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Are you looking for a side hustle to boost your income or are you looking for remote work that could evolve into a career that gives you more financial freedom? There are lots of reasons why people seek out part-time remote jobs.
But what kind of part-time remote jobs are available, where can you find them, and how can you be competitive in this popular job market? This is our complete guide to part-time remote work.
In this guide you will find:
- What we mean when we talk about remote part-time jobs, the different categories, and the different challenges associated with each.
- Who you can legally work for and where you can legally work from as a remote employee.
- Lists of the most accessible remote part-time jobs for both experienced professionals and beginners, including average salaries.
- Guidance on where to find part-time remote jobs, both with companies and on a freelance basis.
- Tips for standing out during the remote job application process.
- Pros and cons of working remotely and how to adapt to this type of work.
By the end of this guide, you should have all the information you need to start the process of finding your next part-time remote job.
What Are Part-Time Remote Jobs
When someone tells you that they are looking for a part-time remote job, they could mean a lot of different things. What exactly you are looking for will have an immense influence on where you should be looking for work and how you should be preparing.
Contact vs Freelance Jobs
First, are you looking for a contracted job with a company, that tends to come with fixed part-time hours, or do you want the flexibility that comes with freelance work?
Many people are looking for remote contract jobs with individual companies that offer part-time hours. This is often because they want to work from home and only have time for part-time work due to other commitments such as childcare or pursuing a passion project.
These roles don’t differ greatly from other remote jobs except in the number of hours you are expected to work. They also don’t always offer a great deal of flexibility. There are often still specific hours that you need to be in the virtual office to support the broader team and business needs.
Other people want complete flexibility to decide when and how they work without a company dictating to them. This usually means working for yourself and finding contracts with clients that suit your expertise, interest, and availability.
While freelancers have more flexibility when it comes to when and how they work, they have less security when it comes to a stable income, and they also have to spend time seeking out and building relationships with new clients.
People who start their own remote businesses and work on them on a part-time basis can also be considered under this umbrella.
Read our guide to the best places to work from when working remotely.
Experienced vs Beginner Jobs
The next question is how much experience you have. If you are an expert in your field and have a good reputation, it is much easier to find remote part-time roles, both with remote companies looking to hire talent and as a freelancer.
There is no shortage of part-time remote roles open for developers, graphic designers, and accountants. You are also in a good position to go into business for yourself and demand competitive pay based on the skills and experience that you bring to the table. This can apply to a range of professions, including fitness instructors, business consultants, and lawyers.
If you don’t yet have a professional reputation and accumulated experience, there are still many part-time remote work opportunities out there. These tend to be entry-level jobs that pay less but can build into a serious profession as you develop expertise and grow your reputation. But you can expect to spend more time hustling to find contracts and prove your worth at the start of the process.
Remote vs Hybrid Jobs
This is just a word of warning! When you search for remote jobs, you will see both remote and hybrid opportunities.
If a job is advertised as remote, it should be fully remote, and you should never need to step foot in a specific office or premises. However, you should always check the fine print as some businesses advertise jobs as remote while still wanting you to come into their office a certain number of days per week or month.
You will also see jobs advertised as hybrid. This can mean one of two things. It can mean that the company lets you choose whether you work from the office or remotely, but you are free to work fully remotely. But it can also mean that you are required to split your time between remote working and working in the office, with the requirement to be in the office a certain number of days per week or month.
However the job is listed, always check the details of the job for what they mean when they call a job remote.
If you are specifically looking for part-time online work while traveling as a digital nomad, check out our guide.
Where Can Remote Workers Work From?
Many people believe that when it comes to remote jobs, you can work for companies anywhere in the world and that you can work from anywhere in the world. That is not technically true.
What Companies Can You Work For?
First, while companies advertise jobs as remote, the job must be registered in a jurisdiction where the company is authorized to hire employees. If you want that job, you need to be legally able to work wherever that job is situated, even if you aren’t situated there. Therefore, if you want to work for a US startup with offices in San Francisco, you need the right to work within the United States. Many larger companies have offices in various countries, but you still need permission to work in at least one of those countries, and they may specify a region of the world for the role.
