14 Ways to Make Money in the Fitness Niche

If you have a love for fitness, whether as a professional or just someone who loves keeping healthy, I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can make money from it!

With the rise of health movements such as vegan, keto, and paleo diets, coupled with exercise trends such as HIIT and circuit training, it’s safe to say that the fitness industry is booming and will only continue to grow.

Now is the perfect time to jump in!

In this article, we run down how to make money in fitness so you can start working toward both your fitness goals and your financial goals.

14 Ways to Make Money in the Fitness Niche

I’ve broken down the top ways people are making money in the fitness niche.

Your best bet is to become a trainer of some sort, but you can also help people figure out nutrition, or even become a brand ambassador and make money as an influencer.

Find an area that interests you and run with it.

Make money on the side as an influencer:

Brands are always looking for feedback from influencers and ambassadors to develop their product lines and the fitness industry is a perfect match.

The following companies pay CASH.

1. Become a personal trainer

Whenever an average Joe thinks of the fitness industry this is probably one role that stands out, and with good reason.

Most people, really really hate the gym, but this just means opportunity. Personal training is highly profitable if done correctly.

Starting off you will need to get certified. Certification helps you to build trust with both gyms you may want to work in, and clients you want to work with.

These bodies all supply legitimate certifications:

  • American Council on Exercise (ACE)
  • National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
  • International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)
  • American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)
  • National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)

After getting certified, it’s often best to then look to specialize in an area. Ideally, this should be something that you yourself would be interested in, but it pays to take a look at what’s popular as well.

From that point, you can then start applying to local gyms and fitness centers to start working for them or hiring out facilities with them.

Another approach is to look at teaching at multiple gyms in different areas, which helps expand your network of clients and make sure that you have less risk of clients drying up.

2. Teach group sessions

Group fitness training is quite different from the one-on-one approach of personal training.

In group training, a trainer leads an exercise class while coaching all of the participants, making sure that everyone is using the correct form.

Group training might seem like the obvious choice: more people equals more money, right? Well, that’s not always the case; the fees for group fitness are often much lower than personal training.

However, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make money from it. Plus, running this sort of training has many benefits.

First, it gets you in front of a lot of different people, helping you expand and refine your personal brand.

Second, it allows you to promote additional services, such as one-on-one training sessions, dietary and nutrition plans, your own products, and other services that help you earn more (as we’ll see below).

Lastly, it allows you to broaden your skill set by offering a variety of classes to a variety of people. For instance, you could teach classes for kids or older people, CrossFit and other short classes for busy professionals, and so on.

Keep in mind that you’ll still need certification to be able to go into group training.

3. Expand to online coaching

Once you’re working as a personal trainer or a group trainer, a natural offshoot is to become an online fitness coach.

Not everyone has the luxury of having a quality gym nearby or being able to afford a personal trainer. However, with the rise of high-speed internet, they don’t need to!

You might already have existing clients as a personal trainer, but going online gets you an unlimited client base. You can always find a new audience to market your services.

Online coaching can be done via video chat apps and ideally via two-way video feeds so you can check your client’s form and correct it if you need to.

While you’re online with them, you can also pitch your other products, such as your nutrition and training guides.

It’s not ideal from a fitness training perspective but think of it as a middle ground between a fitness DVD and actual personal training.

What’s more, people are willing to pay to be able to get fitness training from the comfort of their homes.

4. Develop training and nutrition plans

Not everyone wants or needs to head into a gym or hire a personal trainer.

What they are looking for instead is expert guidance on their diet or pointers for their own training regimens at home or at the gym so they can tailor their fitness routines into their specific lifestyle.

Meal plans are a popular product in the fitness niche, especially if you create ones that are based on diets that are all the rage, such as vegan, keto, paleo, Atkins, HCG, or any other diets that are touted to promote health.

Workout plans are equally popular, especially for beginners to a certain kind of workout routine, such as strength training, HIIT, CrossFit, calisthenics, etc. Workout plans that target specific areas of the body also have a wide audience.

Meal plans and workout plans are ideally created in a digital format, such as an ebook or PDF. Creating digital products minimizes your overhead and makes them easier to sell, as there are plenty of free or at least inexpensive digital marketplaces where you can sell these plans.

You can also offer custom training and nutrition plans at a higher price to specific clients with specific needs. These plans can be based on a standard template and tweaked with little to no work to fit the needs of a specific client.

You can also sell your nutrition and training plans together as bundles.

If you’re already working as an online or offline personal trainer, you can offer these as extras to your existing clients.

5. Start a meal delivery service

If you have culinary training aside from nutrition certifications, you can take meal planning a step further and actually create the meals yourself for delivery to your clients.

You can start small and deliver to nearby addresses at first. As your business grows, you can start getting all the necessary permits (your health license is the most important one) and hire a few people to help you prepare and deliver the meals.

The good thing about creating and selling your own meals is that you can bundle this service with your workout plans and increase your income.

Of course, turning your house into a custom kitchen isn’t going to be simple, especially considering the various dietary requirements you’ll have to cater to.

But if you have the knowledge and the capital, a meal delivery business is a lucrative way to make money in the fitness industry.

6. Sell your digital products

If you’ve already gone into creating nutrition and workout plans as digital products, it’s not that far a leap to create a fitness video course.

Of course, producing a video course requires more requirements: a high-quality webcam, editing software, activewear and equipment that look good on camera, and snappy background visuals and music to come up with a polished video with high production value.

If you’re not an expert in video production, you’re going to have to hire professionals to take care of that for you.

All these increase your overhead costs significantly, so if you don’t have a steady, strong client base yet, you’ll struggle to recoup your losses.

Now, you have a suite of digital products that you can sell in various online stores. For instance, you can sell your ebooks on the Amazon Kindle store.

You can also build your own website and sell your digital products there.

7. Make a fitness app

A mobile app is yet another digital product that you can create or have a developer create for you.

Even fitness enthusiasts aren’t without their phones in their hands all the time. So why not make it easier and more accessible for them to track their fitness goals through their phones?

You can run advertisements on your app so you can earn some passive income from that. Or, you can have users download the app for free and then offer paid features and upgrades so you can earn more directly from those.

The good thing here is you can incorporate your existing digital products into this fitness app.

You can make it into a nutrition app, where users can choose a meal plan template or create their own. You can make it into a workout app, where users can choose a specific workout to do or create their own with individual exercises. Or, ideally, you can make combine them into one app.

8. Establish a tangible fitness product line

As I’ve mentioned, not everyone can afford to go to the gym, and even some of those who can afford it actually prefer to work out from home.

If you can find a supplier of high-quality home fitness equipment that you can trust and can sell you those products for an inexpensive price, you may be able to make money in fitness products.

Here are some examples of fitness products that you can sell:

  • Yoga mats/exercise mats
  • High-impact floor tiles
  • Dumbbells
  • Lifting racks
  • Kettlebells
  • Exercise balls
  • Medicine balls
  • Sandbags
  • Boxing bags
  • Yoga blocks
  • Jump ropes
  • Battle ropes
  • Resistance bands
  • Foam rollers
  • Plyo boxes
  • Steppers
  • Water bottles
  • Sports socks/yoga socks
  • Sports shoes
  • Sports bras
  • Leggings
  • Sports bags
  • Massage guns

Selling your own product line is not for the fainthearted but this can be a real money-spinner.

9. Write about fitness

As the fitness niche is exploding, written content about fitness is also highly in demand.

Blogs, magazines, journals, and other publications are on the lookout for fitness writers who can create compelling, expert content that appeals to fitness enthusiasts, both beginner and advanced.

You may even get a higher rate than usual, especially if you have certifications, years of experience, and an existing fanbase who read and share your articles.

Another way you can earn money through writing about fitness is if you start a blog and write articles for it. You aren’t going to get paid directly for your articles, but your blog will help you in your money-making endeavor by building your online reputation and providing you a platform to promote your products and services to your audience.

10. Be a motivational fitness speaker

Fitness is not only physical; you can only meet your fitness goals when you’re mentally focused and motivated to do so.

Another way to help spread your brand, expand your customer network, and make money while doing it is to be a fitness resource speaker.

You could contact local businesses, schools, and communities to offer your services for free or at a cost.

Talk about fitness and how your specific audience can benefit from incorporating fitness into their lives.

For example, you can talk to businessmen about how having even the simplest fitness routine keeps their minds sharp.

You could discuss ways older people can stay healthy and active at a local retirement home. You could talk to kids about how an unhealthy lifestyle will affect them later in life.

The more you get known, the more benefits it can bring to your business.

11. Set up and attend unique events

Gyms often have everything a person needs to get fit and stay healthy, but they can be boring and sometimes scary places to visit.

By offering more unique options, especially outdoor events, you can help create a name for yourself while making money.

What sort of events could you run? How about:

  • Bootcamps
  • Assault courses
  • Zombie runs
  • Hiking and walking trips
  • Mini Olympics
  • Dancing
  • Parkour
  • Outdoor Calisthenics

These events are perfect to promote your brand and your fitness products and services to new audiences.

Also, these types of events can help bring communities together and offer opportunities for other local businesses as well to promote their own products and services.

Thanks to technology, it’s even possible to bring these events online through livestreaming, expanding your audience and increasing your potential earnings through ads or sponsorships.

12. Become a social media brand ambassador

Don’t write off social media yet as a way to make money from fitness.

Social media is an incredible tool for fitness trainers who want to get themselves out there. By showing people how to get fit via YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, it’s easy to get a large following.

With a large audience and engagement, you can then apply to become a brand ambassador, or even be approached by companies looking for people to promote their brand.

A brand ambassador is essentially modern jargon for having a sponsor. You do shout-outs, reviews and generally promote a brand in return for cold hard cash, affiliate commissions, and free swag.

I’ve covered what it takes to become a brand ambassador in more detail here.

13. Start your own blog

Writing a fitness blog is certainly not the quickest way to make money from fitness, but it has the most potential to make money from fitness, in terms of the different directions and activities you can do from your blog.

Firstly, you will need your own website, and to have a love for writing about fitness (at least until you can get some other writers to write for you).

Writing about the trials and tribulations of attaining a healthy body and keeping it can attract not only people wanting to get started but even those already on their journey wanting more ideas, tips, and tricks.

A fitness blog can make money in a variety of ways.

You can make money directly by placing ads on the site, using affiliate marketing to promote fitness products you trust and recommend, selling your own products and services, and even through flipping the website if it becomes popular enough to be worth six digits.

Indirectly, the site can garner more real-life customers for you as a personal trainer. It can also help you to find sponsors and brands interested in having you promote their products.

The cost of setting up a blog is minimal, and you don’t even need to be certified to offer advice and help; you could simply be a fitness fan documenting and showcasing your own journey in the world of fitness.

The easiest way to get started with your own blog is through a platform like Wealthy Affiliate. It’s completely free to get started and they’ll give you all the tools and training you need to get up and running.

14. Lend your expertise as a consultant

When you hear “consultant,” you might automatically think of financial consultants or management consultants.

But companies, schools, and other organizations may feel the need the services of a fitness consultant to develop programs that cater to the physical fitness needs of members of these organizations.

Requirements may vary depending on the client; some may hire you with a high school diploma, while others may require you to have master’s degrees in nutrition and sports science or other related courses.

Having degrees and certifications would certainly be an advantage when it comes to the hourly pay you can charge, but don’t underestimate the value of experience.

If you’ve worked as a personal trainer for years, you’d certainly have a leg up over those who are certified but don’t have enough hands-on experience.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’re already a professional fitness instructor or you just simply love keeping in shape, there are many ways to make money with fitness.

Hopefully, one or more of these 14 ideas will help you make more money in the fitness niche!

Here’s one more thing to keep in mind:

Start working on building your following and brand today.

The earlier you start getting your name out there, the better. Don’t wait until the new year to try and capitalize on all the resolutions or the summer to make money off those who want “summer bods.” You’ll be too late by then.

Which one of these ways to make money in fitness are you most interested in? Or have you tried before? How was it? Tell us your stories in the comments below!

10 Ways to Get Paid to Be an Online Test Grader

If you’re looking for a work-from-home opportunity that you can do from your home office (or probably anywhere), any time of the day, and not have to talk to other people (at least, not every day), being an online test grader is a job that you should consider.

Online test graders read and score assessment tests, papers, or essays. Test takers are usually college students, but you may be assigned to score tests taken by high school students or even by professionals.

You’re given a standard set of scoring rules and rubrics by the individual, school, or organization administering the test. You may also be asked to provide constructive feedback for the test taker.

Today, you’ll learn how to get a job as an online test scorer: what you’ll need, what it takes, and where to apply so you can start your new work-from-home career soon.

What You Need To Work As An Online Test Grader

Test grader jobs will differ depending on the company you’ll work with. But whatever company you end up working with, you’ll need the following tools, skills, and qualities to be successful:

Equipment

  • Your own computer or laptop with up-to-date operating systems (confidentiality clauses usually mean you can’t use public or shared computers)
  • High-speed internet connection
  • High-quality headphones (for audio exams and in case conversations with your employer are needed)

Qualities

  • Fair and unbiased
  • Can apply scoring guides and rubrics
  • Able to meet deadlines
  • Organized
  • Detail-oriented
  • Self-motivated

Company-Specific Requirements

  • Education: usually requires a bachelor’s degree in any field
  • Experience: preferred, but not usually required
  • Training: normally free; you may or may not be paid while undergoing training
  • Qualifying Exam: may be required to take

10 Legitimate Sites That Offer Online Test Grader Jobs

1. FlexJobs

I highly recommend starting your job search on this job board.

FlexJobs is not your ordinary job board; they actually vet each and every one of the companies that want to post remote and flexible job opportunities on their site.

Aside from high-quality job opportunities, you can take advantage of their career coaching and remote courses to help you get your dream job.

Go through the jobs under the Education & Training category and find online test grader openings that you can apply for.

2. ACT Online Scoring

The American College Test (ACT) is a standardized test taken by high school students, either during the spring of their junior year or fall of their senior year. ACT scores are assessed by colleges and universities to make decisions on whether to admit students.

The ACT exam is administered by the ACT organization, which is always looking for test graders to evaluate the written portion of the ACT.

To apply as an online test grader, a bachelor’s degree is required and high school teaching experience is preferred. Successful applicants are paid $12 per hour and there are additional incentives for top daily and weekly performers.

Strong performers can also eventually see their pay increase as they become faster and better at scoring ACT essays. Those better scorers might even be invited to work directly with ACT on generating material for future tests.

3. College Board

College Board is a non-profit organization whose programs aim to prepare high school students for college and connect them to college opportunities.

Some of their programs that you should be familiar with are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Advanced Placement (AP) Program.

The AP Program offers college-level courses and exams to high school students that let them earn some college credits, saving money and time and demonstrating students’ motivation to study and succeed.

To earn college credit, AP students need to take the AP Exam for that course. Most include a free-response section that requires AP teachers and college faculty from all over to world to score.

This is where you come in.

College Board regularly hires AP Exam Readers for the following subjects:

  • Comparative Government and Politics
  • Computer Science Principles
  • Environmental Science
  • Human Geography
  • Research
  • Seminar
  • Spanish Language and Culture
  • U.S. Government and Politics
  • U.S. History
  • World History

Applications are accepted year-round, but invitations are only sent to qualified readers between February and May. Scoring is done during certain dates in June.

Aside from getting paid to work remotely, being an AP Exam Reader has professional benefits, too, if teaching is your day job.

However, the job is periodical and not available all year.

4. Literably

This site works with teachers and K-8 students to evaluate students on their reading comprehension and ability.

As a Literably scorer, you’ll listen to audio recordings of students reading aloud, phonetically transcribe what is said/read, and grade those recordings. For example, if you hear a student pronounce newsreel as “nessreal,” you should write “nessreal” down.

If you want to get a lot of transcription work with Literably, you’ll need to sign on between the hours of 8am and 3pm, when school is in session. If you wait until the evening, most of the recordings will have been transcribed and scored by other Literably contractors.

The pay with this site is $10 per hour. However, if you live or intend to work in the states of California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, or New Jersey, you can’t work with Literably.

5. Measurement Incorporated

This North Carolina-based company prides itself on being a leading provider of educational assessment services, such as scoring essays, developing testing methodologies, and providing innovative solutions for state governments, other testing companies, and various organizations.

Measurement Incorporated posts occasional openings for readers/evaluators on its website. The readers/evaluators score student responses to English language arts, mathematics, science, and other subjects.

At the beginning of a project, readers/evaluators receive paid training. Each project lasts 2-4 weeks, with the heaviest workload given from March to June.

They require you to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university to join as a temporary staff member.

While MI doesn’t list its pay rates for these positions, Glassdoor reports that MI pays around $11 per hour.

6. Pearson

Pearson is one of the most well-known companies in this list, as it has been around for 50+ years and has been recognized by reputable educational institutions as a leader in testing, scoring, and assessment.

