Please note that, unless otherwise stated, I do not guarantee the quality and reputability of the sites linked.

Whether you call it telecommuting, remote work or work-from-home, it means your primary workplace is wherever you set it up. Telecommuting has long been touted as the future of work but, until fairly recently, few companies have been willing to take it seriously. Now, however, there are a growing number of companies in different parts of the world, employing people worldwide. Even some "brick-and-mortar" companies are getting into it, especially with the pandemic. The opportunities are still improving, and perhaps it'll be a good opportunity for you. In this article, I will share with you some information about different things to consider to help make it easier for you to look for remote work. Do you work at a company and you feel like: "Why do I come in? I could do this at home!"? If so, remote work may be for you! I wish you success!

If you DO feel that you could easily do your work from home but are currently in an office, talk to your manager and give them a very good presentation on your desire to work remotely. They may say yes!

Work-from-Home Details

Fully distributed: No office to go to - even the owners work from home - and maybe a yearly meeting to attend, which is sometimes like a paid vacation.
100% remote: They have an office, and you may [rarely] need to go there, but you're based at your home.
Field work: You work from home and rarely need to go to your office, but you travel in order to do sales, conventions, service, repairs, etc. This type of job is sometimes misleadingly labeled "remote" because you're not working out of the company office. This job almost invariably requires that you travel.
Blended: Sometimes you're working from home (or the field), and sometimes the office.
Where: You may be working at home in the same city as where the business is based, another city, state/province, or country. You may work from home, a co-working location, or perhaps a coffee shop. You might even travel the world!
Vacation time: Some companies will give you a very small amount (outsourcing especially), while others will give you up to 2 weeks, and still others give unlimited time off (as long as you get your work done). Some companies will even force you to take your vacation time if you haven't used it by the end of the year to combat the negative consequences of workaholism on productivity, health, mental health and family decay.
Hours: The job may offer full- or part-time hours. "Full-time" is not globally 40 hours. Some companies only work certain days (e.g. Christian: Sundays off), or you may only work a certain number of days a week. Hours of operation can be 1-3 shifts and whatever time of day meets the needs of the customers. Some companies will expect you to live in the same time zone as their customers, but other companies are more interested in finding quality people anywhere in the world who can work the needed schedule.
Communication: Many companies opt for emailing, text messaging and/or online chat systems (Slack, Discord, HubSpot, Zen Desk, etc.), both internally and for customers, but some companies do provide telephone or even video phone support.
Employed: You're a company employee with all the pros and cons that entails. Depending on the rules, you may or may not be "at-will."
1099/Contractor/Independent: You do work for the company, but you are not employed by them. In the US, this is sometimes called 1099, which means you'll have to file 1099 tax datasheets for your taxes (your "customer" must file it and send you a copy). You are, in other words, self-employed.
Taxation: It becomes a bit more complicated, so you'll probably need to investigate how and where you'll be taxed. Some companies may pay your income tax in certain countries. Self-employed typically pay more because no taxes are taken out by the company.
Salary: If you're new to the field, expect low pay and a low chance of getting a job, except with companies looking for untrained entry-level people. For example, if you're going to do customer service, the bottom end may be as low as $8-10. Tech support should offer somewhat more. If you're expected to bring skills to the table other than just communication, such as using professional software (e.g. graphic arts; 3D for engineers, architects, video editing; sound editing; programming), you should certainly be expecting rather more than that, but it depends on what you're doing. For example, programmers of languages that are in high demand will probably get more than those who know only very common, high-level languages. Consult Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn and similar for salary ranges. More details below.

