15 genuine work from home jobs in the UK

Genuine work from home jobs UK edition

Like it or not, the world is changing. Due mainly to social distancing and other restrictions, almost 50% of workers in the UK were working remotely by April 2020. Although that figure has reduced since, it’s still far higher compared to five years ago.

And if you’ve tried it, you might fancy making the permanent change to home working yourself. But what legitimate remote jobs are there, what’s involved and what skills do you need? Take a look below at some of the basics you need to know and then we’ll dive into the best work from home opportunities.

Where to look?

Finding the right employment can be hard at the best of times. But watch for opportunities for remote workers mentioned on social media, local papers or job boards such as Indeed and Reed. Your job search may even give you ideas for work you have never considered!

Childminder

What’s involved?

Looking after other people’s children from your home.

Great for…

People who enjoy working with children. Also suitable for those looking for a full-time income and ideal for working around your own children.

Downsides

Your house can become quite messy with so many people coming in and out, plus you will lose a lot of space for toys and children’s resources. Days can be lengthy because parents want to cover their working hours and commuting time. You may need a bigger car if you decide to take on the school run.

Skills and qualifications

You would think you need a long list of qualifications to start, but becoming a childminder in the United Kingdom isn’t too complicated. You must complete a pre-registration course with PACEY or your local authority. You must also undertake safeguarding and paediatric first aid courses and register with Ofsted.

Everybody in your household over 16 will need to complete an enhanced DBS check. You (and your doctor) must also complete a health declaration form to say you are fit to work.

How much can you earn?

There are limited numbers of children you can look after under the age of 8, but over that age, you can take on as many as you like.

If you charge £5 per hour and have 3 children for 8 hours, that will earn you £120 per day. If you manage this 5 days per week, that’s £600 per week. Annually, if you were to work 48 weeks, that would be £28,800.

You can take a look at more details about becoming a childminder here.

Ironing service

What’s involved?

Ironing other people’s clothes. Most ironing services offer a collection and drop-off service. Although this is not essential, it will make your business more attractive.

Great for…

Getting paid whilst you watch TV or listen to the radio. And you’re helping people by doing a job they hate.

Downsides

Not all fabrics can be ironed and not all clients know this. Your time could be wasted when you turn up to collect items, only to find that there’s nothing you can do. And whether you do a good job or not is a matter of opinion. Remember, people are paying you and will not expect even the smallest creases.

Skills and qualifications

None. You must have a keen eye for detail and be a good ironer. You can start advertising your services for free through local Facebook groups. After that, word of mouth should help your business grow.

How much can you earn?

This partly depends on the competition in your area. Most people charge between £1-£1.50 per item. Alternatively, you can charge by the weight of a bag of clothes – typically between £5-£6 per kilo. But remember, some clothes are far harder to iron compared to others. A bag of cotton dress shirts will take far longer than a bag of school jumpers, so you must price accordingly.

Graphic designer

What’s involved?

There are plenty of people (like me) who lack any creative skills and look to others for inspiration. You could be asked to design logos for companies, brochures, marketing materials or pictures for social media.

Great for…

Growing other people’s businesses. A logo (or marketing material) is often the first thing a customer will see and can be the make or break of a company. You can be responsible for helping a small business flourish.

Downsides

A little difficult to get started. Many customers will want to see a portfolio and examples of work before they sign you up, so this can take some time.

Creating a design that matches a customer’s needs can be difficult too. You need to make arrangements beforehand whether you offer a refund if you don’t provide something they consider suitable. Of course, you don’t want to spend hours slaving away for no reward, but you also don’t want lots of bad reviews as you charge full price for something they are not happy with.

Skills and qualifications

Although qualifications in graphic design are desirable, they aren’t essential – your work should speak for itself. You need to be competent with design software. It’s no good just being able to knock up some pictures from your phone, as most people can do that. That will mean buying a decent computer/tablet and some proper software. And being good at web design will add another string to your bow.

How much can you earn?

This really does depend on your skills. Starting out, expect around £20,000 per year and increase to £30,000 once you’re established with a good client base. The top designers can earn closer to £50,000, depending on the projects available.

Pet sitting and/or walking

What’s involved?

Looking after other people’s animals, either from your home, theirs or taking them out in public places.

Great for…

Anybody that loves spending their time with animals. Also ideal for getting some extra exercise.

Downsides

Pets are an extended family for most people, so a lot of responsibility is involved. You will need to ensure adequate insurance in case something happens.