These companies can apply for work visas for remote employees, but there can be a lot of hoops to jump through as they must prove that there is no talent already within the market capable of fulfilling the vacancy. There are also remote work brokers with offices around the world that companies can use. They pay the company, which hires you and releases you to work for the other company, kind of like a temping agency.
So, while you can sometimes apply for remote jobs in other regions of the world and get hired, generally speaking, the same permission to work rules apply as if the job was situated in a specific country.
Where Can You Work From?
The second myth is that you can work from anywhere in the world. Technically, if you are going to be actively working and earning money you need a visa that allows for that, even if the company that you work for is based in another country. This means that if you are traveling on a tourist visa, technically you shouldn’t be working, even remotely.
The chances of getting caught working remotely on a tourist visa are slim. If you aren’t earning locally or depositing money into a local bank account, local authorities don’t really have a way to track your work and income. It also doesn’t tend to be worth their while to pursue you, since you are spending in the local economy. So, it is generally safe to travel and work on a tourist visa for a couple of months at a time, but it is worth being aware of this legality.
This is why many countries have introduced digital nomad visas, that give you permission to live and work remotely from one country while being employed in another. These also give you permission to stay for longer than you would on a tourist visa in most cases.
Most Accessible Part-Time Remote Jobs
When considering available part-time remote jobs, expert and beginner jobs need to be considered separately.
Expert Part-Time Remote Jobs
Post-pandemic, most careers allow you to work remotely with some notable exceptions (sorry mechanics and surgeons), and you can choose to go part-time or work for yourself and choose your hours.
But when it comes to available opportunities that are valued with salaries equal to those offered to in-person employees, a few professions stand out as best for part-time remote working.
Programmers and Developers
Since before the pandemic, programmers and developers have been pioneers when it comes to remote working, creating tools to facilitate remote teams and using project management tactics that allow disparate teams to work together. As the world moves increasingly online, developers and programmers are essential architects and their skills are also in high demand.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time software developer in the United States makes an average of US$130,000 per year, and many part-time roles are available.
Finance and Accounting
Finance and accounting are other fields that have an increasing number of part-time remote opportunities, both with many companies already pushing these teams out of main offices and with small businesses looking to outsource accounting tasks. You can find junior roles in areas such as accounts payable and receivable, and expert roles in budgeting and taxes.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time accountant in the United States makes an average of US$90,000 per year. But it is also a broad profession with significant variation and includes specialist roles such as actuaries.
Design
Design roles are often offered as remote and freelance opportunities, especially since small companies tend to hire talent on a project basis rather than keeping designers on staff. Design includes a wide variety of professions such as graphic design, UX/UI design, video editing, and more. Getting ahead tends to require a good portfolio and project management skills.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time graphic designer in the United States makes an average of US$74,000 per year.
Management
As teams become remote, companies are looking for managers who know how to get the most out of remote teams. This includes general managers, project managers, and product managers with a broad range of skills. Project management qualifications and experience in modern techniques such as scrum are essential.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time project manager in the United States makes an average of US$90,000 per year.
Website Manager
Websites are incredibly important assets for most businesses, and they are willing to pay for quality managers, including part-time remote managers. The role can involve managing the hosting, code, and design of the website, but also essential elements such as content audits and commissions, analytics monitoring, and search engine optimization.
According to Glassdoor, a full-time website manager in the United States makes an average of US$100,000 per year.
Psychology
While in-person psychology consultations will never be fully replaced, there is an increasing demand for remote consultations. This makes therapy open to a wider range of people who aren’t able to access in-person services due to location, price, or other impediments. Online consultations are usually via video call, but can also be administered by phone or as asynchronous messaging. Remote Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) are increasingly stepping in to provide support similar to that offered by psychologists. To become a Remote Licensed Clinical Social Worker, one must earn a master’s degree in social work (MSW), complete supervised clinical experience, and pass a licensing exam. Fortunately, there are practice exams to help students prepare for that exam, such as this page from ASWBPracticeExam. With the rise of telehealth, many LCSWs are finding opportunities to expand their practice online, making mental health support more accessible than ever before.
