working from home (done to death but desperate)

[coffeeismydrug]

I have one teen with complex SN. I always worked (admin type stuff) but thanks to cuts council has closed all SN childcare provision during the school hols for teens and childminders won't take DD, so I was forced to hand in my notice.

I really struggle living of benefits only and I am desperate to earn money again but due to the situation with DD, I can only work from home.

I have worked the last 15 years in CS/admin type roles, I am fluent in French, I have no other special skills, I type at snail's pace, I don't drive (so cleaning etc is out) and have no degree. I am pretty unremarkable, no special skills and I hate, hate, hate ironing.

Anybody working WFH with a similar profile? what do you do? I don't need a job where I earn megabugs. The earning threshold for carers allowance is £120/week (or something like that) so would be content to earn just 120 a week.

Translation? I have a neighbour who does this from home.
Admin work? I have a friend who advertises admin work/typing at an hourly rate.
Childminding during the holidays? That might depend on your dd though.
Phoenix cards? Body Shop? Pampered Chef?
Are you crafty ? Can you sell crafts?
Can’t think of any more currently but good luck x

If you are fluent in French translation sounds good.

Agree with translation work. I would contact a few of the large translation companies and see what they say.

I'd focus on the French - tutoring (in person or via Skype), translation/proofreading work?

Your typing will get better if you practice, it's not fixed forever (and doing work where it requires it would kill two birds with one stone)

I'm wondering if you're my friend but I don't think you are because we just discussed this a few days ago BUT if you google online translation open university courses or something like that, there are these certificates you can get to sort of validate your level of French.

I would also consider looking at translation

But I would also suggest switching your thought processes a bit - rather than saying what you can do and if you could do it from home, start looking at jobs being advertised that are home based and thinking if you could do them.

I have had home based jobs for the last 20 years - and just apply for them when I see one. You might be surprised. My brother worked on an advice helpline from home, which included shifts on reception - the calls were just routed to him. My job involves a lot of travel but my admin support works from home as well - we communicate by phone and email and she mainly books venues and produces flyers and amends our website.

I saw a vacancy with a company called Pitch up which I think would really suit you
I don’t work for them or anything but I read the ad (was on MN jobs or Working mums) and it’s the kind of thing I would normally apply for but I’m too busy at the moment
See if you can find it

Not crafty at all. Hopeless in this field.

would translation not require some kind of degree? I am a native speaker of French. English is my second language but have lived here for almost 20 years and consider myself fluent (just a revealing French accent when I talk).

I'm not sure if the requirements, but have you looked at French GCSE marking? Wrong time of year now but you could get ready for next year.

But I would also suggest switching your thought processes a bit - rather than saying what you can do and if you could do it from home, start looking at jobs being advertised that are home based and thinking if you could do them.

true, will look into it

Thanks hopping, will do.

A quick google brought up: www.reed.co.uk/jobs/french-content-translator-freelancer-work-from-home/38547455?source=searchResults#/jobs/work-from-home-jobs-in-hertfordshire

I've known infant schools that do French lessons (franchised, probably) during lunchtime, could you do a French club for children (or even toddlers with songs, numbers, colours)?

I would just say PLEASE stay away from MLM type things - Body Shop, Pampered Chef etc - you won’t make money - they’re a quick way to being poorer really fast.

Mechanical Turk and similar crowd source work. Your knowledge of special needs and being bilingual would be valuable.

www.mturk.com/

moneypantry.com/amazon-mechanical-turk-crowdsourcing-alternatives/

Data-labelling for artificial intelligence is a dull but essential task that organisations increasingly need. There are several companies that you can sign up with to label data, e.g. they show you thousands of pictures of animals and you choose cat, dog etc from a list for each one. The money isn't great but it is hugely flexible work, quite easy and being bilingual will put you in demand.

www.tractica.com/artificial-intelligence/data-labelings-link-to-human-evolution/

Depending on your DD’s needs, could you offer a SN childminding service?

You don't necessarily need a degree for translation or phone interpreting but most of the ones I've ever worked with seem to have some kind of qualification. There are agencies doing this work though, why not approach one?

French tuition for children and adults would be flexible and well paid hourly rate but would take time to build up. Could do individual and group sessions. I've been to lovely adult group conversation sessions with food and 🍷

I would also focus on being bilingual - a singing/language group for toddlers/pre-schoolers that you could run from home would be very popular where I live. Also would be something to build on if you wanted to - individual tutoring, older groups etc.

There are some online companies that offer tax returns, and their employees all work from home. Your admin skills might enable you to do something like that?

Also look at matched betting - worth reading lots about it - plus it's not considered as income re benefits

Also look at La Jolie Ronde French tuition for children. It’s a franchise but the franchisees often look for extra tutors to help with their workload. Money varies as it’s per pupil but you can make a bit

Translation is a skilled job and being bilingual doesn't mean you are automatically a good translator .... you may or may not.... try translating something get it reviewed.....you would need evidence or qualification.

But you could utilise your French in some way yes.
Tutoring also you may or may not be Natural at teaching.... but they are options to look into

coffeeismydrug, you don't require a degree to work in translation. As an industry, it is not regulated so anyone can start doing translation. However it also means that the supply is very high and in order to look credible to potential clients, you need a professional accreditation. Look into ITI or CIOL, these are two professional accreditation bodies in the UK. You can sit their exams and get a qualification this way. In some cases, you may need to do a course.

Embracelife Mon 12-Aug-19 10:38:42
Translation is a skilled job and being bilingual doesn't mean you are automatically a good translator .... you may or may not.... try translating something get it reviewed.....you would need evidence or qualification.

True.

I used to work in a translation agency. You will need a qualification or at the very least evidence of experience before they'll take you on their books, as well as translation memory software like Trados. So it's not something you can necessarily do straight away but I think it would be a good avenue to explore as it's a great and flexible job once you've got the work.