Keep in mind that Pearson requires its scorers to have at least a bachelor’s degree. If you pass the training and testing phases, you’ll need to devote at least 30 hours/week to the job.

Most temporary positions open up from February to June. Pay is $12/hour, with the potential to earn bonuses for speed and quality of assessments.

Pearson also offers something to its part-timers that few work-at-home companies do: health insurance. Once hired with Pearson, you can obtain insurance coverage not only for yourself but also for your entire family.

7. Educational Testing Service (ETS)

ETS develops, administers, and scores exams for students and professionals that colleges, universities, and licensing authorities use to admit students and teachers.

This company is similar to Pearson in that Raters score educational exams and essays. Unlike Pearson, however, remote Raters work on a project-by-project basis. Thus, you must undergo the whole application process for each project you want to work in.

Once approved, scorers sign up for set work shifts. The extra certifications and applications might be worthwhile, though, as some ETS scorers claim to make up to $20/hour.

Because ETS scorers score exams like the GRE, TOEFL, and PRAXIS, you are required to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree before applying. You’ll also have to train to use their proprietary software for scoring exam responses, as well as take a certification test.

The extra steps can prove to be worthwhile, though; some ETS Raters claim to make up to $20 per hour.

8. WriteScore

WriteScore works with schools and other learning institutions to provide learning resources, assessments, and their results to help teachers know their students’ strengths and weaknesses.

This site pays its scorers to review and grade essays submitted by students in elementary, middle, and high school. Scoring season is from late July to early August, but they accept applications all year round and place them on a waitlist. As positions open up, they contact people from the waitlist.

You are required to have at least a two-year college degree in any field to be considered. Applicants undergo orientation then take qualifying tests. Once you pass the final qualifying test, you can begin scoring actual student responses.

Payment varies and depends on how quickly you can turn around your work; however, the range is $9-$15/hour.

9. Cognia

Cognia is a global network of educators aiming to improve education for all learners by assisting schools with certifications, implementing professional learning programs, and designing assessment resources and solutions to understand students’ strengths and weaknesses.

They regularly hire seasonal assessment scorers to read and evaluate student responses in English, math, science, and social studies.

You’ll need to have a bachelor’s degree, have completed at least two college-level courses in your chosen subject, complete a training course for each content area, and pass qualifying tests to be accepted as an online test grader.

Exact compensation isn’t published, but from Glassdoor.com, the average starting pay is around $15 to $16 per hour.

10. Data Recognition Corporation

DRC is an information management company providing assessment solutions in the education sector, as well as survey services, data and document solutions, and licensure and certification exam administration for various industries.

They hire temporary test scorers who work as online test graders for the standardized tests they administer to Common Core students in elementary through high school.

From their careers page, you’ll be redirected to a recruitment website.

Take note of the location indicated, as even though this is a remote position, you might be required to attend training at a physical location.

The positions pay an average of $18 per hour.

Apply To Become An Online Test Grader Today!

If you enjoy flexing your mind and reasoning skills while helping students and other test takers, you should definitely consider becoming an online test grader.

As you’ve seen, the demand for online test graders is seasonal, as certain exams and standardized tests are only given at certain times throughout the year. Also, the hourly rate ranges from $10 to $20 per hour, which is on the low end of the pay scale.

Thus, unless you’re lucky to snag a full-time, year-round position, being an online test grader probably won’t replace your day job as your main source of income. But you can make enough at a time to build a little nest egg for emergencies or investments.

Other education-related jobs

If online test grading doesn’t sound like a good fit for you but you’re interested in other education-related jobs, here are some articles that might help you:

Have you tried applying as a remote test grader or scorer? How was the overall experience? Share your thought with us in the comments!

10 Websites to Find Online Consulting Jobs

Traditionally, working as a consultant meant meeting with companies and individuals who need their expert advice. Thanks to advances in software and the internet, online consulting jobs are now available to experts in various fields and industries.

Businesses and brands that want to grow and improve their products, services, or company processes are willing to pay consultants to make suggestions, recommend changes, and provide expert advice.

Consultants are paid for their expertise as well as their time and effort in talking with company executives, studying their processes, and providing the best solutions for their problems.

Today, modern tools are in place so that consultants can do all these online from their homes or anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

If you’ve conducted research, taught in a specific field, built a successful company from scratch, or simply have extensive experience in a certain trade, you may be on the right track to score high-paying online consulting jobs.

In today’s article, you’ll learn how you can start being a consultant and where to find online consulting jobs.

How to Build an Online Consulting Business

By definition, a consultant is “a person who provides professional or expert advice in a particular field.”

It is as general as it sounds, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage; it means that anyone can be a consultant, but also that competition can potentially be great.

To navigate your way around this new path and become the authority in your chosen field, here’s how to build an online consulting business from scratch:

1. Identify your niche and prove your worth.

You can be good at two or more things, but find something that you’re exceptional at, then prove it with real-world examples (e.g., case studies, portfolio, certification, awards, and other credentials) that would sell your talent to clients.

Building expertise in one niche takes time. Sometimes, consultants spend their entire careers mastering their craft.

Open up to the idea that although you’re superior at what you do, you still have to hone your craft continuously.

2. Maintain an online portfolio.

Creating a portfolio and making it available online makes it easier for potential customers to know about you, your career, and your consulting business, sometimes even before they send you a message or hire you as a consultant.

You have two choices here: maintain a LinkedIn account and keep it up to date, or build a portfolio website that would serve as your modern-day résumé and calling card.

Whenever people Google your name, the main search results should include your LinkedIn profile or your website.

Aside from your basic information and contact details (don’t include sensitive information, though), your website or LinkedIn profile should have a list of services offered, credentials, and awards.

If you can collect client testimonials, make sure to showcase them, too!

3. Find online consulting jobs.

Here’s where it gets interesting:

When you begin your consultancy business, you’re lucky to get more than two clients at a time.

It is totally OK.

Many consultants begin with no clients at all.

But you shouldn’t just wait for people to go your way. You must actively find projects, at least at the beginning of your career.

There are plenty of websites (see below) that connect consultants with potential clients for a specific job, campaign, or project. These websites are your best starting points to find consulting jobs online.

You don’t have to pay membership fees for most of the sites, but you often do need to register as a member and provide some information.

Make your profile interesting and include as much information about your specialization as you can since clients will be deciding whether to message you based on this profile.

Note that depending on the site you joined, some inquiries may not be forwarded to your registered e-mail address, so check the sites regularly.

4. Price your skill appropriately.

Consulting rates vary significantly depending on factors like the field of industry, size of the project, the company size of the client, your own expertise, the platform where you found your client, and more.

For this reason, many consultants do not publish a rate card on their websites or job board profiles.

However, it’s important that you set up a fee structure for specific tasks that are frequently requested.

For example, if you’re a personal finance consultant and a client needs help in dividing his income into investment and savings, you should be able to quickly give this potential client a quote for this service.

You’ll need to learn how to price your services appropriately based on your skillset and how much value you can bring to the table.

Be prepared for clients asking for discounts—these things happen all the time. Stick to your rate and respect your own skills and expertise.

If you notice your calendar is getting too cramped, consider increasing your rates. It means that your advice is in demand and that people are willing to pay higher consultancy fees for it.

5. Market your services.

Proactively spreading the word about your online consultancy service helps you turn this freelance gig into a full-fledged business.

If you’re confident that your expertise is sellable, invest in yourself through marketing. You don’t even have to leave your home to do this.

Take advantage of online networking and marketing.

Create email campaigns and send them to your friends, family, colleagues, and other contacts.

If you don’t already know how, learn social media marketing and engage with other people in your industry or field through LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

6. Know when to say no.

Saying “no” to jobs can be hard, especially if you’re new to freelancing and still experiencing that anxiety of having nothing to work on the next day or the next week.

However, indiscriminately saying “yes” to everything can result in you committing to projects you don’t have the heart or time to do.

Learn how to stick up for yourself and decline projects that you know you won’t be able to do.

How Much Do Online Consultants Make?

On average, those new to online consulting jobs charge around $175 per hour. Some consultants charge as low as $50 an hour, while others have $500 per hour or higher rates. As you might guess, online consulting jobs do not have uniform rates.

Consultants compute their fees by doubling their hourly wages, using daily rates, quoting per-project, quoting per-performance, going by industry rates, and so on.

10 Sites to Find Online Consulting Jobs

Now that you know how to start freelancing as a consultant, here are 10 legitimate websites that either list online consulting jobs or connect clients to providers.

1. FlexJobs

I strongly advise starting your consultancy job search at FlexJobs.

When you go through FlexJobs, you can rest assured that the job opportunities you find are real and legitimate. Each and every one of the companies that submit jobs for posting has gone through FlexJobs’ checks to verify if they are legitimate companies.

Starting your search with FlexJobs saves you the time and the headache of doing the research and the checking yourself.

Click here to go over the online consulting jobs that you can apply for now.

2. Clarity

Clarity Homepage

Launched in 2012, this website focuses on start-ups, so the experts they need must have knowledge in entrepreneurship, start-ups, business processes, and so on. Here’s how Clarity works:

  • Experts create a profile with a per-minute and hourly rate included ($60 per hour is the minimum hourly rate and experts can control this rate)
  • Clients find an expert and set up 3 calls (specifying 3 different dates and times when they’re available)
  • If an expert thinks they can handle the question/inquiry, the expert chooses a meeting schedule ideal for them and accepts the job
  • The client confirms the conference schedule, connects with the expert, and pays the per-minute rate

Clarity charges the expert a 15% fee for successful jobs.

To start your application, you’ll need to sign up and complete your profile first to access the application page.

3. ExpertConnect

ExpertConnect Homepage

This New York-based company is always looking for experts in the fields of healthcare, life sciences, technology, media, telecommunications, industrials, policymaking, legal affairs, accounting, business services, finance, real estate, consumer goods, and retail.

  • Experts join (for free) and fill out your profile, attach your résumé, and other credentials. As an expert, you can also import your LinkedIn profile instead and set your hourly rate.
  • ExpertConnect will contact you (or other experts) when a client requests a consultation. You will be notified via e-mail.
  • The job details the project, compensation, and other information.
  • Experts have the last say—they can accept or decline the consultation.

Your compensation will be based on the hourly rate you set and the projects you accepted. Experts have to send ExpertConnect an invoice to receive consultation fees incurred.

4. Maven

Maven Homepage

Maven calls itself the world’s largest microconsulting company, with thousands of experts (or Mavens) from all walks of life and fields of industry from 200 countries.

From scientists and doctors to farmers, barbers, auto mechanics, and truck drivers, there’s a home here to become a Maven as long as you know a lot about a subject.

To become a Maven:

  • Sign up using your LinkedIn, Google, or Facebook credentials
  • Fill out a profile and set your hourly rate. (Note that Maven accepts $25 per hour as the lowest possible rate you can set). If you’re unsure, you can check the rate calculator to see potential rates for your field and experience.
  • Wait for clients to contact you for projects. If you receive an invitation to a phone consultation via email, you can either accept or decline the job.

Maven’s consultations are not just limited to phone conversations. Aside from online consulting jobs, you can also be invited to face-to-face sessions or a more long-term consulting position that may last weeks or months. Note that these extended consultations require pre-screening and extra interviews.

If you want to earn more, refer people to Maven and earn 10% of all your referral’s earnings.

5. GLG

LG Homepage

GLG’s clientele comes from different industries, including life sciences, technology, consumer goods, investments and private equity, and market research. It boasts a 1,400-strong client base that has successfully been supported by over 650,000 GLG experts from around the world.

It has a network of academics, CEOs, subject-matter experts on every topic imaginable, policymakers, and more.

GLG experts can set their own rates, depending on their experience, designation, and practice area. On average, GLG experts in a non-tech field can charge somewhere between $200 and $1000 an hour to talk to clients.

6. Zintro

Zintro Homepage

Zintro connects clients posting projects of various sizes, from microconsulting requests to long-term projects worth thousands of dollars or more.

Clients fill out a form with details of their requirements, Zintro matches these requirements with Experts in their network, matched Experts contact clients back with their qualifications and why they’re a good fit for the project, and then clients choose which experts to engage with.

Aside from your fee as an Expert, you can earn additional cash for referring other consultants to sign up on Zintro as Experts.

7. GrowthMentor

Growth Mentor Homepage

GrowthMentor prides itself on vetting its mentors so their clients can have the best possible advice.

To be even considered as a growth mentor, you’ll need to have 5 years of demonstrable experience in their chosen field, listening skills, and the ability to empathize with their clients.

When you apply, you’ll go through a culture fit interview, a practical assessment, and a final interview with the founder of GrowthMentor before you can finally get online consulting jobs through their website.

Mentors need to have three reviews before they can charge for their services and ten reviews to charge more than $100 per hour.

Membership fees for clients start at $75 per month, paid quarterly

8. Conrati

Conrati Homepage

Conrati is a platform for people (Advice Receivers) who need mentorship to receive advice from experts (Advice Providers) to connect with each other while taking care of bookings and calendar integrations, phone and video consultations, as well as invoicing and payment processing.

Conrati charges their Advice Providers 10% of the hourly fee paid by Advice Receivers as a platform fee.

9. Consultport

Consultport Homepage

With more than 3,000 management, business, and digital consultants, Consultport is one of the popular consulting platforms online.

Similar to other websites on this list, once you’ve applied and then accepted to be a consultant, you can start being notified of projects that fit your expertise.

You can then submit a pitch that highlights why you’ll be a good fit for the project and when approved, you can start working on it.

10. COMATCH

COMATCH Homepage

COMATCH is a Germany-based global consultancy marketplace with state-of-the-art matching of projects with independent consultants from all over the world.

You’ll need to have either 2 years of experience in a high-class consultancy environment (e.g., management consultancy or financial consultancy) or at least 10 years of professional experience in your field if you don’t have consultancy experience.

The Bottom Line

Online consulting jobs offer some of the best-paying work-from-home jobs we’ve ever seen.

If you have extra funds and want to kickstart your business by landing more online consulting jobs, you can also purchase a spot (pay for a listing fee) to be featured as an expert on one of the sites above.

You don’t have to be an inspirational speaker, CEO, or successful entrepreneur to share your knowledge.

If you have extensive experience in writing, business, finance, advertising, human resources, computer science, counseling, sewing, teaching, driving, or other specific jobs, you can land online consulting jobs as long as you’re willing to help and assist individuals and companies with their problems.

How does online consulting as a career sound? Did we miss out on other consulting companies you can apply to? Tell us in the comments!

How to Make Money Live Streaming in 2023

Live streaming is wildly popular nowadays. You might have even watched a live stream or two today!

New technology and faster internet connections are allowing people to easily stream their lives, their thoughts, and even the video games they’re playing right from their computers and mobile devices.

But did you know that you can earn some side cash by simply broadcasting your daily life and your opinions?

In today’s blog post, you’ll learn how to make money live streaming: how live streaming works, where to live stream, and how to earn from it.

What is Live Streaming?

First, what exactly is live streaming?

Live streaming is the broadcasting of live video over the internet to an individual or to an audience.

In a nutshell, it’s just you, on camera, talking to the world. Think PBS on the go, with limited start-up costs!

Unlike pre-recorded videos that can be edited, from which scenes can be added or cut, or filters can be applied, live streaming is real-time, uncensored, and often unscripted.

You can stream from your phone, tablet, or laptop from a broadcasting platform. You can be as raw or as polished as you want.

What Can You Live Stream?

You can stream your everyday life, your random thoughts, and your virtual and actual interactions with people in your life.

You can show the world your singing, dancing, and even your jokes.

Show your audience the sports game you’re watching, along with your running commentary.

If you have opinions on politics, religion, or any other controversial subject, you can stream that too.

Love cooking? Stream it!

Love playing video games? There’s a huge audience who just love watching other people play!

Bottom line: Pretty much anything you want!

The possibilities are almost endless, and it leaves a lot of room for anyone to take advantage of the boom and make money from live streaming.

Live Stream Platforms

There are numerous sites and apps available that can help you to live stream instantly.

When choosing one, always keep in mind how simple it is for you to use, how easy it is for your audience to engage with you, and how straightforward it would be to monetize your live streams.

Here are some of the live stream platforms you can choose from.

1. YouTube Live

The granddaddy of online video, YouTube now offers its own live streaming platform, YouTube Live, to secure its video dominance.

YouTube Live Homepage

Being on YouTube Live allows you to broadcast your live streams, record these live streams, and allow audiences these recorded live streams as searchable, on-demand videos, all on the same platform.

YouTube’s incredibly large audience is also a considerable advantage. Your viewers are already familiar with YouTube, and placing your videos in an already-popular platform increases the chances of attracting new fans of your live stream.

2. Facebook Live

If you already have a following on Facebook, simply going on Facebook Live is a good way to broadcast your live stream right on your followers’ News Feed.

Simply go to your Facebook app on your mobile, tap the Live button on your post composer, and you’re good to go.

3. Instagram Live

Another social media platform that provides users the ability to live stream is Instagram.