According to Glassdoor, online therapists in the United States make around US$70,000 per year.
Law
Law is another profession that is increasingly moving online. There are entry-level positions for researchers and the preparation of documents, and areas of law such as IP, real estate, and tax law can be managed exclusively online. Many companies also retain legal guidance, which does not require you to be physically present.
According to Glassdoor, lawyers in the United States earn an average income of US$125,000 per year.
Beginner Part-Time Remote Jobs
If you are looking for part-time remote roles that don’t require significant qualifications and experience, the roles below tend to be the most accessible. That is not to say that these roles don’t require talent and skill, but they don’t tend to require specific qualifications.
Administrative Assistant
All businesses need administrative assistance, and now that an increasing number of companies are going remote first and establishing virtual offices, these assistance roles, which can have many different names, are also going remote. You will see roles advertised as admin assistant, executive assistant, personal assistant, receptionist, administrative coordinator, and more. On any given day there are hundreds and full-time and part-time remote administrative assistant jobs advertised.
Qualifying for the role usually doesn’t require any particular qualification, just good organizational and communications skills, plus good computer literacy. The tasks listed in the job description depend on the role and the company, but you could expect things such as:
- Organizing meetings and diaries
- Making travel arrangements
- Attending online meetings and taking minutes
- Replying to general emails and passing others on to colleagues
- Answering and directing phone calls
- Digital filing and versioning of documents
- Some basic account keeping
- Formatting documents
- Transcribing voice notes
- Preparing presentations
The challenge with administrative assistant jobs is that while they may be part-time, that doesn’t necessarily mean flexible hours. You may be expected to be online at specific times, whether that be to cover core working hours or provide out-of-hours support for internationally dispersed teams. This is always one of the most important things to consider when looking at part-time remote admin jobs.
According to Indeed, administrative assistants in the United States make an average of US$19.53 per hour.
Data Entry
If you are looking for something that doesn’t require qualifications but offers flexible working hours, data entry is still a good option. However, it is worth noting that these job opportunities are drying up rather than becoming more plentiful because of AI. Artificial Intelligence is doing an increasingly good job of doing tasks such as providing descriptive tags for images, which used to be something a human would do.
Data entry is a fairly broad job title, and there are a variety of different things that you could find yourself doing. Data tagging is when you add a piece of information or a description to an asset to make it easier for indexing, searching on a database, or browsing in a catalog. Data transcription is transferring data from one format to another, which could be typing out audio into text or converting text into a spreadsheet. Data cleansing is when you search for errors in the data, duplicate entries, or other problems and fix these issues so that the data can be used.
If you are looking for something relatively easy to do on the side that doesn’t require intense effort and concentration, data entry is a good choice. But it can be something that is hard to grow into a career, especially since opportunities are drying up. Data analysis, in contrast, is a growing field and offers a lot of remote and freelance opportunities. However, analysis roles tend to require qualifications, such as a degree in statistics or computer science, or at least some experience.
According to Indeed, data entry clerks in the United States make an average of US$18.97 per hour.
Transcription
Transcription is another role that is relatively easy to access as a part-time remote job but is drying up due to AI. It is also worth noting that the pay is generally low. Currently, wages range from between US$10-$60 per audio hour. While that upper figure looks good, the pay is per hour of audio that you transcribe, not per hour that you spend working.
It can take a long time to transcribe an hour of audio. You will probably be listening to the audio at a reduced speed and need to stop, rewind, and replay frequently. You also need to proofread and edit the full text when you are done. Experienced transcribers say that it tends to take them four real hours to transcribe one hour of audio. If you are new to the role, it can be more than twice that.
