Are you looking for legitimate typing jobs you can do from home? This article will cover everything you need to know about making money typing documents while avoiding the ever-present employment scams!
Every day, I get tons of requests for remote data entry jobs. While there are some legitimate opportunities, there are far more applicants than openings. This is why I suggest widening your job search to include other work from home typing jobs.
In this article, I’ll cover the skills you need to get started, the kinds of work from home typing jobs available, and hiring companies to explore.
What Skills Do You Need for Online Typing Jobs?
The ideal candidate will have a fast typing speed and a high accuracy rate, a solid grasp of English, and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Other necessary skills include a high level of attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and excellent time management, as you’ll need to meet deadlines.
On the technical side, most typing jobs require proficiency with software such as Microsoft Word and Excel spreadsheets, Google Docs, and familiarity with computers and common digital formats, including text, zip, and PDF files.
A Wide Variety of Work From Home Typing Jobs
No matter what your skill level or work experience, there are many work from home typing jobs to explore. Check out the occupations and hiring companies below to get started.
1. Chat and Texting Jobs
Along with the internet and online shopping came a new breed of customer service: the live chat agent.
Live chat agents answer customers’ questions and concerns in real time via online chat platforms, email, social media, and, in some cases, text messages.
Some chat positions require background knowledge of a specific area, such as tech support. In contrast, others are more general and require only quick, accurate typing skills, along with some customer service or retail experience.
According to CareerBliss.com, chat agents make an average of $11 an hour, with specialized agents earning more.
Here are some companies that hire remote chat and text agents:
2. Closed Captioning Jobs
Do you like watching videos? Then perhaps subtitling is your dream work from home gig. Closed captioners watch TV shows, movies, and YouTube videos and type what they hear, synchronizing it with the video. One company that offers freelance captioning positions is Rev. In this role, you’ll earn between $0.40 and $0.75 per minute of completed video. Your typing accuracy and speed will factor into how much you can earn.
For more companies that hire online closed captioners, check out:
3. Community Moderators
If you enjoy reading user-generated content and comments, this remote typing job may be your calling. Many companies that use online forums, social media platforms, and blogs hire community moderators to monitor user activity and content.
Moderators help ensure that the rules and terms of engagement are being followed and answer questions that may pop up from users. Companies that typically hire moderators include small business owners, course creators, gambling websites, gaming platforms, search engines, dating websites, social media sites, and review websites.
Here are some companies that hire remote moderators:
4. Complete Micro Tasks
There are many websites where you can work on task-based work, such as data annotation, translation, transcription, market research, online surveys, search engine evaluation, and data collection. These independent contracting roles typically pay on the lower end, but they can be an excellent way to earn extra income from home with no prior experience.
To start working on microtasks, see:
5. Data Analyst
A more advanced typing job is that of the data analyst. In this online job, you’ll collect, prepare, and analyze data to deliver data-driven solutions to businesses. To do this job, you’ll need to learn SQL and Tableau. While you can get a degree in computer science or data science, you can also learn these tech skills by taking an online course. Charlotte Chaze is a self-taught data analyst who now teaches others without any previous experience how to break into the field.
On average, data analysts earn an hourly rate of $41.86! If this sounds like an exciting way to type your way to profits, check out Charlotte’s free online course.
You can apply for remote data analyst jobs on Indeed, LinkedIn, Dice, Work Work Remotely, and on a company’s website career section.
6. Editors and Proofreaders
Do you have an eagle eye? Then perhaps this is the typing gig for you. Proofreaders work with a variety of professionals to polish their written documents. They check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, as well as fact-checking and improving readability. Many editors have English or journalism degrees, but others break into the field via internships and on-the-job training, and some have a natural gift and are self-taught. Editors need excellent typing and communication skills.
If you’re interested in working from home as a proofreader, check out Caitlin Pyle’s free 76-minute workshop here. In it, you’ll learn if proofreading is a good fit for you, how to get clients, and lots more.
7. Freelance Writers
You may think that you need a specialized degree to be a writer, but that’s not the case. All you need is practice and a love of the craft, and you can make good money writing articles, newsletters, social media updates, white papers, blog posts, sales letters, case studies, video scripts, and more. Gina Horkey built up her freelance writing business from $0 to $4K a month in just six months. And the faster and more accurately you can type, the more work you can churn out.
Here are some places to look for freelance writing jobs:
8. Medical Coding + Billing Jobs
Insurance companies, hospitals, and clinics all need medical coders and billers to accurately code and bill claims. For these roles, you will need to become a certified professional coder (CPC), which will generally require you to get an associate’s degree or a medical and coding certification. Besides learning medical terminology, basic anatomy and physiology, and health information management, you’ll learn the differences between CPT, ICD, and HCPCS coding systems.
As a medical coder and biller, you’ll research and type the correct diagnosis code and billing code so that clinical providers can be reimbursed by insurance companies. Medical coders and billers need not only fast, accurate typing skills but also a high level of attention to detail.
