Should You Telework/Telecommute

"WOW! I can work from home and make money? I can sit around in my PJ's and work whenever I want? How great, I want to be a Teleworker!"

There is much more to being a teleworker then working in your PJ's or working when you want to. Yes, those are nice benefits to teleworking, but you'd be surprised by how much work goes into working from home. You usually have to work 10 times harder and longer then in your traditional job outside the home.

When I first started teleworking years ago I thought, "How hard could this be?" well was I in for a surprise! I found I wasn't as motivated as I thought I would be. It was really hard for me to get up on time, get something to eat, and go to my "office" to start my day. And once I did begin I had to force myself to sit there and work for at least 3 hours at a time before I took a break. I couldn't believe how different it was and how hard it was. Yes, it was very rewarding to work from my home, but it wasn't all it's cracked up to be. I thought, from all the ads I'd seen online, that working would be a breeze.

After a few months of teleworking, talking to other teleworkers and just adjusting to this new way of working it all became much easier. I found that it was very fulfilling to be at home and be earning an income. It was nice to start my day when I wanted. My daily commute wasn't an hour each way in rush hour traffic; it was down the hall in the bedroom we had set up for an office. It was very satisfying and a lot of fun!

I grew a network of moms who worked from their home too, and talked to them on message boards, email, instant messaging and chat rooms...they became my "co-workers", in essence. I never realized how much I liked having co-workers, or people to talk to during the workday, until I began teleworking.

Ask yourself these questions before you start teleworking.

Am I focused?

What skills or experience do I have and can they work in a teleworking environment?

Do I have an area for an office and equipment?

Am I motivated or do I get frustrated and give up?

Can I work without supervision?

Can I manage my time well?

Do I listen to instructions and can I follow them easily?

Can I meet deadlines?

Do I have strong communication skills?

Do I have a strong work ethic?


There are even more things to consider before taking the leap into teleworking, such as, if you have small children will you be able to work with your child at home and if you go full time what will you do about healthcare benefits? Will you be able to live on part time, or less, income until you have enough work to maintain a full time schedule?

Many times when hired on to work at home, you will not have enough hours or work to make a full time income. You will need to obtain more then one job or work the one you have long enough to prove you're a good employee so they give you more work. There are always exceptions to this rule, but in general it will take more then one job to make full time income.

But as most teleworkers will tell you "where there's a will there's a way" and if you really want to work from your home, you will. Just remember that it will take time to adjust to. Be sure to stay focused, motivated, dedicated, and have a positive attitude. It's all necessary in your success as a teleworker!

Nell Taliercio is a business owner, virtual assistant, wife and new mom. She owns http://www.MommysPlace.NET and has worked from home for many years. If you would like to reach Nell Taliercio, please email her at mommysplacenet@yahoo.com


