Money Management
November 11, 2024
The trend captivating many young Kenyans right now is online work. Ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and even after the withdrawal of containment measures many people have preferred working remotely as compared to reporting to a physical office environment.
But it is not just remote work at traditional jobs. Many are now realising that they can be employed by companies and individuals from the world over, earn more and get never-imagined-before flexibility.
It's all about working from home or any remote location. With advances in technology and internet availability, people can now handle jobs such as customer support, tutoring, writing, and computer programming right from home.
Working online has various benefits. For one, it helps achieve a much-needed work-life balance. It is also the best way to save on those commuter costs.
Once you have the necessary skills and tools, such as your laptop and an internet connection, you are good to go.
The latest trend that Kenyans are rushing to lock in is pay per hour gigs. As opposed to many opportunities that pay online workers per assignment, many are realising there’s big money to be made when you get gigs that pay you per hour.
As some of the seasoned freelancers will tell you, if you get clients willing to pay per hour, you could make up to five times as much as you would have for the same assignment paid per assignment.
Yes, it may sound as if someone is simply taking longer to do the same assignment but actually given the rates that some attract it is less about stretching the time you would have taken to complete an assignment but more of being compensated for all your efforts including the research and planning phase which you would otherwise have had to account for in your assignment price beogiairon.
The big deal about most pay-per-hour jobs is that they provide quick and assured income to help you reach your financial goals.
Pay-per-hour online jobs are unlike fixed projects because you earn based on how many hours you take to complete a task - getting compensated for all the phases of an assignment and not just the outcome.
The hourly jobs are about personal time management, enabling you to work as much as you want.
You might be wondering what’s stopping a remote worker from lazing all day and claiming to have worked eight hours on an assignment that took just two hours in reality.
No, it can’t be that easy. Pay per hour work entails the installation of an application on your computer that keeps taking screenshots of your screen and sharing with your employer every while showing what you are working on, what tabs are open and the progress.
If you need to take a break, you just press pause on the app and maybe go have lunch, take a walk or pick a call and then when you come back you resume. As such, you only get paid for the time spent productively working on the assignment.
You may be required too to dedicate a minimum number of hours each work to handle tasks by a specific client if you have reached a level where you are getting regular work.
Depending on your experience level, you can negotiate hourly rates of even up to Ksh5,000 but you may need to start lower. These rates also depend on the type of work. Note that most will be paid in Dollars.
Some of the platforms to find per-hour online jobs include; Upwork, Truelancer, PeoplePerHour, Flexjobs, Craigslist, Guru, Freelancer and many others.
If you charge a $20 (Approx Ksh2,416) per hour, which according to 2020 freelancer research data, is what freelancers in the United States earned on average in an hour, and work just three 8-hour days a week (24 hours), you stand to be making just about Ksh58,000 for three days every week.
Data entry involves imputing data into a company’s database using a computer. The type of data varies from company to company and from one task to the other.
For example, an organisation might request you to enter paper documentation into the system. Yet another might suggest you transcribe from a phone call and enter it into a database or keep an up-to-date data roster.
Many companies worldwide are looking to hire online data entry employees at hourly rates that average Ksh2,000 per hour.
Suppose you find a client from a platform like Upwork who hires you hourly. The client verifies the hours via the Upwork Desktop Apps Work Diary, a record-keeping tool that monitors the exact number of hours a freelancer takes to complete a project.
The work diary comprises a grid of work-in-progress random screenshots every 10 minutes. Other clients prefer the manual tracking method where you enter the start and end of the task. They will pay for the number of hours you took to complete it.
Read Also: How to Thrive As A Freelancer in 2022
Transcription involves listening to an audio or video file and converting it into a written document. Companies choose to convert audio files into written documents for various reasons including quick reference and retrievability or as a requirement for doing business.
Poor-quality audio can be difficult for people to understand, so someone has to convert it into a written document for easier understanding.
People in the legal, health, and communication fields will time and again seek transcribers because they want written copies of events or meeting speeches for future reference.
To transcribe, you need proper equipment such as:
How does the pay-per-hour rate work for transcription jobs? Most transcription pay rates are per minute, ranging from Ksh120 to 350 per minute. But that doesn’t mean an organisation will track your work in minutes.
