Technology these days has made the world a lot smaller than it really is. Home-based jobs are on the rise and people, who might not be as familiar with it, would think that it's easier because you're just at home and you call your own time...well, that's true and false at the same time...here's the real deal.
I got hooked with a home-based gig when I was around 6 months pregnant with D. A former colleague of mine recommended me to replace her in her teaching gig since she took a job in one of the premier malls in the city. I was more than happy to take it since I could still earn on the side and just stay home. Of course, it's a teaching gig so Skype has been my best friend ever since. I was tasked to teach English to Korean elementary students in an English academy. The materials would be provided so I just need to study and browse through them. When I gave birth to D until he was around 9 months, I had to put it aside to take care of him. But as soon as we got Yaya W, I was back to teaching. But due to my primary plan to go back to the corporate world, I stopped teaching by the end of 2013.
The downside to my schedule for the Korean academy was that I was teaching in the afternoon, from 12:30 till 5:00pm and I felt that the schedule wasn't really followed because there were instances that the students would be late and we would need to compensate for that and that would mean delaying our schedule at home as well. Students were assigned to me so I couldn't really choose the time but had to follow the schedule given. It worked for me until I noticed that the students, especially the last few, would be late for more than 30 minutes and I needed to pump milk that time or at least spend time with D long enough before he sleeps for the night. My Korean boss was nice enough to understand my dilemma and some of the other teachers that I work with (one happens to be a next-door neighbor) shared the same sentiment with me.
The first challenge I faced was the time difference because it slipped my mind during the first day of my stint that there was an hour time difference. I was almost late for my classes. Second challenge was I couldn't really rest whenever I wanted to because the classes would almost be back to back. There were days in the week that were a little more loose but over all, I had an average of 8 classes (25-minutes lessons) everyday.
Then early March of this year, I got the chance to teach online again. But this time, I'll be teaching Japanese business people and the topics will vary but focuses more on the business side of English. The pay's great and I like the idea because the hours are "off-peak" so I can still do things during the day and be with D. Their working hours are 5-8am and 5pm-12mn on weekdays, 8-11am and 5pm-12mn on holidays and weekends. This time, slots were chosen by the students and we were informed via email if our opened slots were booked. I liked it because I could control when I could teach. My teaching hours are 5-8am and 9-12mn on weekdays, 8-11am and 9-12mn on holidays and weekends but I rarely open slots for Sundays as I make sure that I get to spend enough time with my boys.
Third challenge was the internet connection, no matter which service provider you have in the PH, our web connection in the country is really below par with the demand of the home-based jobs that people do. I felt the impact of the connection more on my second gig because our evaluations called for our internet connection. Not easy when you know that PH has one of the worst connections all over the world. Boo!
Mondays to Fridays are pretty much like clockwork for me in the house, I wake up at 4AM (I AVOID the snooze button as much as I can) to be able to prepare for the classes. There are instances when I am fully-booked (all 6 slots are booked) and there are times when I barely have two classes (one at 5AM and the other at 7:30AM...). But I make it a discipline to wake up and get my lesson files ready. I find it easier to wake up earlier than cram. Then at night, I make sure that D is asleep and I get down as early as 8pm to prep for my lessons.
Are there instances where I don't wanna teach? OF COURSE! But if I've got classes booked, I make it a point to really teach them. Cancelling classes would be against my evaluations and my rate as well so I grin and bear it.
Working home-based is basically being paid for the work that you actually do. It's a lot different than working in an office and you have down time. The down time I have is when I am in between slots and I wasn't booked, but that rarely happens. But I've learned that working home-based is never as easy as it looks. It's just like working in an office as you have to schedule your events around it, especially children's birthday parties, wedding anniversaries and gatherings. But in the end, you still spend hours away from your family and focus completely on your work.
Upside to all of this: I can stay home and yes, wear my ordinary clothes. I just throw on my blazer (rule of the company) and then teach away.
julie
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