You can share a live video on Instagram and connect with your Instagram followers for an hour.

Once that hour is over, you can share a replay of your live video on your Instagram stories.

The usual people on Instagram Live are celebrities and high-profile influencers.

4. Twitter Live

Yet another social media platform that has moved into the live streaming space is Twitter.

Twitter Live is usually for breaking news, but if you have enough interested Twitter followers, live streaming on Twitter can be lucrative for you.

5. YouNow

YouNow is also a mobile app for both iOS and Android that’s mostly used by a younger crowd.

YouNow Homepage

A few years ago, YouNow was one of the most popular live streaming platforms, but recently, a part of its audience share has been taken by Twitch.

6. Twitch

Known particularly for streaming video games and e-sports being played by popular gamers, Twitch has a huge user base and is, therefore, one of the most popular platforms around.

Twitch Homepage

If you’re a gamer, it’s unlikely you’ll need any other live streaming platform.

7. TikTok Live

TikTok was the breakout star of social media in 2020, and with more than 800 million active users, it remains a force to be reckoned with in 2021.

LIVE on TikTok is a feature that allows creators to engage with their audience in real-time.

It also allows creators above 18, with more than 1,000 followers, and with more than 100,000 video views within the last 30 days the chance to be sent virtual gifts (that can be exchanged for actual cash) from their biggest TikTok fans.

8. LinkedIn Live

You may not think that you’ll have any use for your LinkedIn account aside from applying to jobs and maybe networking with colleagues in your industry.

But if your target audience comprises millennial working professionals and older users (read: more spending power), or you want to be noticed by brands, LinkedIn Live Video might just be the key to your success.

To get started, you’ll need to apply to have the feature added to your profile. Both personal and business pages can apply. Once approved, you can get started.

However, one inconvenience in using LinkedIn Live is that they currently don’t offer native streaming; you’ll have to sign up for a third-party streaming tool, like StreamYard or Restream, which is an added expense.

Also, you might not even get approved; LinkedIn has a certain set of criteria.

9. Amazon Live

If you (or, fine, your parents) have ever shopped through QVC, you’d know that there’s nothing like product demos done live, sometimes with audience participation, and time-bound offers (“call now and get a free gift” or “call now and get 80% off”) to compel a captive audience to open their wallets and buy that thing now.

And this experience is just what Amazon is trying to offer their customers through Amazon Live.

Twitch Homepage

You’ll need to be an Amazon Influencer to be able to live stream. When you feature products on your live stream, you earn commissions from qualified purchases made through the product carousel that will appear below your live stream.

You can demonstrate the products to your audience and show them in real time why you love that product and why you’re recommending it to them.

Plus, you can also do a live promotion, such as discounts that will only apply if your viewers Checkout the products you’re featuring from their Carts while the live stream is active.

Making Money from Live Streaming

Now that we know what live stream platforms are out there, the next thing is to learn how to monetize your live streams.

There are several ways to earn money from live streaming, but bear in mind that not all of these revenue streams will work with all platforms.

Also, to truly make decent money, you will need to make use of several revenue streams (ain’t that always the way!).

Here are some of the ways that you can make money from live streaming.

1. Ads

Joining the right live streaming platform with the right advertising network allows you to earn a commission for each view or click, depending on how the advertising network sets its metrics.

Like with any advertising network, the earnings per view/click are usually pennies, but with a large enough audience you can easily pull in $1,000 or more a month purely from ads.

YouTube Live and Facebook Live are capable of showing ads during live streams.

The problem is that ads can be annoying, and so viewers can install ad-blocking software, which reduces your commissions.

So if this is your sole source of revenue from live streaming, you’ll want to rethink your strategy and get another source.

2. Donations/Tips

That first tip you’ll ever receive from your fans is something special.

It’s validation for your live streaming endeavor that someone appreciated your material enough to send you something, even if it’s just a couple of bucks.

Most people think that donations and tips aren’t going to earn you much money, and they’re right.

However, having it as a side revenue stream can help you at least earn some change for coffee.

In addition, most major live streaming platforms allow you to receive donations and tips, either from their own integrated services or currencies or by allowing you to advertise your accounts with third-party services, such as PayPal or Venmo.

For instance, YouTube’s main tip tools are Super Chat and Super Stickers, which YouTube viewers can buy to highlight their messages to you during your live stream. Twitch, on the other hand, allows viewers to buy Bits and use them to Cheer for you. You get a cent for each Cheer you get from your viewers.

3. Subscriptions

How can getting tips from your fans get better?

Why, by getting them regularly, of course.

If your fans can pay a set amount every month, no matter how small, this gets you closer to earning a sure, steady income, while being able to give them more of what they want and some exclusive content in return.

Most of the above live streaming platforms support subscription plans and allow viewers to subscribe to a live stream right on the platform.

For instance, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch have channel or page membership programs allowing viewers to have a weekly or monthly payment to creators on these platforms in exchange for exclusive content and perks for subscribers.

However, to be eligible to incorporate this feature on your live stream, your account needs to meet certain requirements.

If your account isn’t eligible for a subscription program, or the platform you’re using doesn’t have one, consider using third-party providers to allow viewers to make regular weekly or monthly payments to you in exchange for your content.

Patreon allows people to sponsor you on a weekly or monthly basis and in return for providing them with something: such as regular live streaming and exclusive access and perks.

4. Brand Partnerships and Sponsorships

When you’ve made a name for yourself, you can start reaching out to brands and propose partnerships with them. They can sponsor one or more of your live streams in exchange for featuring their products or services, either by displaying them as a banner or on your background, mentioning them to your viewers, or actually using and reviewing them on your live stream.

To build a successful partnership, you’ll need to be intimately familiar with your audience. You need to know their ages, genders, interests, and problems they need solutions for.

At the same time, you need to be a genuine fan of the brand you want to partner with and feel comfortable enough to promote their products and services to your audience. Remember, your viewers trust you, and if you break that trust, they won’t be back to watch any of your content.

5. Affiliate Programs

Memberships to affiliate programs enable you to share affiliate links, promo codes, or coupon codes to your viewers so that when they purchase something from your affiliate.

The way this usually works is that you post the affiliate link or code somewhere on the stream description.

An important thing to remember is that not all live stream platforms allow affiliate marketing on live stream videos that they host, so be very careful to read up on their terms and conditions.

Also, make sure to recommend products and services that are relevant to your content, and not create content solely to promote. The quality of your videos should always go before making money from live streaming.

6. Live Selling

Live selling is a practice where sellers show viewers, fans, and potential customers their products, demonstrate how these work and how much they cost, and other details.

During a live selling session, viewers can place an order through links shown during the live stream session.

And yes, as I’ve said, QVC and HSN are the forerunners of this type of selling. Though they often weren’t really broadcasting live; their shows were often taped. But viewers can still call in to order the products they want with the promotions that are advertised during the time of airing the episode.

What makes today’s live selling a step up from the live selling of old is that today’s live selling sessions are much more interactive, with sellers being able to answer viewers’ questions about the products in real time and being able to see which products are selling out.

Plus, the engagement isn’t just limited to seller-viewer. Everyone watching can see and interact with each other as well, which fosters a sense of community and competition at the same time, because they’re up against each other for the products being sold.

With the 2020 pandemic descending on the world and everyone staying at home, potential customers are more comfortable than ever with doing everything online, even buying online with a few taps.

As I’ve mentioned above, Amazon Live is currently giving Amazon Influencers the ability to sell products through live streaming.

Facebook and Instagram have also launched Live Shopping on their respective platforms.

Live selling is already popular in China, but still relatively rare in the US and other western countries. Getting in on the action now means you can get ahead of the pack.

7. Your Own Products or Services

Instead of, or in addition to promoting other companies’ products, why not try your hand at selling your own products?

Selling your “merch,” as it’s often called, is common enough that live stream platforms offer plenty of advice and tools to help live streamers boost their sales.

The most important aspects of selling your merch are still up to you: concept, design, production, and shipping for physical goods, or hosting and delivery for digital products.

Make sure that the products you’re selling are related to your live stream content, especially if you have a particular theme.

For instance, if you have been doing workout-themed live streams, and your viewers are really digging the different exercises you’re doing, you can sell merch like activewear and exercise equipment, or digital goods like an ebook on fitness or an entire workout program with instructional videos, cookbooks, and food and exercise charts.

8. Mentoring

Maybe doing an entire video course is too overwhelming for you, or you might think you’re not “academic” enough or knowledgeable enough to be an online instructor or lecturer.

But if you are able to give valuable advice, tips, and guidelines about a certain topic, you might want to be somebody’s mentor.

The idea is to offer your viewers one-on-one time with you (for a fee) so you can help them achieve specific goals.

Your success here is largely dependent on the quality of your mentorship and how dedicated you are to helping your viewers solve their problems.

9. Pay-per-view content

Media companies and influencers making content available through pay-per-view is another trend that became popular during the 2020 global pandemic.

And pay-per-view live streaming is the next level.

Gaming-related live streams remains the most popular type of content, but nowadays, people with different hobbies and interests look for content that appeals to them.

But to truly be successful in making money through offering pay-per-view live streams, you need to be able to offer something premium that makes it stand out from thousands of other free content such that viewers are willing to pay for your content.

There are virtual ticketing services that allow you to sell admission to your live stream, such as Ticketleap or TicketSpice. They handle the ticket sales and sending the URL for the live stream to those with confirmed payment, and they get either a flat fee or percentage of the ticket sales in return.

Do You Need Your Own Website?

Using any one of these live streaming services is great, but it’s very likely that you’ll eventually need to have your own website to make the most out of your live streams.

Having your own website is like having your own home base where you can direct your audience to know more about you and what you’re all about.

You can host replays of your live streams here, as well as additional resources that are useful for your viewers, such as blog posts, images, videos, or any other media that complement your live stream content.

You can also promote your own products there, too, without fear of treading on any terms and conditions or having to sound like an annoying salesman in your streams.

Another thing you can implement on your own website is a membership system. Users pay to gain access to exclusive member-only content, one-on-one sessions, badges and trophies, a community discussion area, and so on.

Bottom line? I highly recommend building your own website.

Downsides of Live Streaming for Money

The main hurdle in making money from live streaming is building a fan base. Several live stream platforms require you to have a substantial number of followers and content views to even be considered for their live streaming service, let alone allow you to earn from ads and other monetization avenues.

Of course, if you’re a lady you will likely get a larger following sooner, but with the added disadvantage of having to handle more, ahem, “difficult” followers.

Aside from these, you’ll need to make sure you stream consistently, as people prefer knowing when to expect your live stream. Depending on your niche, you may stream for an hour a day, or end up streaming for 10 hours every day (very common with gamers who stream).

Another downside to consider is that nothing dies on the Internet. This may sound good; that is, until you make your first mistake.

Because live streams tend to be spontaneous, it’s only a matter of time before you make a blunder live. It can range from simply mispronouncing words to Freudian slips, from wardrobe mishaps to highly offensive remarks.

Worse, there’s nothing to stop viewers from taking screenshots or recording snippets or even entire sessions of your live stream, which can then become viral.

Mistakes are inevitable, but just remember to sincerely apologize and learn from them.

Final Thoughts on Live Streaming

There’s no quick and easy way to make money with live streaming, as you need to build up a user base. That being said, there’s a great potential for making thousands a month via live streaming, especially if you make sure you have more than one revenue stream.

While the initial costs of this marketing angle are low (a smartphone and an internet connection), the time cost can mount up quite quickly.

Other ways to make money from videos

If making or watching videos is your jam, and you’re wondering if you can ever turn that into a paying gig, the following articles from our site may help:

Get Paid to Do ASMR Videos: How to Turn Sounds into Cash
Get Paid to Watch Movies
Get Paid to Watch TV

Have you ever broadcast live from any of the above platforms? Did you manage to make any money from live streaming? Let me know in the comments!

How to Make Money With Photography: 14 Ideas to Try

If you have a passion for photography, the right equipment, and an entrepreneurial vision, then you’ve already probably wondered how to make money with photography.

Well, let’s be clear about one thing right off the bat:

If you’re looking for a way to turn your passion for photography into a profitable business, then you need to have a system and approach it as a business.

Photography as a business

Yes, you can’t transform into a paid photographer overnight–but you can start on the process now. Being creative and imaginative is not enough; after all, plenty of photographers make a decent living with very mediocre skills.

While professional photography might feel like quite a competitive industry to try and break into, there are still plenty of ways to make money with photography.

In this article, I’ve rounded up all the different ways that will actually help you start getting paid for your photography skills.

Set Yourself Up To Be A Successful Photographer

Before we dive into all the ways to make money with photography, let’s get into the steps you can take so you can be prepared when you eventually make money.

1. Work for other photographers.

When you’re first starting out, it’s always a good idea to work with other photographers. This is perfect for when you want to make money with photography but aren’t ready to venture out on your own and want to learn and practice more.

Help out with post-production

Post-production editing is a very time-consuming task, and you’d be surprised at the number of photographers who are looking for some editing assistance.

You can work with more experienced photographers and edit their photos. If they’re happy with your work, you may get an assistant photographer gig later on.

Work as an Assistant Photographer

Being an assistant photographer is one of the best ways to get experience, build your portfolio, and learn from and network with more senior photographers.

It’s going to be a struggle to find photographers who will pay you what your skills are worth. However, the networking opportunities and the things you will learn will be absolutely valuable. Plus, it gives you a much higher chance of getting clients later on.

How to find assistant photographer jobs:

  • Join all types of photography groups on social media platforms.
  • Look for “assistant photographer” jobs in job sites.
  • Go to photography events and conventions.
  • Network with local photographers.
  • Get involved in a photographer organization.

The bottom line is:

It’s much better to learn photography by doing instead of learning solely from books, blogs, and online tutorials.

2. Pick a niche

At this point, I’m assuming you’ve already taken a photography course or two and have already experimented with different genres of photography.

You might enjoy all kinds of photography, but if you want to start making money with photography, picking a niche is highly recommended.

Here’s why:

When you specialize in a niche, you get to identify which techniques you need to study, as well as invest in continued education and training.

Also, when researching which niche you want, you get to know which ones have the most money-making potential.

In particular, wedding photography and travel photography seem to be more lucrative than, say, nature photography.

It’s not all about the money, though; it’s just another factor to consider aside from your skills and passion.

Another advantage of concentrating on a niche is that you’ll have a much more cohesive portfolio. It’s always much better to show a client a portfolio with a specific set of images that fall under a theme, instead of random pictures from random photoshoots.

Here are some niches you can specialize in:

  • Fashion photography
  • Maternity shoots
  • Nature photography
  • Wildlife photography
  • Wedding photography
  • Portrait photography
  • Club photography
  • Sports photography
  • Food photography
  • Product photography
  • Travel photography
  • Real estate photography

Wedding photography

3. Set up a website.

Your next logical step should be creating a website (if you don’t already have one). Even better if your profile has a theme that matches your niche.

Contrary to popular belief among photographers, Facebook or Instagram can’t replace your own website.

This is not to say they are useless. Both social media platforms act as great places to generate interest, engage with followers, and network with other photographers as well as potential clients.

With your own website, though, you’re not jostling for other photographers for views from your audience. You can create a whole experience that revolves around your own unique photography style and your brand.

Having your own website gives you the ability to provide potential clients with a multi-sensory experience, easy navigation, and seamless viewing of your pictures.

Your website visitors are thus more likely to purchase prints, contact you for shoots, or offer brand partnerships.

4. Start a photography blog on your website.

If you like writing, being a photography blogger is a good content marketing tool and an additional source of income aside from your photography skills.

Blogging requires both patience and time, but the rewards are absolutely worth it. You can create a blog that attracts readers and adds value to their lives.

You can then earn cash through advertising, brand partnerships, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and much more.

By having a blog, you’ll actually have an artistic platform that will give you credibility and allow you to share your work with the world.

And of course, the more followers you have, the more you’ll be contacted for work, and the higher you can charge for projects and bookings.

Here’s how you can make money with a photography blog:

  • Use display ads by Google AdSense.
  • Collaborate with other bloggers from different industries (such as in the fashion or travel industries).
  • Publish engaging and informative content to get more pageviews and gain popularity.
  • Post content regularly.
  • Learn to use SEO to get on top of the search results page.
  • Use affiliate marketing.

5. Set up a store on your website.

Aside from your blog, you can set up an ecommerce store right on your website.

You can sell physical items, such as prints of your photos, photobooks, merchandise with your photos on them, and photography tools and gadgets.

You can also offer up digital items, such as ebooks, equipment checklists, wallpapers, and printables.

If you can set up a booking system for calls and appointments, as well as an advance payment system, this will help you with your photography business as well.

I recommend using WordPress to build your website, as plenty of ecommerce solutions specific for photographers have already been built to work with WordPress.

6. Start a vlog.

If you already have a blog on your website, the natural transition is to start a vlog.

But what can you vlog about if you don’t have any assignments or bookings yet?

