Part time remote jobs are a great way to supplement your income or even to launch a fully remote freelance or consultancy career. Part time remote work gets you money, skills, and experience.
Whether you want to be a freelancer or an employee, there's a market for your skills. The pandemic proved to many employers and businesses that remote work works, so there are more opportunities now than ever before.
With over a third of Americans working a side hustle, there’s never been a better time to find part-time work.
Why Work a Part-time Remote Job?
Estimates say that 22% of Americans will be working remotely by 2025, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels. For those looking to make extra money, part-time remote jobs offer some fantastic benefits. Plus, as a part-time job, many of the drawbacks of full-time remote work may be mitigated or eliminated.
Pros
There are many benefits to working a part-time remote job, including:
- Flexible schedule
- Work from anywhere
- Time and money saved
Especially when fitting a side job into your busy life, having the flexibility to work from anywhere and on your schedule is a huge bonus. Additionally, you can cut out the time and money involved in commuting and the need to work set shifts.
Cons
Like anything, there are some drawbacks to remote work, including:
- Challenging to build relationships with coworkers
- Feeling isolated
- Difficult to separate work from personal life
Some of these drawbacks are mitigated with part-time remote work because you likely have another full-time job where you have opportunities to build relationships and reduce isolation.
The caveat is working multiple part-time remote jobs or working a vast number of hours per week. You may also struggle to find time to rest and recharge if you’re simultaneously working a full-time and part-time job.
And, of course, it can be difficult to find legitimate work-from-home jobs.
10 Best Part-time Remote Jobs
Despite the drawbacks, a remote side gig can be a great option if you're looking to make extra money. Here are the best part-time remote jobs available in 2023.
Teaching/Tutoring
Teaching/tutoring is one of the best part-time remote jobs available because one can teach online a wide range of things. You don’t need to be a licensed teacher to do many of these jobs.
Opportunities are available to teach English to kids and adults at the primary and college level. Additionally, there are tons of places to tutor kids and adults. You can even market yourself on platforms like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
Learn more about online teaching jobs here.
Or maybe you have a skill like playing the guitar, macrame, gardening, programming foraging, or you're an expert in sustainable living. Whatever you can do, there are other people who want to learn it. You can put together a series of tutorials and offer them on platforms like Udemy, or even start your own website and social media following.
Customer Service
All companies selling goods and services need people to interact with customers. Whether answering questions or helping solve problems, customer service representatives correspond via email, phone, live chats, and social media. You can do all of those modes of communication remotely, so if you enjoy working with people, a part-time remote job in customer service might be for you.
Writing
Blogs, businesses, and other organizations are always looking for content creators to help write website content, eBooks, advertisements, and other things. Put your writing skills to use as a part-time journalist, blogger, or freelance writer—work from anywhere and set your schedule. Self-publish and earn passive income!
You can practice your writing skills and build samples or a portfolio by publishing to platforms like Medium. And decide what niches you want to focus on. It's easier to market yourself as an expert in just a couple of fields than as a generalist.
Editing
So much of the content online and elsewhere is written, which means that many sites need editors. Thus, editing is an in-demand skill that can make a tremendous part-time remote job. Editors review written and other materials and make changes before the content is published. The position requires attention to detail and high proficiency in the language of the content.
If you don't already have the skillset, it's a good idea to learn the basics and maybe even take an editing course or certification so that you can show prospective clients and employers you have what it takes.
You'll also need to figure out what type of editing you want to do. Copyediting? Fiction? Non-fiction? Articles? Novels? Textbooks? Developmental editing? Line editing? There are a lot of options for editing jobs.
Accounting
Every company needs someone to organize their books and take care of the finances. However, these jobs don’t always require full-time workers, or there may be times of the year when more help is needed. That’s why part-time remote jobs in accounting and finance are often in high demand. For example, workers may manage accounts payable and receivable, company records, prepare tax documents, or a host of other financial aspects of the business.
Data Entry
Yet another job in high demand is data entry. While entering numbers and other data may sound boring, it’s a vital role to ensure that data is accurate and up to date. The job involves adding, editing, and verifying electronic data, which can either be inputted from paper files or from one digital format to another. Data entry is also a job that doesn’t necessarily require a degree or other specific skillset other than being detail-oriented.
You can find remote data entry jobs on job boards like Flex Jobs or Indeed.
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant is the modern version of a personal assistant and is becoming an increasingly prevalent role. Virtual assistants help a company or individual who needs extra help to complete tasks or stay organized. A virtual assistant could fulfill several duties depending on the organization or person for whom they’re working. Look around for opportunities within industries and organizations you’re interested in to find a role that best fits your skill set and schedule.
Graphic Design
Graphic design is another sought-after skill that can quickly turn into steady part-time remote work. Graphic designers use computer software or hand-drawn methods to create visual products, including the layout and design for ads, brochures, magazines, websites, and many other things. Plus, graphic designers can either work for a few brands or freelance.
Social Media Manager
Every brand or organization in the modern world now has social media marketing and outreach. Companies must maintain a presence online, with the average person now spending hours a day on social media and often communicating concerns and questions through these platforms. If you’re technically savvy and proficient in media marketing, overseeing a company’s social media accounts may be a great part-time remote job.
Software Developer
Software developers are the masterminds behind computer programs of all types, from mobile apps and websites to video games. Some focus on creating networks or underlying systems, while others produce specific programs or apps. Software development could be an incredibly lucrative part-time remote job if you’re interested in games, websites, applications, or mobile apps.
