For many young professionals and parents in East Africa, whether recent graduates or mid-career employees, today’s economy can be tough. Competition for coveted jobs is stiff, and employees are overstretched and underpaid. Fortunately, online jobs offer supplemental income and flexible hours for busy parents.
In these days of the information superhighway, there are thousands of online jobs for the enterprising individual. Remote work can provide extra income or pay the bills between jobs. These so-called side hustles can even turn into full-time jobs or provide capital for job seekers to launch their own businesses.
However, caution is key. Many websites advertising online work pay next to nothing — or worse, scam people out of time and money.
Photo Credit: James Karuga · @karugaj ·
Here are six websites that provide credible online job opportunities to earnest workers worldwide and pay via a verified third party.
CrowdSource
This American website hires content writers, editors, transcribers, and micro-taskers. Applicants are required to complete an assessment before joining the site’s workforce. The assessment is free, and once you’re approved, you can select tasks you’re qualified for, while building your credentials for more complex assignments.
Earnings vary from task to task. For writers, payment ranges from US$2.50 to US$15, depending on the size and complexity of the assignment. Note that CrowdSource is strict on quality control, so your account can be closed if your output does not meet required standards.
To receive payment, you’ll need to provide a PayPal account. Tip: You can transfer the money you earn to an Equity Bank account — a transaction takes around eight days.
Crowdsource Africa
This is Africa’s work-at-home website. It pools jobs from around the world. By registering with them, you get access to diverse opportunities, ranging from data entry and transcription to captioning and content writing. You may even have the opportunity to do voiceovers. It’s ideal for young East African professionals who want to learn new skills or perfect existing ones while earning an income.
The application process takes approximately one hour; it includes an English proficiency test. Rates vary depending on the task at hand.
CopyShoppy
This is the go-to site for creatives who have a way with words. Once you complete the free registration, you’ll be able to view jobs on your dashboard. The opportunities range from writing website content and drafting slogans to selecting domain and brand names and developing taglines.
Coming up with a catchy slogan or domain name can earn you anywhere from US$50 to US$1,000. However, your earnings depend on the client selecting your idea from other submissions, so it’s not guaranteed you will be paid for every contribution. When you’ve made a successful pitch, you’ll receive payment via Paypal.
Voices.com
This Canadian website hires freelance voice actors from all over the world on their clients’ behalf.
When registering, you’ll be asked to upload recordings of your voice. If a client likes what he or she hears, you’ll receive an audition text for voicing and uploading. If you are hired, money is provided by the client to Voices.com. Once you complete the job to the clients’ satisfaction, the money is released to your PayPal account.
There four levels of registration: Guest, Premium Lite, Premium, and Platinum. The Guest level is free, however, you can’t access any jobs unless a client specifically selects you. For higher levels, you pay Voices.com an annual or monthly fee to access jobs and auditions. At the top membership grades, the assignments pay more, and you can audition for all publicly posted jobs. Per job, you can earn upwards of US$100.
Photoshop Tutorials and Developer Tutorials
If you are good at Photoshop, why not try your hand at helping others learn the ropes by creating tutorials? You can earn anywhere from US$50 for a quick tip to US$300 for a full tutorial. Starting is simple: you fill out a form with your idea, and the Photoshop Tutorials staff will let you know if it qualifies. If tutorials aren’t your thing, you can also write short articles and roundups for US$25-50 per submission.
While we’re on the topic of tutorials, we should also mention Developer Tutorials. It’s yet another place where African IT professionals can write how-to guides and earn money. Developer Tutorials accepts tutorials covering CSS, Illustrator, JavaScript, Linux, MySQL, PHP, and Photoshop. Pay rates depend on factors such as the quality of the tutorial or article and the demand for the topic it covers.
Matador Network
If travel is your passion, then definitely check out the Matador Network. The website accepts original travel writing, photos, and videos. If selected, you’ll receive US$20 to US$25 per story, though higher rates can sometimes be negotiated.
Not sure your travel writing skills are good enough? You can also sign up for courses in travel writing, photography, and filmmaking. Note, however, that each course costs US$475.