Can You Work Remotely Using Your Own PC?

I've always been wary of jobs where you're expected to pay them to employ you but the Coronavirus crisis is exposing a new problem: the ability to work from home is being restricted by the age and type of equipment you possess.

TTEC

When customer service assessors TTEC posted a job on Indeed for remote workers I was excited. I've been furloughed from my job as a building manager for Savills because I was a temp. Since they're not employing me and Catch 22 aren't being paid by them, I've got nothing and am living off my savings. I've been trying to find writing gigs but since I'm not an experienced copywriter and the other writing sites take months to assess the works sent in, I'm at a loose end. I've applied for remote working jobs but when I get a response they want to know what sort of PC I have. This one is nearly ten years old and is due for replacement, but without a job, I'm unwilling to pay for a new one when this one works perfectly well. I failed TTEC's PC suitability test. They also expect me to provide my own headset and USB stick. 

Is it worthwhile?

If your PC is 5-7 years old and you're willing to shell out for a headset, USB stick, and whatever else they want you to buy before you start working for them. I'm out.

Clickworker

Survey sites like Clickworker don't charge you to work for them but they expect you to work on your phone. They pay pennies per survey, and some of these are slow to load on your phone. Working for Clickworker was a massively frustrating experience for me.

Is it worthwhile?

If you're willing to download the app and work for pennies. Since the net result for my efforts would be pennies per hour, I'm out.

Writing sites

I searched the internet for writing gigs. To succeed at writing gigs you have to be established as a writer, so you're in a Catch 22 situation from the start. Sites like Fiverr make you set up a shop window for people to browse, then sell you courses, etc. Effectively, they're asking you to pay them for opportunities for you to work. The setup puts established writers front and centre, which forces the rest of us to shill on our social media accounts for business. Other sites allow you to pitch to clients but again, the established writers get dibs on gigs, so you have little chance of getting anywhere without an impressive CV where writing is concerned.

The ones that take fiction and non-fiction pieces take ages to get around to reviewing your work and although they pay well, that only applies to the work they accept.

Is it worthwhile?

If you're not counting on it to pay the rent. The kudos are nice but it's not something I'd do as a way of making a living.

Other avenues

I'm looking for work with other companies but at the moment I am not impressed with what's available. I'm waiting to hear back from Lionsgate, which is desperately slow and makes you jump through a lot of hoops before they'll even give you a chance. I've got a pre-exam thing to look at tonight, which I've had to wait till 18:30 GMT to read through, then I've got an exam next month. Whether or not this will result in paid work I can't say. I'll let you know how I get on. In the meantime, I'll be blogging and writing fiction and posting it online in my various e-spaces. I'll let you know how I get on.