Start by posting honest reviews of the equipment that you’re using. When you get more assignments and clients, you can start sharing stories, advice, and tips and tricks.

Eventually, you can expand to mini-courses and how-to videos.

As your viewership grows, you can earn more money through ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsored videos.

Starting a YouTube channel is the traditional way to start a vlog, but more and more photographers are finding their way to Twitch.

I’ve written about how to make money with both platforms so check out our article on YouTube and Twitch and decide for yourself which one is right for you.

7. Build Your Social Media Presence

Since photography is a visual art, the best social media platform for you to establish your brand is Instagram.

But don’t ignore all the other social media platforms. Every one of them is a chance for you to put your work out there, expand your reach, find potential clients, and engage with them.

Link back to your website (see how having your own website works here?), to your useful blog articles, and to your video reviews on Facebook and Twitter.

Post your best work on Instagram and make sure to link back to your website or your ecommerce store.

Grow your followers by consistently posting useful, engaging content, and you’ll see results.

14 Ways to Make Money with Photography

Once you’ve set up your website and your digital marketing and income tools, you can now start to recoup your investment in these as well as your equipment and get that income.

Here are some actionable ideas to start turning your photography skills into money.

1. Join photo contests.

As a beginner in a field where no one knows your work or who you are, joining photo contests is one way to expose your work to photography experts as well as enthusiasts, while getting the chance to win some money or prizes.

The money is uncertain here, of course, but it’s a good stepping stone to bigger opportunities even if you don’t win anything, as the contest can get your photos in front of big brands, experts in the field, and plenty of potential clients.

Some competitions offer thousands of dollars in cash, equipment, or the chance to snag the project of a lifetime.

For instance, a wedding photography contest may have the grand prize of shooting a celebrity wedding. What it doesn’t pay in cash, it makes up for with exposure and publicity.

You can look for local photo contests as well as on Google to find online or even international photo contests.

2. Reach out to small local businesses.

There’s probably a small business near you right now that is trying to gain more followers to promote their business.

And they’re looking for photographers to take photos of their stores, their products, and sometimes even their personnel to display in their websites and social media platforms.

Reach out to these local businesses and offer your services. Offer a discount in exchange for their permission to include some of the photos you took in your portfolio.

You get to take high-quality photos to help both their business and yours, so everybody wins!

3. Conduct photography tours.

If you live in a city or town with a lot of tourists, and you know it like the back of your hand, you might want to become a tour guide.

But not just a tour guide, but a photography tour guide.

Offer to lead tourists on a photo walk and help them take pictures of local “hidden gems” while exchanging photography tips and tricks.

Your social media platforms and website can help you offer this service; your social media for promotion and finding interested tourists, and your website for tourists to select and book a schedule.

4. Offer portrait sessions.

It’s not only local businesses that may need your services.

Individuals who need portrait photographs for their portfolios, resumes, websites, social media profile photos, or for school photos will be looking for someone local who’s available at a day’s or even a few hours’ notice.

Accepting these types of projects allows you to network with local clients, who spread the word to other potential clients. Plus, these portrait photos will be great additions to your portfolio.

5. Offer your services on freelancer platforms.

If you’re ready to make the transition to making money as a freelancer, you can start creating your freelancer profiles on platforms such as Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer.

Companies also post openings for freelance photographers on these sites, especially if the assignments are one-off. Look for the specific niche of photography that you want to specialize in and try to get gigs in your niche.

If allowed by the platform you’re posting in, link back to your website and your social media platforms so potential clients can look at your portfolio and know that you’re taking your photography career seriously and you’re not just a weekend hobbyist.

One disadvantage of using freelancer sites is that they take a cut of your payment. But getting your profile in front of a database of potential clients may be worth the cut these sites take.

6. Become a photojournalist.

News and media outlets, whether traditional or digital, are veering toward freelance news photographers and photojournalists.

Also, whatever your niche, you’ll benefit from the experience you get from capturing news and current events in real time and evoking the emotions of those particular moments.

Start by covering local news on your own and then emailing your photos to editors-in-chief of various publications; local or national, traditional or digital, magazine or newspapers. If you can find their email addresses, include them in your outreach.

If your one or a few of your photos are accepted, you can get published and paid.

The faster you submit, the more likely your photos will be picked up. Learn how to pick out your best photos quickly so you can send them as soon as you can.

7. Open a Flickr account and license your photos through Getty Images.

Flickr has become a home to thousands of photographers wanting to make money with their photography.

Open a Flickr account, post your best photos, and enable the Request to License badge on your photos, as well as Allow Getty Images editors to invite my photos.

This way, if potential customers see your photos and likes one or a few, they can click on Request to License on your photo page and they can license the photo via Getty Images.

Also, if you allow Getty Images editors to review your photos, they can include the photos they like on their Flickr collection.

Every time someone licenses your photos from Getty Images, you get a fee.

Admittedly, this is an uncertain source of income, but it’s a possible source of side cash that you can just set and forget; that is, upload your best work and wait for clients to license your photos.

8. Sell your photos on mobile apps.

Your DSLR isn’t the only high-quality camera you can use to take photos.

Nowadays, even midrange smartphones have high-quality built-in cameras that can take excellent pictures.

If your photography skills extend to your smartphone, there are mobile apps willing to actually buy your best photos.

Some of the best mobile apps to sell your photos include:

Learn more about Foap here.

9. Sell your photos to stock photography websites.

Similar to mobile apps, there are stock photography websites where you can sell your photos.

Just make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into with stock photography and don’t end up like the guy who made $1.88 while Walmart made millions off of his image.

There are a variety of stock photography websites you can choose from, including:

  • Shutterstock – Pay rates that start from 20% (one of the highest paying.)
  • iStock – More viewers, and 15% rate.
  • Alamy – If you’re a student, you get 100% of your sales price for two years. If you’re not a student, then you’ll get 50%.
  • Picfair – You set up the amount you want to get. Competitive.

A few things to bear in mind:

  • The more quality pictures you upload, the more money you get.
  • There are plenty of websites that accept pictures from both amateurs and professionals.
  • Stay on top of trends when shooting for stock websites.
  • Capture the most high-quality images you possibly can.
  • Photos of people are always in demand, no matter what.
  • Always check the account terms – learn how you’re going to be paid and when, and most importantly, how much.
  • Add as many relevant keywords to your images as you can.

10. Sell prints of your photos online.

Selling prints of your photos on your website is another way to make money with your photography skills.

You can use a print-on-demand service to fulfill orders so you don’t have to invest in a high-quality printer and ink.

Another good thing about using print-on-demand services is that they may be able to print your photos on various items, such as t-shirts, keychains, mugs, buttons, mouse pads, hats, tote bags, and many other merchandise and souvenirs.

Plus, aside from the printing, they take care of the packaging, branding, and shipping of the items to your customers.

Some of the best print-on-demand websites you can use include:

11. Sell your photos in galleries.

Another great place to sell your photos is in local art galleries.

Go down in person, take your portfolio with you, and ask them for wall space.

Photographs of nice local views or landmarks are popular with local art galleries, and they’re more likely to be snapped up.

However, they won’t sell if your photos have people in them.

12. Publish a photobook.

This may be an ambitious undertaking for you if you’re not yet that well known, but creating and publishing a photobook is a great project, especially if you’re into travel photography.

Did you go on an insane trip recently and took hard-to-compete-with pictures?

Did you dive with a shark and take pictures?

Shark photography

Did you take unique pictures of a tribe abroad?

Do you have a story to go with it?

Good!

Pair a really good experience with fantastic photos, compile them in a photobook and sell it on your website!

13. Write an ebook about your photography skills.

Once you’re doing well with your bookings and additional income, it might be time to share your blessings with beginners.

You can write an ebook sharing your photography knowledge, tips and tricks, and best practices. You can even include recommendations of the best equipment for aspiring photographers.

Ebooks don’t cost too much in terms of overhead, plus you can sell them straight from your website.

You can also use them as a marketing tactic. Sell your ebook on Amazon so you can direct readers to your website, which has your portfolio, your booking system, and your online store.

14. Create and sell a photography course.

If your ebook did well, and you feel you have a lot more to share, why not try your hand at teaching photography online?

Think back to the photography courses you’ve taken, both in-person and online. You can also check out photography courses currently being offered; not to plagiarize but for inspiration.

Create an outline, flesh out each chapter, and come up with your own approach based on your niche and your strengths.

Upload your course to Udemy or Skillshare, promote it on your social media and on your blog, and wait for students to enroll.

You can even expand this to an on-demand consultancy service through a video call, or an in-person workshop.

For you to pull this off, you would need to have a genuine love for teaching and for watching your students evolve.

Start making money with photography today!

As a hobby, photography can be quite expensive.

But it’s a hobby that can make you money, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit.

Have you ever made money with photography? Share your experience with us in the comments!

How to Become a Notary: A Step-By-Step Guide

We don’t often think about notaries public until we need them. But some of our lives’ most important transactions and agreements will require their help and supervision.

In connection with this, few people consider becoming a notary public when they’re looking for work-from-home job opportunities, but being able to notarize documents is an in-demand capability that can easily be a side hustle.

If you’re interested in becoming a notary public, whether as a side hustle or as a necessity in your full-time job, look no further.

Today, you’ll learn all the basics on how to become a notary: the qualifications, detailed steps, how much everything will cost and how much you can potentially earn.

What Does a Notary Public Do?

A notary public is an official appointed by the state government to serve as an impartial witness to the signing of important legal documents.

They have to make sure that the documents are indeed legal, verify that those signing the documents are who they say they are (usually through ID), and make sure that they know what they’re signing and aren’t doing so under duress.

Notary publics have the freedom to choose who they work with and how; either by opting to work with signing services or getting direct business on their own.

Some notaries simply get the certification to add to their résumé, as many companies, such as banks, schools, and law firms require this type of service often.

It takes around a couple of weeks to become a notary, depending on the process of the state you live in.

After that, you’re free to offer your services to any individual or business that needs official documents signed; and there will be plenty. Notarial services are needed across almost all sectors, from banking and real estate to medical services and tech companies.

What is the Difference between a Notary Public and a Notary Signing Agent?

The main difference is the focus of their responsibilities. Notaries public handle a wide variety of documents, while notary signing agents (NSAs) specifically handle home loan documents.

Both are required to obtain their notary commission (more on this later), but NSAs are required to pass a yearly background check and a yearly exam in addition to their commission.

What Are the Qualifications Needed to Become a Notary Public?

The exact qualifications for who can become a notary differs among states.

However, in general, those wanting to be appointed as a notary public must:

  • Be at least 18 years old
  • Be a legal resident of the United States
  • Complete a course of study approved by the Secretary of State
  • Pass a written examination prescribed by the Secretary of State
  • Clear a background check

If you have a past criminal record or conviction, it’s still possible to become a notary in plenty of states. Most of them disregard petty crimes as long as they don’t involve fraud or dishonesty.

It’s better to declare any arrest or criminal record at the time of your application, as non-disclosure can hurt your application more that it can help.

How to Become a Notary in 6 Simple Steps

1. Apply to become a notary within your state.

The very first step is to apply to become a notary with your state. This can be done through mail or online through their respective websites; search for “apply to be a notary [your home state]” to find those websites.

You’ll be asked to pay an application fee, and this varies by state as well. Expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $120.

You can apply to become a Notary Signing Agent (NSA) in addition to your regular Notary Public responsibilities. This generally requires an extra certification and a training course to handle the extra complicated documents. But again, the requirements vary between states, so you’ll have to check up on that for your specific state.

Many states will do a background check on you. There are a few states that don’t, but it’s better to be prepared for it than not. Those applying to become an NSA will also have to go through a separate background screening.

2. Undergo training.

After applying, you’ll need to complete a training course. In most cases, this can be done online and takes anywhere from 3 to 6 hours.

Some states have only a number of approved notary training courses or providers that you can enroll in, so you’ll need to enroll in the right ones for your training to be valid.

3. Take the notary public exam.

The notary public exam isn’t the same everywhere, but some states allow an open-book exam. There is also a fee, which also varies per state.

To pass the exam, you’ll need to learn the finer details of being a notary. You’ll likely be asked about notary law, how to handle specific notarial situations, and the best way to accurately identify signers.

The full texts of notary laws are usually available on state legislature websites, and the state agencies licensing notaries normally provide notary public handbooks for your reference.

You can also ask the state agency issuing the notary public exam if they have practice tests available.

Practice tests are also available, usually with the state agency issuing the notary public exam, through the agency you trained with, or online through notary associations, such as the National Notary Association.

The results will be sent by email or by mail and usually take a minimum of 7 business days. Retake policies differ per state as well, so consult the specific state agency website.

4. Take your oath of office.

Once you’ve passed the notary public exam, you’ll get your commission certificate in the mail, usually after around 6 weeks.

Information on how and when to take your oath of office will be included in the information packet that will be sent with your commission certificate.

Oath-taking is usually done before the Secretary of State or another government official. Then, you’ll have to register your signature at your state’s notary regulating office.

Most states require you to post a surety bond, which is intended to compensate aggrieved parties in case you make a mistake that injures or costs someone. Most states require bonds of between $5,000 and $10,000, though it could be more or less than these amounts.

In addition, most notaries need to take out an Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance to protect you as well if you do make a mistake.

5. Gather the necessary materials.

Then, buy any necessary supplies before you can start your new business. Your commission certificate should also include a list of supplies that you’ll need, as well as the authorized vendors from whom you can buy these supplies.

At the barest minimum, you’ll need a notary public seal and a notary journal.

Your notary seal will include your name, the words “Notary Public,” your commission’s expiry date, and the county where you live.

Your notary journal can be any ledger or notebook, but it is recommended that you choose a hardbound one with page numbers, rather than loose-leaf, perforated, or spiral notebooks whose pages can easily be removed.

I break down all the supplies needed and the costs associated below.

6. Start networking to gain clients.

As with any other business, you’ll have to network a bit to get clients.

Check your state’s notary law to learn the allowable, legal ways to advertise your services.

Many people opt for signing up with a signing service that get the loan signing appointments for them.

But you can also print out business cards or contact businesses/realtors to offer your service as a notary.

How to Become a Remote Online Notary

If you live in a state that allows remote notarization, you can take your notary services online and work as a remote online notary.

Remote online notarization works pretty much the same way as the usual notarization but using two-way audio-video technology, digital signatures, and an electronic seal.

In some states, you’ll have to already hold a commission as a traditional Notary Public before you can apply as a remote online notary, while in other states, you can apply to be both at the same time.

If you were already commissioned as a notary public, bear in mind that applying to be a remote online notary is a separate application and thus has different fees, training, and needed supplies; you’ll need to have an electronic seal and digital certificate, again, only from approved vendors.

Your surety bond and insurance should also be amended to cover remote online notarizations.

You can work through websites such as Notarize.com connect individuals and businesses with online notaries public so documents can be signed remotely by all parties as needed.

The Cost of Becoming a Notary

There are a few costs associated with getting started as a notary, but, these fees put together still come down to a relatively low start-up cost.

Here’s what you’re likely to spend:

First off, there’s the application fee when you submit an application, which is different from one state to another but ranges between $20 to $120 as I mentioned above.

Then, there’s the cost for the training course and the exam.

You will have to supply a passport photo (and live scan fingerprints in the state of California) before you’re certified.

Most states require you to pay for the oath of office, which is in the range of $40.

The surety bond costs around $50 for a four-year bond, after which you’ll have to renew it. E&O insurance premiums cost around $50 annually.

Finally, there are the supplies.

The National Notary Association recommends the following supplies for anyone starting out:

  • Official notary public seal stamp
  • Basic journal with a notary privacy guard cling (Required in some states)
  • A 5-year hotline subscription to the NNA (not necessary, but being an NNA member is not a benefit)

Most notaries agree that it’s good practice to keep a journal even if the state doesn’t specifically require it. It’s safer for you to keep records of your notary public obligations to avoid any possible confusion or future questions about the legitimacy of your business activities.

In total, becoming a notary can cost you around $300 to $500 for the whole process.

Other expenses:

As a notary, you will likely need a computer, cellphone, car or other transportation, and a printer.

The latter is very important because you might have to print out various certificates or loan packages when you prepare for a meeting with clients. At times, there can be over 100 pages of both legal-size and letter-size pages so you’re going to be relying heavily on your printer.

Unlike most of the other work from home jobs I’ve talked about, becoming a notary requires a bit of capital to get started and a lot of paperwork to get through before you can start working.

However, it can be a very fulfilling part-time or full-time career so don’t feel disheartened at these costs.

How Much Do Notaries Earn?

This depends somewhat on the state you’re practicing in. The fees you’re allowed to charge differ between states, but this usually doesn’t include travel fees.

So most notaries can charge whatever they want for travel expenses, within reason of course.

Most notaries charge between $2 to $15 per signature, depending on the state. How much you earn depends on the need for notaries in your area and subsequently how many documents/signatures you can notarize every hour or day.