If you work from home, it’s best to have a dedicated space for the animals to use so that your home doesn’t get completely overrun.

Skills and qualifications

You need a lot of patience. Pets can have strong personalities and you need to know how to deal with them correctly. Certain animals, especially dogs, don’t always get along with each other. Your schedule may involve juggling which animals you can look after and when.

How much can you earn?

This depends on what you decide to do and if there’s high competition in your area. Dog walking pays the most and can be up to £10 per hour. And if you’re taking several dogs at once, that can be quite a money-spinner and could even become a full-time job. Pet sitting generally pays less but is more laid back than walking.

ESL Teacher

What’s involved?

Helping adults and children from across the world improve their English language skills. ESL stands for English as a Second Language.

Great for…

Meeting new people and earning money from it. You can work from your bedroom and need little else besides your computer.

Downsides

This remote job requires you to be flexible with your hours if you want to earn more. Many of the students you teach will be based worldwide and live in different time zones. That means finding times that are suitable for both.

Skills and qualifications

Apart from being fluent in English (native English speaker preferred), it would be best to be patient and friendly. Students are looking to learn conversational English, so it helps if you can chat freely.

Regarding qualifications, some ESL companies require online tutors to be educated to a degree level, but not all. It also helps if you have completed courses that help towards tutoring. Look at TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) and CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

How much can you earn?

As a full-time career, depending on your experience, you can earn between £14,000 – £35,000 per year as an online tutor. Working more casually, most ESL companies pay in the region of £20-£30 per hour.

Visit the UK government site to find out more about becoming an ESL.

Blogging

What’s involved?

Writing about what you enjoy and anything that interests you. You earn money through advertising, working with brands or affiliate marketing.

Great for…

Designing your own corner of the internet. And once you’ve written your blog posts, you can leave them and they can earn money for years afterwards. A great way to make a passive income.

Downsides

There’s a lot more to blogging than just writing content. You need to learn about SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which gets your site noticed by search engines like Google, whilst you’ll also need to be good at social media handling and some website design. It can be a very lonely job and takes remote working to the extreme.

Skills and qualifications

You need to be able to write engaging content about things that people are interested in. It’s all very well writing about your top three Teletubbies, but who will read it? You need some basic computing skills but nothing particularly advanced. Using a website builder like WordPress is very easy and many groups on social media can help with any questions you might have. But if you find it challenging, taking some basic online courses may be a good idea to help you along.

So, although being a web designer and having the ability to code and design is an asset, it’s not essential to get started.

How much can you earn?

This depends. If you take a couple of sponsored posts monthly and have adverts running on your site, you can easily make £100-£200 per month. But with time and effort, plenty of people make over £2,000 per month.

If you want to get started, you must find a host for your website. Bluehost is a good option because it’s very cheap to get started. Once you join, you can download WordPress and start building your site. They also have a very good customer support base.

Freelance writer

What’s involved?

Being a freelance writer means that you write for others. This can be for magazines, newspapers, content writing for blogs or adverts.

Great for…

This remote role is a great opportunity for expressing your creative side. You can write about a variety of issues, all depending on what is required by the client.

Downsides

It’s hard to get started. Companies generally prefer more established writers with a good body of work behind them. That means you might need to initially work for free to get some of your work out there.

There is also plenty of competition, so you need to be able to deal with rejection and times when you can’t earn.

Skills and qualifications

You don’t need specific qualifications, although if you have a background in writing, it will give you an edge. Of course, you will need to be fluent in English and be able to produce grammatically correct work. The last thing editors will want to do is to go through your work and correct it.

How much can you earn?

You will generally be paid by the word. You will be given a topic to write about, a word limit and a fee. As a new writer, you will earn between £10-£20 for a 200-word article, but this will increase as you become more experienced and you’re asked for longer articles. Established writers can charge £100’s for 500+ word articles.

Virtual Assistant

What’s involved?

A virtual assistant job (VA) can vary; what you do depends on who you decide to work for. You might be required to proofread, organise diaries, sort out finances, speak to potential clients, answer emails or even be a social media manager.

Great for…

Somebody that enjoys a wide range of tasks and is motivated to work with little supervision. It can be an exciting opportunity to learn new skills.

Downsides

You work according to your client’s needs. That means you may have to work well into the night if there is a tight schedule. Some tasks can be mundane, such as data entry or creating spreadsheets.

