Whether you’re a stay at home mum looking to earn money working from home, or looking to avoid peak hour traffic once and for all, these are the best working from home jobs.

Jobs that allow you to work from home are one of the greatest benefits of technology, providing us with hundreds of jobs that could only be carried out in traditional offices just a decade ago. Now, with fast communication technologies, databases and the power of the humble laptop; the ability to improve your work-life balance by working from home is finally more accessible.

Online jobs are a growing industry, saving time and money for both businesses and employees alike. Businesses, on one hand, save more in utilities, office equipment and rent, while you can save more in time, sleep, energy and money. Imagine getting up in the morning, making a coffee and taking ten steps to your office, all while in the comfort of your favourite UGG boots. Flexible work, whether full-time or casual jobs, are available in virtually every industry, you just need to know where to look. Most of the working from home positions are largely in the capital cities, including Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. However, more online jobs are growing in regional areas such as country NSW.

1 in 3 Australians now work regularly from home, which is up from 1/12 only ten years ago. Rapid innovations in technology now means we can spend more time with family, work in our pajamas and avoid the horrors of the morning commute. If you want to be the 1 in 3 and improve your productivity, work-life balance and save precious hours every week being in your own home; these are the best jobs that let you to work from home in Australia:

Qualification: Certificate IV in Customer Engagement

Customer Service Job Description

Customer service assistants are the face of a company, responsible for servicing customers and helping them with any questions or concerns they may have. More often these days, customer service jobs are available online or phone-based, providing a great option for stay at home mums or those looking to make money at home.

Qualification: Certificate IV in Business Sales or Certificate III in Business

Sales Representative Job Description

Sales representatives sell products or services to potential customers for a company. They are responsible for knowing plenty of information about the offering and being able to answer questions accurately. Sales representatives often have strong communication abilities, as many sales jobs are over the phone and require persuasion.

Qualification: Certificate IV in Business Administration

Assistant Job Description

Assistants are tasked with performing clerical work and administration duties. Developments in technology has now allowed more administration roles to be performed out of the office, allowing this position to be perfect for anyone after a home office set up. Tasks can include phone calls, scheduling meetings and digital copying.

Qualification: Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Childcare Job Description

Child carers will be in high demand over the next five years, with an increase in at-home care expected. Childcare workers are responsible for the supervision and development of young children, which is increasingly being done in residential homes instead of childcare centres.

Qualification: Certificate III in Business Administration

Data Entry Job Description

Data entry involves manually inputting information to a database or spreadsheet. While a lot can be done automatically these days, there are still many projects out there that require manual work. Data entry operators collect and enter data, as well as maintain records and ensure they are accurate.

Qualification: Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication

Content Writer Job Description

Content writers are tasked with writing content for websites, social media and more across a wide variety of topics. These can include writing reviews, descriptions and blog posts. Most content writers work as a freelancer and make up their own hours. Content writers are given briefs and a word count which can require research, interviews and a high amount of creativity.

Qualification: Dog & Pet Grooming Certificate

Dog Groomer Job Description

This job is perfect for any animal lover who wants to start a business working in their own home. Dog groomers are responsible for the upkeep and appearance of animals, especially pets. It can include brushing, cutting and washing fur to ensure every fluffy friend leave looking healthy and stylish.

Qualification: Diploma of Beauty Therapy

Makeup Artist Job Description

Makeup Artistry is one of the best work from home jobs, allowing you to have clients visit your home. Makeup artists apply a range of makeup and beauty products to suit a client’s needs and can also work on professionals, in the arts or for special events such as weddings and formals.

There’s plenty of benefits of working from home. Sometimes, after years of making long commutes to work every morning, some of us are ready for a healthy change that can combine the importance of earning money with the comfort of being at home. Whether you’re just after a career change, or an at home mum looking to return to work and make some more money on the side; there’s growing demand for remote jobs. Different modes of working suit different people, so if you work well on your own and can use common tech and communication programs like Slack and Google Drive which are used by businesses; chances are that work-at-home opportunities are for you.

One of the obvious benefits of work from home arrangements is that it greatly increases your work-life balance and can provide you with vital extra hours spent with your family and friends every week.

Flexible work hours are a growing trend in Australia across many different industries, so the chances are, no matter the industry you work in; there’s a remote work option for you. Some people also choose to work from home to avoid annoying co-workers or even to work on the side and get a taste for a new job or to pursue a home business opportunity.

There’s also plenty of financial benefits of working from home. You can be entitled to working from home tax deductions, which could see you being able to claim expenses that relate to your flexible work arrangement. Many people who work from home also seek out the ability to save hundreds on public transport and petrol; not to mention avoiding the peak hour traffic!

Being self-employed offers the flexibility and responsibility of being your own boss, with many small business owners choosing to follow this path and pursue their dreams. Every year the number of self-motivated entrepreneurs and business development managers are choosing to work in their own home consulting and slowly building their own businesses. Even if you currently have a good job, this is still something you could look into doing from your own home.

Working from home jobs aren’t for everyone, and do depend on your work ethic and the environment that suits you the best. Some prefer the quiet, while others prefer to be able to socialise. One thing you do need to determine, is if you really are capable of working in different modes, including communicating via Skype or constantly over the phone. It’s also important to have good self-motivation and a clear, distraction-free workspace.

To see if you suit working from home best, compare yourself to the below list of skills.

Technology hasn’t just completely changed the way we conduct our jobs, it’s also changed the way we go about getting them in the first place. Upskilling, especially in areas of technology is one of the best ways to secure a work-from-home job. The reason for this? The more competent you are in IT and technology, the higher your chance of finding a work from home job. Databases and administration systems can now be used and collaborated on with employees across the world, so skill sin these areas are important.

Some online courses can enable you to learn the skills needed specifically to work in remote careers, such as IT analysis, database management as well as help improve Microsoft Office skills.