While some companies will buy you a computer to use, and may help pay for Internet access, stingy companies, most often the outsourcing ones that also pay much less and offer fewer and inferior benefits, will expect you to provide pretty much everything out of your own pocket. Here are common requirements:
Internet connect: High speed (they'll usually expect you to either use a website like Speedtest by Ookla or you'll have to agree to download and run software that will check your Internet, computer and other things. Usually a public Internet connection, wifi and cable are not allowed.
Headset: Many expect you to provide a USB headset. They may require or recommend specific ones or let you choose.
Operating System: Some companies will require that you use Windows, Apple OS or Linux because they'll have you use proprietary software, but other companies won't care because they don't rely on OS-specific software.
Security: Good companies will expect you to have anti-malware software installed, and they may limit your choices. If you're a security expert, you may be frustrated by their choices. Some companies don't bother.
Location: Some companies will allow you to work from a co-working hub (an office or building that has been set up with all the amenities you need to work there, in which you rent space or a seat), but there are plenty of companies that don't allow this, often because of security risks because a poorly designed or public network will give a hacker sitting half a world away or half the room away a backdoor into your computer and, potentially, the company. Many companies will require that you have a dedicated, quiet room in which you can work without disruptions by children, pets and other distractions. If you're doing video calls, they will expect that the background looks neat and appropriate (i.e.: those posters from Heavy Metal bands and horror films may not be acceptable).
Pre-employment scan: A practice amongst some companies, stingy and not, is that they will require you to perform some sort of scan of your hardware, software and/or Internet connection. This will tell them what they want to know about your computer and, thus, will be a determining factor in whether or not you get hired. I personally believe that the computer of every telecommuting person be scanned to find out about all three, in order to avoid technical problems of all types.
Other hardware and software: Depending on what you do, you may be expected to have special software, an extra monitor (or two), and special interface devices (like a camera, 3D mouse or drawing tablet).

Caveat (Not Caviar) 😂

With the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affecting most sectors, a lot of people are looking for work remotely. Looking for remote work has never been easy and now it's harder because a market that was already very competitive (because most remote jobs are listed nationally, regionally or even globally) due to the large number of highly qualified people is now flooded with even more people. This means that the best job openings will have such intense competition for ONE position that thousands will apply. If you're not at the top of your game in graphic design, customer service, technical support, programming, engineering, architecture, sales, marketing, art or whatever remote-friendly field you excel at, you're either NOT going to get a job, or you'll likely find yourself underpaid or, at the very least, not getting the lion's share of compensation and benefits. So, before you just in with both feet, I urge you to sharpen your skills and interviewing techniques to the point that an interview will sell you!

Can I Telecommute?

Obviously not if you do physical therapy, drive a truck, work construction, operate on people, or anything else that requires you to be physically present, the level of technology isn't currently high enough for you to do it remotely (and some may never be, partially because people may not WANT those professions to be handled through a drone/robot). Otherwise, it's certainly possible! Nowadays, with more and more delivery services springing up, it's possible to do more at home. If you're creative enough, you may come up with a new way to do something from home, so why not?

SCAMS

But there are scams out there, and mail-sorting/package handling has long been an area where this happens. So, do your homework by searching the net for reviews, and use the Better Business Bureau, Indeed, TrustPilot, Glassdoor and other sites to check out companies - although not all companies are listed on them. If you can't find a company listed, it may be that no employee ever wrote a review or filed a complaint, or the company is new ...or it's a scam. Again, do your homework. If a website looks too simple, it may be a scam, or they may suck at web page design. Look for non-affiliated information on the company and look on reputable sites.

7 Ways to Protect Yourself From Work-at-Home Scams

This brief article gives 6 Red Flags in Job Descriptions That Should Have You Running for the Hills and although some of the descriptions aren't comprehensive enough to cover all reasons, the list is helpful! Young people especially should take this to heart because of all the scams, like package/mail handling, payment check processing, pyramid schemes, low-paying, high-stress jobs and various other types of fraudulent/bad jobs. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is; it's either a con or a bad deal. If you get an unsolicited message that says you applied, or that you've been selected for a position (especially if you're not qualified for the title, or there is no title), you don't need prior experience and almost always if you can work from home, it is almost definitely a scam. Also, if they don't answer ALL of your questions completely; they don't provide an address; you can't find their business at that address (look it up on a map service); they list a location that doesn't exist or they don't seem to be located there; their website doesn't work or is shoddy; they want you to pay them something; they say you will receive checks in your name and then send cashier's checks, money orders, cryptocurrency, or wire money, especially to unspecified individuals instead of a company; or any of a number of other signs...Run away screaming! Read my article: Beware Hiring Scams for an example of a scam job I recently got offered.

