10 Best Work from Home Jobs in 2022
The remote work trend is here to stay. But what are the best work from home jobs, and how can you find them? We break it all down below.
Don’t feel like reading? Listen here!
Looking to work from home with no prior remote work experience? Or no prior work experience at all? Look no further: we’ve hand-picked the 10 best entry-level work-from-home jobs to ease your job search.
The Perks of Working from Home
Imagine the freedom of a legitimate work-from-home job that allows you to manage yourself—and your work—on your time. You could say goodbye to daily commutes into the office. Even better, you could leave behind the exasperating micromanagement and rigid timetables found in many traditional work settings.
Work-from-home jobs are especially appealing for part-time workers, like students working their way through college—or even new moms juggling work and childcare. With so many perks, what’s not to love?
Working from Home: Better for Everyone?
Working from home doesn’t just appeal to part-timers looking for a side hustle. In recent years, remote work has exploded as more and more workers have decided to ditch office life. And with good reason: studies show that remote work can benefit both workers and employers.
Indeed, remote workers are more motivated, more productive, and more likely to stay put. For example, data shows that people who work remotely at least once per month are 24 percent more likely to be happy and productive at work. And one Stanford study showed that working from home increased productivity by an average of 13 percent over 9 months. The good news for businesses? Increased productivity translates into higher profits.
Feeling inspired to join the growing work-from-home workforce? Read on to learn about the best work-from-home jobs for entry-level employees in 2022.
Best Work from Home Jobs: 10 Entry-Level Positions
Data Entry Clerk
- What You’ll Do: Remote data entry clerks update and maintain databases. Compiling accurate data—and ensuring the requested information is readily available to the client—are key to success.
- Required Education: High school diploma.
- Required Skills: Must-haves include a strong attention to detail, excellent typing skills, and a high tolerance for repetitive work. Problem-solving skills the ability to self-manage are also important.
- Ideal For: Students or stay-at-home parents who want to supplement income or gain experience in the field.
- Projected Salary: Annual salary ranges from $24,000 to $50,000, with an average base salary of $35,658.
- How to Get Hired: No experience is required, but demonstrable skills will give you a competitive edge. Once you gain success with clients—and can work quickly without sacrificing accuracy—you can grow your business.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, familiarity with software such as Microsoft Office, and access to the relevant database.
- Future Prospects: Data entry jobs make excellent part-time and stop-gap work, and are well-suited to people looking for a side hustle. Additionally, full-time data entry work from home can lead to more advanced jobs in administration.
- Geographical Requirements: None.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Online job boards, like Lensa, FlexJobs, UpWork, We Work Remotely, or Working Nomads.
Virtual Assistant
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- What You’ll Do: As a virtual assistant, you will provide administrative, creative, and technical services to support clients in various industries. Depending on the company and specific job description, the tasks you perform are often similar to those of a customer service or sales representative.
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- Required Education: High school diploma.
- Required Skills: Virtual assistants should be proactive and detail-oriented. Other “musts” include excellent time management, problem-solving, critical thinking, and written and verbal communication skills. Additionally, prior customer service experience can be beneficial.
- Ideal For: Workers with flexible schedules, strong interpersonal skills, and familiarity with organizational software.
- Projected Salary: Average hourly rates range from $10.27 to $27.16 depending on experience, with an average of $16.77/hour.
- How to Get Hired: To land a VA job, you should focus on honing your interpersonal and administrative skills. You’ll also need to identify a good fit for your schedule.
- Required Tools: Computer, mobile phone, internet connection, and relevant software (e.g. Microsoft Office).
- Future Prospects: Over time, more experience translates into higher rates and greater client volume. Additionally, many startups consider virtual assistants essential—and VA jobs can eventually lead to roles with more responsibility within these companies.
- Geographical Requirements: If you have the requisite language skills—
and time zone differences don’t phase you—your location is irrelevant. - Where to Find Jobs like This: Zirtual or online job boards like Lensa
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Transcriber / Transcriptionist
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- What You’ll Do: Transcribers and transcriptionists convert audio or video recordings—including lessons, meetings, conversations, presentations, and more—into written reports.
- Required Education: High school diploma.
- Required Skills: Transcribers and transcriptionists must be excellent listeners with strong typing and communication skills and a solid grasp of the spoken language. They should also be detail-oriented.
- Ideal For: Anyone with the requisite skills looking for flexible work—particularly students and stay-at-home parents.
- Projected Salary: Annual salary ranges from $36,000 to $68,000, with an average base salary of $44,219.
- How to Get Hired: Experience gives a competitive edge, so work to build your portfolio and compile client testimonials.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, and relevant software (e.g. Microsoft Office or Express Scribe).
- Future Prospects: Transcribing and transcription jobs make excellent stop-gap and part-time work. They can also make for full-time work, but are usually best suited to supplemental income.