When documents are signed, there’s often a need for more than one signature and from more than one person, meaning a notary can make upwards of $50 an hour depending on the state they’re in.

Sometimes, businesses even have multiple documents that need to be signed, driving up the price even further.

From what I could gather, however, most notaries public make more money through their additional traveling fees.

There are plenty of industries that require notaries public, but some also seem to be more lucrative than others. Those that opt to specialize even further, into becoming an NSA, seem to be earning the most out of the group.

This is because signing agents in the mortgage industry usually negotiate premium rates with the title companies or signing services that hire them and they make a considerable amount of income from this one part of the industry alone.

Apply to Become a Notary Soon!

Being a notary public can be a fulfilling job as you get to meet interesting people from all over and exercise your duty as a ministerial official.

It’s a flexible option and a great choice for both those who want to make side cash and anyone who’s looking for a solid full-time job.

If the startup costs of becoming a notary feel a little steep to you, then you could always opt for these work-from-home jobs that require no financial investment on your part.

Planning to become a notary? Let us know in the comments!

Things You Need to Do to Land an Online SAT Tutoring Job

Preparing for the SATs can be quite stressful for high school students, and having an SAT tutor can reduce that stress, for both the students and their parents. This is why online SAT tutoring jobs are currently in demand.

Building a career usually starts with one’s college course, and one’s SAT scores are one of the important factors by which a student’s application to college is assessed.

This is why students feel pressured to perform well on their SATs to get into their first choice of college or university.

In today’s article, we look at why students need SAT tutors, how you can become an online SAT tutor, what skills you need, how much you can make, and where to find online SAT tutoring jobs.

Why Do Students Need SAT Tutors?

The SAT, originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, is a standardized test created by the College Board in 1926. It is intended to assess students’ readiness for college by measuring a student’s skills in 3 core areas: Critical Reading, Writing, and Math.

There used to be an optional essay section, but it’s been discontinued after June 2021.

Most colleges and universities in the US use it for college admissions, although some schools have already dropped this requirement.

However, prestigious universities, including Ivy League schools, still use standardized tests to decide on admission as well as on awarding scholarships and student aid.

This is why parents are willing to spend for their children to be completely prepared to take the SATs, including paying thousands of dollars for a private SAT tutor.

If you’re an educator or want to become an educator working from home, online SAT tutoring jobs are one of the most lucrative and challenging opportunities for teachers today.

How to Become an Online SAT Tutor

1. Familiarize yourself with the SAT.

You’ve probably taken the SAT before, but let’s face it, it may have been a while.

Before you can be an SAT tutor, you need to know what you’re dealing with.

Take as many recent SAT practice tests as you can at the College Board website.

It’s best to limit your time as well and have the same materials on hand as test takers have, which is usually two No. 2 pencils and an approved calculator.

2. Get your SAT teaching materials together.

There are plenty of free resources on the internet about SAT teaching strategies. Read as many articles and guides as you can to help you create your own teaching strategy.

Also, get your hands on as many SAT test prep materials and books as you can. These have practice tests that will help your students greatly. There are also study tips in there that you can share with your students to help them in between tutorial sessions.

At this point, you also need to set up your home office with your computer, high-speed internet, high-quality webcam, headset, and microphone.

3. Learn about specific strategies to raise scores.

Your students (and their parents) would expect to learn tricks to increase their SAT scores. Although there aren’t any simple tricks to do this, what you can offer is to teach them how to approach each part of the exam.

For instance, you can teach them how to read SAT passages such that they can answer the next questions without re-reading the passage (remember, time is gold in the SAT). Students that can read a passage once and recognize the main idea and supporting sentences immediately have an edge.

Another useful strategy is to have students learn the most important formulas that will be useful in the Math section. They’ll be given basic formulas, but knowing more than the basics will save them a lot of time.

4. Know how to analyze mistakes.

When they’re answering practice tests, chances are they’ll make a few mistakes.

Don’t stop at giving them the correct answer. Help them understand how they came to the wrong answer so they’ll know not to repeat that mistake.

3 Unique Skills to Land any Online SAT Tutoring Job You Want

Many parents prefer one-on-one, face-to-face tutors to be able to meet in person and gauge the progress of their kids.

But there are instances where parents would go for online tutors.

For example, not all cities have tutors specializing in improving SAT scores and the next best thing is to find a tutor who could work with their kids remotely.

Even if you’ve been tutoring kids in math, English, or any other subject for years, this doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to be a good SAT tutor.

Here are 3 things you should have to knock down the competition for online SAT tutoring jobs.

1. SAT Specialization

Most parents just hire tutors for their kids as a general preparation for college admissions.

However, this shouldn’t be the case. Some students are quite good at math but not so much at writing essays, or vice versa.

A good SAT tutor must able to:

  • Assess a student’s strengths and weak areas. Tutors will focus on all sections of the SAT, but understanding a student’s strengths and weaknesses before creating a study plan can save both of them time and effort.
  • Help a student define their goals. For example: Get into a particular school, reach a specific SAT score, and so on. In the same vein, tutors should also guide students in setting “reasonable” expectations. Aiming for a perfect SAT score is well and good, but not everyone can do it.
  • Explain answers to students. Sometimes, the approach or computation can be confusing. Learning how to arrive at the answers, especially in math problems, can be beneficial to a student. Most students already understand concepts of biology, chemistry, statistics, and so on, but once applied to a real-world question, all the stored knowledge disappears.
  • Teach students how to answer an SAT exam. The SAT is a marathon – it takes over 3 hours to answer hundreds of questions. Sometimes, students simply fail at managing their time or prioritizing one section over another section.
  • Adjust your study plan according to student progress. An efficient SAT tutor should determine when a student is improving in a particular area and move on to another.
  • Motivate students to practice and study. You may be the best online SAT tutor in the country, but if your student doesn’t do the work, their scores won’t improve. A big part of being an SAT tutor is to be able to inspire and encourage your student.

2. Good Reputation

For tutors who are members of an online tutoring company, the website often maintains testimonials of past students under their profiles.

These reviews would give parents enough information to determine if a tutor is a good fit or not.

If you’re going to be offering online SAT tutoring by yourself, you’d have to prove your worth.

Know that many parents and students aren’t as impressed by “Ivy League tutors” as they did in the past, so the go-to step is to dig deeper into the tutor’s reputation and hopefully find testimonials from real, former students.

Unfortunately, since you’re a freelance tutor, you’d have to be the one requesting reviews and showcasing them on your Facebook page, LinkedIn account, or tutor-for-hire website.

3. A Record to Back it Up

Most online tutoring jobs require tutors to have a bachelor’s degree and teaching license.

A graduate degree is optional, but experience in SAT tutoring is a requirement. In some cases, you can be hired by a review center simply if you came from Ivy League schools.

SAT tutor certification does not exist, not even from Khan Academy (the official “school” College Board assigned to give free SAT test preparation).

Aside from the testimonials of former students, you’d likely have more success if you’re up-to-date with how well they actually did during the real SATs.

If possible, ask your past clients if it’s okay to publish their SAT scores.

If your student or their parents do not like their names published, write them as case studies: list the problem (student weakness), list the steps taken to solve the problem (what techniques did you use as a tutor to help improve the student’s weak areas), and share the conclusion (how much improvement the student made, or what scores they actually got).

How Much Do Online SAT Tutoring Jobs Pay?

Online SAT tutors make an average of $40 to $100 per hour.

The amount tutors can make on an hourly basis depends on whether the tutor is working alone or as a contractor with a known tutor company, the reputation of the tutor, and subject specialization.

Some tutors who specialize in helping students get into Princeton, Harvard, or other specific schools are often sought out by rich parents, and they can charge higher fees (from $200 up to $1000 per hour).

Where Do You Find SAT Tutor Jobs?

You’d be surprised at how many websites are looking for competent SAT tutors.

Those looking for the best online tutoring jobs with a focus on SAT test prep, check out the available positions from these sites:

  • Tutors.com – One of the oldest SAT tutoring job sites from this list, you’ll also find other tutor jobs aside from SAT preps.
  • Princeton Review.com – Focused on college admission, including SAT tutoring.
  • PrepScholar.com – Known for having some of the youngest online SAT tutors around, which means they’re likely relatable to students.
  • Chegg.com – It’s been around since 2003. Pays tutors about $20/hour via PayPal, which is low for experienced tutors, but will probably be good enough for those just starting out.
  • StudyPool.com – You have input about how much you’d like to charge, but StudyPool takes a 20-30% cut.
  • iTutor.com – A learning platform that works with school districts and college access programs to make virtual learning accessible.
  • Varsity Tutors – Offers test prep as well as academic tutoring.

Start Applying For Online SAT Tutoring Jobs Today!

Now that you know what it takes to be an online SAT tutor and where to apply to get your first gig, start applying!

Tutoring is the go-to online job for teachers, right after teaching English to people from all over the world.

But tutoring kids to improve their SAT scores isn’t for everybody.

If you’re a teacher and you’re looking for something to do during your spare time or once you’ve retired, you can always sell lesson plans online and make a killer six-figure income, or check my BIG list of work-from-home jobs.

Planning to start working as an SAT tutor soon? Have you applied to tutorial companies or directly to a client? Share your experience with us in the comments!

Get Paid to Write: 150+ Freelance Writing Jobs You Can Do from Home

If your dream is to get paid to write, you’re in luck.

This dream is easier to turn into reality these days because every type of online writing job you can do from home is available with a quick Google search.

This wasn’t the case several years ago. In the early ’00s, it was common for online jobs to turn out into scams and freelancers had to learn to protect themselves the hard way.

Today, job boards, marketplaces, and other platforms operate with a fee or use feedback systems to keep scammers at bay and encourage people that online jobs can really become a legitimate way to earn a stable income from the comforts of your own home.

So why doesn’t everyone with decent writing skills just quit their day jobs and focus on providing writing services online?

The Perfect Online Writing Job from Home

The problem isn’t the lack of writing opportunities available, but finding the perfect ones for your skills, circumstances, and expected pay.

In some cases, the job is only available if you’re based in the U.S., Canada, or other countries that have English as a first language. In other cases, the fees paid are so low that only those from developing countries can survive from their earnings.

If you want to make it as a freelance writer, here are several things you should think about before checking out what writing jobs are in store for you:

  • Tone of writing — Whether you’ve got experience writing legal letters and corporate memos, or prefer the conversational tone of blogs, social media, and other much modern platforms, deciding the tone early on will allow you to filter the writing jobs you’re interested in.
  • Fiction vs. Non-fiction — You don’t have to worry about choosing which has better opportunities, since there are plenty of fiction and non-fiction writing jobs available. But since news writing, academic writing, web copy, resume writing, and others that require technical writing are totally different from blogging, writing short stories or poetry, and so on, knowing where your writing skills fit perfectly would increase your productivity and income in the long run.
  • Side cash vs. Full-time job — Will you be able to commit to working on a full-time basis? Or are you planning to write for cash on the side? This is an important consideration, especially since it correlates with the amount of income you’ll be taking home each month.
  • The Boss — Freelancers still work for other people, whether this means you’re taking in a client directly, or working for a content mill, marketing firm, or any other company. Freelance writers who work for companies are usually teamed with other writers and editors, as well as content managers to help with work calendars.

Other factors, such as payment currency and software requirements, may also affect your decision on a case-to-case basis. But these four factors could help trim down your results when searching for freelance writing jobs.

150+ Ways You Can Get Paid to Write

I did my best to categorize this list as organized as possible with payment information and other important info. Have fun hunting your preferred freelance writing jobs from home!

Share Poetry, Greeting Cards, Short Stories, and Fiction Writing

Those who have a knack for words and enjoy creating greeting cards, poetry, short stories, and other literature can make a killing with these resources.

Note that many of these sites only accept unpublished work.

1) Grain Magazine – Earn $50 from every poem accepted

2) The Sun Magazine – Known for paying $100 to $250 per poem. This publication loves personal, cultural, or political writing.

3) Poetry Foundation – $10 per line or $150 per page of prose

4) Blue Mountain Arts – Accepts prose and poetry perfect for greeting cards. Pay varies.

5) American Greetings – Submit poems, quotes, and other content for greeting cards. Pay varies.

6) Iron Horse Review – Accepts essays, stories, poems, and flash pieces. Pays $100 per essay or story and $50 per poem or flash piece.

7) Chicken Soup for the Soul – Pays $200 for inspirational, true-to-life personal stories or poems.

8) Colorado Review – Charges $3 payment for online submissions. Pays $10 per page for poetry.

9) Boulevard Magazine – Requires $3 payment for online submissions. If accepted, you can earn  $100 to $300 for prose, or $25 to $250 for poetry.

10) Clubhouse Jr – This kid-friendly site is continuously looking for age-appropriate stories and poetry with a Christian angle. They pay around 15 and 25 cents (USD) per word.

11) Crazy Horse – Accepts fiction and non-fiction stories, poetry and other types of publications with a pay of $20 to $200 per submission.

12) VQR Online – This site doesn’t just accept poetry, they also allow nonfiction, opinion pieces, personal essays and so on. They pay $200 per poem or around 25 cents per word for short fiction, prose, literary criticism, and other types of content.

13) The Three Penny Review – Pays $400 per story or $200 per poem. Doesn’t read submissions sent from July through December.

14) Ploughshares – Ploughshares have several kinds of content submissions available with prizes ranging from $25 to $1,000. Some contests here have entry fees, so make sure to double-check guidelines.

15) Rattle – While online submissions get $100 (print submissions are paid $200), all free submissions are automatically considered for the annual Neil Postman Award for Metaphor, which has a $2,000 prize.

16) Arc Poetry Magazine – Contemporary poetry is accepted at $50 per page.

17) New Myths: NewMyths.com currently pays 1.5 cents/word with a minimum payment of $30 for all submissions, fiction, flash fiction, nonfiction and poetry. The content must have a hint of fantasy or science fiction element to the story.

18) Agni – Pays $20 per page for accepted prose and $40 per page for poetry, with a $300 maximum.

19) The Pedestal Magazine – Pays $50 per accepted poem.

20) Willow Springs – Pays $20 per published poem, and charges a $3 reading fee.

21) ComstockMarKetPlace – This adult humor greeting card company accepts submissions for $50 per accepted idea.

22) 50 Haikus – They pay $1.50 per haiku as token payments for everyone and $10 for “Editor’s Choice” submissions.

23) Apparition Lit – Quarterly speculative fiction magazine featuring short stories, poetry, and artwork. Pays a minimum of $30 per short story, and $30 flat fee for poems.

24) LampLight – Dark fiction magazine. Pays 3¢ per word for unpublished fiction, up to $150 maximum.

25) SLICE – Only accepts submissions through their online portal and only during reading periods. They pay $400 for stories and essays, $150 for flash fiction pieces, and $100 for poems.

26) Fantasy & Science Fiction – As evidenced by the name, they accept fantasy and science fiction stories up to 25,000 words in length. Pays 8¢ to 10¢ per word upon acceptance.

Get Paid to Write for Other People’s Blogs

Some blog owners are willing to pay for your time, expertise, and shared knowledge if you’re interested in getting paid for a guest post that would bring value to your host blogger’s readers.

Some websites have in-house writers working for the publication day in and day out, but these websites also accept submissions occasionally if the ideas you pitch them are interesting to them and potentially valuable to their readers. Aside from the list below, you can always check for the “write for us” section on any website if it is accepting submissions from its readers.

Most of the time, you have to submit a pitch before you’re given a chance to write for the blog. Always read the guidelines they’ve posted before any submission.

27) Bankforeclosuressale.com – Pays $100 (can negotiate more for stellar content) for real estate, foreclosure, flipping houses, investing, or properties-related articles.

28) A Fine Parent – Parenting niche. Pays $75 via PayPal for an article around 1,500 to 3,000 words.

29) A List Apart – Web design industry, pays between $50 and $200 for articles up to 2500 words.

30) American College of Healthcare Sciences – This site encourages industry experts to write blog posts of 600-1000 words about homeopathy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, aromatherapy, and general wellness. If your post is accepted, you earn $50 and keep your byline.

31) Back to College – Focused on older people going “back to college.” Pays $55 for approved posts.

32) BlogPaws – If you are equally passionate about pets and social media, you can write advice and tips for fellow pet lovers and earn $75 if your work is accepted.

33) ChangeAgent – This education-focused site changes themes per issue, but if your submission gets accepted, you get $50 for a 200- to 1000-word post.

34) Cracked – Those who have a great sense of humor and are up-to-date with pop culture, entertainment and politics should check out Cracked. Every accepted feature article can get you $100 to $250 based on the length and number of pieces you’ve written.

35) DesertUSA – Content about North American desert regions gets paid $50 for every approved article.

36) DollarStretcher – Love finance? Or simply good with money? This site accepts article submissions in the personal finance category and pays $0.10 per word for an article that is 800 words at most.