Beware Unsolicited Email Job Scams!
Beware BJC International Retail LLC - Package Handling Scam
Beware CesarUS Package Handling Scam!
Beware American Online Jobs (AOJ Work From Home Jobs)
Beware ISTS/Parcerly.com Package Job Scam in Murrieta, California
Beware American Consumer Panels
Beware Check-Cashing Hiring Scams

HIRING PRACTICES

Some companies have learned the hard way that remote hiring requires new tactics in interviewing to screen out the riffraff, so you may find yourself having to complete tests (Crossover gives you a battery of them, including recording your voice and answering IT questions I didn't usually know the answer to that weren't relevant to what I was applying for - go figure), answering unusual questions, and even telling them about you. Some companies take 4-6 weeks just to make up their mind if they want to offer you a job, while other companies have a mandatory, 3-months, at-will, probationary period to make sure you're a good match for each other. Some companies (like [How-To Geek](How-To Geek)), though, will accept your resume even if they're not currently hiring - just in case you're a good match for them! There are some companies that ONLY hire through recruiters, while others only offer actual employment if you're in the country they're based in, and everyone else is a consultant. Many remote companies require that you be fluent in English, except linguistic jobs (like translators), so you'd be better off searching for remote work in your own language and in countries that use that language.

SALARY LIMITATIONS

Keep in mind that companies based in countries with currency that is weaker than the value of your currency may not be able to offer you a salary you can accept - I had a Malaysian company admit that to me. Other companies, however, must be on the US$ standard despite where the founders are, because they can offer good salaries. Still other companies may be pretty stingy, even with programmers, despite being 100% remote and being in the US or Europe.

Crossover is an outsourcing company that is not always one of those companies that is generous with salaries - although it depends where you live. They offer a flat salary to everyone - no matter where you are, your marital status, how many children you have or anything else. Customer service (L1) earned $30,000/year last year, which is a ton of money for Indonesians, and maybe a fair salary for Canadians, but it's not enough for a family of 4 in the US. L2 will get you $60,000/year, but they do expect some pretty wicked technical skills for that amount. Programmers and managers may see even more than that. So, if you're in a country with a weak currency, Crossover may make you rich, but not all employees think it's a great place. Unfortunately, as it's a recruiter, it's hard to know which reviews are for Crossover and which are for its clientele. Also, Crossover claims that they're very fussy about who they'll accept for placement, and the tests I took seemed to indicate this is probably true (although some did NOT target the job I applied for). Finally, Crossover will invite you to an online "hiring event" after you apply; if you don't attend it, you'll be rejected. Please read this article about its leaders. I am not a fan of outsourcing companies because they usually offer low wages, move jobs to cheaper countries and treat employees like numbers. TeleTech and several others fall into this category. They're still paying the same wages they were 20 years ago (I worked at TeleTech then doing customer and tech support, so I know), but the cost of living has risen. According to the American Institute for Economic Research's Cost of Living aka COLA Calculator, $100 from the year 2000 is worth $149.57 now. That means our purchasing power, compared to then, is only $66.86 thanks to rising costs (which isn't just due to inflation - greed also plays a role)! Go back to the year 1920 and $100 is only worth $7.77 compared to that amount then!

BENEFITS

Some (like Automattic, Ghost and Zapier) offer some pretty amazing benefits, such as required vacation time, flexible hours, yearly expenses-paid company get-togethers, gym allowance, home-office allowance, new computer, and more, while others (such as Crossover) are still fairly traditional and don't really give you anything you might get at a physically located company. Because a fully-distributed company has no physical office, it doesn't have all the overhead costs, and should be able to offer better than usual salary and benefits, but if they're selling their services and products at a local price, they won't necessarily be able to!

RECRUITERS

As a side-note, be careful to note the difference between a company hiring you and a recruiting/headhunting agency. The latter takes a chunk of your income for themselves, some don't give any benefits, and some fleece you with sky-high promises and fees while giving you the shaft (ECP seems to have a bad history in that regard). Unfortunately, some of the remote-only jobs are ONLY available through these recruiting agencies.

You should also keep in mind that some companies with bad reps hire through recruiters to dodge their reputation problems so, before you accept a job, make sure you check where you'd be placed at. In addition, there's an entire industry that bad/unethical companies use to boost their image by buying "likes" and positive reviews for themselves (even bad reviews for the competition), so you'll have to exert caution.

Other recruiters include Toptal and Hubstaff Talent. The former has very high standards (top 3%) for freelancers they'll accept, but I've heard bad things about them, and the latter tends to focus on technical work, and I've heard good things about them.

Telecommuting, Freelancing, Arbitrage, Working Overseas and Job Sites