Many companies will pay based on how long the audio file is. Sometimes an organisation might fully book you to transcribe full audio, which could take 5 - 10 hours. The pay agreement could be, say, Ksh 1500 per hour.
Read Also: Bet on Yourself: How to Ask for a Salary Raise, Mistakes to Avoid
Freelance writing is a readily available online job that also has a pay per hour model. As a freelance writer, most of your tasks involve creating content for a wide range of clients.
You might decide to specialise in a particular niche or write across the board. Your passion and skills will determine the type of content you produce.
The average hourly rate for freelance writers in Kenya stands at Ksh400. However, if you are working on global platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, or PeoplePer Hour, rates may differ depending on your client and could be as high as Ksh2,500 per hour and beyond.
As already mentioned, you may discuss the correct monitoring method with your client to determine the number of hours you clock.
The client pays according to the hourly rate, whether it's the Upwork Desktop App or the manual method. If the hourly rate is Ksh2,000 for a 5000-word article, and if you clock 20 hours, the math will be Ksh2,000x 20.
Read Also: I Quit Law Career to Become A Freelance Writer - Money and Me
If you have a computer and skills in web design, you can efficiently work online,get a whole limitless list of clients you can pitch to and expand your ability to make an income.
Understanding graphics software programs like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop is a big plus, besides knowing how websites work. The client might require you to work on the site's HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
An experienced web designer can earn between Ksh1,500- 3,000 per hour, especially if you find clients on Fiverr or Upwork.
The same billing method, i.e., using a desktop app or manually, might apply depending on a mutual agreement between you and the client.
Read Also: Why is it So Hard to Make Money? - Money Psychology
An online job that has excellent pay-per-hour earning potential is blogging. Many websites earnestly look for bloggers because they need that engaging content for their brand.
A blogger will create material that teaches users about products/services. They can also compose informative content that teaches specific subjects.
Blogging also improves a site's SEO (Search Engine Optimization), helping it to rank higher on the search engine and attracting more visitors.
But what is the pay-per-hour rate of an experienced blogger? Depending on the intensity and requirements of the project, a blogger can earn even upwards of Ksh10,000 per hour. If you are a beginner you may have to start with much lower rates, though - but it’s all dependent on your pitch.
While some clients may insist on pay-per-post, working from platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and craigslist, among others, will help set and stick to the pay-per-hour rules.
Read Also: 6 Money-Making Online Businesses for 2022
The list of online jobs in Kenya can never be complete without virtual assistants. This online freelance job involves providing an array of administrative services to clients. The beauty, as all the other jobs on this list, is that you can handle more than one client since it's a part-time job.
New virtual assistant opportunities crop into a wide range of fields. It could be tasks on social media, internet marketing, blog sites, or even graphic design. The client provides the necessary tools or files and instructions on what you need to accomplish.
An experienced virtual assistant is often a multifaceted, well-rounded individual who can handle just about any administrative task. Talk of bookkeeping, handling travel arrangements, scheduling appointments, and running errands - it's a jerk of all administrative trades that keeps the money coming.
Most virtual assistant jobs' hourly rate range between Ksh 1000 to Ksh3,000 or more. The pay depends on how challenging the tasks can be. You might also land a well-paying client.
Read Also: What to Do If You Lose Your Income Mid-Career?
Social media marketing ranks among the most well-paying online jobs in Kenya. Since it's all about brand marketing, a client might ask you to:
Generally, your work involves sharing brand information to increase sales. The hourly rate for social media marketing in Kenya averages at Ksh2,000. Most companies pay in the range of Ksh1,500-2,700. The rates, however, depend on the scope and technicality of the project.
Read Also: Is Social Media Ruining Your Finances?
Online jobs are a timely respite from the scarcity of office vacancies. But they also provide work flexibility compared to fixed office hours.
Time management, discipline, and attention to detail are crucial to excel. The trick is to pick a niche and focus on it to gain expertise.
If it's a product review niche, stick to it, learn more and become a pro. Clients will constantly seek your services when you have the expertise and relevance they urgently need.
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