Online survey taker
Want to take a survey? If you can answer that question, you’re more than qualified for the job. www.teamlooklook.com, a community-based website, distributes surveys, which are used for research and product development for various companies. ‘When people take a survey, they are told who it’s for, so if they don’t want to participate, they don’t have to,’ explains co-founder DeeDee Morgan. Just steer clear of scam sites that repeatedly ask for personal information… and money.
Time needed: Some surveys are short, but major projects can last for seven to 10 days.
The payout: Dhs15-Dhs800 per survey
Remote personal assistant
Finally, you can buy extravagant big-ticket items, set up lavish vacations and reserve tables at upscale restaurants on someone else’s dime. Of course, your efforts won’t be for yourself, but you figured there’d be a catch. All that’s required of you is some heavy-duty Googling and good phone skills. ‘The application process is very competitive,’ explains Chris Sterling, director of concierge services for www.redbutler.com. ‘Interested parties must register on our site, submit their résumé and, if contacted, perform a handful of preliminary test requests.’
Time needed: Positions range from those requiring just a few hours per day to those with full-time hours.
The payout: Dhs50-Dhs200 an hour.
T-shirt maker
Some idiot made a fortune off those ‘I’m With Stupid’ T-shirts, so there’s no reason you shouldn’t cash in on your own witty saying. Through www.zazzle.com, www.spreadshirt.com or www.cafepress.com, you can upload your custom JPEG to be printed on T-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, mouse pads and tons of other rubbish. They take all the production work out of it, so you just set the price, post it to their site and wait for the orders to come pouring in.
Time needed: It only takes a few minutes to upload your design and set up shop.
The payout: The sites set up their minimum item price and you can add dirhams to increase your profit. Just don’t expect anyone to buy your Dhs100,000 snake skin number.
Professional blogger
We know you already have a blog, so you may as well make some shameless money from it. Sites like www.blogtoprofit.com, www.payperpost.com and www.blogsvertise.com connect you with advertisers who are willing to pay you to write about their websites, products or services. Once you’re registered and your blog is approved, you’ll get assignments with a due date: mention whatever it is the advertiser wants to promote (it doesn’t have to be a ringing endorsement, but it couldn’t hurt) and wait for your money.
Time needed: Depends on how fast you can form complete sentences.
The payout: Dhs20 and up per post.
Online juror
Love Law & Order? Now’s your chance to help real-life lawyers prepare for trial. Websites like www.ejury.com and www.onlineverdict.com collect preliminary feedback for attorneys to use in actual cases. All you have to do is answer a series of demographic questions (date of birth, marital status, ethnicity, etc.) and your profile will be stored. When you’re eligible for a case, you’ll receive an invite and can log in without having to deal with the angry security guards and the hassle of a metal detector.
Time needed: Cases take from 20 minutes to an hour to read and rate.
The payout: Dhs40-Dhs200 per case.
Quality assurance manager
If you’re already listening in on your roommate’s phone calls, think about doing it professionally. At www.voicelog.com, you can sign up to listen to sales recordings from telephone companies and other service industries. Your job: to keep an ear out for fraud or undue customer confusion. Sound simple? It is! You’ll just need a high-speed internet connection, an AIM account, a phone line and some sort of customer service experience. (Raise your hand if you worked at the mall when you were at school!) But we suspect that if you’re really allergic to hold music, you should think twice before applying.
Time needed: Specialists work in shifts of two hours or more.
The payout: Dhs30 and up per hour.