Even with the rise of AI, there's still a significant skill gap when it comes to programming, so if you have the right skills or learn the right programming languages, software development is one of the best part time remote jobs.
How To Find Part-time Remote Jobs
Here are some of the best places to find part-time remote jobs in 2023. Aside from the job boards on this list, you can also keep an eye on Twitter and LinkedIn for remote gig opportunities. And don't forget that you may want to actively pitch your services to the brands you'd most like to work with.
Indeed
Indeed pulls data from around the web, bringing together a list of jobs, including part-time remote jobs. You can search by job title, keywords, and location. Job seekers can also upload their resumes to get matched with potential employers.
Flexjobs
FlexJobs offers more than 50 career categories with remote, hybrid, and flexible job listings. The site also screens the jobs before posting, so you know the opportunities are legitimate. You can also access resume reviews, career coaching, and skills courses when you sign up.
We Work Remotely
Sponsored by the book Remote, We Work Remotely is a job board that seeks to list remote jobs from all industries and occupations.
Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations is another job board featuring only remote jobs. A frustrated stay-at-home mom started this site while looking for legitimate remote work. An entirely remote team still runs the site. Check out the blog for tips about remote work or browse the remote jobs by career category or keywords.
Dribbble
Dribbble is a job site specifically for graphic designers. You can create a profile, post your portfolio, and even search specifically for freelance work.
Fiverr
Fiverr is a great site for freelancers looking to build a clientele. It focuses specifically on gig work, and freelancers can easily create a portfolio and get started.
Upwork
Upwork is another job site that brings employers and job seekers together. Upwork also features remote jobs in a slew of categories. With Upwork claiming that over 5 million companies use the site to find workers, you’ll be sure to find part-time remote jobs that fit your skill set and schedule.
Freelancer
Freelancer claims to be the world’s largest freelance marketplace and is full of remote freelance work opportunities. Users can create profiles, upload portfolios, and bid for freelance gigs.
How to Avoid Work From Home Scams
Legitimate work at home jobs, whether for employees or freelancers, are becoming increasingly common. Unfortunately, so are scams. But there are some things you can do to make sure the opportunity you're looking at is legit.
Too Good To Be True
First off, that old chestnut, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” is the best advice when you're looking for legit work from home opportunities. If a job listing is offering $200 an hour for a simple transcriptionist gig, it's most likely a scam.
Never Hand Over Money
Legitimate work from home jobs will never ask you to spend money on testing, equipment, software, or anything else. Never hand over money to get a work at home job. Legit work from home positions do not require you to give any money to get started.
Don't Go Off Platform
If you're working through a freelance platform like Fiverr, Upwork, or similar, avoid going off platform. Common scams include getting you to click on a meeting link or otherwise go off the platform you're communicating with for further discussions. Aside from the fact you're breaking the platform's terms of service and leaving yourself open to getting banned, you're also putting yourself at risk.
Never Go in Blind
Before you sign anything, open any random links, hand over personal or financial details, or otherwise commit to the position, do your research. Whether you're looking for blogging jobs or data entry jobs, make sure you research the company. Look for other freelancer or employee experiences. Join social media groups where people share their freelance woes. Look on sites like LinkedIn, Reddit, and GlassDoor to get the skinny on the brand or the recruiter.
Use a Job Board That Vets Opportunities
Some sites do their utmost to protect talent. FlexJobs, for example, have all their job listings vetted by real humans before they're released to the job board, so it's a scam-free site. Although I'd still exercise a little caution, because even the most savvy of us can still be caught out.
Trust Your Gut
Once you've been searching for a while or working from home for a while, you'll hone your instincts when it comes to trying to find the best work from home jobs. You'll often just get a feeling that something's a little off with the listing or the recruiter or … something. Even if you can't quite put your finger on it, your instincts – your gut – will let you know that something's hinky. Learn to listen to your instincts and trust your gut. Even if you're desperate, if you feel like the opportunity is a scam, just walk away and move on to the next opportunity.
Other Red Flags to Watch Out For
- Very early in the recruiting process, you're asked to provide lots of financial and personal information
- The company promises overnight rags-to-riches-style earnings, often with “testimonials” to “prove” it
- Promises quick payouts
- Lots of misplaced celebrity endorsements
- Multiple spelling errors and generally poor English
- Personal email address for the recruiter instead of a branded one, such as a Gmail or Outlook address
- You get “bonuses” for recruiting other people
Final Thoughts
With a labor shortage in full swing, there has never been a better time to switch careers, start a side hustle, or go remote. Part-time remote jobs can be both a convenient and lucrative option, especially if you’re looking to bring in some extra cash on top of your day job.
What are you waiting for? Check out part-time remote jobs in your field and speed up the timeline to your money goals!
Tawnya is a 34-year-old Special Education teacher in the sixth year of my career. Along with her partner, Sebastian, she runs the blog Money Saved is Money Earned. Tawnya has worked extremely hard to reach my goals and remain debt-free.
She holds an Honors BS in Psychology from Oregon State University and an MS in Special Education from Portland State University and has had a pretty successful writing career, first as a writing tutor at the Oregon State University Writing Center, and in recent years, as a freelance writer.
Tawnya and Sebastian have a wealth of knowledge and information about personal finance, retirement, student loans, credit cards, and many other financial topics. It is this wealth of tips and tricks that they wish to pass on to others.