Some people with a felony record might think that finding a decent job is impossible. In fact, it is only a myth. Contrary to popular belief, there are many online jobs that can be done from the comfort of their home. These kinds of jobs are best for individuals with criminal records because they will not face discrimination and will not have to go through background checks. Additionally, they are flexible, convenient, and most of them pay well.
If you are someone with a felony, you might be looking for the list of online jobs for felons that you can do from your place. Fortunately, you are here where you will be able to find the thing that you are looking for. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and get ready to find out everything below.
Reasons to Work from Home as a Felon
There are several reasons that make felons want to work from home, such as:
- You have restrictions, such as house arrest.
- You think working from home is easier and simpler than working from the office.
- You need time to re-enter society and meet people.
- You are afraid that you will be judged by others.
- You are not confident in getting certain positions.
- Etc.
List of Online Jobs for Felons (Work from Home)
There are a number of remote online jobs for felons. Here is the list of some of them:
1. Blogger or content writer
For those who are good at writing and are into something, such as travel, food, beauty, cars, home improvement, or something else, you may want to consider becoming a blogger or content writer. Feel free to share the contents on your own blog or to work for companies or websites that hire bloggers to write for them.
As a blogger or content writer, your jobs will usually include writing an article based on the request or specifications of the employer, finding relevant images to add to the article, conducting online research to produce good content, and so on.
2. Customer service or call center representative
As the large call centers are too expensive, many companies now employ people to answer the phone remotely. To be hired, you need to be good at communicating. Speaking more languages aside from English is preferable. Besides, you should also be good at dealing with people and resolving things. If you are not so sure about it, there is nothing to worry about because the companies usually train their customer service representatives beforehand. During the training, they will be taught how to answer questions, troubleshoot a product or service, deal with customers, and so on.
3. E-commerce and dropshipper
Starting an online shop on Shopify or Amazon FBA can be a good option for a felon since it usually does not require background checks. Besides, it can also be a lucrative venture. If you are not sure about having your own online store, you may want to start by becoming a dropshipper first.
4. Graphic designer
For anyone who has talent for design, being a freelance graphic designer can be a good option for you. Visit platforms such as Dribble, DesignCrowd, and 99designs to find clients and to show your portfolios.
5. Online translator
A lot of companies in the United States are eager to make their companies big and known worldwide. One of the efforts that they make is to provide information about their products or services in other languages aside from English. To help them work on this, they look for the ones who are native speakers of one or more languages and English to translate their content. Actually, being able to speak in more than one language is not the only skill needed. Additionally, the candidates should also know in certain fields, such as sciences, medical, legal, financial, or the one the company is about.
6. Online tutor
If you are good at a certain subject, for example, physics, math, English, history, or writing, you can try to be an online tutor and teach students and help them with their homework, test prep, writing college essays, SATS, and so on. Aside from the students, you can also teach other people who want to be good at a particular subject area.
For anyone who is interested in becoming an online tutor, you can try to find a job on websites such as TutorMe, Brainfuse, TutorOcean, QKids, and many more. In order to be hired, you should at least hold a bachelor degree in a subject area that you want to teach. One of the good things about becoming a tutor is the fact that it does not require any prior teaching experience.
7. Online survey taker
Nowadays, being an online survey taker is a popular job. A lot of people are interested in this as it is one of the fastest ways to earn money. In order to get a good amount of money, you are suggested to complete a lot of surveys as completing only one will only reward you a little. The job is usually given by the companies that want to test and improve their products and services and want to get feedback from real users. Not only does it offer good money but also it only takes a few minutes to complete. All that you need to do is to answer questions about a product or service and claim your money.
8. Remote data entry
Entering data is counted as one of the very lucrative jobs. This one can be done online. It is pretty easy to get one since lots of positions are available. Most importantly, it does not require any skills. All that you need to do is to type quickly and without mistakes. Even though some people may find it boring, who cares about boredom if you can collect good cash.
9. Remote healthcare jobs
There are some positions in healthcare that can be done remotely, including medical billing and coding, telehealth services, and medical transcription. Go to websites such as Indeed and FlexJobs to find remote healthcare opportunities.
10. Social media content manager
In this modern era, it is rare to find a business that does not have social media accounts or websites. In other words, almost every single business has an account on social media such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and so on. The company is aware that having social media accounts and websites is important to advertise their products or services and to increase brand awareness. To produce and manage the contents on social media, a professional social media content manager is needed.
If you are into social media, like spending time on these platforms, and have knowledge to navigate their features, you may want to try making money online by becoming a social media content manager. Your jobs may include posting blog entries, responding to comments, taking, editing, and sharing pictures and videos, creating curated content, sending out tweets, messages, and push notifications, and so on.
11. Virtual assistance
One of the easiest jobs that felons can do from their home is virtual assistant or VA. This one does not require any complex skills. If you are a beginner, it is better for you to apply for a small company because it may be a lot easier to work for such a company.
As a virtual assistance, your tasks typically include managing daily calendar or tasks; sending out email reminders or creating push notifications, lists, and some other things; managing the social media profiles or blog of the company; responding to online comments; preparing power points or other marketing materials; transcribing videos and phone calls; and so on.
If you are not confident to be a virtual assistant due to the lack of skills, do not lose hope. Go take online classes and learn basic training for this job. The cost of this kind of online classes varies, ranging between $200 to $350.
12. Video editor and producer
If you have skills in editing and producing video, you can get a job that matches your skills. Try to visit Freelancer, ProductionHUB, and Upwork to find one.
13. Video or audio transcriber
Transcription is known as one of the most popular online jobs. To be a transcriber, you do not need to have many skills. There are a lot of businesses in various fields that employ freelancers to transcribe video or audio files. The tasks as a video or audio transcriber include listening to what is being said and writing it word for word. The key point of becoming a transcriber is to be patient, fast in typing, and good at hearing things.
If you want to get a good payment, you are recommended to find the companies that need someone to transcribe from a language to another language and vice versa. To fill the position, you should be bilingual or know or speak and understand more than one language. Apart from transcribing from one language to another, you can also get more money if the subject of the transcription is very niche or technical. However, before taking this kind of job, you should learn more about it beforehand.
14. Video talent
The main tasks of video talent are delivering scripted material on camera and providing script flow feedback regularly to make sure that the flow of the content is interesting and catches many attention. A video talent usually brings between $56,000 and $74,000 a year.
15. Web development or programmer
Learning coding languages and web development skills open the opportunities to work remotely from home. Go visit websites such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, and We Work Remotely to find listings for developers and programmers.
Deciding the Kind of Online Job That Is right for You
When deciding which type of online job that is right for you, it is important for you to consider your interests and skill sets. For instance, an online job from home usually requires a computer. That’s why you should make sure you have good computer skills, such as browsing, searching, typing, and some other basic skills. If you want to focus on your business, first of all, you should think about what you want to do in the business and start from there.
Bottom Line
These are some jobs that felons can do online from their home. Feel free to try anything, depending on your skills and interests. Keep in mind that while these jobs don’t usually involve background checks, some of them might conduct screenings. However, as they are done remotely, they tend to focus more on skills and performance rather than past records.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.