50 remote jobs that can pay well

Written by:
May 14, 2020
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50 remote jobs that can pay well

Working remotely, away from traditional workplaces, has taken on a new meaning most of us never would have imagined. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work in dramatic and significant ways, shuttering businesses, grinding manufacturing and transportation to a halt, and threatening many people’s incomes.

Staying at home and practicing social distancing to help halt the spread of the dangerous disease, means plenty of people are looking for jobs they can perform remotely. To find remote jobs and opportunities that can pay well, Stacker scoured job directories and databases like Payscale, Glassdoor, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Some are jobs that have nearly always been performed remotely. Customer service and marketing research have long been conducted from afar, from workers’ homes in the U.S. to call centers in India. Ever-evolving software and communications mean remote workers need little more than a laptop and Wi-Fi to do jobs like blogging, data entry, podcast creation, and editing. Jobs relying heavily on personal communication, from therapist to life coach, have become feasible work-from-home positions because of advances in video conferencing and online chats.

Other jobs were born to be remote: Online resellers, virtual assistants, content creators, editors, and social media managers by design can cast a wide net among clients, customers, and audiences stretching around the world.

Salary levels run the gamut. Data entry workers make about $13 an hour, and customer service representatives make just a bit more. Enjoying far more money at the other end of the remote pay scale are lawyers, sales directors, and business development managers.

With so many workers at home, some for the first time, the way we work is likely forever altered. With the benefits of letting people live where they want, often flexible hours, and abbreviated commutes, remote work can offer rewarding opportunities and possibilities to workers with imagination and initiative.

Accountant

Accountants are experts in financial records who handle bookkeeping, tax preparation, invoices, billing, and payroll responsibilities. Some of their work requires becoming a certified public accountant (CPA). The median salary for an accountant in the U.S. is about $71,000, with the best-paid earning $93,000 or more.

Affiliate marketer

Affiliate marketers promote other people’s or other company’s products and are paid on commission. They might market through review blogs or digital billboards; affiliate marketers earn an average salary of about $62,000.

Blogger

Bloggers can pull in anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month, with an average blogger salary of $33,000. The more traffic a blog attracts, of course, the bigger its audience of people who might buy mentioned or promoted products. Bloggers also make money running display ads and content paid for by a sponsor.

Business coach

Businesses hire coaches to help boost their revenue or growth, and the coaches help set goals, devise strategies, and measure results. Their average salary is about $40,000.

Business development manager

Business development managers on average earn salaries between $100,000 and $150,000 a year. They design business strategies for companies to grow and expand by seeking out opportunities, researching the competition, identifying potential customers and new markets, and tracking industry developments.

College consultant

Families employ college consultants to assist in getting their children accepted by the schools they want to attend. The consultants help them with choosing classes, sports and extracurricular activities, test preparations, and college applications and essays. Hourly consultations may cost $200 or $300, while longer-term packages can range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Consultant

Consultants are experts who are paid to share their knowledge, experience, and opinions in a vast array of fields. Management consultants help companies solve problems or improve performance, while other consultants might specialize in an area of expertise.

Copywriter

Copywriters work for businesses or organizations writing product descriptions, presentations, brochures, blog posts, website landing pages, and white papers. They might be hired to help promote or sell a service, product, or concept. Some work on staff at agencies, while others work at companies in-house or freelance.

Customer service

Jobs in customer service revolve around consumer satisfaction. Customer service representatives are paid between $15 and $20 an hour to handle complaints, answer questions, resolve problems, and process returns.

Data analyst

Data analysts decipher and interpret data, and businesses use them to expose inefficiencies, forecast trends, prepare reports, and make strategic decisions. The average entry-level salary is about $60,000, while senior jobs can pay about $138,000.

Data entry

Data-entry workers input info into computer programs or online databases. Some of the jobs require workers to type a minimum number of words per minute or to verify or edit data. Data entry workers might be freelance, or they might work for temporary employment agencies. The pay averages about $13 an hour.

Developer (Android)

Developers for Android mobile operating systems design apps used in smartphones and tablets. Earning an average annual salary of about $70,000, they need to know how to write program code, troubleshoot and solve problems, and create innovative new features.

Developer (back-end)

Back-end developers create the inner workings of websites and are proficient in data storage, security, capacity issues, and testing. They earn an average yearly salary of about $117,000 and an hourly rate of about $65 an hour.

Developer (front-end)

Front-end developers design the appearance and style of websites, creating the images and presentations that users see. They earn an average yearly salary of about $70,000 and an hourly rate of about $50 an hour.

Developer (iOS)

iOS developers create mobile applications for devices that use Apple’s iOS system. Riding the demand for iPhones, iPads, and iPods, iOS developers make an average of about $96,000 a year.