That said, if you are interested, there are a lot of companies out there recruiting teams of transcribers and you can pretty much log on and work when you want. Check out TranscribeMe, Daily Transcription, Casting Words, and GoTranscript.
Medical Transcriptionist
If you are looking for a more secure transcription role, medical transcriptionist stands out as a separate opportunity because it is a specialist role in high demand and one that is moving increasingly online.
Doctors and other healthcare providers often make their records as voice recordings, which need to be converted into text for reports or to include in patient records. While AI and other technologies are sometimes used to make the process faster, because accuracy is so important, there is always a human review as well.
The role also requires formatting documents according to requirements and sending documents for final approval. Depending on the role, you may also be given access to patient electronic health records to make updates.
The role does require specialist skills since you need to be familiar with medical terminology. But this is generally something that you can learn on the job or do a fairly short certificate course. You are also entrusted with maintaining data privacy and patient confidentiality.
According to Indeed, medical transcriptionists in the United States earn an average of US$20.34 per hour.
Online Tutor
Lots of people want to learn new skills online, so there are lots of opportunities to earn money by helping them do just that. The most obvious path forward for many people is to teach English online. This is because you usually don’t need skills beyond being a native or fluent English speaker. While there are professional courses out there, for a lot of roles you won’t need to take one. These unqualified teaching jobs can pay between US$15-$25 an hour. If you are qualified or experienced, you can earn even more.
But English is not the only thing there is to teach online. If you want to work for a virtual school as a professional teacher, you need a teaching qualification. But there are also opportunities to support pupils who need extra support in subjects such as math, science, and history.
Plus, online teaching isn’t limited to academic subjects. There are plenty of people who want to learn skills such as crochet and woodwork online or take their fitness class or yoga teacher training online, and there are online courses for pretty much every other subject you can imagine. But these niches tend to be harder to get into since you need to find a business looking for your expertise or go into business yourself sharing your own passion. While this can be rewarding a lucrative, there can be a steep learning curve as you learn the online teaching technology and how to market your courses. You may be working long and hard before you get any return on your investment.
According to Indeed, tutors in the United States earn an average of US23.97 per hour.
Customer Service Representative
Customer service and engagement is another service that most businesses need, and they are increasingly hiring remote staff to deliver this service virtually. Again, there are a lot of jobs that are considered customer service, but they can look very different.
Imagine you work for an electricity company, and you are fielding calls from customers about their bills. Or perhaps you are working for a bank, and you are responding to inquiries and comments that come in via social media. Maybe you work for an insurance company, and you need to call people and ask if they want to change or upgrade. These are all examples of things you could be doing.
Like admin assistant roles, while you can find part-time remote customer service jobs, they rarely have flexible hours. If service is 24 hours or during business hours, you will be part of a team working to cover the necessary timeframe.
According to Indeed, remote customer service jobs in the United States pay an average of US$16.15 per hour.
Content Writer
Content writing is one of the most popular remote part-time jobs as it often allows you to apply skills that you have already developed elsewhere, it offers flexible hours, you can work for yourself, and there are lots of opportunities out there. While there are a lot of people writing, demand remains high as the World Wide Web expands and everyone is trying to engage audiences with quality content.
There is a lot of variation when it comes to the world available. There are many websites out there that just want you to rewrite existing news articles quickly so that they can be reposted on their own websites as original content. The pay is very low, but demand is high. Then there will be clients who are looking for you to research, write, and SEO optimize content for their websites. For the best writers, this can be very lucrative, but there is a lot of competition for these roles.
To build a portfolio of clients in this area, you need lots of experience that you can share with clients, but many jobs include ghostwriting, with your work published under someone else’s name. This can make building a portfolio from scratch challenging.
To be competitive as a writer it is also useful to have a good understanding of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to write for SEO, and also basic formatting and publishing on sites such as WordPress. This can lead to other work, such as commissioning and editing other writers.
According to Indeed, content writers in the United States earn an average of US$29.44 per hour.
