Having looked outside at the weather and dreading another scary drive to work, I wondered if anyone is successfully working from home. I have researched quite a few job adverts that offer employment from home, but to be honest most seem so dodgy that I haven't dared take it any further. I'm not to fussed about what I'd be doing (within reason of course)! Any recommendations ?

Many thanks

Lee's OH

There was a thread on this a while ago. Have a look at it. http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=476413 I don't know if he ever made his fortune though

I have friends in the UK who require someone to do data entry on an as-needed basis. In other words, there is no guarantee that there would be a steady stream of work, although I understand there are times when they are swamped, which is why they look for contract people to do the overload work.

I gather the person would type inventories of the contents of furnished rental properties. The person would need to be hooked up to the Internet (which you obviously are), as that is the way in which the data is transmitted.

They need someone who is familiar with British terminology and British appliance brand names.

The fact that you live in a different time zone is actually to their advantage. In other words, you can be working during the day in Calgary, when it's night time in the UK. They switch on their computer in the UK the next morning, and hey presto, the work has been done.

If you want their contact details, just send me a private message (click on my User Name in the top left hand corner of my post, and this will bring you to my profile, where there is a link that you can use to send a PM).

I have tried working both ways, that is, commuting to a job and working at home. Each has its pros and cons.

Commuting in Calgary is awful in my opinion (but keep in mind I've never lived in England so am not in a position to make comparisons with the UK). But going to an office does bring you into contact with other human beings. This is something of a consolation if the work itself is as boring as batsh1t, which most data entry type work is, in my experience.

Working at home is comfortable, but it's lonely and boring, and there are a lot of temptations. The temptations can be fun activities or they can be chores. But, if the nature of your work is boring enough, then even household chores, like throwing a load of laundry into the washing machine, feel more interesting than work.

The work that I do from home, and that I thankfully will finish by the end of 2007, is frightfully boring to me. It's more than just data entry. I do need to use my judgement. I edit environment, health and safety procedures for industrial facilities and edit curriculum materials for courses in the same field. I've been doing it for a few years now.

I found it interesting during the first couple of years. However, I've become pretty familiar with the material.

Another problem with it, from my point of view, is that I am forced to write in a very dull style. There is little opportunity for making the material interesting and fun for the reader.

Still another problem is finding work. If you just want to do data entry, I guess you can respond to an ad in the newspaper. But if you want to do technical writing in the EHS field, you won't find contract work (or even very many permanent jobs) advertised. If you're a free lancer in this field, you have to "network." In my experience, the networking efforts that are required when you're new are HUGE.

I was lucky, because a woman with whom I had worked at another company in the past, gave me one contract, and that led to another contract, which led to another contract, and so on.

But that left me vulnerable, because my primary contact with that company was through her. If I had wanted to develop a relationship with the company independently of her, I would have had to butter up other people in the company.

Besides that, I do my work through my husband's and my corporation. I really need to work for more than one client. If I work for a single client, there is a danger that the tax authorities will view me, effectively, as an employee, and will tax me as such.

So, developing a larger client base brings me back to the need for schmoozing. If I had wanted to stay in this field, I should have attended functions put on by the Society for Technical Communication and stuff like that.

But I have come to dislike this field, and have decided to give up on it.

If you like children, an option would be to start a day home and look after the young children of working parents.

If you want to get into anything that is potentially lucrative (investing in the stock market, trading on eBay, direct sales, etc.), you do need some start up capital. It doesn't sound to me as if you are interested in that type of thing, so I won't get into it.

AdrianTO works from home, he's successful and attractive.

I work from home. I'm wearing slippers and I didn't comb my hair today.

I'm also debating at what time I can reasonably crack my one remaining bottle of Pride.

Somehow I'm slightly surprised that you have sufficient hair for combing or not combing it to be of significance. As for the bottle of Pride the sun is definately over the yardarm sir.

I've opened mine already.
Oh bugger, I have to put the new light switch up in the basement. Or is that down?

And why would I not have hair?

I've been working from home more and more, about half the time now. I buy Pride in cans.

Would that I could find it in cans. I was astonished enough to find the bottles on sale in the SAQ. Not many, and a bit dusty, but I now have a source. They also do the Porter and ESB. Amazing.

They're all in the fridge. Not amazing.

My OH was doing some research for businesses from home.

If you go to Google.co.uk and put in 'home businesses' you can check out the first page. He found one that has a 101 ideas.
It's: www.experienced-people.co.uk I have not read any of it in detail, but he has read through it. Obviously there are some ideas that would not appeal or be suitable, but it may be worth looking at.

Hi Lee58UK

I noticed that you are from Northamptonshire. what part as we came from north Buckinghamshire - quite close to Northampton. When are you thinking of coming over ?

Hope you find something suitable and good luck with you plans.
Alro

It seems that if you think you could sell on E-Bay even in a small way to start with and find a niche eventually, lots of folks have success with this.
My cousin in UK is constantly finding things to sell and it brings some income each month albeit small at the moment. When I can get online permanently for a few months (we travel) I plan to have a go, it could be fun.

Apparently running an executive massage service can be quiet lucrative.