E-book author

E-book authors write digital books published online. Some are written by people with particular expertise or interest, while others might be the collected version of blog postings. Unlike in the traditional publishing world, self-publishing e-books can be quick and inexpensive.

E-commerce storefront

E-commerce storefronts are online marketplaces for vendors to sell products. Involving product descriptions, images, prices, shopping carts, and payment systems, the most successful storefronts are well designed, appealing, and easy for customers to use.

Editor

Editors read, rewrite, and recast written content for newspapers, websites, magazines, or book publishers. They typically need proofreading and writing experience. The average salary is about $52,000, although the pay would vary among the several types of editing jobs such as copy editors, managing editors, or executive editors.

Event planner

Event planners coordinate conventions, conferences, meetings, weddings, fundraisers, and trade shows. With a median annual pay of about $50,000, event planners juggle responsibilities for budgets, clients, vendors, caterers, locations, transportation, and lodging.

Feature writer/reporter

Feature writers and reporters specialize in articles and stories that unlike hard news tend to be more colorful, in-depth, or offbeat. They may write human interest pieces, personal experience tales, behind-the-scenes looks, or explanatory scientific articles aimed at a broad audience. Feature writers typically are creative and tell stories in conversational and accessible ways.

Financial analyst

Financial analysts offer investment advice to companies, individuals, and large institutional investors. They evaluate the performance of stocks and bonds, assess economic and market trends, and may specialize in a particular industry or region. Their median annual wage is about $86,000, although the top 10% earn about twice as much.

Graphic designer

Graphic designers create a wide range of visual products like product logos, billboards, packaging, and advertising layouts. They may handle anything from typeface to photo selection. Job requirements include familiarity with color theory, web design, and computerized design software as well as creativity and a sense of style.

Influencer

Influencers provide their views and knowledge to shape and sway the purchasing decisions of their followers. They post regularly on social media and cultivate a dedicated audience. While the biggest influencers might be big celebrities, non-celebrity influencers can build expertise, attract a following, and make money from product mentions and sponsored web content.

Information security manager

Information security managers are responsible for security and privacy strategies to protect data and internet systems networks for companies and organizations. Familiar with software and hardware, they manage security testing, identify potential risks, and tend to have backgrounds in information technology, systems security, and network administration. The pay can top $125,000 at large corporations.

Lawyer

Lawyers specialize in civil or criminal law, representing clients in litigation and in court, writing wills and trusts, or overseeing real estate transitions. Pay levels for lawyers depend on their specialties and whether they work for public or private practices. Personal injury lawyers make an average of about $73,000 a year, while lawyers who specialize in health care issues such as malpractice average twice as much.

Life coach

Life coaches are trained to help clients set goals, move through transitions and decide on plans of action to make changes. With insight into their clients’ needs, they help identify challenges and obstacles to such objectives as personal growth, fitness, or reaching a balance of life and work. Entry-level salaries for life coaches start at $25,000 to $40,000; depending upon fees, expertise, and the number of clients, life coaches can reach salaries of about $80,000 after several years of experience.

Maker

Millions of people buy and sell products on e-commerce sites such as Etsy. Makers who create goods for e-commerce typically pay listing and transaction fees to the online marketplace on top of being responsible for their own production, inventory, branding, and shipping.

Marketing director

Marketing directors create campaigns that target customers and audiences to sell and promote products and services. They can be experts in brand messaging, product introductions, and consumer trends. The median starting salary is $108,000.

Marketing channel manager

Channel marketing strategies seek the best ways for goods and services to find consumers, and marketing channel managers oversee those routes, or channels. The channels could be retail websites, search engines, social media, email, and direct mail, and a mid-career manager earns on average $83,000 a year.

Online reseller

Online resellers may run small operations using eBay, in a larger marketplace like Amazon, or on their own platforms. They purchase products (often from wholesalers), promote them online, and sell them in hopes of making a profit. While the work has no education or requirements, it calls for handling order fulfillment, shipping, inventory, invoices, billing, and finances.

Podcaster

Podcasters create audio content that may range from news programs to talk or comedy shows. Many podcasters work from home studios on their own or for broadcasting companies or educational institutions, recording and uploading audio files. Those who build a dedicated core audience can get sponsors or earn commissions promoting and mentioning products.

Product reviewer

Companies employ home-based product reviewers, typically at an hourly rate, to critique items from household goods to software on their effectiveness, reliability, and ease of use. Product reviewers earn on average $55,000 a year.

Project manager

Project managers oversee projects from start to finish in an array of fields but often in construction and information technology. The average salary is about $66,000 a year. Their responsibilities include initial planning, budgeting, scheduling, tracking progress and performance, and fostering collaboration.

