Legit work-at-home jobs are out there, but you won’t get rich
Mar 31, 2009
By Shellie Bailey-Shah KATU NewsSEATTLE, Wash. – We’ve all heard the pitch – “Work at home and make big money!”
But legitimate work-at-home jobs are few and far between.
You won’t find them on Craigslist. And forget about all those Internet pop-ups and e-mail spam promises.
But there are some established companies hiring virtual employees to work at home.
Reyna de Vega found one. The Seattle-area mother is a customer service agent for a major cell phone company. After getting up early to plan meals and get the kids off to school, she starts work by 8 a.m. at home.
She is a virtual call center. Big corporations are moving away from foreign countries and bringing customer service work back to the U.S.
De Vega found her job on a Web site for a company called Alpine Access. It specializes in finding work-at-home agents across the country.
“We get about anywhere from eight (thousand) to 12,000 applicants in a month,” said Lisa Fallon of Alpine Access.
Of those, the company only hires about 2 to 3 percent. Applicants have to go through a background check and drug screening.
And de Vega must maintain a work environment that’s 100 percent noise-free. Her phone skills, computer skills and even her computer had to pass approval. And that’s all for $9 to $10 an hour.
“You’re gonna get an hourly rate,” Fallon said. “You’ll probably get a little bit less than you would outside in the working world.”
But de Vega said her job is worth it. She saves money on gas and other expenses and the flexibility gives her more time for her family.
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