37) Doctor of Credit – Personal finance blog; Pays $50 per blog post via PayPal as soon as the post goes live.

38) Down East Magazine – This magazine features Maine and its food, culture, and history. If you’re from Maine and have new ideas and perspectives about Maine to share, send your pitch for a chance to get paid from 60¢ to 75¢ per word upon publication.

39) Eating Well – Great exposure for food bloggers focused on healthy eating. Pays $1 per word upon publication.

40) Edible Seattle – Awesome exposure and writing gig for Seattle-based writers. Pays 20¢ to 30¢ per word (made upon publication) for articles about cooking and eating in Washington, especially around the Seattle area.

41) Elite Personal Finance – Personal finance category; Pays $300 per 1,000- to 3,000-word article.

42) FreelanceMom – Accepting articles from moms who work freelance. Receive between $75 to $100 via PayPal for every accepted post, plus a bonus of $150 if your article is at the top of their most shared list.

43) International Living– Want to share your knowledge on living and retiring overseas? International Living pays $225 for a 900-word article and $350 for a 1600-word article.

44) Funds for Writers – Write guides on how to earn a living as a writer and be paid $60 for every accepted, unpublished original article.

45) Great Escape Publishing – Ideal for writers who know of ways to get paid to travel. Pay is $150 per published 300- to 600-word article.

46) Go Nomad – Pays $25 for personal travel posts (1,200 to 2,000 words)

47) Horse Network – Passionate about equestrian sports, horse health, and other horse-related topics? Not only will you get paid $50 for the article itself, but Horse Network also adds $100 for every 1,000 shares on social media.

48) How Stuff Works – Pay is $100+ per article, but it’s hard to pitch ideas to them since they are extremely selective.

49) Income Diary – Content marketing, website creation, making money online, and other similar articles are paid $200 a pop. Subscribe to their mailing list to be notified when they need articles. You can also submit a post idea, and if they like it, they’ll email back with complete instructions for you to begin writing the full article.

50) iWorkWell – Human Resources topics; pays up to $195 for an article, plus bonuses for complex articles and submitting before the deadline.

51) JustParents – UK-based website. Accepts articles related to parenting and pregnancy, especially first-time parents. Submit your pitch with a title, first paragraph, and an outline of the rest of the article.

52) Knitty – Knitting and crochet patterns. Pay is $150 to $200 per published submission.

53) LadyQ’s – Focused on women-related topics like dating, relationships, fashion, beauty, etc. Pays at least $50 per article.

54) Listverse – Love reading and writing listicles? This site pays $100 via PayPal for every list-based 1000-word article that gets accepted.

55) Loaded Landscapes – Writers passionate about nature, landscapes, wildlife, travel photography, image processing, and related topics can earn $20 to $150 per accepted piece.

56) Make a Living Writing – Get paid $75-$150 for accepted blog posts about earning with your writing skills.

57) Matador – Travel blog. They post all currently paid gigs with the specific topic and how much they pay per assignment.

58) Narratively – Narrative non-fiction. Pay varies.

59) Pixlr Blog – Graphic design and mobile photography. Pays $200 per post. Submit your pitch here.

60) WeAreTeachers – Teacher life and education. Pays $100 honorarium per post.

61) Credium – Crypto trading tools. Pays $250.

62) SmartBusinessTrends – Online digital marketing. Pays $200 to $500 depending on length or complexity of articles.

63) Nurse Guidance – Resources for nurses. Only accepts articles from state-licensed nurses based in the US. Pays $50 to $100 depending on background and subject matter.

64) Rooted in Rights – Disability rights. Only works with people who identify as disabled.

65) wikiEspressoMachine – Reviews and other informative articles on kitchen, home, and garden gadgets. Pays $100.

66) Truity – Personality psychology. Pays $100 to $150 per post depending on length.

67-95) Here are more blogs that pay you to write: Online Writing Jobs (paid writing jobs), Writer’s Weekly (jobs for writers), Rank Pay (digital marketing), Technopedia (tech), The Partially Examined Life (philosophy and culture), Reason (politics, economy, culture), Yoga International (health).

Travel writing is in demand and many blogs and sites pay for content. Check out Theme Park Tourist, The Expeditioner, ROVA, Outpost Magazine, or Ireland Before You Die.

Parenting is also a  common niche, so if you’re a parent with superb writing skills, check out details for Her View From Home, Red Tricycle, Yummy Mummy Club, Chicago Parent, Metro Parent, among others.

You’d be surprised at all the niches you can write for. You have very specific categories like New Scientist (science and technology) or Modern Farmer (modern agriculture) to pop culture and entertainment sites like Screen Rant.

Of course, local publications like Radish Magazine (that serve Western Illinois and Eastern Iowa), KANSAS! Magazine, or Oregon Coast Magazine may also be an interesting route.

Web design and programming sites also have a continuous need for content. If you’re on the techy side, check out SitePoint, Web Design Ledger, CircleCI, and more. Technical writing like these gives higher rates. So does mental health-focused content such as HealthyPlace, ADDitude, or PsychCentral.

Long-term Writing Jobs

This category includes both part-time and full-time writing jobs, which goes beyond the per-article gigs.  You’d have to send your CV and writing portfolio to land any of these online writing jobs from home, but they’re worth it.

96) BookBrowse – Become a book reviewer and get paid to write a review or two of books from their library every month.

97) Distance Web – Hires copywriters with experience crafting copy for ads, websites, and email marketing.

98) IndieMade – Accepts writers from anywhere around the world. Focuses on topics about marketing creative businesses. Pay is sent monthly, depending on how much content you submit and get approved.

99) Kirkus Media – Book lovers are paid to review books from self-published authors.

100) Life Tips – This company regularly needs SEO specialists, copywriters, and editors; accepts freelancers from all over the world.

101) IAC – IAC isn’t one of those brands with instant recall, but it owns over 150 digital products and brands used globally, including Angi, Dotdash, Investopedia, Daily Beast, Care.com, and many others. There are often openings for copywriters and SEO writers for one of their many websites, so check back on this page regularly.

102) Match Group – Match Group owns over 45 global dating companies, including Match.com, Tinder, OKCupid, Hinge, PlentyOfFish, and many more. They open positions for freelance writers, staff writers, and content writers, so bookmark their careers page and apply when one opens.

103) Condé Nast – They’re continually hiring staff writers, product writers, and commerce writers for their numerous magazines and publications, including The New Yorker, Vogue, WIRED, Glamour, Vanity Fair, and lots more.

104) How-To Geek – They’re currently looking for experienced writers to create content with life advice, especially about finance, home organization, personal care, time management, and other related copies.

105) WalletHub – WalletHub is a personal finance website currently looking for freelance online writers to work 50+ hours a week to produce content on finance-related topics like credit cards, credit scores, personal loans, and so on.

106) Finder – Finder prides itself on helping millions of Americans to make difficult financial decisions. They’re currently looking for freelance writers and staff writers to join their team.

107) WordCandy – Create WordPress-related blog posts for WordCandy’s clients that include some of the biggest WordPress blogs on the internet.

108) Abarila Foundation – The Abarila Foundation supports aid projects in several countries. They’re currently looking for a copywriter to write about their projects and campaigns.

Tutorials

Teaching people how to do something requires extensive knowledge of that particular niche, exceptional writing skills, and the ability to explain anything in layman’s terms. As such, tutorials often have higher fees than regular blog posts.

109) CrazyLeaf Design – Accepts design tutorials (web design, photography, graphic design)

110) Digital Ocean – Tutorials are focused on creating a real-world project in Python or JavaScript, or advanced systems topics such as Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible, Terraform, and CI/CD. They pay contributors $300, then match the amount with a charitable donation.

111) eCommerceInsiders – For experienced ecommerce business owners who wish to share their insider secrets; Pays from $75 to $150 for articles (400 to 600 words)

112) Envato Tuts+ – This high-traffic website focuses on coding, web design, IT, and other techy topics.

113) Tutorial Board – Focused on computer graphics software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effect, Autodesk CAD, and many others. Accepted tutorials are paid $150 each.

114) Vectordiary – Adobe Illustrator and other vector graphics software. Tutorials pay $150 each.

115) Real Python – If you’re an advanced-level Python developer, you can help Python developers become even more awesome. Apply to be part of their tutorial team to get paid per project. Even your trial writing assignment will be paid.

116) Photoshop Tutorials – As evidenced by the name, this website contains everything you want to learn about Photoshop. Get paid $50 for quick tips and $150 to $300 for full tutorials.

117) Snel – Snel.com is a cloud-hosting service based in the Netherlands. Pays €35 for each technical article with at least 300 words.

118) Clubhouse – Clubhouse is a project management software geared toward software developers. They’re looking for software engineers to write in-depth tutorials and how-to guides for $400 per tutorial ($600 if there’s a working code example included).

Academic Writing and Adult Writing

Academic writing can be a gray area for content writers, since some people may find it unethical. However, some websites like A Pass Education and Academic Experts are legit and pays college-level writers higher rates than your average blogger.

Another niche to consider if you’re looking for higher-paid writing jobs is to check out adult writing jobs. The topics will depend on your expertise, but it can be as monotonous as writing product descriptions of sexy costumes or writing novel-length R-rated stories. Either way, expect up to three times the going rate for the average copywriter.

Revenue Sharing

You won’t be paid upon submission or publication, but if your published article gets a ton of traffic, you’ll earn continuously as long as the website is up and your written article remains on the site.

121) Hubpages – Earn passive income. Uses Adsense, Kontera, and Amazon for ads.

122) News for Shoppers – Product-based content. You earn 70% Adsense revenue share.

123) Unanchor – Get 50% of revenue share from your published travel itineraries.

Get Paid to Write Full-time: Article Writing Services

If your goal is to work as a writer full-time, your best bet would be to apply for freelance writing jobs from home. You have to be okay with basically working as a ghostwriter, selling your rights to the content once you’ve submitted your work.

Note that some of these companies may be considered as a content mill (with lower pay but a ton of work available), so proceed with caution. However, all of the sites below are legit and have paid freelancers for years.

124) Constant Content – Open to US writers only

125) Verblio – Write blog posts for Verblio’s clients.

126) BKA Content – US only. Pays 1.5¢ to 5¢ per word. Receive income every two weeks via PayPal.

127) ClearVoice – Higher pay writing (pays 5¢ to 15¢ per word).

128) Content Divas – US writers only. Work availability not consistent but worth bookmarking and checking back.

129) Content Remarketing – Always open for expert-level content writers.

130) Content Runner – US writers only (pays through bank account).

131) iWriter – Plenty of writing projects available. Accepts writers from around the world. Pay starts lower than other companies but once promoted you can earn up to $80 per 500-word article.

132) Textbroker – US writers only. No bidding required. Projects are assigned and paid based on your rating. Pays weekly via PayPal.

133) Textbroker UK – The UK version of the Textbroker website. Only available for writers from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Republic of Ireland.

134)  WriterAccess – Accepts US-based writers only. Writers are assessed during application and given a rating (the higher this rating, the more money per word a writer can earn).

135) WritersLabs – Accepts both native and non-native English speakers (but with a bachelor’s degree) to write articles about a wide variety of subjects.

136) The Content Authority – Hires writers from Canada and the US. Pays weekly through PayPal. Not currently hiring but worth checking back.

137) Compose.ly – Higher pay (pays 10¢ to 14¢ per word) but they only accept 1% of writers who apply.

138) eZdia – Hires professional eCommerce writers. Pays $1 to $150 per piece

139) Word Gigs – US-based writers earn from $4.50 up to $18 for standard articles, depending on length.

140) Crowd Content – Payment depends on your rating; accepts writers from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

141) WL Marketing – This SEO company has an ongoing need for article writers.

142) Writer’s Domain – Accepts writers that speak English, French, Spanish, German, and Dutch. Pay varies depending on the rating. Pays through PayPal.

143) Get a Copywriter – Accepts copywriters from around the world. Pays $5 to $9 for every 100 words of content

144) Randstad RiseSmart – US and Canada. Got skills for resume writing? You can get paid to write resumes on an hourly basis.

145) The Content Panel – Matches clients with writers through AI. Pays up to $18 for a 300-word post.

146) Express Writers – Hires writers to write for blog articles, whitepapers, emails, and other marketing materials. Pay varies per project.

147) Zerys – Content planning and production platform. Not currently hiring but sign up to their site to be informed when there are openings for freelance writers.

148) Media Shower – Assignments are articles about business, finance, and technology. Pays $25 for every accepted 400-word article.

149) Scripted – Clients across 37 different industries. Pay varies depending on your Writer Tier.

150) CopyPress – CopyPress is a content marketing agency focused on ROI. Create a contractor profile on the website to start getting assignments.

151) Search Sciences – Search Sciences is a content creation and publishing company with hundreds of clients. You get to decide your pay rate and tell them what your specialties are so you can get matched to the right clients.

152) Words of Worth – They have regular contracts with clients. Pay varies depending on the assignments. Aside from the US, they have clients based in Canada, Australia, and the UK.

153) Purecontent – Accepts writers from all over the world. Pay varies depending on the project.

154) Search Influence – New Orleans-based SEO and digital marketing company. Writing assignments are usually related to the legal, medical, real estate, and retail industries. Payment varies with the project and is sent through PayPal.

BONUS: Freelance Writing Job Boards

If the resources above you aren’t enough, you can always check out online job marketplaces. There are even job boards that are geared specifically for paid writing jobs from home.

Check out the following sites:

Note that some of these marketplaces charge a monthly fee for freelancers to be listed on their sites.

Others require you to bid on projects posted by the client, which can be discouraging once you see the amount of competition you have.

Tips to Succeed as a Freelance Writer

Get Paid to Write: 153+ Freelance Writing Jobs You Can Do from Home

You can get paid to write from anywhere you are in the world.

Imagine spending a few months in Bali, working as a freelance writer in the daytime, and enjoying the beach once the sun goes down.

However, to succeed in this field, you need to know what you want to write, how much writing you can do, and if you consider writing as a career or just a side gig.

Here are some more tips to succeed as a freelance writer.

Beware of scams.

Scams still exist online, so be careful whenever you start a project, apply for any job, or even just providing your resume to the wrong person or company.

Do your due diligence and look up potential employers and see whether they have negative reviews or if they exist in the first place. Sometimes, a simple Google search can tell you all the information you need.

Learn basic SEO skills.

Companies nowadays need more content that will drive customers to their sites. As a freelance writer, you need to have at least a basic knowledge of SEO to be able to write articles that will likely be indexed by search engines and served up on search engine result pages.

Know how to handle feedback and rejection.

Your clients and your bosses will inevitably give you feedback on your work. Good or bad, you need to be able to deal with feedback graciously.

Other times, your articles will be rejected outright. You’ll either be told that your article wasn’t up to par or just not hear back at all.

It’s hard not to take all that negativity personally, but successful freelance writers are able to take this in stride and use that feedback to improve their writing skills.

Ready to Get Paid to Write?

Landing paid writing job is no walk in the park, but not impossible.

Now that you’re armed with these websites, resources, and tips, you have the advantage of being prepared with this knowledge.

All that’s left to do is for you to take action!

Planning to apply for freelance writing jobs soon? Which companies and job boards have you looked at? Tell us your story in the comments!

11 Great Stay at Home Mom Jobs to Try

Being a mom to a colicky newborn, a fussy infant, an adventurous toddler, or all of them can be a handful in itself. Throw in working a full-time or part-time job in the mix and it’s a formula for disaster. Instead, many moms gravitate towards stay-at-home mom jobs for extra income.

The problem is stay-at-home moms can’t just take any work-from-home job because they have to work around their kids’ schedules and needs.

Today, I’ve compiled a list of the best jobs that allow stay-at-home moms to earn a living while caring for their children at home.

7 Online Jobs for Stay at Home Moms

1. Brand Ambassador

Stay at Home Mom Brand Ambassador

As a parent, you probably have a lot of products that you can recommend to other parents.

Now, you can make money from it.

If you’re the type of person who loves to recommend new products or trends to others, and maybe try those things out for yourself too, then this is simply a way to make money by doing what you were going to do anyway.

Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to baby products. For instance, you can recommend skincare products that fit a new parent’s regimen and won’t harm their precious babies.

Becoming a brand ambassador is a great stay-at-home mom job because it doesn’t bog you down with too many hours at work at a time or require a strict schedule.

Your mission as a brand ambassador is to spread the word about a brand through word-of-mouth marketing, as opposed to direct marketing.

Your main tools are your social media accounts, so it’s best to start building your followers as early as you can.

Recommended Reading:

2. Voice-Over Artist

If you have a good speaking voice, can act or otherwise manipulate your voice, and have a spare room or space that you can soundproof, being a voice actor may be an option for you.

People who produce games, advertisements, cartoons, videos, and movies are constantly on the lookout for talented voice actors.

You’ll need to invest in high-quality recording equipment, your studio, and your training and education, but once you get clients, you can earn around $250 to $300 an hour.