Psychiatrist/therapist

While psychiatrists and therapists are experts in mental health, their specific jobs are distinct. Psychiatrists are medical doctors, licensed to prescribe medication while therapists counsel patients on behavior, relationships, major life changes, coping with stress, and managing anxiety. Some therapy is individual, and sometimes it involves couples, families, and groups.

Recruiter

Recruiters work for companies to find the best candidates to fill jobs. After sorting through resumes and applications or actively seeking out candidates themselves, they conduct interviews, negotiate salaries and benefits packages, and must be current in labor law and policies. They may be paid on retainer or on commissions based on a percentage of a job candidate’s salary. They earn about $49,000 a year, along with another $8,000 or so in commissions.

Resume writer

Resume writers design summaries of clients’ work experience, job skills, and background. They frame clients’ attributes in the best possible light and craft eye-catching documents to help them find jobs and stand out among other applications. They might charge $50 to $75 for a basic resume and $200 to $300 for executive resumes.

 

Sales account executive

Sales account executives court customers to sell goods and services. They often must meet a target amount of sales, work for wages and commissions, and are responsible for scouting out new customers as well. Earnings vary greatly in different regions and industries, but the average salary is about $63,000 a year.

Sales account manager

Sales account managers make an average annual salary of about $62,000. They handle a portfolio of accounts, build relationships with customers, and set and monitor sales targets and objectives.

Sales director

Sales directors are in charge of all aspects of sales by planning launches, providing customer service, managing sales teams, and making sure sales goals are met. The average yearly salary is about $98,000, although top earners can earn more than twice that amount.

SEO consultant

SEO consultants specialize in search engine optimization (SEO) in order to boost online traffic for web pages and links to improve their rank and visibility in online searches. Companies use SEO consultants to generate business, customers, leads, and market presence. SEO consultants need to be well versed in keyword research, copywriting, social media, and web development and design.

Social community manager

Social community managers build up and engage a digital network of users and customers to promote products and services. They might utilize tweets and retweets on Twitter or images on Instagram for publicity and interaction with customers to improve brand awareness. Their average salary is about $53,000 a year.

Social media manager

Social media managers represent companies and curate their brand identities online in such venues as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They earn on average about $50,000 annually for writing high-quality content, engaging audiences and answering comments, designing marketing campaigns, and evaluating online traffic.

Subject matter expert

Subject matter experts have specialized knowledge in any number of areas that can earn them money. They might be hired to create tests, training materials, and instruction manuals, develop courses, and teach. They earn an average of about $105,000 a year.

Tech-support specialist

The role of a technical-support specialist is to provide assistance to and maintenance of a company’s computer systems and hardware. These specialists address technical problems and often do their work remotely from help desks or call-in centers. Tech-support specialists make an average of $57,200 a year or $29 an hour.

Translator

Those with foreign language skills can work remotely as translators. Jobs might call for translating content, teaching, transcription, medical translation, paralegal work, or handling customers at a call center. Translators also need to be skilled in computer translation programs. The highest-paying translation languages are German, French, Russian and Mandarin, and in the United States, a translator averages $20 an hour. Those certified by the American Translators Association can make more than $66 an hour, and the highest-paid are literary translators who earn an average of $51,000 a year working on literature and poetry.

Tutor

Tutors can teach any number of topics remotely by video or live chat. They typically teach one-on-one with students who need help with study skills or teach specific academic subjects such as language or math. They also might tutor students to take standardized tests or entrance examinations. Nationally, tutors make around $18 an hour.

UX designer

UX design is centered on user experience: where people and products intersect. UX designers find ways to make sure goods and technology are accessible and easy to use so that users will have a good experience and will return. Earning an average annual salary of about $74,000, they might design checkout systems for online shopping, menu selections for restaurant take-out and delivery, or reservations web pages for an airline.

Video editor

Video editors work in feature films, news, television, music videos, YouTube, and elsewhere online. With creative skills and technical skills using editing software, they make an average of about $87,000 a year, although those with top skills and experience can make nearly twice that amount.

Video producer

Video producers who oversee productions from beginning to end start out at a midpoint salary of about $74,000. In pre-production, they set budgets and schedules, plan logistics, scout locations, and collaborate with creative directors. During production, they are responsible for the shoot, managing crew, equipment, locations, and on-site operations. Afterward, in post-production, they coordinate editing and video compression. Companies and organizations employ producers to create videos used for promotions, recruitment, training, and marketing.

Virtual assistant

Virtual assistants work for clients remotely, setting their schedules, running errands, making travel arrangements, and managing social media. Virtual assistants working from home average about $61,000 a year.

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