Freelancing and other flexible ways to earn money.

The rise of technology has changed the way we think about work, with new and more flexible opportunities for earning money.

Travelling to a workplace every day does not suit everyone and can be particularly challenging if you have a disability. Thanks to technology, there are more ways than ever for people with disabilities to make a career change, work from home or become their own boss.

Today, we’ll explore some creative ways to earn money that are also flexible, making it much easier to work around family commitments or to choose where you work!

Freelancer.

Have you ever thought about being your own boss? Freelancing is an increasingly popular career choice according to Forbes, with the number of people choosing to work for themselves continuing to grow.

You can earn money freelancing with a wide range of wokring opportunities available: engineer, writer, business consultant, interior/graphic designer, social media manager, bookkeeper or administrator to name a few. Just about any professional service can be delivered by a freelancer.

There are loads of freelancing platforms where you can register services:

• Upwork
• Fiverr
• DesignCrowd
• Freelancer
• Airtasker

Be sure to look into the pros and cons and service fees. For freelancing tips, visit Freelancing Hacks.

Virtual assistant.

A virtual assistant helps business owners with whatever tasks need completing and usually works remotely from a home office or coworking space. Tasks may include booking meetings, administration, secretarial services, social media and bookkeeping.

Virtual assistants offer businesses more flexibility than employees. In-demand roles include:

• General administration
• Marketing assistants
• Sales and telemarketing
• Executive assistants or reception
• Personal assistants.[1]

If you’re organised and have strong admin skills, becoming a virtual assistant may be a good option. Some freelancing platforms including Upwork have a category for virtual assistants.

Social media influencer.

Just about anyone can become a social media influencer. Groundbreaking social influencers around the world are sharing their stories authentically and building a following. Udemy even offers a course in how to become a successful social media influencer.

It helps to have a unique message and select a niche which you can consistently create content about. You’ll need to choose the right platform, understand your audience and develop a content strategy.

How to become a successful social media influencer has some great ideas for making money from influencer marketing.

Affiliate marketer.

An affiliate marketer or ambassador earns commission by promoting other people’s products. There are loads of paid referral programs. Many are online platforms.

Here are just a few:

• PetCloud
• Elementor
• Fiverr
• Unbounce
• Kajabi
• Shopify

It helps to have in-depth knowledge of the offer, or be prepared to get to know it well. Check out 45 of the best affiliate programs that pay the highest commission.

Translations.

There is an increasing demand for translators, with employment of translators expected to grow by 20% from 2019 to 2029.[2]

If you’re bilingual or multilingual, you may be able to earn money doing translations. You’ll need an excellent understanding of both languages and the ability to create succinct and accurate translations.

Some freelance gig platforms have a category for translators or you can register with a platform that specialises in translations such as Gengo.

Remote call centre agent.

Work from home call centre jobs are advertised on mainstream platforms such as Seek and Indeed.

Job titles may include:

• Customer service advisor
• Call centre operator
• Customer sales specialist.

Some of these positions may require initial on-site training while others offer remote training. In most cases, you will need administration and/or call centre experience.

Coder/programmer.

Coding is one of the most in-demand skills across the world. Coders or programmers write or modify code that tells a computer to carry out specific functions. Code is used in apps, websites, platforms, robotics and anything that uses a computer program.

Many coding languages can be learned online for little cost (see 14 great ways to teach yourself to code) or take things further with a degree in computer science.

Coding and programming are well-paid and offer flexible hours.

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