Social Media Manager
Social media is another group of jobs that have moved remote and there are a lot of opportunities out there, but they all look very different. If you are working for a small business, you might find yourself managing all aspects of their social media. If you are working for a large company, you might find yourself in the role of community manager, perhaps looking after a Facebook Group or a Discord channel.
Because social media is constantly growing and evolving, it does give you an opportunity to grow a career from what was a part-time side gig. While there are courses that you can take, most clients and employers value experience. When you are talking about experience you should be highlighting your impact. How did you help someone grow their social media engagement and what positive impact did that have on their core business?
According to Indeed, social media managers in the United States earn an average of US$20.44 per hour.
Where to Find Part-Time Remote Jobs
If you are looking for companies that have part-time remote jobs available under contract, your best bet is often to go to job sites that specialize in remote openings. We recently updated our list of the best websites for finding remote work. Specifically for part-time jobs, we suggest that you start with Remote.co, FlexJobs, and Working Nomads.
If you are looking for remote freelance opportunities, the best places to start for general jobs are Upwork and Freelancer. These are the sites where you will find the most opportunities, and you can build a profile as you successfully complete jobs. This makes it easier to compete for future jobs. If you have specialist skills, then there are often similar sites for you. For example, developers should head to Toptal while designers might try 99 Designs.
When you are starting out, these are great sites to make connections and meet new clients, but they tend to take a heft cut for brokering these relationships. As you gain more experience and build connections with clients you can take contracts offline and start to gain clients through word of mouth and recommendations.
Applying for Remote Part-Time Jobs: Top Tips
Applying for remote jobs is just like applying for in-person jobs, but there are a few things that you can do to help stand out from the field.
Adapt your cover letter and resume
Whenever you apply for a job, you should adapt your cover letter and resume to the job, highlighting your skills and experience that fit the job description. You should also adapt your materials to highlight your experience or suitability for remote working. Show your experience working as part of a remote or dispersed team, your experience working with remote technologies such as Slack, and your ability to self-organize and manage your time while working on your own.
Focus on your remote-relevant skills
What are the soft skills that you can emphasize to show your suitability for remote working? You should show your ability to self-motivate, self-direct, and manage your time and workload. An overall work ethic, commitment, and reasonable level of flexibility are important. While no employer should expect you to be online all the time, flexibility to deal with different time zones can be a bonus. Also emphasize your responsibility and personal integrity, showing that you will respect your commitment to the company without anyone looking over your shoulder.
Update your online presence
Most employers tend to have a quick look at the online presence of anyone they intend to hire. But this can be especially important for remote work, since they may never have the opportunity to meet you in person. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your online presence is up-to-date with your most recent experience, and that it is clean. So, update your LinkedIn and personal website, and make sure your social media accounts are either appropriate to share with employers or set to private.
Do your research
While most employers understand that you are interested in the paycheck, they also want employees who are keen to work at their specific company. This is why it is essential to do your research on the company before an interview. Being able to reference their recent activities while conversing in an interview always leaves a good impression. Most interviewers also close by asking if you have any questions for them. While this is an opportunity to ask about remuneration and other benefits, having intelligent questions about the company and role prepared also leaves a great impression.
Be prepared to explain why
When you apply for a remote job, employers may ask why you prefer to work part-time and remotely. Answers about avoiding the commute, having flexibility, and maybe having the ability to travel are all understandable and acceptable, but you can offer more. Highlight professional motives such as valuing the ability to collaborate with a range of inspiring international colleagues and how remote working helps you maintain a better work-life balance and therefore be more productive and creative.
Facing the Challenges of Part-Time Remote Working
The pros and cons of part-time remote working depend on how you do it. Are you working part-time to have more time for yourself, or are you working an additional part-time job to boost your income? One may improve your work-life balance and give you more time, while the other will reduce it. Also, are you working from a stable home office, or are you traveling while working and establishing new routines every few weeks or months? It all depends on how you choose to work.
