Ask Asa: Working From Home Is Not A Path To Riches
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If you're tired of the grind and want to work from home, your troubles may not result in big money. NY1's Employment reporter Asa Aarons filed the following report.
Dear Asa,
I am disabled and want to work from home to augment my income. Are there any free work-at-home programs available? I am not interested in contributing to the wealth of work-at-home scammers. Please advise.
~ Carmelita, New York City
Carmelita, your last sentence describes 90 to 99 percent of the work at home offers I've looked at over the years. The classic scheme is envelope-stuffing. You supposedly make big money helping companies with mass mailing. They usually charge $20 to $50 for a starter kit, and what you get for your investment is a list of instructions on how to sucker more people into the same scheme you fell for.
Another classic scheme is assembly or craft work. They charge you for a starter kit to learn how to make dolls or pet boots or even electronic parts. No matter how closely you follow the instructions, they reject each one you send them and of course keep your starter kit money.
In recent years, we've seen work-at-home ads promising big money for making online searches, medical billing and rebate processing. They all require -- you guessed it -- a starter kit.
The fact is, in the age of super technology, machines stuff envelopes, assemble products, and process bills and rebates. If they swear the offer is legitimate, ask for satisfied customers, and not just one or two who will turn out to be the promoters' nieces. Ask for a hundred satisfied customers. If the program is that great, it shouldn't be a problem to come up with them.
When you encounter these offers, ask yourself, do they want money for a starter kit? That's usually a sign of that the only money changing hands will be from your pocket to theirs.
I've had a running challenge to work-at-home promoters to show me one program that the average person can do to generate the thousands of dollars they promise. There have been no takers and not even any challengers.
Carmelita, if you can find a company that will pay you to work from home to generate sales leads or perhaps research, that might work. Those positions are few and far between. Just remember, when you hear the term "starter kit," it's time to start your exit.
If you have an employment story, a job, a new interview technique, or something you want to share with those looking for work or those doing the hiring, contact Asa Aarons at askasa@ny1.com.