Recommended Reading:
How To Become A Voice Actor

3. Online Tutor

Online Tutor

Tutoring is one of the most flexible options for anyone looking at stay-at-home mom jobs. You get to choose which subjects to teach, what time and which days you work, and your hourly rates.

There are so many types of tutoring that it’s easy to find a niche you’re good at. You can tutor students in certain school subjects, or become a music tutor, a language tutor, or an art tutor.

Then, you can schedule your tutoring sessions for when you know you’ll have time away from the little one. For instance, you can open up your schedule during play dates, nap times, or when they’re in daycare.

You can start by applying to an online tutoring company. Here are 10 companies currently hiring online tutors.

You can also go on your own. Online tools like Skype have made it easy to set up live online tutoring sessions. You can branch out by creating a website for yourself where you can sell pre-recorded courses.

4. Data Entry Specialist

A data entry specialist generally involves inputting data from various sources, which may or may not need to be edited, into a computer for processing, management, and organization.

Data entry jobs have had a bad rap in recent years, but if you know where to get legitimate data entry jobs, you get a chance at a highly flexible job that requires little more than typing skills and attention to detail.

Recommended Reading:
Legit Data Entry Jobs From Home

5. Search Engine Evaluator

You might not have guessed it, but people actually get paid to search for things on Google!

A search engine evaluator’s job is to search for certain key terms and evaluate the search engine results for accuracy and quality. Companies like Lionbridge AI, Appen, and FlexJobs regularly hire search engine evaluators.

Search engine evaluators are also called internet assessors, web search evaluators, or internet judges, so search job boards for these phrases as well to get more openings.

This work is usually project-based so there will be times when you have lots of work and other times when you might not have any at all.

There are also usually tests and training to go through before being approved as a search engine evaluator.

Recommended Reading:
Where To Get Search Evaluator Jobs

6. Online Proofreader

If your spelling, grammar, and syntax are on point, your attention to detail is strong, and you don’t mind reading for hours at a time, online proofreading may be a good fit for you.

Proofreading used to be the responsibility of the writer who created the content. However, as online content continues to grow in volume, online proofreaders become more in demand.

Online proofreading is also one of the most flexible stay-at-home mom jobs as you literally can do it whenever, wherever, as long as you meet the deadlines.

Recommended Reading:
Legit Proofreading Jobs You Can Apply For

7. Writer

If you have the skills and the talent, hundreds of writing jobs are available to you with one quick Google search.

The problem now isn’t so much the opportunities as finding the right writing job that fits your skills, schedule, circumstances, and salary expectations.

Think about what style of writing you’re best at: technical, legal, scientific, sales copy, casual, storytelling, etc. Then think about how much time you’ll realistically have to write per day so you know whether to take a full-time, part-time, or freelance job.

Recommended Reading:

# Stay-At-Home Mom Side Hustles

Maybe having a regular or semi-regular job doesn’t thrill you, or you don’t really need a stable income but would like to earn extra spending money for the household. Perhaps a gig that you can pick up and drop at any time sounds like a better option for you.

Here are some side gigs you can do as a stay-at-home parent.

8. In-home Daycare

There are many different types of parents; some are stay-at-home moms while others work out of the house and need someone to take care of their kid for a few hours.

You’re already taking care of your own babies and doing a great job of it. So you’re likely to be well equipped to take on a few more little ones.

Not only will you get paid for a little extra work but it’s also great for your children, who’ll get to socialize with other kids.

You’re probably already part of a group or social circle of friends with kids of their own, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find daycare clients. You can charge them competitive rates and they’ll probably feel more assured by leaving their children with someone they already know and trust.

If not, you can always try your hand at advertising on your neighborhood Facebook groups or offline through pamphlets and flyers on your community board.

Just make sure to check the laws in your area for opening a daycare center in one’s home.

9. Sell Your Crafts Online

If you’re a creative person who wants to share that creativity with the world, then this is the right path for you.

The internet has made it ridiculously easy to set up your own business as a crafty person. Stores like Etsy and Amazon Handmade helps crafters easily connect to willing buyers who are on the lookout for handmade items.

But these are only two examples of the many options out there.

There’s no limit to what you can make or earn. From small handmade gifts to big artsy decor items, and even jewelry or clothes.

If you’re brave enough, you can even create your own online store to sell your crafts from. It’s pretty easy to create your own website these days and you need minimal knowledge about design and programming to get it done.

Website platforms like WordPress and Squarespace have made it really easy to get things set up.

Plus, if you’re looking for creative designs for marketing material like flyers, email headers, or social media posts then you can quickly and easily create beautiful designs yourself with Canva.

10. Direct Seller

This is a great opportunity to generate a lot of income if selling is your strength. Direct sellers sign up with a company to distribute their products to clients in their area.

You have to set up your own network of clients and you can’t change the pricing on the products, but working with a direct sales company with existing products that are already proven to work is an easier way to set up your own business; one that allows for flexible workloads and less stress.

There’s usually a monthly sales quota to meet and you’ll usually have to buy some or all of the products in advance to resell. It’s important to make sure that the company has a buy-back policy for the products you end up not selling.

Most companies will also allow you to earn bonuses through the earnings of other resellers you’ve recruited. However, you’ll need to do research to ensure that what you’re joining is a direct sales company and not a pyramid scheme or an MLM scam.

Every company’s policies and compensation plans will differ so you’ll have to carefully assess each. Companies like Avon, Mary Kay, and Amway are big retailers that make use of direct sellers.

11. Rent Out Your Baby Gear

If you live in an area that’s a popular vacation destination then you can build up a nice nest egg by renting out your baby equipment.

Stuff like strollers, cribs, car seats, and changing stations all can fetch you some extra money.

BabyQuip

This is mainly for those situated in the US, and you’ll have to set up an account on BabyQuip where you’ll outline the locations you can cover, the type of equipment you have to offer, and your rates.

Renting out your baby equipment is a great way to get your money back on all the expensive baby gear you bought, especially after your toddler has outgrown them.

Find the Best Stay at Home Mom Jobs Today!

It is entirely possible to juggle staying home to be the primary caregiver for your child or children and working from home.

The stay-at-home mom jobs and side hustles I outlined above are just to get you started. There are plenty of other opportunities out there!

If you’re hungry for more, check out our massive lists of work from home jobs and side hustles and see if one of them is a good fit for your interests, skills, and your kids’ schedules.

Are you currently looking for stay-at-home mom jobs? Does anything from our list interest you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Work at Home Nursing Jobs: 30 Companies Currently Hiring

As a nurse, working remotely may sound like a pipe dream, but because technology is constantly improving and working virtually is increasingly being accepted in the healthcare field, more and more work at home nursing jobs are now available.

Nursing is a particularly stressful career. From pre-nursing courses to nursing school to taking the national exams, the beginning of a nursing career is already a hard road.

When they do get to work, they’re exposed to stressful work environments. Their workloads are heavier because of more patients coming in and not enough nurses being hired to handle all of them.

Another factor that adds to their stress is the risk of patient-handling injuries, such as neck or back strain from lifting and moving a patient.

Yet another important factor is the emotional strain of connecting to patients and their families. Resources need to be provided to give them the tools they need to cope with this mental and emotional burden, but because of understaffing, these resources may come up short.

Given all of these, it’s challenging to perform their role as a care provider to enhance a patient’s quality of life, partner with doctors and other healthcare professionals to carry out the best plan of care, and advocate for patients’ rights, health, and overall wellness.

The availability of work at home nursing jobs may be the key to solving the problem of stressful work environments and allow nurses to do their best work.

Today, I’ve rounded up X different types of nursing jobs you can do from home and XX different companies that are hiring to fill these positions.

7 Types of Work at Home Nursing Jobs

Luckily, there are now several types of nursing jobs you can do remotely where you can put your nursing degree and your spirit of caregiving to good use while avoiding a stressful work environment.

Compared to traditional hospital work, these jobs are physically less demanding and can be performed at home or anywhere in the world.

Here are some of them.

1. Case Manager

This is one of the most popular options for nurses who want to work from home.

Case managers provide personalized evaluation and treatment plans to patients. They coordinate with multiple specialists to identify resources and services best suited to patients.

They mostly work with patients who have chronic health conditions and require constant monitoring and follow-up. Thus, traditionally, hospice and home care centers employ nurse case managers.

However, most of the coordination part of the job can be done through phone calls, video calls, and email, allowing nurse case managers to do this remotely.

  • REQUIREMENTS: Case managers should have an RN license and at least 3 years of nursing experience in a clinical setting and disability management.
  • SALARY: The average starting salary of RN case managers is around $66,300 a year as of April 2021 (Source). Many of these work from home nursing jobs also have benefits added to their compensation packages.

2. Telehealth Triage Registered Nurse

Telehealth is increasingly becoming popular. This is when healthcare professionals use remote video teleconferencing or audio software over the internet to provide medical care virtually.

As a telehealth triage RN, your role is to take inbound video or audio calls from patients, assess their symptoms and the urgency of those symptoms, and direct them to the right place for them to get treatment; whether they need to go to the emergency room now or schedule a non-urgent telemedicine consult with a specialist.

  • REQUIREMENTS: At least an associate’s degree in nursing is required, plus real-life nursing experience and clinical documentation.
  • SALARY: As you’ll soon discover with the jobs below, telehealth careers offer competitive rates. And unlike other online jobs, nursing jobs from home even include benefits.

3. Legal Nurse Consultant

As a consultant for attorneys, paralegals, police, and other people working in the legal profession, these nurses lend their medical expertise in relation to common legal issues, such as medical malpractice, worker’s compensation, personal injury, and so on.

Legal nurse consultants are usually hired by insurance companies, law firms, or as in-house expert at a hospital.

You’ll need certifications for both your nursing and legal experience to be considered for the job.

  • REQUIREMENTS: You’d need to be an RN with a solid clinical nursing background.
  • SALARY: The average starting salary of legal nurse consultants is around $73,700 a year as of September 2020 (Source)

4. Utilization Review Nurse

Utilization review is one of the least understood yet one of the most essential departments in managing the cost of health care.

Utilization review nurses ensure that health care services and procedures are being used appropriately.

Their responsibilities include performing frequent case reviews, checking medical records, and coordinating with patients and health care providers to plan treatment. They make recommendations regarding the appropriateness of care for a patient’s diagnosis.

Further, they assist in determining whether a treatment meets the criteria for reimbursement by their insurance plan.

  • REQUIREMENTS: You’d need to be an RN with at least 2 years of general nursing experience in medical-surgical nursing.
  • SALARY: The average starting salary of utilization review nurses is around $65,400 a year as of August 2020 (Source)

5. Medical Transcriptionist

medical transcription jobs

The job of medical transcriptionists involve transcribing medical reports, documents and other materials of doctors and other healthcare professionals.

This field is expected to grow in the coming years due to an aging population, so the future of medical transcription looks promising especially for those with certifications.

  • REQUIREMENTS: Experience in a traditional healthcare facility with physicians makes this job particularly easier, but it isn’t a requirement. If you’re familiar with medical terms, transcribing in this industry is possible.
  • SALARY: Payment for home-based medical transcriptionists vary, depending on the company you work for, your skill level, and how much work is available. Expect somewhere between $15 and $25 an hour if paid by the hour. Sometimes, transcription work is paid by the number of lines transcribed.

Read my full guide on medical transcription jobs if this is an avenue you are interested in pursuing.

6. Medical Writer

Medical writing is a work at home nursing job that requires extensive knowledge of medical terminology and procedures as well as excellent writing skills.

Medical writers are usually tasked with writing print or digital materials that are used by everyone from medical professionals to the general public. Examples include promotional materials, journal articles, press releases, blog posts, medical product inserts, and other similar documents.

  • REQUIREMENTS: At least a bachelor’s degree in nursing is required. Writing experience is highly desired but usually not required.
  • SALARY: The average starting salary of medical writers is around $70,100 a year as of April 2021 (Source)

7. Medical Billing

Medical billers manage the billing of patients and insurance companies for services provided by a physician.

You’ll be responsible for sending in claims to insurance companies, filing appeals, handling denials, and much more. The job does involve financial and medical terminologies. A medical biller must be familiar with medical coding and the intricacies of health insurance.

  • REQUIREMENTS: At least an associate’s degree in nursing is required. Proficiency in financial writing and terms is highly desired.
  • SALARY: The average starting salary of medical billers is around $34,600 a year as of April 2021 (Source)

Be sure to check out my full guide on how to become a medical biller.

30 Companies Hiring for Work from Home Nursing Jobs

If you’re looking for a nursing job you can do from home, one of the following companies should be able to help.

They all offer different opportunities. Be sure to click through and see what’s available and what best suits your skills and interests.

1. FlexJobs

Anytime you search for work from home jobs, I recommend starting at FlexJobs.

FlexJobs is a huge job database with high-quality remote and flexible jobs, with every employer carefully vetted to help searchers find only the best jobs.

2. 83Bar

This Austin, Texas-based company hires RNs and other medical specialists to match people with their healthcare needs and set them up with appointments to appropriate specialists.

You’d have to have a PC and landline so you can call people.

3. Aetna (now part of CVS Health)

Providing work from home RN jobs, this healthcare and life insurance company has regular, telecommute positions available for residents of the US.

Search for home-based work by click “Yes” on the telecommute filter on the CVS Health job board.

4. Abbott

This company sells medical diagnostic products, medical devices, nutritionals, and medicine. They’re currently hiring registered nurses for a variety of remote positions. Filter the jobs by location and the phrase “remote” on the job search page.

5. Change Healthcare

Change Healthcare provides comprehensive software and services for healthcare payers and providers. There are currently vacancies for case managers, utilization reviewers, and other work at home nursing jobs.

6. Anthem

Anthem is a health benefits company serving more than 107 million people. The current remote positions available for RNs include clinical review nurses, nurse reviewers, nurse case managers, and many other positions.

7. CCC Information Services

CCC Information Services is a software solutions provider for auto insurers, manufacturers, collision repairers, and other automotive-related industries.

They’re continually looking for RN case managers who will review and analyze the medical necessity of treatment and testing of injuries resulting from automobile accidents.

8. Aviacode

Aviacode is one of the largest medical coding companies in the US, working with some of the largest health systems in the country.

They do prefer Certified Professional Coders (CPCs), whose certifications are issued by the AAPC, so aside from your nursing degree and nursing license, you have to invest a bit. In exchange, though, medical coders working full time for Aviacode are eligible for benefits.

9. BroadPath Healthcare Solutions

There are plenty of nursing jobs from home available at this company.

If you’re a registered nurse in your home state with solid nursing experience in a clinical setting and a valid license, you can work as a customer service representative or as a claims processor, handling health insurance claims.

Plus points if you’re bilingual (they’re looking for Mandarin and Spanish-speaking agents all the time).

10. Conifer Health Solutions

This healthcare management service company hires nurses for remote case management, patient care coordinator, and medical coding from time to time.

The RNs must be licensed in various states, but are allowed to telecommute or work remotely.

Check the job board with keywords “remote” and “telecommuting.”

11. eQHealth Solutions

Those with extensive experience with community nursing or acute care may have a chance to land the remote Case Manager position at eQHealth Solutions. Other positions available include utilization review nurse, care coordinator, and intake coordinator.

12. FoneMed

This telecommunications health and wellness provider hires US and Canada-based nurses to provide telephone triage and health advice.

13. GeBBS Healthcare Solutions

The work from home nursing jobs offered by this company isn’t posted on their career pages.

However, you’ll find the Surgical Clinical Reviewer position always listed on Indeed or FlexJobs.

14. Healthfirst

This New York-based health insurance company hires home-based case managers regularly.

15. HealthHelp

If you’re a nurse with RN, LVN, or LPN license and at least 2 years of clinical care experience, you can land a work-from-home position as a clinical review nurse or care coordinator with HealthHelp.

16. iMedX

Become a part-time or full-time medical coder or transcriptionist at iMedX.

You have to be a licensed RN who is willing to work at least one weekend day or night on top of your weekday schedule.

Plus, full-timers are given complete benefits packages.

17. Inland Empire Health Plan

This California-based health insurance company hires nurses for case management.

18. Johnson & Johnson

Look for openings like Insulin Pump Trainer and Blood Glucose Manager when checking out the J&J job board.

These work from home nursing jobs rarely open up, but bookmark this in case they do.

19. McKesson

Another big company in the healthcare industry, McKesson offers work from home RN jobs to support its telehealth services.

You have to do a little digging in their job board and use “work from home” under location, but you’ll easily discover if they’re hiring home-based nurses or not.

20. Mercy

RNs with at least 5 years of clinical experience can try their luck at one of Mercy’s work-from-home positions.

The job mostly involves answering healthcare-related concerns of Mercy clients.

21. Nemours

Nemours is a pediatric healthcare network that offers remote patient services representatives from time to time.

22. AdhereHealth

This company connects healthcare providers with patients through their Adhere platform.

Check out their medication adherence technician and medication case manager positions.

