Want to work from home? Here's 10 jobs you could send your CV off for

If you think back to a world pre-2020, working from home was almost pretty much unheard of, particularly in office-based roles.

But the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns saw many of us forced to work from home – with some companies making that move away from the offices permanent even after social distancing conditions were lifted.

In a survey conducted by the Office of National Statistics, 16% reported working from home in the last seven days; this figure jumps up to 32% for people who are self-employed.

While a hybrid system – working both in the office and at home – proves the most popular format (29% of all UK workers work from home ‘some of the time’), there are some workers who may be looking to swap to full-time remote working – be it to have a better work-life balance, to counter costly childcare costs, or to avoid lengthy commutes.

And remote working is something that’s becoming more desirable in Britain; new research from LinkedIn found the UK (18.2%) had the largest number of applications to remote roles.

So if you’re considering a move to remote working career, Cosmopolitan UK has some options – and some advice to chew over.

What are the best work from home jobs?

1. Tutoring

According to Indeed, the average salary for a tutor In the UK is £23.53 per hour.

If you’ve got a solid, in-depth knowledge of a certain topic (maybe you have a degree in a subject? Or you’re a total maths whizz? Or maybe you speak another language fluently), you’ll find plenty of opportunities as a tutor. There are websites such as Tutorful that match you up with potential students, and you can organise lessons online using tools like video chat, email, and instant messenging.

Tutoring allows fair amounts of flexibility as you can decide your working hours and rate, and you can’t beat the feeling of seeing your student progress in a subject under your stewardship.

2. Childminder

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a childminder in the UK can vary between £22,000 to £31614.

Childcare in the UK is among the most expensive in the world, and while there are options such as nurseries or hiring nannies, many families still opt for childminders.

a person kissing a couple of children

If you love working with children and would enjoy spending your days looking after little ones, then perhaps a career as a childminder may work for you.

However, you can’t just set up shop straight away. If you want to get paid to care for children in your own home, then you must first become Ofsted registered – which you can usually do for a small fee.

An Ofsted registration needs:

• A UK criminal record certificate, which you can apply for here.
• Criminal record certificates for anyone aged 16 or over who also lives in your home.
• Contact details for two references.

Once this is granted (this tends to take up to 12 weeks), you are then added to the Ofsted register and start building up a client base.

There are some caveats: childminders can care for no more than six children under eight years old. These numbers include a childminder’s own children and any children they are responsible for (such as foster children). Of the six ,only three can be younger than five and only one can be under a year old.

You can find more about becoming a childminder at Childminding UK.

3. Virtual assistant

According to Indeed, the average salary for a virtual assistant in the UK is £15.39 per hour.

Virtual assistant roles were previously office-based, but now, with programmes like Slack and Zoom, many administrative jobs can be done from home.

Virtual assistant jobs vary – effectively, it’s a role designed to give administrative support to companies, entrepreneurs, and anyone who needs help with routine tasks.

If you’re considering a role as a virtual assistant, the best place to start is by looking on job boards such as LinkedIn and Indeed.

4. Customer service assistant

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a customer service agent in the UK is £21,368 a year.

Not unlike a virtual assistant, customer service representatives look to ensure a company’s customers receive good service, be it talking on the phone, sending emails or communicating over instant message.

If you’re good with people and can handle diffusing sometimes difficult situations with ease, moving to a customer service role may suit you. Again, the best place to start to find remote roles in this field is to look on job boards.

5. Transcribing

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a Transcriber in the UK is £21,822 a year.

If you’re a fast typer with a good attention to detail, you may want to consider work in transcription. Transcribing will mean writing detail notes and transcripts from a series of sources, including interviews, meetings or conference calls.

Want a work from home job? Here’s some you can consider

While roles in transcribing are few and far between, there are some options if you feel this is something you want to pursue. Part-time and full-time roles are rare, but you can sign up for services such as Fiverr and Take 1 Transcription for casual work.

6. Business owner – online selling

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for an online seller in the UK is £27,866 a year

From eBay to Etsy, Depop to Vinted, there’s plenty of different websites which allow you to list your goods to make cash.

The global second-hand apparel market will reportedly grow three times faster than the global apparel market over the next three years, according to thredUP. The global second-hand clothing industry is projected to nearly double by 2026 to reach $218 billion.

All you need is a camera and internet access in order to sell your goods.

According to Shopify, these are among the most resold goods online.