However, there are a few universal challenges that tend to come with remote work that you should be aware of and be prepared to combat. (Read our pros and cons of the digital nomad lifestyle here.)
It is harder to connect with colleagues and clients
While remote companies tend to put a lot of energy into team building and connecting remote teams, it is hard to replace the connection that you develop when working with colleagues in person.
To combat this, you need to put active effort into remote relationship building, whether that be with colleagues or clients that you never meet in person.
Having a strong online presence is important to this, as many people will search for you online to confirm their impressions of you and the things you have told them. Maintaining an accessible online presence and keeping it up-to-date is important.
While you don’t want to be that person who sends pointless emails every day, checking in regularly and signaling your availability is important. Developing an online work voice that is both professional and shares a little bit of the personal also builds connection and confidence.
It can be very lonely
Multiple surveys of remote workers show that one of the biggest challenges they deal with is loneliness. Some remote workers can spend days barely speaking to anyone in person, and therefore feeling disconnected.
To make up for the natural human contact that most people used to get in the office, it is important to focus on other social activities that give you a day-to-day personal connection. Join a sports team or a reading group, work from a coffee shop for a couple of hours a day, or take the time to call or meet up with the important people in your life. You are never too busy for something when it is a priority.
Despite this challenge, research shows that Americans prefer to work from home.
Lack of focus
While most studies find that workers are just as productive when working from home as they are from the office, that is not necessarily from day one. It can take time to learn how to manage your time and avoid distractions.
One good thing to do is create a workspace that is at least conceptually separate from your living space so that you can focus. This can be a physical space in your home if that is possible, or a virtual space on your computer. You can also create rituals that help you get into work mode, such as changing into specific work clothes and having a work playlist.
Having a clear to do list that is realistic for each day and blocking time for different tasks can also help you keep on track during your workday, whenever that is.
Maintaining work-life balance
While many people choose to work remotely specifically to maintain a better work-life balance, this doesn’t work for everyone. While managers back in the office may suspect that workers at home are slacking off, the opposite often tends to be true. If you are no longer going into the office, you are removing the hard lines between work time and non-work time. This makes it a lot harder to switch off when the workday is meant to be over, and people tend to work more. Learning to separate work and leisure is a skill that needs to be learned.
Creating clear rituals that let you transition in and out of work are helpful. This can be as simple as taking a shower and changing your clothes. Or you can schedule your workout at the end of the workday to give you a clear break. Setting clear rules about when you work can also be useful. If you have made the decision in advance, you are less likely to let yourself “just check something quickly”, and fall into a work blackhole.
Stagnated career growth
Because the world is still adapting to remote working, studies have shown that not being in regular physical contact with your boss can reduce your opportunities for promotion. This is an “out of sight, out of mind” issue.
Therefore, it is more important than ever that you regularly remind your employer of your success and the value that you bring to the company. Keep a record of your small wins, and always frame them in terms of the value that they contributed. You should not be afraid to reference these when in discussion with your boss. If you have limited communication with your boss, it wouldn’t hurt to send them the list on a quarterly basis just a reminder of your value.
If you work for yourself, this translates into how you sell yourself to gain new clients. You need to be able to talk frankly and confidently about what you have accomplished and take credit for your achievements.
Find a Part-Time Remote Job
Jobs are becoming more flexible as an increasing number of people want more freedom to make work fit around the rest of their lives, rather than making the rest of their lives fit around work. That means that more people are looking to reduce their hours and reduce their work overhead by going remote.
The economy is adapting, and more part-time remote jobs are becoming available daily. There are entry-level positions for people at the start of their careers, flexible freelance roles for those who want complete control of when and how they work, stable contract roles for those who prioritize a secure income, and the opportunity to turn your experience into a part-time profession.
Finding the perfect part-time remote job starts with knowing what your talents are, what kind of work you want to do, and what level of income you need to generate to make your life work. When you have a clear idea of this in your head, you can plan the right path forward.