23. Remote Medical International

This Seattle-based company occasionally hires nurses and physicians for telemedicine services.

24. Assistance Services Group

Check out the Telehealth division of this company if you’re looking for work-from-home nursing jobs.

25. Amedisys

Click on the ‘Apply Now’ button on their careers page to pull up their search portal.

Type “work from home” in the keyword box to pull up a list of open positions.

Some do require you to travel and visit locations on-site, but there are quite a few strictly remote opportunities in there as well.

26. Amalgamated Medical Care Management

This is a care management company offering jobs to registered nurses and physicians who deliver high-quality compassionate care to their patients.

They currently have openings for work at home nursing jobs like nurse counselors and claims analysts.

27. Centene

Centene provides access to high-quality healthcare solutions to families and individuals.

Case manager, quality practice advisor, and long-term support services are just some of the remote jobs available for registered nurses.

28. HCA Healthcare

HCA Healthcare is a network of hospitals, clinics, and other health care facilities.

They offer various positions in their various locations, but several of them are home-based positions, such as customer support representatives (to schedule appointments), nurse recruiters, clinical research associates, and care managers.

29. Cortex Health

They’re currently hiring registered nurses who can work from home as At-Home Agents and make follow-up calls to recently discharged patients to ask how they’re feeling, document calls, and send them to the patients’ healthcare providers.

30. Total Triage

Total Triage, as their name suggests, provides telephone triage and patient care to various home care and hospice organizations worldwide.

They’re looking for registered nurses that have at least one year of clinical experience, preferably in-home care and hospice nursing, to provide telehealth triage services from home.

Final Thoughts on RN Work From Home Jobs

Nursing is traditionally a high-stress job with erratic work schedule.

Traditionally, the only options for a hospital nurse who wanted a career change are limited to school nurse jobs and home care positions.

Fortunately, the demand for licensed registered nurses operating in healthcare sales, customer service, telehealth, insurance, and other similar fields has increased significantly through the years.

The most striking advantage of working from home is that senior registered nurses can continue using their skills while removing the stress commonly attributed to a clinical setting, such as long hours, high stress, or standing for long hours.

Hopefully, you can find a work-from-home nursing job from one of the companies on our list that is the right fit for you and your skills.

If you want to make a total career change, though, start by checking out this list of legitimate work from home jobs for opportunities that may interest you.

Have you tried to apply to a work-at-home nursing job from one of the companies above or elsewhere that’s not on this list? Share your experiences with us and fellow nurses in the comments!

How to Become a Tax Preparer and Make Money From Home

Are you a tax whiz? Do you genuinely enjoy helping your friends and family members do their yearly income taxes? If yes, then perhaps you should consider becoming a tax preparer and earning money by preparing tax returns for others.

Tax preparers generally prepare, file, and assist taxpayers with general tax forms. At the same time, they need to ensure that their clients’ obligations to the IRS are fulfilled and that they never assist in making any fraudulent tax returns.

Today, let’s look at the steps to become a legitimate, qualified tax preparer and make money working from home.

How to Become a Tax Preparer

Before you go off and start charging people for looking over their W-2’s and 1099’s, go over these basic steps first.

1. Learn all about tax preparation.

The good news is that you don’t need to have a bachelor’s degree to become a tax preparer. A high school degree or a GED is enough to get you on your way.

However, you do need to have above-average math skills to be able to self-train in tax preparation.

You can take tax preparation courses in your local universities or community colleges.

Or, if you’d rather learn about taxes in the comfort of your own home, the IRS offers Link and Learn Taxes, a Web-based learning program for individuals who want to know more about accurately filing their taxes or helping others do so.

There are also plenty of online courses on tax preparation, but they’re likely to cost you some money.

If you prefer to learn through reading, there are two books available on Amazon that are highly rated and recommended.

Both are free if you have Kindle Unlimited; otherwise, you can buy digital copies.

  1. Start Your Own Recession Proof Business – It appears to be more concise and to the point with 65 pages of actionable content.
  2. Taxes Made Happy – It’s 235 pages long, but reviews, while positive, seem to note there is a little more fluff than needed. I haven’t read either, but both look like they could be good places to start.

Grab one or both of those books to help you get started.

The best way to find out if you really like dealing with other people’s taxes is by working for a tax preparation agency such as H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt.

Such tax preparation agencies train their agents for several weeks before letting them deal with clients. In the process, you actually get paid to learn about tax law. Afterward, when you’re done with your training, you get actual hands-on experience with clients and real tax returns.

2. Get a PTIN and an EFIN.

The IRS states that all tax return preparers who are compensated for preparing a U.S. tax return that is then submitted to the IRS must obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN).

Failure to obtain a PTIN could lead to “the imposition of Internal Revenue Code section 6695 penalties, injunction, and/or disciplinary action by the IRS Office of Professional Responsibility.”

In other words, don’t mess with the IRS.

Besides, it takes all of 15 minutes.

Aside from a PTIN, it’s highly recommended to apply for an Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN).

In recent years, it’s become almost expected from tax preparers to be authorized e-file providers. In fact, nearly 90% of individual federal returns are now e-filed.

Thus, to be an authorized e-file provider, you’ll need to apply for an EFIN.

The application is a little more tedious than applying for a PTIN and requires more information and documents from you. You’d also be subject to a credit check, a tax compliance check, a criminal background check, and a check for previous non-compliance with IRS e-file requirements.

3. Consider becoming an enrolled agent.

An enrolled agent (EA) is someone who is qualified to represent taxpayers before the IRS.

EAs are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent, what type of tax matters they can handle, and which IRS offices they can appear to represent their clients. As such, this is the highest credential the IRS can award.

Being an EA shows a good impression to both existing and potential clients and helps you elevate your and your business’s credibility.

To be an EA, you need to have your PTIN, pass the Special Enrollment Examination (SEE), apply for enrolment, and pass suitability and criminal background checks.

4. Comply with your state’s licensing requirements.

If you’re a registered tax preparer, that is, you have a PTIN but you’re not a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), EA, or an attorney, you might be required to get a state-issued license or registration, depending on the state you live in.

Also, certain states post their own unique requirements for tax preparers, regardless of whether those preparers are dealing only with federal or both federal and state taxes.

Not registering with your state can result in fines.

For example, California’s Tax Education Council requires that its tax return preparers take a 60-hour Qualifying Education course and a 20-hour continuing tax professional education every year.

New York requires that paid tax return preparers register with the state and pay a $100 fee if they are preparing over 10 commercial tax returns in a single calendar year.

Start your research by searching your state’s name and “requirements for tax preparers” to find checklists of what you need to accomplish before getting started.

5. Select your tax software.

As a tax preparer, you’ll likely be depending a lot on your tax software for your workflow and for keeping your clients’ confidential and sensitive information secure.

Here are some considerations when choosing professional tax software to work with.

  • Is it from the correct tax year?
  • Can you install the software on your desktop, or is it only available online? Or does it come with both versions?
  • Is it easy to use?
  • Can it handle state tax returns?
  • Does it support e-filing?
  • Does it include understandable explanations of tax laws?
  • Can you organize tax deductions easily?
  • Does it have a guarantee?
  • Can your provider also help you grow your revenue as you gain experience?
  • Are customer support and tax filing assistance included?
  • Does it offer the correct tax forms you need to support your clients?
  • Does it integrate with other software you need to use?
  • Is it cloud-based?

To start you off, here are some of the best and most highly recommended professional tax software you can get:

6. Assure your clients with a bond.

A tax preparer bond is a surety bond that guarantees that you will fulfill your obligations to your client; that is, prepare their tax returns correctly. It is meant to protect your clients in case the tax preparer commits fraud, negligence, or any other legal or ethical violation.

This is not the same as buying yourself insurance. A surety bond contracts you with your bond owner and assures your clients that you will not attempt to defraud or otherwise intentionally cause them financial loss.

Should you make an omission or error on a tax form, as long as you made an “honest” or “good faith” mistake, you’re liable for the tax deficit and any penalties or interest only. However, if it was proven that your mistake was due to malice, negligence, or because you were trying to commit fraud, you’re out the surety bond.

Not only are you liable for any errors but you might be subjected to penalties such as being banned to prepare taxes for a certain period of time.

Some states, such as California, require that their tax preparers purchase a minimum $5,000 bond.

7. Form an LLC.

It’s one thing to put up a bond to assure your clients that you’re an ethical tax preparer.

But what happens if you get into a real scrape and cost your clients thousands or even millions of dollars?

By forming an LLC, you protect yourself and your personal assets from being seized in the event that you make a major tax boo-boo.

Forming an LLC is very easy, by the way.

Also, having those letters stand behind your business name helps vouch for your credibility as a professional tax preparer.

8. Market Your Services

Your best bet at drumming up business as a starting tax preparer would be to work your inner circle and offer discounts on tax preparation.

From there, ask your friends and family for word-of-mouth referrals.

Work those social angles to get your name out there.

Once the ball starts rolling, set up a website, ask for testimonials, and start advertising your services on local sites like Next Door or through Facebook ads.

Where Can I Get Experience As A Tax Preparer

If you want some experience as a tax preparer for a company first to get some experience before you go at it on your own, there are companies that are looking for part-time or full-time remote tax preparers to work for them or to be outsourced to other companies.

Can you earn money by becoming a tax preparer?

Tax return preparation is a rather lucrative business; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, tax preparers earn an average of $23.82 per hour or a mean salary of $49,550.

This isn’t bad, considering tax preparation is seasonal work and typically spans just four months out of the year.

By offering to do other people’s taxes, you are helping them avoid stressful headaches in a necessary area that most people can’t even begin to understand.

This is a prime opportunity to make decent money on the side.

If being a tax preparer seems a bit daunting, another side job you may also want to consider is becoming a virtual bookkeeper. You may also dabble in it during the offseason. Some virtual bookkeeper jobs pay up to $50 per hour and you get to work from home.

You can also check out my guide on how to start your own bookkeeping business from home.

Are you already earning extra cash as a professional tax preparer? Share your experiences with us in the comments!

10 Companies That Offer Online Moderator Jobs

Posting in a public space on the internet can leave one vulnerable, especially since we’ve all learned that everything you post on the internet becomes available to everyone, forever.

Fortunately, online moderators exist.

They’re the ones who keep forums and other online communities safe for everyone who participates in them. They reply to comments and emails, address complaints, penalize violators of established community rules, and generally do everything possible to keep discussions flowing.

In today’s article, learn what an online moderator does, how much they earn, and where to apply for legitimate online moderator jobs.

What does an online moderator job entail?

An online moderator oversees one or several social media platforms, forums, blogs, or other online communities where members are likely to go and interact with the posted material through likes, comments, emails, surveys, etc. By overseeing these platforms, the moderator may perform the following tasks:

  • Respond to comments: Members who post comments deserve a response or a thank you. The moderator is in charge of replying to thoughtful comments, reposting them as needed, or even rewarding members with a gift or an offer.
  • Answer emails: There may be confusion about a brand promotion or a question regarding its terms. Customer emails regarding products, prices, quantities, etc. are answered by the moderator, and usually by following a script provided by the company or business owner.
  • Address complaints: Some members may have issues with the product or service, shipping, selection, etc. These complaints can quickly go viral if not addressed respectfully and quickly. Moderators take the conversation offline and resolve the problem.
  • De-escalate ‘flame’ situations: An insensitive ad or comment by another member can create a hostile environment that causes other members discomfort or anger. A keen moderator takes heed of and defuses the situation by removing the cause.
  • Engage in search engine marketing: Seasoned moderators integrate current events with matching social media content that improves site SEO and resulting search rank.
  • Conduct metrics analysis: Seasoned moderators use software tools to measure and report on the popularity, views, conversions, etc. of a given post or offer. They also report on trending topics in forums, chats, etc.

Some online moderators work at the company’s physical location, but that’s usually only the case if they were hired to complete a range of duties that happen to include online moderation. Most contract/freelance online moderators work remotely and set their own hours.

How much does an online moderator earn?

The average pay for most online moderator jobs is $15 per hour and can go up to as much as $30 per hour depending on your skills and experience.

The key to getting more money is in knowing how social conversations can be used for marketing and sales (i.e., the bottom line). To this end, some of the below-listed recruitment companies provide paid on-the-job training, and some even have entire “universities” dedicated to this effort.

Otherwise, you should take advantage of free ecommerce and online marketing classes offered through sites like Udemy and Study.com.

10 Companies That Offer Online Moderator Jobs

1. Crisp Thinking

Crisp Thinking was founded in 2005 and offers online harm detection services via social media community moderation to individuals and companies who are on social media.

Social media moderators with this U.K.-based company earn £10 per hour, which is the rough equivalent of $14 per hour. Currently, there are no vacancies for social media moderators on the company’s website.

They currently have a waiting list for Risk Analyst Contractors who identify risks in online content.

You can also contact them through their contact form to express your interest in applying for a position.

2. The Social Element

The Social Element, once known as Emoderation, is a global social media management company delivering high-quality, multilingual social media management, customer care, social listening, insight, and consultancy.

They have been around since 2002, and their clients include companies in industries such as Consumer Packaged Goods, Automotive, Financial Services, and Alcohol.

The Social Element periodically offers Social Media Community Manager positions, which pay around $15 to $16 per hour to start. They require experience in community management or social customer care. If you speak multiple languages, you can potentially earn more.

Currently, there are no vacancies, but you can still put in your application for an online moderator job and they’ll contact people in the pool when a vacancy comes up.

3. ICUC Moderation Services

ICUC is a top social media management agency that has been around for 16 years. They provide community management, content moderation, social content and moderation, social listening services, and other customer insight services.

They periodically hire community moderators and social media content specialists, and they prefer applicants who can speak more than one language.

The starting salary of online moderators is $11 per hour. Several moderation jobs are currently posted on the site, and interested candidates can apply online.

4. Khoros

Khoros is the result of the merging of Spredfast and Lithium to create a powerful customer engagement platform to offer customer care, community engagement, and social media management solutions.

They periodically open full-time and part-time remote Social Media Coordinator positions. If you live in Austin, TX and you’re willing to work in an office, you can apply for an on-site position as well.

The salary starts at $21 per hour, and 1 to 3 years of experience in social media management or community engagement is required.

5. ModSquad

Founded in 2007, this global company maintains a moderator force of over 10,000 and works with many well-known brands. It used to go by the name of Metaverse Mod Squad but then shortened its name to ModSquad.

They’re looking for more Mods who are experts in digital engagement; that is, moderating forums, chatting with customers, managing communities, and buzzing in social media.

Not only will you get to work with the hottest brands but you’ll also get to keep your day job if you wanted to; the hours are pretty flexible.

According to GlassDoor, ModSquad moderators make at least $9 per hour. To apply, you’ll be asked to simply fill out a form and attach your resume.

6. BabyCenter

BabyCenter is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. They post available community manager positions from time to time.

7. LiveWorld

This digital and social media marketing agency is often on the lookout for part-time, remote employees to represent their clients as online moderators. Pay is by the hour.

Currently, there are vacancies for Social Media Agents who triage and respond to customers’ queries and concerns on social media, as well as take action on social media posts (e.g., approving, rejecting, flagging, and escalating posts and comments).

To apply as an online moderator, you do need to be a US resident. Applicants with experience in social media moderation and the ability to speak more than one language are highly preferred but these aren’t required.

8. Quiip

Aussies living either in Australia or abroad are needed to fill Social Media and Online Community Manager roles at this social media monitoring company. International applicants are only entertained if they demonstrate the right skills and a deep understanding of Australian culture.

You will need to submit a resume and cover letter, and a short video is highly recommended if you wish to stand out from the crowd of wannabe ‘Quiipees.’

9. Yelp

You’re probably familiar with this site and used it once or twice. They offer many Community Ambassador positions to individuals who live in select cities. Occasional attendance at local events is a requirement for these jobs.

10. Scratch Foundation

Scratch is a free programming language designed for kids ages 8 to 16 that allows them to create stories, animation, and games and share them with the world.

Scratch Foundation funds this project and makes sure this is free to use by everyone. It also hosts an online community of Scratch users and programmers that allow them to share their work, get feedback, and learn from each other.

They continually have openings for Community Moderators to help keep the Scratch community a safe, trusted, and friendly environment for millions of children.

Applicants must be 18 years old and above and authorized to work in the US. Starting pay is $15 per hour.

Does An Online Moderator Job Feel Right For You?

If you like being on social media and feel you can diplomatically deal with heated online situations, then an online moderator job may be right for you. As you gain experience with specific brands and industries, you might even make online moderation a career with a particular client or company and work as a full-time remote employee.

Other Social Media Jobs

If you like working with social media but an online moderator job just doesn’t feel right, read these articles on our site and look over social media jobs you can do:

5 Social Media Jobs You Can Do From Home in 2020
Master Ad Campaigns and Become a Rockstar Social Media Manager

Have you tried being an online moderator? Have you started applying to online moderator jobs? Tell us about your experience in the comments!