To apply for a remote medical coding and billing position, explore:
9. Medical Scribes
Another typing job you can do from home is that of a medical scribe. Medical scribes are present during doctor-patient visits and type vital signs, chief complaints, and prescribed regimens into the patient’s digital medical record in real time. Due to the nature of this work, medical scribes must have an understanding of medical terminology, be fast and accurate typists, and be excellent listeners.
To train for this occupation, you can take an online course through ACMSO (Advanced Clinical Medical Scribe Certification) and then obtain certification. Some companies offer training for these roles; however, training is typically in person and lasts an extended period. According to Salary.com, the average hourly wage for a medical scribe is $20 per hour.
10. Transcription Jobs
Are you a fast and accurate typist? Do you have excellent listening skills? Then perhaps transcription is the gig for you.
Transcription is the process of listening to audio files and transcribing them into written documents. There are three main types of transcription work: medical, legal, and general. To get started as a transcriber, you’ll need a high-speed internet connection, a laptop, headphones, and a foot pedal to control audio playback speed.
Most companies require you to take a test to ensure you meet quality standards. According to Zip Recruiter, general transcriptionists earn $20.19 per hour. Remember, with transcription, you’re paid per audio minute or hour. This means you’re paid based on the final audio clip, not on how long it took you to transcribe the audio file.
Want to know more about these typing jobs?
TranscribeAnywhere has a FREE training workshop from veteran transcriber Janet Shaughnessy, who explains the industry, how much you can earn as a transcriber, where to find clients, and what you need to get started.
For companies that hire remote transcriptionists, check out:
11. Translation
Are you a fluent speaker of more than one language? Then, consider becoming a translator. Translators take written and audio recordings from one language and translate them into another. According to US News, translators earn an average of $57,090 annually.
See the following companies for remote translator positions:
12. Virtual Assistant Jobs
Virtual assistants (VAs) are skilled, home-based professionals who offer administrative support to companies, businesses, entrepreneurs, and bloggers. VAs perform a wide variety of tasks, so excellent typing skills are a must. Some of the most basic functions that VAs perform are sending email correspondence, creating documents, scheduling appointments, editing, data entry, and internet research, all of which require accurate typing skills.
A few companies that hire virtual assistants are:
13. Virtual Receptionists and Customer Support Jobs
You may not think there’s much typing work involved in answering phone calls, but there is a fair amount. Remote receptionists and customer service representatives take phone calls and quickly type in detailed notes of the phone conversation for their clients and customers.
In these remote typing jobs, you may also perform other administrative tasks like screening new clients, booking appointments, transferring calls, and typing information into databases. For these positions, you’ll generally need a high school diploma, fast and accurate typing skills, and the ability to stay cool, calm, and collected while having to multitask. You should also be tech-savvy and familiar with programs such as Microsoft Excel, Word, and Google Docs.
For remote phone jobs, see:
14. Data Entry Operator and Typing Jobs
Don’t get me wrong, you can find online data entry jobs, but they generally consist of more tasks than just straight typing. For instance, Xerox, a reputable and legitimate work from home company, hires individuals for remote data entry and verification roles. In this role, you’ll provide administrative support to business operations, including processing tasks such as data entry, scanning, and sorting.
You can also find data entry clerk and administrative assistant positions on staffing agency sites like Kelly Services, Robert Half, Adecco, and FlexProfessionals.
If you’re set on working as a data entry operator, you may want to check out the Remote Job Membership. Monday-Friday, I research and find legit data entry positions and post them in the membership.
Watch Out for Typing Job Scams!
Even though there are more legitimate work from home typing jobs than ever, scammers are still out there trying to take advantage of unsuspecting job seekers. They’ll create imposter accounts and email you saying that you’ve been hired for a data entry job! Then you click a link or unknowingly provide them with personal information, and then they’re gone with your hard-earned money!
With any remote work opportunity, you should research the company to ensure it has a proven track record and is legitimate. If a recruiter contacts you about a job, verify their email address (it should match the company’s domain) and their identity on LinkedIn. If you apply for a job opportunity on any of the major job boards, and all of a sudden, they want to move the conversation to a third-party app like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Messenger, this should be a red flag for you! Scammers love to hide behind fake profiles.
Take your time when you’re researching and applying for typing jobs. Entry-level work like data entry and typing doesn’t pay extremely high wages, so if you’re promised big paydays for simple tasks like these, it’s more than likely a scam!
If you need help keeping track of your research, my WFH Career Planner can help you manage every aspect of your remote job search, including avoiding work from home scams.
Work From Home Typing Jobs Wrapup
Whether you’re looking for full-time work, a part-time job, or just a side gig, there are many ways to turn your typing skills into profits. If you need help increasing your speed or accuracy, there are plenty of free online typing practice sites out there, like typing.com, to hone your skills. Remember to do your due diligence and research opportunities extensively, as there are lots of scammers out there!
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