Skills and qualifications

Most employers won’t require specific qualifications, but some work experience is this kind of work area would help. As you’ll work remotely and may never meet your boss face-to-face, you must be a good communicator and have organisational skills. A good command of English and decent maths skills would also be desirable, as well as being competent on computers and able to file share. And a decent internet connection is a must!

How much can you earn?

If you can bag a full-time role, you can earn between £20,000 – £30,000 per year. But many clients will only be searching for a VA for shorter roles. In this case, you can charge up to £30 per hour.

YouTuber

What’s involved?

Similar to blogging, you create content and share it with the world. However, you need very little in the way of technical ability and can get started straight away.

Great for…

Great for anyone who enjoys time in front of a camera. The best part is that it costs next to nothing to start your own channel.

Downsides

It isn’t easy to get your YouTube channel noticed. There’s plenty of competition, so you need to produce original material or videos that are better than what’s already on YouTube.

Skills and qualifications

You need to be creative, and confident and be able to create content that people want to watch and subscribe to. As you become more popular, you will need to invest in better equipment, such as a microphone and better equipment, as fans expect a more professional approach.

How much can you earn?

You can make money through product placement in your videos, although this will be mainly for established YouTube stars. Most income will come from adverts that people will see before and during your videos.

YouTube pays per 1,000 views; this can be between 5 pence and £7, depending on the video content and popularity. If you have videos pulling in 20,000 views per day, you could make around £1,000 per month. But top YouTubers earn millions each year.

Voice over work

What’s involved?

You will be asked to read lines for projects such as adverts, promotional material and training videos.

Great for…

Anybody that wants simple work. All you need to do is read out loud what is written – no experience required.

Downsides

With these remote positions, there is a lack of steady work. Most clients will have a particular voice or accent in mind and yours may not suit the role. And there’s nothing you can do about that.

Skills and qualifications

Apart from being a competent reader and being able to follow instructions, there’s little else you need. Naturally, certain voices may be more desirable than others.

How much can you earn?

It is difficult to judge as it depends on how much work is involved and the project. But jobs usually start at around £50 and will increase with the number of words you need to provide.

A site such as Fiverr is an excellent place to start offering your services.

Customer service

What’s involved?

You advise customers and answer their queries on behalf of major brands.

Great for…

People that like to help others and offer guidance.

Downsides

You need your own quiet, dedicated workspace. The last thing a customer wants is to hear your child asking for lunch as they try to resolve an issue. And. at times, it can be quite stressful as a customer service representative depending on the company.

Skills and qualifications

You need to be a quick thinker, as you will receive all kinds of questions. You also need to remain polite, even in the toughest of situations.

How much can you earn?

These roles usually pay around minimum wage, although sometimes, a little over. Some companies will take you on as a full-time employee, which means that you receive extra benefits such as a pension and holiday pay.

One site worth looking at for customer care jobs is Amazon.

Data entry

What’s involved?

The bulk of the work will involve entering figures into spreadsheets.

Great for…

Work that requires little thought and isn’t taxing.

Downsides

Generally, the work is very monotonous and not very challenging. It’s fine for short periods but can become quite tiresome over long periods. Although it’s good to have a distraction in the background, like a radio, you still need to concentrate on what you’re doing.

Skills and qualifications

No specific qualifications are needed, but you need an eye for detail and the patience of a saint. If you’re easily distracted or have a short attention span, this probably isn’t the job for you.

How much can you earn?

Most data entry jobs start at around minimum wage and can go up to £15 per hour.

A few sites worth looking at for data entry jobs include Trovit, Clickworker and e4s.

Matched betting

What’s involved?

Making the most out of free bets available from bookmakers. You cover all possible outcomes of an event, and using these free bets, you make money.

Great for…

It’s also tax-free and because it’s quick to do, you can earn extra income alongside other hustles.

Downsides

It takes a while to figure out, especially if you’re not used to using bookmakers. The amount you can make decreases over time as bookmakers will eventually stop offering you free bets.

Skills and qualifications

None, although it does help if you have some basic maths skills. However, there are spreadsheets to help you out, so even if you’re terrible at maths like me, you can still get through it.

How much can you earn?

Depending on how much money you have to start matched betting with, you can earn over £1000 per month initially. This will reduce the longer you matched bet for, but you can still easily earn over £200 per month just from a couple of hours of work.

You can see my full post about matched betting and how it works.