- Geographical Requirements: None.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: TranscribeMe, Accutran Global, CastingWords, Daily Transcription, Speechpad, Scribie, Lensa
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Travel Agent
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- What You’ll Do: Remote travel agents advise and consult with holiday goers and sell transportation and accommodation packages to travelers. They also plan itineraries, arrange travel insurance, share information about local safety concerns and health requirements, and connect travelers with local tourism agencies.
- Required Education: High school diploma.
- Required Skills: Strong communication and interpersonal skills are necessary to make travel sales and gain return customers. And given the complexities of arranging international travel and other holiday trips, careful attention to detail is essential.
- Ideal For: Remote workers with a strong interest in travel, who enjoy talking to people and making sales.
- Projected Salary: Annual salary ranges from $28,000 to $60,000, with an average base salary of $40,107 per year.
- How to Get Hired: On-the-job training is usually available, but travel agent courses and certifications can improve your capabilities and give you a competitive edge.
- Required Tools: Computer, phone (with international plan), and internet.
- Future Prospects: Travel agents can move into the tourism industry or remain in the travel field long-term, as it offers both part-time and full-time options. However, travel agent jobs are not well suited to stop-gap work.
- Geographical Requirements: None.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Online work marketplaces like Lensa, FlexJobs, UpWork, We Work Remotely, or Working Nomads.
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Freelance Writer
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- What You’ll Do: Freelance writers do all manner of writing jobs, including ghostwriting, industry reports, commercial and legal documentation, website and social media content, and advertising copy. Many find a niche and pursue jobs within a specific field, such as fiction writing, marketing copy, or social media content.
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- Required Education: A bachelor’s degree in English, creative writing, or a related field is preferred, but not strictly required. Demonstrable writing skills, however, are a must.
- Required Skills: Freelance writers need excellent writing and proofreading skills, good time management, a strong vocabulary, and familiarity with the requirements of different writing functions. They should also have proficiency in identifying and implementing relevant search keywords to optimize content reach. Additionally, familiarity with search engine optimization (SEO) principles is always a plus.
- Ideal For: Workers with strong writing skills and a creative flair. Writing can be a good fit for students, stay-at-home parents, or freelancers interested in supplementing their income.
- Projected Salary: Annual earnings range from $18,000 to $81,000, with an average base salary of $39,150.
- How to Get Hired: Start writing and build a portfolio to market your talents. To build your skills, you may also opt to take one of many free and affordable writing courses available online tailored to specific writing styles.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, and relevant software (e.g. Microsoft Office or G-Suite).
- Future Prospects: Freelance writing makes excellent part-time, full-time, and stop-gap work. It can also be a lucrative side hustle. But to be successful, you’ll need to be disciplined and self-motivated—and remember that this job is what you make of it.
- Geographical Requirements: None.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Freelance Writer’s Den, ProBlogger, Who Pays Writers?, Lensa
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Social Media Manager
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- What You’ll Do: Social media managers oversee the entire process of social media marketing. This involves managing campaigns as well as orchestrating daily tasks like content development, copywriting, audience curation, and publication of images, videos, audio, and written content. The primary task is to ensure that social media content reaches a growing audience in line with the overall marketing agenda.
- Required Education: Bachelor’s degree
- Required Skills: Strong familiarity with social media tools and trends, excellent communication skills, and good time management.
- Ideal For: Virtually anyone with the requisite skills and interest.
- Projected Salary: Annual earnings range from $36,000 to $81,000, with an average base salary of $53,085 per year.
- How to Get Hired: In addition to your college education, you can take supplemental courses for a competitive edge. It’s also essential to stay on top of the latest trends and technologies (such as using a VPN to work from home) in this fast-moving industry.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, social media and relevant software (e.g. Buffer, Hootsuite).
- Future Prospects: Social media management jobs make excellent full-time or part-time work, but may be less suitable for stop-gap work.
- Geographical Requirements: None
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Online work marketplaces like Lensa, FlexJobs, UpWork, We Work Remotely, or Working Nomads.
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Online Tutor
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- What You’ll Do: As an online tutor, you can teach virtually any subject online in much the same way as traditional teachers. You’ll prepare lesson plans, teach students and engage with them, and monitor and evaluate their work. Online teaching jobs and tutoring opportunities are increasingly common and varied, with classes ranging from K-12 to university-level—as well as continuing education and ESL instruction.
- Required Education: At a minimum, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree. Some jobs also require a teaching certification, while others accept teaching experience in various forms.
- Required Skills: To succeed as an online tutor, you need strong interpersonal, communication, and self-management skills. You also need to be organized and detail-oriented with a high level of knowledge in the field you plan to teach.
- Ideal For: Someone looking for work that is consistent but flexible. Online tutoring can be part-time or full-time work—so it’s a great option for full-time workers looking for a side hustle, parents and others who want supplemental income, and people who want to combine tutoring with other part-time work.
