I loved this testimony from Amanda and thought it might bless some of you, too!
I just wanted to send you a big THANK YOU for the series you did on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas.
I’m a single Mom of two kids (ages 9 and 5) and have been a home daycare operator for the last 8 years. Unfortunately, a few of those years were met with uncertainty as I had to deal with parents who just didn’t respect me as a business, and didn’t want to pay me on time, or at all.
Being the sole income earner for my home, late or no payments from my business meant I couldn’t provide properly and consistently for my children. I finally had enough… and after dealing with a parent who completely took advantage of me, I called it quits.
With no income, I started to panic, not sure of what I was going to do next. However, the very next day, I received your email newsletter with the article on becoming a a Virtual Call Center Agent.
I was intrigued at first, but also hesitant, because everything I had tried online in the past ended up being a scam or nothing came of it. I looked up the company that was mentioned in the newsletter, Alpine Access, and thought I’d give it a try. I filled out all of the required forms and questions on the site, submitted my resume, and hoped (prayed) for the best.
Less than a week later (I even think it was just a few days), I was contacted for an interview. Long story short, I was hired by Alpine as a Virtual Customer Care Agent and have already begun my paid training!
I’m so excited, and beyond happy. This is exactly what my family and I needed. I can continue to be at home with my children and homeschool them, and provide the income needed for us. I believe this was all God’s perfect timing for us, but I just had to send you a thank you, because I don’t know where I would be right now if I hadn’t opened that newsletter and thought to give something new a try.
THANK YOU!!!!! -Amanda
How inspiring! Thanks for sharing.
Hey, I looked into Alpine Access and did not have a good experience. I applied, took a test and then was contacted for an interview. A VERY short time before the interview they e-mailed and asked me to upload ALOT of information from my computer that we would all consider private. I did, (which I regret) and then went to the virtual interview in which there were 20+ other applicants. The interviewer was just creepy and I asked to be excused. The whole thing was just weird…don’t want to sound negative but just be careful!
I had a home daycare a few years back and the way I made sure the parents paid on time was to make them pay the Friday prior to the next week for care. I also required a deposit up front for 1 weeks worth of care in case they ever stiffed me. If they didn’t pay Friday or Monday at dropoff I refused their children at the door. They couldn’t go to work and I wasn’t stiffed on a paycheck. Just some tips and not only that but require a contract up front about this and have the parents sign the contract.
Amanda – That’s great advice. If we ever do a home daycare I think we’ll follow that to a T.
I’m happy for you Amanda – congrats!
Great job! And I am so impressed that you are a single mom who homeschools and works! God BLESS you!!!!
I agree! Homeschooling in and of itself is a job and to do that and be the SOLE provider of everything for your family is very humbling. May God continue to bless you and your family as you seek to obey Him.
Through this same series, I started doing the online surveys, where I’m beta testing websites. They come randomly. My goal was to make $100 by Christmas to have “my” money to buy a gift for my hubby for Christmas, but in just 3 weeks, I’ve made $120. It pays through paypal. I got a paypal debit card which allows me instant access to that money rather than having to transfer it to the bank and wait 3 days. Each survey takes 10 minutes and pays $10. If it takes longer, they usually pay a bonus. It was exactly what I needed!
Through which website?
Usertesting.com….very pleased with them!
I’m sad for you that people saw fit to take advantage of your generosity. I have had that happen to me in the past (a Freecycle member stole an item from my porch that wasn’t intended for her, etc, etc) and it is very disheartening. I’m glad that you’ve been blessed with a new opportunity.
Let me try again:
How do moms of young children make this work? I’d love some tips! (sorry if my previous post appears out of the ether in the mean time).
Thanks!
I’m curious:
I’d consider buying a landline, headset, etc. but it seems like quite a bit of money to shell out if you don’t already own all those things (hardly anyone I know has a land line!). Also, I’m wondering how mothers with young (ten years and under) children make this work. What happens when your kid needs you during work hours (which I’m guessing happens a lot, especially for home schoolers!).
Thanks for your insight!
Congratulations on the job, I will mention this to my friend who needs a job.
Congrats! I have a friend who has worked through Alpine Access and has really enjoyed it. I wish you well in your new endeavor. I also was able to pick my career back up after reading the series. One of the posts took me to a website where I uploaded my resume and within 2 or 3 days, I was contacted by a company who wanted to interview me for a work from home position. The best part is that after 4.5 years of staying home with my daughter, I’m able to pick right back up into the same type of work I was doing before I had her. I’m a military spouse and need a mobile career and am very thankful to have found the right post at the right time to get my career back on track. The best part being that it’s a portable career where I set my own hours, no hour-long commute like before and I get to work in my pajamas if I want to. Don’t have to take a sick day if my daughter has to stay home from school either!
What is the job?
I work in the compliance department of a web company. I review files for suspicious financial activity (ie money laundering, other financial crimes) among the users of the website. I was a paralegal in a former life before kids & military so this job is right up my alley.
Congratulations!
Congrats on the job! I have been looking into these jobs also. I am a stay at home mom to 5 and looking for a way to bring in income. I read an article online saying that a desktop computer was required. Not sure of the date of the article because so many people nowadays have and use laptops. Was this a requirement for you (or anybody reading this doing virtual call center jobs)? Thank you for any info that you or anybody can pass along.
Great Testimonial!!!! Wonderful!!
The “31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash Before Christmas” was indeed a great series. I think that it should be placed in the” Best of..”. category . 🙂
I am so thankful for this blog, as if gives inspiring, helpful and relevant information. I’ve learned quite a bit from this blog!
Please continue. God Bless!! This blog has definitely blessed so many.
Thanks so much for your kind encouragement! And I’ll go have Joy add the Christmas series to the Best Of post list. 🙂
Congratulations! I sincerely hope this works well for you.
If you ever decide to do day care again, you might consider looking into doing day care for Social Services because they will pay you directly when you have a contract with them. They often pay a little less, but payment is guaranteed.
A good written contract, with private pay parents, is a necessity. A late-payment penalty and an agreement to refuse to care for any child whose parent is late in paying helps too.
Some providers charge in advance. No payment-no daycare.
What a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness! Rejoicing with you, Amanda!
Reading Amanda’s testimony totally made my day – thanks for sharing it Crystal!
That’s awesome! I’ve heard about these companies that actually make you pay for your own training, and that has always seemed kind of “scam-y” to me. Congrats on getting a gig with a company that sounds like it will treat you right!
wow, what a testimony! Praying for you Amanda!! Homeschooling is no small thing when you don’t also have to be the breadwinner, so you are really doing some hard work. The Lord will provide all you need. Good for you for trusting all you have with Him!!! Hugs to you!!
Great story! So happy for you! I also am a homeschool mom and have always had to work also! God gives us the grace to do both!
I love stories like this! I have heard of Alpine Access and they are a great company to work for.
It does seem that there are more and more legit home-based jobs popping up everywhere these days (quite a nice change considering that a few years ago when you searched “work at home” on a search engine all you would get was envelope stuffing and data entry scams!).
Thanks for your post. It does motivate me to do it too… Just curious I you can tell me how much they pay you and is there anything that you have to work weekend?