I’ve been getting a lot of emails from moms who’d like to try out working from homes. And I just wanted to answer the following questions that have been asked, and then some, so as not to repeat myself. If you have questions, please send me an email or just post them here.

How Do I Get Started?
Well, there’s really no definite path to take when you would like to work from home. But the best way to go about it is to figure out what you can do. What are your internet skills? Do you have HTML, CSS or PHP background? Can you write or create web content? Do you know how to design logos or entire websites? Once you are able to create a list, you should start looking at marketplaces. Based on the jobs being advertised, you can add more to your list of skills. You can refer to this list before you start bidding for a job. There are plenty of forums and advertisement feeds where you can look for jobs that are available online. I can’t give you specific clients because that’s part of your job. I started on my own, and worked my way up the food chain so I owe nobody any favors – and I recommend you take the same path I did.

How Do I Get Paid?
Paypal is the preferred payment gateway for most employers. Some use moneybookers and e-gold. Others are willing to pay through Western Union, wire transfer, bank deposit, checks, etc. But these are rarely done. You can go to Paypal’s website and sign up for an account.

Freelance or Full-time?
The choice is up to you. If you would like to stick to your day job, and only want to spend a few hours each day working on a specific project, you can. However, most stay at home moms can work full-time even if they have children to look after and chores to do.

The advantage of being a full-time online worker is that you can scour the marketplaces for jobs that you want, and actually be the first to bid on these projects. Projects that are a few hours old might have already been given to another person. Time is of the essence when it comes to bidding and working online.

In my opinion, don’t quit your job just yet. Figure out if becoming an online worker is for you; financially, emotionally and physically. Remember that working online full time will not be profitable for the first few months, but once you’ve created a stable client base and have formed your reputation, the projects will start flowing in.

Where Can I Find Jobs?
I think this is the most common question asked. This is my answer, when you are looking for a job, what do you do? Do you ask your neighbor if his company is hiring? Or do you pick up the newspaper and start going through the classifieds? Really, when people start asking me this, I shut them out or block them in my messenger. I don’t mean to be rude, but expecting other people to give you everything is a sign of laziness and I would never refer a sloth to a client. Also, would you ever give up your trade secrets to strangers? Geez, common sense please. I want to help, but I am limiting myself to leading you to the right direction and giving advice. Questions about basic SEO are welcome, but most probably I will just tell you start reading and learn on your own. Again, I learned about the basics of SEO on my own, and learned the rest from my boss. His secrets will never be divulged to anybody unless he has given me permission to do so.

Can I Work For You?
Unfortunately, no. I am not in the habit of hiring strangers. So far, having hired friends has worked out for me. Hiring referrals have not really worked all that well in the past, so I don’t really want to risk my job and reputation just because he said or she said. If you are a writer and would like to work part-time for me, you can send me samples of your work. I don’t want personal articles with beautiful words, I would like web content. Informative articles on weddings, travel, beauty, badminton and education are most welcome. I don’t pay for samples anymore, because like I said the article should be something that you’ve already written.

How Much Will I Earn?
Depending on your skills and how you market yourself, you can earn enough to feed your entire family. But don’t expect to rake in thousands of dollars by working 4 hours a day. That’s just not how it works especially now that marketplaces are being overrun by cheap workers.

The standard rate for writers is $0.01 in most marketplaces, but there are cheaper writers. In craiglist, I have seen people ask for less than a dollar for a 500 word article. If that’s your market, then stick with them and maybe you’ll find yourself going back to being a corporate slave. Selling yourself short is the fastest way to career suicide.

Don’t set the bar too high, either - unless you have a resume to prove your capabilities. Just remember that being a published author of short stories doesn’t make you a web content provider; or that being a sales manager for some company makes you an expert on sales. The internet works on a different operating system – literally. Marketing campaigns that could work wonders for print and media; could be the downfall of an online store.

You’ll learn the ropes by browsing through forums and reading what other people have to say. It’s a matter of who you believe, so make sure that you are learning from someone has experience on the industry you’ve chosen.

That’s about it for now. Hope that this has helped in some way.