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In many rural locations around the country, the only option for getting online is satellite internet. Unfortunately, there are many companies that offer work at home that only hire remote contractors or employees with DSL. Hope isn’t lost, however. Today, we are sharing several ways you can work from home with satellite internet.
To whittle down your telecommuting search immediately, understand that many customer service positions are out of the question. In the majority of these jobs, you are required to access remotely software to perform your job duties that need a reliable and “always on” internet service. Any slowness or intermittent service can cause you to be booted from the system resulting in lost customers and time logged in. If you are using satellite internet, you may not be eligible for phone or chat customer service or tech support.
You still have a lot of options! The below opportunities can be done whenever and wherever you have service.
Freelance Writing
There are so many reasons that make freelance writing one of the top work from home ideas around. It offers the utmost flexibility. You can write whenever and wherever you choose. You can even do your job offline – after finding gigs, of course – making it perfect for those with unreliable or slow internet access. You may choose to start a freelance writing business of your own or contract with a company like Textbroker.
Blogging
Speaking of flexibility, creating your own blog is another one of the prime work-from-home business ideas you’ll find. You can create your own schedule and choose your own topic – make it something you’re passionate about! – with complete control over the work you’ll be doing. Write offline and only wrangle with your Internet connection when it’s time to upload your posts and do social media. Starting your own blog even has low start-up costs, and there are many different ways to monetize your efforts – ad revenue, referral revenue, creating passive revenue (like writing books or creating t-shirts or selling patterns), and more. Learn more about starting a blog here.
Scoring Tests
There are a few companies like Pearson that hire remote test scorers. In this position, you will be scoring assessment tests. A four-year degree is required along with solid reading skills, and there is a bandwidth minimum. You also need to have a secure home working area. You’ll usually need to pass a scoring assessment to qualify.
The working hours tend to be flexible though there is a minimum number of hours required per week.
Along with Pearson, check out Measurement Incorporated for scoring positions. They hire seasonally for various projects, and my community really digs this gig.
Answering Questions
Do you enjoy being a know-it-all? Maybe you don’t even mind having a slow Internet connection because it gives you more time to read offline and learn new things. Whatever the reason, having general and specific knowledge is actually something you can exploit for earning an income online! You can even earn some cash through doing research. Many of these positions may require a certain level of education or demonstrated expertise in a given subject area. Check out companies like 10EQS, Wonder, and Clarity to see the different methods through which your knowledge can be put to use, or see my post “11 Awesome Online Research Jobs” for more.
Medical Coding
Many companies hiring medical coders are not particular about the avenue of Internet connection – DSL, satellite or cable. The only comments I have seen about coding with a satellite connection is frustration with the lag time. However, if you work faster than your computer, you are likely going to experience that same frustration with any online activity. Medical coding does require certification. You can get that remotely through Career Step which works with many companies who hire at-home workers.
Graphic Design
While you may need some serious computer power to be in graphics design, you don’t necessarily need a fast Internet connection for the job. As long as you can access all the materials you need – from stock photos to vector art to fonts – and have the important programs (like the Adobe Creative Suite), you can create the graphics you’re contracted to make offline and upload your work once it’s done. You may have to sit through pretty long load times, but as long as you’re not pushing your deadlines, you should be fine. If this sounds like the career path you’re into, get my breakdown on where to find online graphic design jobs to work from home.
Proofreading & Editing
Many proofreading positions, like freelance writing, allow you to edit documents online or off (just download them to your computer or use offline access with Google Drive). Most companies hiring for this type of position want experience whether that be editing or writing. Proofread Anywhere has a really good 7-day proofreading course that’s free. Make sure you print out the common errors worksheet and keep it handy, and check companies like Scribendi or Scribe.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is a work-from-home career that’s on the rise: there are simply so many new businesses being founded each day, and all of these small businesses aren’t necessarily equipped to handle their own books. That’s where you come in: if you’re good with numbers and willing to learn, become a freelance bookkeeper. If you don’t want to find your own private clients, check out websites like Belay and BookMinders. If you are a CPA, you have even more options available to you – lean more about those at my post on online bookkeeping jobs.
Digital Downloads
The great thing about selling digital downloads is that you create the work once, upload it to one of the many delivery systems available, then earn money hands off for months or years to come. Depending on your knowledge and skillset, you can create eBooks, e-Courses, apps, blog themes, printable worksheets and more. You could even create courses to share on a site like Skillshare.
DoorDash
DoorDash hires people to place restaurant orders. They don’t have a lot in the way of requirements to be hired though you will be receiving orders via an online chat system and you can make calls on any phone system you choose – cell, landline, Skype, etc. Service reliability is a must as you are paid per order placed. This isn’t a great-paying gig, but it is flexible.
Moderator
Almost every business and blogger today has some level of online community. That may be a website forum, Facebook Page or Group or simply a blog receiving comments. As a moderator, you may be monitoring social media profiles for customer service issues or approving and responding to blog comments. There are several companies that hire for this type of position including ICUC, The Social Element, and Crisp Thinking. Internet speed will likely not be an issue, but you may have to commit to working a certain number of hours per week or a specific schedule.
The above gigs are not just great for those looking to work from home with satellite internet. They are also often great for those looking to work remotely while traveling or those who need a flexible schedule.
Hi Angie,
Thanks for pointing this out. I know a lot of companies prefer employees have broadband internet connection. It’s good to see there are still opportunities for those who don’t have it to still work from home.
Great share. You know I’m passing this along. 🙂
Cori
Thanks, Cori.