More Resources

The Perfect Fit: Women & Franchising
An interesting combination of factors at this time in history may be the reason so many women are turning to franchising to fulfill their entrepreneurial desires. Women's increased financial power, better education, and corporate experience, combined with their desire for more autonomy and desire to connect with others who share their values make franchising a great fit for many women.
3 Secrets to Landing a Home-Based Position
Landing a telecommute position isn't easy. Finding them in the first place is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Using Recruiters: How To Get A Step Ahead Of The Crowd
When there is an opening to fill, a company has four basic approaches at their disposal:? Advertise the position on Internet job sites? Network? Probe the Internet for viable candidates? Use recruitersWhen a company advertises an opening on an Internet job site, they receive hundreds of resumes. It simply is too long of a process and financially prohibitive to review every resume and move through each step of the interviewing and selection process to fill the opening.
Top Ten Networking Strategies To Get A Job, A Promotion, Or Make A Sale
Whether you are networking to find a new job opportunity, gain a promotion, or close a sale, you have two main goals with the networking interaction:1. To be remembered so that when opportunities appear, people will think of you as the perfect person to handle things,2.
How Can Qualifications Help Your Proof Reading Career?
For those who are looking for a career as a proofreader, it is important to have the right qualifications. It is important to remember that this is a proper job.
Job Tips For The Frustrated Job Seeker
There is nothing more frustrating and depressing when you are out of work and trying to find a job and your job search is going no where. Don't feel bad, you are not alone and there is a good reason why searching for a new job can be so difficult.
Supplement Your Skills and Improve Your Work Position
It is often said that the majority of people are but a few checks away from homelessness. Without a consistent income, this may be a true statement.
Resume Writing Dos and Donts
5 Interviewing Tips To Get That Job!
Anyone who is a jobseeker knows that looking for a new job or career is a job in itself. Once you have completed the laborious task of writing your resume and submitting it to various companies, you now have to pass the screen test to get the job.
Kill the Hype
She was waiting for me when I returned from a meeting. Standing outside my office door, I could tell by her downward glance, Jodie was not there to give me good news on the project.
How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign
1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best.
Your Attitude Is Screaming
There is more attitude around than the 'traditional 'positive / negative attitude. This issue's topic will expose you to the other kind of attitude.
Are Your References Ready?
One of the most common forms of background check performed by companies hiring new employees is the reference check. They typically request that candidates provide them with three names of previous bosses.
How to Answer The Most Difficult Interview Questions
The following 'difficult' questions are common to most tricky or adversarial interviews. In order to convince the interviewer that you are the best person for the job, you must prepare and rehearse your answers meticulously.
When the Teacher Becomes the Student
A relationship expert once said that during an argument, there's usually three sides to every story: his side, her side, and of course, the truth.This is something we must definitely keep in mind as teachers.
Searching for an Executive Job
A job search for executives is far less complicated today than it has been in the past. Anyone who is looking for an executive job can simply look to the Internet where there are hundreds of employment websites, with many specifically geared towards executives.
Make A Lasting Impression With Interview Etiquette
(Des Moines, Iowa - February 2, 2005) Behaving appropriately during every course of an interview is just one way to increase your success with finding a job. Here are some tips to consider before you're seated across from your interviewer.
Why Well Produced Career Portfolios Are Replacing CVs
What is a Career Portfolio?The original portfolio used by artists looking for work was simply a collection of works demonstrative of the artists style and ability. Because their works varied in size and shape, portfolios came in all sizes and shapes.
Intuition: The Secret To Your Career Success
For far too long, we moderns have relied on our analytical/logical brain to make important life decisions. It is my belief that our imaginative/creative brain holds the key to better, smarter and more soulful decisions.
Feedback: Take It or Leave It ... But Get It
The expense was substantial. An immersion workshop with twelve participants sharing a common goal to hone their skills.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Reactions to Job Loss; Getting Past the Emotions
Without doubt, job loss through downsizing or redundancy, is a major event for everyone when it happens. Most of us invest so much of ourselves in what we do that job loss can take away our sense of status and belonging, as well as the routine and support that work provides.
Searching for an IT Job
Looking for an IT job is one of the easiest to perform due to the incredibly high demand in the IT field. As the Internet grows, corporations network through Intranets - even the advancement of science has the demand for anyone with IT skills at an all time high.
Retirement: Is It A Career Change Option?
Retirement might be the answer when you ask yourself "why do I want to make a career change" and you decide that what you actually want is not so much a career change as to stop what you've been doing altogether.This may be a good choice for some - those who can afford it - but not necessarily the right choice for all.
Career Success: Don't Be Caught With Your Pants Down
Do you want to know how to jump-start your professional career? Or, are you already in the trenches trying to be a high performer and wanting to make a quantum lead to the next stage of your career? Or, because of downsizings or reorganizations, you feel like you are paddling faster and faster but seem to be getting nowhere? Find out how to monitor your changing environment so you won't be caught with your pants down.Visualize your career environment as one huge jigsaw puzzle.
Everyday Is Saturday: Help for the Suddenly Unemployed
I recently was "unhired" by my former employer. Unhired is a softer term than "fired" but it means the same.
Workplace Melodrama--A Flair For The Dramatic
A flair for the dramatic is a theatrical term used to describe an actress or actor who has a talent for melodrama, characterized by intensely enacted interpersonal conflict and exaggerated emotions. The central figure in a melodrama is the hero, who spins his tale or portrays the justice of his cause in a positive light.
Career Transitions : Fearless Flyers
You may have read one of my previous articles on career transitioning which described how to create complementary careers for yourself. This article will introduce you to three people I call Fearless Flyers because they have taken the leap of faith that many of us would only dream of considering.
The Perils Of Employment: Are You About To Be Let Go?
From the moment you are born and you take your first breath, you begin to die.It's just a fact of life.
Little Mistakes That Keep You Unemployed
If your job search is dragging on and on, you might want to look in the mirror. Because the person looking back may be sabotaging your efforts.
Tips on Finding Employment as a Corporate Flight Attendant
I will not pretend that this is the easiest topic to write about. In fact, my knowledge of how one finds work as a private flight attendant is based chiefly on what others have shared with me.
7 Steps To A Job-Winning Resume
A new resume can jump-start your career. Your network contacts may ask for a resume and some industries absolutely, positively demand a resume as the price of admission.
How To Find A Job As A Copy Editor
Jobs for copy editors may seem like they are hard to find, but really you can find them and you can do so with many of the qualifications you already have. But, if you do not have any qualifications, this may be the first step in finding the copyediting job that you have been looking for.
Where Will Your IT Staff Come From NOW?
The labor recession is over. During the course of the recession, almost 500,000 IT positions were lost according to publicly collected data and anecdotal information suggests even more.
How to Become a Real Estate Agent
If you're wondering how to become a real estate agent, the basic process is fairly simple, although it does vary a lot from state to state..
Take the Personal Out of the Workplace: Leave Your Troubles at the Door!
Bringing your emotional baggage into the work place is inappropriate for all the reasons you may imagine. Yet employees, managers and business owners do it all the time.
How to Get Paid More Without Being Pretty or Good Looking
Guess what. The results are out they are ugly.
Overcoming the 7 Roadblocks Women with Families Face Making Career Changes
Family is the driving force of our lives. You need family to support you and in most homes you need money to support your family.
Ten Resume Writing Tips You Can't Live Without
For some job opening, employers receivehundreds and even thousands of resumes.When you are looking for a job, howcan you best promote yourself? Howcan you convince a prospective employerto pick-up the phone and call you foran interview?Sought-after career coach and authorof the critically-acclaimed book,The Dark Before the Dawn: 70 Secretsto Self-discovery, Theresa Castrostates that you should take into consideration that your resume is the first exposure a potential employer willhave of you.
Feedback: Take It or Leave It ... But Get It
The expense was substantial. An immersion workshop with twelve participants sharing a common goal to hone their skills.
Taking Your Words Seriously
When we ordered the stained glass window as an accent piece for our home, the artist-proprietor told us he was a bit behind. "So," he said, "to be on safe side, plan on six months.