, you'll definitely grow. Always keep in mind that working virtually or in an office-based field is just the same. Both require professionalism so don't set your mind that working from home is an easy job. For me, working remotely is harder than working in an office-based field since you will be working alone. No one is going to reach you and teach you. You'll have to make a research on your own but you will definitely grow as a team. 

If you are a business person or a start-up businessman, have you considered help from a freelancer? If you need help, let me know so I can assist you. I would be happy to assist you all throughout your business success. To learn more about freelancing services, kindly follow this link.