Should I do this job??

[TheLeaRig]

I've no idea what to do.

For various reasons I can only work from home.

I am looking at a job it's a from home customer service job. I thought you had to be qualified or experienced for jobs from home (I've little qualifications, previously worked retail), but apparently not every single one, so I've been looking.

The thing is I'd have to spend out nearly £500 on equipment (up to standard laptop which I can only afford second hand, headset, training).

£500 is basically my entire savings I have. It's taken me a year to save this as well.

Is it too much of a gamble to buy the equipment, wipe out my savings, in case I don't get accepted for the job or it doesn't work out??

I'm pretty sure it's not a scam.

Could do with some help.

My friend did this and really enjoys it. It’s customer service for Hastings.

Is it too much of a gamble to buy the equipment, wipe out my savings, in case I don't get accepted for the job or it doesn't work out??

Yes. It is. Don't pay out that kind of money, particularly when it's all you have, if there is not even an offer on the table. You would be crazy to risk your only savings on a 'what if'

Can you u tell us who the employer is? I haven’t heard of jobs where you bu our own equipment, sounds dodgy to me

The company should provide laptops survey?

My DH work laptop have special security and can’t be used for personal use

Don't do it!

Telephone customer service is awful when you're in a call centre with some support. Imagine being home alone with a ranting customer a no support. Customers can be awful!

Also, what sort of company expects a new starter to be out of pocket to the tune of £500 especially mid pandemic.

The company is oceans communication.

Sorry I should've worded it better, they don't expect you to pay out for equipment, but they expect you to have a 17" screen laptop with a good processor and windows 10. Also headset.

I don't have that so would need to buy it.

It's self employed basis

I don't know why the company would make you provide your own equipment. How would they know that it's secure enough for people's data? Sounds like a data protection nightmare.

Paying for training too? This does not sound legit.

Self employment also doesn't sound right - are they saying you can pick and choose when you work and can send someone else to do the job in your place?

Yes.

It was on the gov.uk jobs website so I thought it's legit.

I really need work from home work which does not require qualifications or experience. Seems impossible!!

I'm a fast typer, polite speaker good at multitasking, and a hard worker. I can do most hours even at short notice, but I just can't find anything which doesn't involve hard sell.

@TheLeaRig

It's self employed basis

Yeh it’s a scam

If you are planning on working from home going forward I think it will be important to invest in yourself with a laptop/computer. As you don't have experience in admin/customer service work you could complete some free online courses to improve your skills.

Employers should be providing provisions so you can work from home. I think you will need to be upfront and explain you don't currently have the things needed

I might buy it anyway as at least then you're "equipped" for other jobs if this one doesn't work out.

Good luck

I've seen some legit jobs like this. Guess they ask you to provide your own equipment as it saves them a boat load of costs. Cheeky in my opinion.

Can you wait and only buy the equipment if you’re offered the job? I definitely wouldn’t buy it beforehand.

I've had a look at their website.

Two things concern me: there are no guaranteed hours.
If you book in shifts and can't do them, your access to future shifts gets restricted. But what if you are unwell or your kids are unwell? I'd ask them about that.

As you'd be self employed, you'd have to fi a tax return. I'd want to ask them if the hourly rate accounts for the tax that you're going to have to pay yourself.

Personally, this looks useful for someone who wants loads of flexibility, but I would keep looking for something more stable. If you already had the equipment, there would be no harm in doing it whilst something more stable comes up. But I wouldn't spend all your savings on it.

Thanks I'm grateful for all the input.

I am going to have a better look to see if I can get the right specification of laptop second hand, cause that's the main expense.

I wouldn't put all of my savings into one job. There are loads of jobs working from home with no qualifications right now. Most customer service jobs don't require qualifications. My friend is currently working for NHS Test and Trace from home. She did have to buy her own laptop for that but it cost £200 and does the job. She takes home around £300 a week at the moment. Could you look into that?

Many of my friends left school without qualifications and work in customer service jobs for places like Virgin etc x

@TheLeaRig

It's self employed basis

Tbh SE basis I'd steer clear. Hassle without any of the benefits and security of being directly employed! There are more wfh jobs than this. I wfh and everything is supplied, printer, screens, laptop, phones, mobile etc. All office equipment is provided, though we're allowed to choose it upto a threshold limit, so it fits our personal needs, style, decor etc.

Thanks 👍👍

@TokenGinger Yes I'll definitely look into test and trace. Maybe it's the search terms I'm using - "work from home jobs" usually, I rarely find anything I could be qualified for. Are there better search terms or job sites do you know??

I was listening to the radio recently

The program advised that there are currently loads of job/employment scams

Issues they advised were warnings

1. Asking people to pay for courses, equipment, pre employment checks, DBS checks, credit checks in advance of a job offer

2. Use of dodgy/multiple email addresses

3. Use of dodgy/multiple phone numbers

4. Asking for your bank details before a job offer

I am sure that other people can provide examples of tricks that the scammers use

For you to compare

I've been working from home for nearly a year due to covid, but I normally work in an office

All the below are provided by my employer FREE

Laptop, mouse
Other PC screens
Desk phone & phone headset
Mobile phone
IT support/Manager support
Discounted internet
Paid holiday
Paid sickness (up to a certain amount)
Set hours on a rota
Payroll, HR etc
Some other company benefits

Forgot to say that this job is not self employed

MIL had a strange job that was self-employed years ago - it was a scam to pay her less than minimum wage. So she got less than min wage, no NI paid, obviously no pension or any benefits and in the end they screwed her over when she quit.
There are rules about what kind of jobs really count as self-employed and working customer service probably doesn't fit the rules. Be careful.

I wouldn’t take any job that requires you to pay for training. Try searching inbound call centre jobs, inbound telemarketing jobs, or customer service jobs working from home, and also try searching for jobs with specific companies. All the broadband providers, energy companies & banks / credit card companies need lots of call centre staff, and all the big companies will pay you during training and probably supply laptops.

Inbound call centre jobs are usually much nicer than outbound - outbound is when you call people up and it can be quite miserable when lots hang up on you etc. Good luck!