• Clothing
• Shoes
• Athletic equipment and gear
• Baby furniture and accessories
• Antiques and collectibles
• Furniture
• Toys
• Musical instruments
• Art
• Jewellery

However, to earn good money as an online retailer, you have to take your business seriously – post sold goods in a short time frame, make sure the items you are reselling are in a great condition, and interact with your customers to ensure loyalty.

7. Graphic Design

According to Indeed, the average salary for a Graphic Designer in the UK is £27644 per year.

Handy with Photoshop? Then you may be a dab hand at graphic design. Graphic designers design web pages, logos, menus, brochures, signs and other promotional or branding materials.

Before applying for jobs, it’s best to build up a portfolio showing your skills and what you can do.

8. Copywriting

According to Indeed, the average salary for a freelance copywriter in the UK is £26.21 per hour.

While many copywriting jobs require some writing experience, some allow you start from scratch. If you can impress companies by being punctual with deadline and having good clean copy, you’ll be able to start a portfolio to show to future clients, who can then recommend you to other companies.

If you’re looking to break into copywriting, then you can check job boards, or head onto Upwork or Fiverr for freelance opportunities.

9. Data entry

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a data entry role in the UK is £22,993 a year

Yes, it may not be the most glamorous or sexy job on this list, but if you’re looking for a remote working job that requires little training that you could start straight, data entry may be a solid choice. You should be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, and databases in order to be picked for roles.

The best way to get a remote position as a data entry assistant is to regularly check job boards. While many employers advertise for data entry positions in-house, many offer the option of home working. You can try freelance positions, which may be posted on sites such as Upwork.

10. Petsitter

According to Glassdoor, the average UK salary of a petsitter is £25508 per year.

There are plenty of opportunities to start your career looking after our furry friends; the UK is a nation of pet lovers with 13.5 million dogs and 12.5 million cats.

You can start off relatively small, offering dog-walking opportunites to neighbours to build up your client base. You can also ask to mind pets while people are away or at work – this will keep your costs low when you’re first starting up, as you won’t necessarily have to provide food or blankets.

WOrking from home woman

If you’re looking after many pets, you may want to invest in insurance – the price of this may vary, depending on your circumstances.

If you haven’t had pets before, or you want to build your confidence, you may want to start with sites such as BorrowMyDoggy, or Cat in A Flat. When you become more certain in your abilities but you don’t want to go out on your own just yet you could move onto websites such as Pawshake. They’ll take a small cut of your earnings, but in return, you’ll get free insurance coverage – which means that you won’t have to worry about purchasing your own insurance (and save you cash in the long run!).

What are the benefits of working from home?

A study by Censuswide found that nearly one in five (18%) professionals value and recognise the importance of work-life balance – something that working from home roles can really aid, explains Charlotte Davies, Careers Expert at LinkedIn.

“Whether that’s collecting children from school, managing personal appointments or simply spending less time commuting, remote work can help professionals take more control of their life,” she tells Cosmopolitan UK.

“Additionally, simple aspects like decreasing an individual’s monthly expenses due to the reduced commute, or the need to buy work attire and food for the working day, is also very valuable to some.”

Some people also claim to be more focused when working from home; 63% of women and 55% of men say they are productive working from home, according to the data from Upgraded Points. It can lead to be better employee morale, too; worldwide, 61% of workers have a “very positive” view of remote working, according to Buffer.

What are the downsides of working from home?

While some wax lyrical about the joys of working from home, it doesn’t necessarily work for everyone. After all, around 39% of roles in the UK are not suitable to be done from home.

It can also lead to an inability to ‘switch off’, Davies warns: “Creating a separation between personal and professional life can be difficult when working from home as the start and end of the working day can feel less definitive, sometimes resulting in skipped lunches or working additional hours.

“Try to avoid this by making sure you take necessary steps to safeguard your time, for example activating ‘Do Not Disturb’ to limit notifications and access to emails outside of working hours.”

Davies also says that remote working may not be suitable for people starting out in the careers. “Young professionals who entered the workforce amongst hybrid and remote workplace settings could be missing out on informal observations and vital cues which traditionally guide behaviour, collaboration and networking,” she says.

My job isn’t remote – can I request to work from home?

New laws came into effect from 6th April as part of the Employment Rights (Flexible Working) Act 2023, which now gives employees more opportunities to request flexible working conditions. This could include home working.

If you want to make a request to work from home, you can follow our advice on how to here.