24 jobs where you work alone (With salary information)
Working alone can be a fulfilling and exciting career choice. If you're self-motivated, consider job options that allow you to work from home, which give you greater flexibility with your hours. Commonly, most jobs require some level of interpersonal interaction but you may be able to find a job that allows you to work alone. In this article, we have highlight jobs where you can work alone and the skills required.
Skills required for jobs where you work alone
Jobs where you work alone often require you to have specific skills. Although you're working independently, you may frequently report to an employer or client. Here is a list of skills you can improve on to ensure a healthy and productive business relationship:
resourcefulness
self-discipline
time management
communication skills
work ethics
problem-solving skill
Related: What is your work style?
Jobs for people who like to work alone
The following jobs are suitable for people who want to work alone from home or in an office:
1. Petsitter
National Average Salary: £101 per day
Primary duties: A pet sitter manages pets while the owners are away. This job includes feeding and caring for the pet. Pet sitters also walk, groom and clean up for pets in their owner's absence. Pet owners may also require you to perform a few housekeeping tasks while you care for their pets.
2. Data entry clerk
National Average Salary: £24,972 per year
Primary duties: A data entry clerk organises, manages and updates the client and company information. As part of your role, you enter, delete and update existing information on the database. Depending on the data entry system your client uses, you can work remotely or from home as a data entry clerk.
3. Sanitation worker
National Average Salary: £9.29 per hour
Primary duties: A sanitation worker works along designated routes and schedules. Ensuring a clean community is the main responsibility of a sanitation worker. It means you could be picking up rubbish from businesses, homes or public facilities. A sanitation worker transports the garbage to designated facilities for proper disposal.
4. Transcriber
National Average Salary: £19,876 per year
Primary duties: This job demands that you type out audio or video files your client requests. A transcriber listens, types out and delivers the transcript. Your appointment may include making edits, proofreading and ensuring the documents you typed to meet a standard your client sets.
Related: 13 of the best work from home jobs hiring now
5. Photographer
National Average Salary: £23,696 per year
Primary duties: A photographer captures images of people, products or events. Depending on the project, they can work remotely or on-site. Your job description includes understanding the aim of the job, making negotiations and delivering quality photos. It might also demand that you travel from time to time, depending on the agreement between you and your clients.
Related: 17 jobs that involve travel
6. Web designer
National Average Salary: £26,983 per year
Primary duties: A web designer creates the layout and formats of a client's website. The core of your job description is to ensure that a site is user-friendly and easy to navigate. You'd also be open to receive feedback and make adjustments to the site based on feedback received.
7. Virtual assistant
National Average Salary: £11.69 per hour
Primary duties: A virtual assistant provides administrative support and services to clients, companies or organisations. Usually, employers attach virtual assistants to departments, units or executives of the organisation. Outside an organisational structure, they could work directly with a client. Their job description includes answering phones and emails, scheduling appointments, meetings and managing contact lists.
8. Graphic designer
National Average Salary: £25,390 per year
Primary duties: A graphics designer creates illustrations for clients. Your work can include making posters, banners and brochures. The core of a graphic designer's job is aesthetics, creativity and achieving the client's set objectives.
Related: 9 Types of Graphic Design Jobs to Consider
9. Social media manager
National Average Salary: £31,502 per year
Primary duties: A social media manager oversees the social media pages of a client or organisation. Your job description can include scheduling posts, writing captions and determining the effect of social media campaign strategies. Social media managers help clients/organisations reach their target audience with their brand message.
10. Grocery shopper
National Average Salary: £17,209 per year
Primary duties: A grocery shopper receives the orders of clients and ensures timely delivery. Grocery shoppers exercise care to distinguish individual customers' lists during shopping. A grocery shopper can usually need a driver's licence to deliver shopping to customers.
11. Accountant
National Average Salary: £34,954 per year
Primary duties: Accountants handle the interpretation and analysis of the financial records of their clients. They create reports, give expert advice and document taxes. Depending on the demand for your services, you can work remotely or from home for a client.
12. Technical writer
National Average Salary: £36,243 per year
Primary duties: Technical writers work independently and run paid services for clients. They make hard-to-grasp concepts simple through information contents and how-to guide manuals. Clients or organisations can hire you to write journals and publications as a paid service.
13. Lorry driver
National Average Salary: £13.92 per hour
Primary duties: Lorry drivers can work for a client or independently. Their job is to pick up and make timely deliveries along scheduled routes. As a lorry driver, your schedule may be related to the delivery organisation.
14. Network administrator
National Average Salary: £25,652 per year
Primary duties: A network administrator works independently. They set up, manage and oversee computer network systems for their clients or companies. People can also consult network administrators for their services. Their job description includes managing Internet operations over local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN). The core of their task is technical support and establishing network connectivity for their clients.
15. Web developer
National Average Salary: £33,832 per year
Primary duties: A web developer creates websites and develops websites. They offer technical support and manage the functionality of websites for clients. Their job description includes ensuring websites can accommodate growing traffic.
16. Software developer
National Average Salary: £43,091 per year
Primary duties: Software developers write codes for applications and programmes. These applications or programmes solve specific problems. A software developer can create these programmes or help a client make them as a paid service.
17. Economist
National Average Salary: £45,259 per year
Primary duties: An economist works independently with companies and organisations. They study the economy of a geographical location and review existing data to predict consumer trends. With organisations and companies, your work as an economist is to control how resources are deployed and assess the distribution of products/services.
18. Research scientist
National Average Salary: £35,150 per year
Primary duties: A research scientist can work independently or for clients who need research services. They work in controlled laboratories, record their results and share their findings with the clients or the public. You may also get the chance to share these findings with your peers.
19. Actuary
National Average Salary: £67,556 per year
Primary duties: An actuary can work remotely or from home. With appropriate data supplied to them, they predict the financial consequences of insurance companies and their clients. Your work may involve calculating the client's insurance rates and reducing future risks.
20. Delivery driver
National Average Salary: £9.39 per hour
Primary duties: A delivery driver makes deliveries on behalf of an employer. Your job description may include inspecting vehicle conditions, loading of goods and verifying shipments. Delivery drivers can drive different car types and have a clean driving record.
21. Freelance copywriter
National Average Salary: £28,999 per year
Primary duties: A copywriter curates sales content for their clients. A copywriter's job ranges from landing pages, sales letters and other marketing materials a client may require. As a copywriter, you create material to achieve the client's objective.
Related: What is a copywriter? Common duties and skills
22. Car detailer
National Average Salary: £22,036 per year
Primary duties: A car detailer cleans the interior and exterior cars. The job description may include polishing, applying wax and vacuuming various aspects of the vehicle. You may also be responsible for delivering the car back to your client.
23. House cleaner
National Average Salary: £10.10 per hour
Primary duties: A house cleaner has to clean the house of their employer. Your job description may include but is not limited to mopping, washing dishes and cleaning countertops and surfaces. Some house cleaners cook for their clients as well.
24. Electrician
National Average Salary: £18.6 per hour
Primary duties: Electricians could consult and offer technical support for their clients. They diagnose electronic systems, examine blueprints and repair lighting fixtures. You may also be tasked with connecting power to communication and signalling devices.
Benefits of working alone
Some perks come with working alone. These benefits include:
Increased productivity: It's possible to get distracted when you work alone. If you're disciplined enough, you can do much more during your work hours.
Working from your comfort: Working alone affords you the luxury of doing things in your comfort zone and at your pace. This can be hard to achieve when you work with a team.
Independence: Working by yourself allows you freedom. You're able to take the initiative and make decisions regarding your work.
Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at the time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.
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