Home Based Data Entry Jobs
Data Entry Jobs
Data entry jobs typically involve entering data into spreadsheets, databases or accounts packages. This type of work does not need to be completed in the office and people can easily perform it at home if they have a computer.
For home based data entry jobs, the payment can be by word, by page or a set fee paid for a certain job. Typically people who work from home on data entry jobs operate on a freelance basis taking on jobs for different companies. One of the easiest ways to access data entry jobs is through registering with a freelance site such as People Per Hour or Elance. These sites connect businesses with data entry opportunities to people looking for work. Freelancers set up a profile and then bid for jobs being offered by companies.
To set up a profile is usually free, however a fee is charged on any successful bids you have submitted. Initially, people tend to submit low bids, and as they receive positive feedback from satisfied clients they are able to increase the amount they charge. Looking at the profiles of people who have successfully bid for work can help you judge what level to charge for your work.
Finding The Work
There are legitimate home working data entry jobs available, it is just a case of looking for them and looking for them hard. Data entry from home can be an appealing job opportunity, particularly if you are looking to supplement your income or need work to fit around a busy family, but you do need to bear in mind that these jobs will not find you, nor may they turn out to be everything you expected.
Companies generally advertise these jobs on the internet. Some prefer to choose their own employees and others allow applicants to bid for available jobs. Competition is always fierce and there may be several people bidding for the same job, undercutting each other.
What Type Of Work Is Available?
The work that is available can be extremely varied. In the past, it generally involved the input of data onto spreadsheets, word processing documents or databases. With ever expanding use of the internet and advancing technology, this work can now involve creating and updating mailing lists, adding photographs to websites or even submitting blog entries to search engines.
Other popular data entry work can involve medical or legal transcription, or even typing up reports for the courts or the police. In view of the nature of the work involved, some jobs can be far more interesting than others and as you would expect, many companies impose confidentiality clauses.
What Qualifications Do I Need?
There are no strict qualification guidelines for this type of work, however, as a great deal of accuracy is required, qualifications in mathematics and English would definitely stand you in good stead. In addition to this, a high standard of IT skills, including a working knowledge of excel, spreadsheets and word processing, would also be an advantage.
You need to demonstrate that you can work efficiently and meet the deadlines set by the company. The more work you do for them, the higher your credibility will be. Some companies will require you to complete testing to check the level of your skills before they will put any work your way.
If you want to increase your qualifications, local colleges usually offer courses that could help. OCR Certificate and Diploma for IT users and BCS Computer Driving Licence courses could be ones to look out for.
Considerations
When considering if home working data entry is for you, you need to ensure you can conform to deadlines. You should ask the employer if there are any implications if you are unable to meet these.
You also need to ensure you are familiar with the way you will be paid. Some companies will only pay out at the end of the following month, whereas, others may only pay on a quarterly basis. If you are able to, try to make contact with someone who has worked for the company before and ask about their experiences.
How Much Can I Earn?
How much a person can earn from online data entry jobs depends upon the time they are able to commit to the work and the complexity of the job. As data entry is a relatively low skill job, the payments tend to be in the region of six to ten pounds an hour.
On freelance sites it is not always the case that the lowest bid wins. Analysis on People Per Hour shows that over eighty seven per cent of jobs were awarded to mid range bids.
If you earn an income from data entry work at home, it is unlikely that the tax and national insurance will be paid on your behalf. You will need to set aside a percentage of your income for tax that will be due. If you work from home, you will be able to offset certain costs such as heating or lighting against any tax that is due. Full details of what can and cannot be offset against taxable income is available from the Inland Revenue on their website.
Finally, you need to be on your guard for the scams. If a job opportunity looks to good to be true, then it probably is. Never reply to a job from a spam email. You should also avoid any company that requires an upfront payment for work. After all, you would not expect to pay an employer to allow you to work for them.
