Looking for a work at home job? Here's everything you need to know about working at home, including where to find work at home job listings, the best sites for finding working at home jobs, and how to avoid work from home scams.

Real Work at Home Jobs

Are there real work at home jobs? Yes there are some, but, they are not nearly as plentiful as you would think considering the amount of interest there is in working from home. They are also difficult to find.

Finding work at home employment isn't easy. Despite all the online advertising you see, there aren't that many legimate work at home jobs. In fact, there are more scams than real work from home opportunities. Here's how to find work at home employment, research work at home opportunities to make sure they are legitimate and avoid scams.

Work at Home Job Listings

There are companies that hire for work from home jobs and you can find work at home job listings online. Job seekers who are interested in home employment need to spend a good deal of time searching for legitimate opportunities, as well as a significant amount of time weeding through scams.

Getting Started Working at Home

Many people who work from home started out working in an office, but, were able to arrange with their employer to work some or all of time at home. I have an acquaintance who relocated to Washington, DC. Her employer decided to enable her to work from home, rather than losing a valuable employee. I have another acquaintance who works part-time from the office and part-time from home in order to accommodate her child's school schedules. My sister-in-law schedules home nursing care visits from home. In those cases, employees, who had already proven themselves to be valuable to their employer, were able to negotiate flexible work schedules.

Companies That Hire Work From Home Employees

There are companies that hire employees directly to work from their homes. Check the sites that list work at home jobs. Some of these positions are those where you cover a territory, for an insurance company or a consumer products firm, for example, and spend some time on the road and some time in your home office. There are also customer service, recruiting, sales, scheduling, technical, writing, and telemarketing jobs available. In many cases, the jobs are part-time, commission-based, or pay a lump sum for a completed project.

In other cases, you can work as a home based agent where you are an employee of the company who works from a home office, providing customer service to client companies. Virtual assistants provide administrative, secretarial, and clerical support, as well as creative and/or technical services for clients.

Work at home transcriptionists are usually independent contractors who transcribe and edit recorded reports onto their home computer. Online tutors work for internet based companies that offer help, within a variety of subject areas, to students of all ages.

If you're looking to make a little extra money, paid surveys are a possibility, but do be careful about avoiding scams.

Full-time jobs that provide health insurance, a pension, vacation, and other benefits while you work full-time from home, especially if you don't have experience, are few and far between. Finding them online is a little like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Be Flexible

Flexibility is one key to successfully working from home. If you are willing to consider freelance or contract employment or willing to combine a couple of part-time positions, you'll have a greater chance of success in finding opportunities that are legitimate. It's also critically important to take the time to search for positions and to thoroughly research those that sound viable.