Many iVillagers have been asking this question. So here are some ideas to get you started

It’s time to redress the balance. We’ve highlighted the scams associated with home working but don’t want to leave you with the impression it’s all bad. There are thousands of people who wouldn’t swap it for anything else and the jobs they do are as varied as in the conventional workplace.

If you have a skill that’s in demand there are more ways than ever before to use it at home. Access to the Internet means where you work is fast becoming irrelevant. Take a look at some of the company case studies. The AA, Surrey County Council, Abbey National and many other employers have implemented successful work from home schemes that could provide the inspiration and reassurance your boss needs to give you more flexibility. Many other companies are opening up to new ways of working.

To find employers recruiting people for home-based opportunities take a look at Go Jobsite. Use the search terms “home based” or “teleworking” (include the quotation marks). Many of the jobs you’ll get are IT-related but there is variety and the email update is an easy way to stay informed.

Work smarter
For many women, working from home is most attractive when they have young children. Carol Finch didn’t intend to give up work after her maternity leave, but once she got her premature baby home she wanted to spend time with him. Her work in marketing and research involved long hours so she took decided to give working from home a go. ‘He’s 18 months old. You couldn’t drag me back to full-time work now’.

Carol finds many of her new assignments through Smarterwork, a web-based service that puts freelancers in touch with those who need their skills. She has worked on 25 projects in their Writing & Editing and Research & Translation categories. Payment is guaranteed by Smarterwork, which removes one of freelancers’ biggest headaches – not getting the money. ‘I had a client disappear on me. In the normal world I would have had real problems chasing payment as they were based in Japan. However, through Smarterwork’s moderation procedure, my work was assessed and payment made’.

The company has built-in safeguards for both clients and experts. The client commissioning the work pays the fee into a holding account once terms are agreed. If the work is satisfactory the expert is paid. If there’s a problem, Smarterwork’s moderation process resolves it.

For Carol, the effect of globalisation on pay has been a real eye-opener. ‘Because people can bid from anywhere in the world, those living in high cost economies are easily undercut by contractors in other parts of the world where living costs are lower. Most projects do pay a realistic rate but I don’t rely on Smarterwork entirely.’ Carol also uses contacts from her previous work and continues to develop new ones.

Effective networking is crucial for homeworkers, not just for making business contacts but to replace the social aspects of going out to work. Carol admits, ‘Working this way has its downside – it can be fairly isolating. Trying to look after the baby and hit a deadline is not easy and I do miss the guaranteed monthly salary, but despite all that I’m in no hurry to go back to an office-based job.’

To bid for projects through Smarterwork you must register. This involves demonstrating skills, experience and qualifications through online tests or submission of a CV. As with any other form of work the more skills you have to offer the greater your choice of work and the more money you can expect.

Unqualified success
There are a growing number of opportunities for those who don’t have particular qualifications but enjoy spending time on the web. A good place to check out what’s on offer and whether it’s worth following up is Lynne O’Connor’s website, www.homeworkinguk.com.

A couple of years ago Lynne was on maternity leave and looking for something she could do from home using the Internet. ‘There was very little for people outside the US so I decided to make a site based on my own research and experience. From that basic idea it’s just grown and grown and virtually taken over my life.’

It’s an excellent starting point for researching what’s out there, and since Lynne has tried many of the schemes herself there are useful comments on how well they work. She’s at pains to point out that homeworking will not make you rich. However, it can help you gain confidence and skills. Building up a portfolio of reviews for sites like Ciao or Dooyoo brings in some money and could also help you break into related work. Dooyoo also operate a market research agency and pay for survey completion, (see Euro-Panel for more details).

Lynne says she wouldn’t want to give the impression that this is an easy alternative to working elsewhere. ‘The number of people wanting to work from home, particularly in less skilled areas, is much greater than the opportunities available. Being a freelancer means you have to be prepared for your income to fluctuate.’

Home cooking
If an intimate relationship with your computer does not appeal there are, of course, other ways of making a living from home. For Annette Gibbons, business is based in her kitchen. The small village of Mawbray on the Cumbrian coast has wonderful views of the fells and the sea. This, coupled with Annette’s talent for cooking, makes it the perfect venue for a leisurely day out. She runs a cookery school with a difference. Her courses include ‘A Taste of the Med’ and ‘Slimline Ideas’ to ‘Getting Ready for Uni and ‘The Vegetarian Christmas’. She offers four-hour sessions which include a demonstration followed by a three course lunch – eating what you’ve watched her make – and recipe sheets so that you can you try it yourself.

Annette’s garden, with its hens, herbs and organic produce is all part of the package. ‘It’s an idea I’d had for a long time but it took being made redundant to push me into making it a reality. I love working this way and enjoy welcoming people into my home. But I’m aware it’s an intrusion on the rest of the family’s privacy, so I work around them. If you’re going to bring work into your home in such a physical way you have to respect the needs of everyone in the house and get their agreement and support.’

Tips for getting started
If working from home is something that fits in better with your life, go for it. If it doesn’t work out, at least you’ve tried – and learned something new along the way.

• Is there something you’re good at and have a passion for? There’s always the possibility of making a living from it. Have a look at SEED programme for starting your own business.
  
  
• Do a “home based” search on Go Jobsite. If you’re not qualified for that sort of work, explore options for learning new skills.
  
  
• If you’re currently working in an office, check out how much of it you could do from home. It could represent a considerable saving for your employer. Do some research before raising the subject.
  
  
• Take a look through the many suggestions on www.homeworkinguk.com. Choose one you’d enjoy and try it for a month.