work from home?

[Irie at CN]

Does anyone know of any legitimate work from home companies? I've researched a few and know that all of them ask for money up front. That is just not enticing to me.

[Ciel]

The only two places I know of, beyond offices allowing some of its staff to telecommute, are clothing companies employing home sewers and CAA club CSRs working from home to answer members' calls.

In Ontario-Home sewers are considered to be home workers and they have to get at least 110% of the general minimum wage.
http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/pubs/factsheets/fs_homeworkers.php

With the Internet age, there are computer support types working from home if they are in other countries and not in the employer's home area-don't know how well their employers compensate.

[momgoneawol]

While not huge money makers I do make a few bucks each month with online survey sites. (free to join) reward programs like swagbucks, on a slow month maybe $20 but on a really good month $50+
If you do any crafts and already have some supplies at home try ETSY.
Good luck on your search, it is really hard to find good work at home things. Don't pay out of pocket for a job.

[Ciel]

It so happens that this month's e-newsletter that I subscribe to has a question about working at home jobs. Hope this helps your search for work!

This Month's Question

I really need some extra money but I have a two-year-old at home and don't want to put her in a daycare. Can you guide me to websites that offer work-at-home call centre positions that are not scams?

Answer

I did some online searching and found one site I thought might meet your needs. ContractExchange.com connects at-home agents with companies, hiring and training them for a specific assignment as an independent contractor. To do this work you need a recent model computer, high speed Internet, a dedicated phone line, a head set, a web cam and, in some cases, a biometric personal ID system. In addition, contractors have to pay training fees. A ContractExchange agent told me that contractors are considered self-employed and are thus responsible for the training fees, which range from between $150 and $300 for each client they take on (you can work for more than one client). She also noted that training and equipment costs are tax deductible.
I also read some forum discussions about working for ContractExchange such as this one from Scam.com and this one from Working at Home Moms (WAHM). As well, I took a look at findingworkathome.com, which has this to say about ContractExchange: "If you've visited other pages on my site, you may have seen my dire warnings that, with few exceptions, you should not have to pay to work for home-based jobs. This company is one of those rare exceptions."
It took quite a while for me to research this company, but in the world of online work (and offline, for that matter) you really have to do your research before applying anywhere.
It's also helpful to be aware of the signs that can alert you to a potential employment scam, such as:

• Ads that offer large earnings for little effort
• Ads that ask you to send money for start-up kits, information packages, or administrative fees
• Correspondence containing poor English or unprofessional language

Check out WAHM's The Seven Rules That Weed Out Scams for more info on how to avoid getting conned, and read WorkAtHomeTruth's "not recommended" section to find out specific sites to avoid.

http://www.poss.ca/en/employmentexpert

[Cdn Dzny Luver]

OK this is really annoying ... all my posts have been deleted. Can a moderator please let me know why!