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’.

ivillage uk

Working from home: what can you do?