Modern advances in technology have brought massive changes to the degree and depth in which we can communicate with each other and contribute value, largely following the ubiquity of mobile devices. One field that’s experiencing tremendous growth as a consequence of these developments is remote work.
In 2017 alone, Gallup reported that “…flexible scheduling and work-from-home opportunities play a major role in an employee’s decision to take or leave a job.” The agency also noted that from 2012 to 2016, a greater proportion of employees worked remotely for longer periods of time during the week.
Increasingly, workplaces are recognizing the benefits to productivity that result from the flexibility of being remote and from the savings many employers see from reduced office expenditures. One interview published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that: “After a group of Ctrip service reps were sent home to do their work, they consistently completed more calls than their counterparts who remained in the call center.”
However, despite all the seeming benefits of remote work, there are some tradeoffs as well. Many businesses struggle to toe the line for regulating productivity and laziness when employees do not have a regular routine.
Further, some research reveals that burnout, isolation, and feelings of unfairness are exacerbated for remote employees in comparison to on-site employees. While remote work can have its benefits, knowing how to balance the sustainability of a job with its remote character and pay is crucial for the modern employee.
Studypool: Freelance Tutoring
Studypool’s primary initiative involves tailoring lessons to accommodate student preferences and needs on an individual basis. The platform accomplishes this through short, spaced lessons in a system called microtutoring. Tutors can expect to make upwards of $3,000 in additional income in the height of the spring and fall semesters, with some of the highest earners on the site reaching over $10,000 during these months.
Part of Studypool’s success derives from how it adopts this spaced learning structure. Research has shown that short sessions such as these often enhance the impact of learning complex subjects, especially with regard to mathematics and the sciences. In an article on instructional policies, Sean Kang remarks: “Spaced review or practice enhances diverse forms of learning, including memory, problem solving, and generalization to new situations.”
Through microtutoring in conjunction with a bidding system, Studypool is able to create a 24/7, on-demand environment for students to receive help at their own pace, and to encourage the development of client relationships and trust through multiple sessions.
Nowadays, companies are exploring and investing in methods that allow for more optimal uptake and recall of information. Therefore, companies that can get their students to understand concepts the quickest and remember them the longest possess the competitive advantage and attract the most students.
Because of its emphasis on client relationships and on sessions for discrete topics, committed tutors are easily able to create a sustainable base of loyal students that grows through word-of-mouth. Tutors may choose to specialize in one subject, or to work as generalists that tackle a variety of different requests. This level of diversity, autonomy, and freedom in tutoring work is what allows Studypool to stick out in terms of its sustainability as a remote gig.
DadaABC and VIPKID: English Tutoring
As we all know, freelance tutoring isn’t for everyone, especially when it comes to people who’ve struggled to deal with their own homework, but who otherwise have excellent communication skills and a keen sense of empathy. If that describes you, then the English tutoring platforms offered by DadaABC and VIPKID may be right up your alley.
Both of these companies have a simple application process and pay anywhere from $15 to $20 an hour for qualified individuals to teach children from Asian countries English. If you like working with kids and have a basic understanding of English grammar, then this job would be perfect for you! The companies even provide customized lesson plans for you, so you won’t need to worry about being stressed out over what material to teach.
To give a bit of background, tutoring pops up as one of the most immediate and practical jobs associated with remote work – and for good reason. The EdTech space has rapidly expanded as a function of increasing academic competitiveness fueled by the information sharing capabilities of the Internet. In fact, the area of extensive online prep was already a nascent industry nearly a decade ago in 2009 for South Korea, with leading, elite tutors frequently earning enviable salaries.
Since then, a slight paradigm shift in what people consider successful and effective online language tutoring has impacted the industry. Before, the superiority of a tutoring service might have focused more on the amount and comprehensiveness of the materials offered.
However, parents and students alike have recently started to value the ability to convey ideas fluently in the context of tutoring. This expectation is very important to the sustainability of the remote job, as it demands that tutors make a connection with their pupil. These types of relationships drive long-term job stability and ward against feelings of isolation associated with an extended remote stint.
Event Planning
Organized and tidy no matter where you go? You can carve out a niche for yourself by taking on event planning jobs on a multitude of platforms such as Linkedin, Glassdoor, Indeed, and the like. These jobs usually consist of managerial duties and planning associated with events like weddings, parties, and a collection of business functions.
Many lists show profitable opportunities in both the short and long terms for this category. Business functions requiring some degree of familiarity with more technical aspects of the job such as certain regulatory proceedings can pay out up to around $30 an hour. Meanwhile, more long-term arrangements also offer a modest salary that ranges anywhere from $30k to $70k normally.
However, there exist seriously lucrative opportunities in event planning in fields such as weddings, if you are able to play your cards right. Consider that weddings are some of America’s most expensive affairs, costing the average couple upwards of $30,000. The time and energy, as well as the number of vendors and other services necessary to bring such an event to life creates many business and networking opportunities.
RemoteOk: Software Development
Software engineering stands as one of the most popular and in-demand jobs of the digital age. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the profession is growing at a faster-than-average rate of 24%, with an impressive median salary of $103,560 per year. Of course, not all software development jobs are remote, but chances are that if you’re skilled, you’ll be able to find a number of freelance opportunities heading the development of iOS apps and similar projects.
RemoteOk is one platform that specializes in this category of remote software development opportunities, with a substantial list of prospective employers and a range of projects to browse. By its nature, software development will likely be a job with considerable long term demand as people will require the expertise of developers more and more often in order to render their ideas onto a digital canvas.The sustainability of the job isn’t in question either, as there is a strong relationship between the practical aspects of coding and the recreational or creative aspects of it, based on surveys from StackOverflow. For instance, the surveys indicate that most coders consider coding a hobby, participate in Hackathons for personal enjoyment, and engage in self-motivated learning. In a sense, software development and remote work are a logical combination.