- Projected Salary: Average annual earnings range from $35,000 to $57,000, with an average base salary of $44,923 per year.
- How to Get Hired: Obtain the relevant certifications and find work with an educational institution or online teaching forum providing remote classes.
- Required Tools: Computer, email, internet, and relevant remote teaching software like Blackboard.
- Future Prospects: Online tutoring can be done part-time as a side hustle. However, it can also be full-time work that leads to a full teaching calendar—and a career.
- Geographical Requirements: None, as long as you’re comfortable working with students in different time zones.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Preply, Remote.co, Teach Away, VIPkid, Lensa
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Product Reviewer
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- What You’ll Do: Online product reviewers test and evaluate products for sale, most frequently for e-commerce companies.
- Required Education: None.
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- Required Skills: Product reviewers must accurately gauge and express the quality and usefulness of the products they evaluate. Therefore, good communication skills and time management are key.
- Ideal For: Anyone seeking a fully online, highly flexible job—for instance, stay-at-home parents, students, or people looking to supplement another income source.
- Projected Salary: The average annual salary for a product reviewer is $53,053.
- How to Get Hired: Identify a niche that you are qualified to review—and start reviewing products. You can do this by posting reviews online, or even creating a social media channel through which you publish your reviews. This will help you build a “portfolio” of reviews to establish your skillset.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, and sometimes a camera.
- Future Prospects: Product review jobs are fairly straightforward—and are unlikely to grow significantly. Product reviewing thus makes a great side hustle, part-time job, or stop-gap work between jobs.
- Geographical Requirements: None.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Product review sites like i-Say, Product Report Card, Toluna, Appen
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Real Estate Agent
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- What You’ll Do: Working as a real estate agent requires you to manage the entire process of buying or selling property. You’ll help clients navigate property selection, deal negotiation, and the mortgage process.
- Required Education: High school diploma, as well as real estate certification.
- Required Skills: To succeed in real estate, you’ll need to be highly personable and self-motivated with strong negotiation skills and attention to detail. Organizational and interpersonal skills are also paramount.
- Ideal For: Anyone with a customer-oriented focus who enjoys face-to-face interaction. Ideally, you should enjoy dynamic work that requires the completion of many different tasks in a given day. This can be part-time or full-time work depending on your flexibility.
- Projected Salary: Realtor earnings vary significantly with amount of work. Average annual earnings range from $24,000 to $101,000, with an average base salary of $49,299 per year.
- How to Get Hired: Take a pre-licensing course, pass your certification exam, and familiarize yourself with local real estate trends.
- Required Tools: Computer, internet, phone, car, and relevant website memberships.
- Future Prospects: Real estate offers many opportunities for growth. With a successful practice, for example, realtors can earn repeat clients and advance to higher value purchases or sales. Real estate is usually a full-time or part-time job, but the required qualifications make it unsuitable for stop-gap work.
- Geographical Requirements: Local to your place of residence.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Any online work marketplace like Lensa, FlexJobs, UpWork, We Work Remotely, or Working Nomads.
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Tax Preparer
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- What You’ll Do: Tax preparers work directly with customers to resolve tax questions, give tax advice, help prepare tax returns, and do tax calculations.
- Required Education: At a minimum, tax preparer jobs require a high school diploma. But additional education and registration with the IRS can lead to higher pay.
- Required Skills: For entry-level positions, you’ll need a propensity for basic math and the ability to use general accounting software. But you can earn more with competencies in accounting, tax compliance, bookkeeping, and Intuit QuickBooks.
- Ideal For: Detail-oriented types seeking flexible working hours with peak business during certain times of year (read: tax season).
- Projected Salary: Annual earnings range from $24,000 to $73,000, with an average base salary of $48,713 per year.
- How to Get Hired: Obtain a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) from the IRS.
- Required Tools: Computer, phone, internet, and tax preparation software.
- Future Prospects: Tax preparation in and of itself can be a reliable and well-paying job. But with additional education, you can move into higher-level accounting and tax consulting work. Tax preparation also makes a good side hustle, supplemental job, or stop-gap work between full-time jobs.
- Geographical Requirements: None, as long as you are able to work remotely across US time zones.
- Where to Find Jobs like This: Online work marketplaces like Lensa, FlexJobs, UpWork, We Work Remotely, or Working Nomads.
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Wrapping Up: The Best Work from Home Jobs
With so much variety, you can certainly find a work-from-home job matching your needs and interests! Plenty of opportunities exist for people who want to strike out on their own and fully embrace the self-employed life. However, great options also abound for people hoping to transition to partial or fully remote work under a company’s umbrella.
You can find reliable work-from-home jobs on a number of easy-to-use websites. We host many work-from-home job postings here on Lensa, and we are also more than happy to answer your questions as you start your search. Are you an employer looking for remote workers? Not to worry—we have options for you as well.
Unlock a happier and more productive future with Lensa today!