Do you need a way to earn money without leaving your home (with lockdown this is the reality!)? We have a list of some of the best ways to make money online in South Africa.
You have full control over your schedule and workload, so you can juggle your work with your studies, family, or another job. And if you find the right one for your talents and interests, you’ll find these really easy.
Here’s how to earn extra money from doing simple online tasks from home.
Become an online tutor
The demand for online tutors increased in 2020, and is expected to continue growing in the next few years. Initially, the spike in demand was caused by the ‘quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, more people are seeing the value of learning online.
This is a great opportunity for you to share your skills and your knowledge—helping other people, while earning extra money too.
You can apply to South African online tutoring centers like turtlejar.co.za and teachme2.co.za. These sites have tutoring jobs for Math, Science, Music, Accounting, Foreign Languages and various hobbies.
These sites help you find students for your skill level and preferences. You can even tell them if you want to teach students in primary school, high school or university, or even adults or corporations.
International websites like Chegg can help you reach students from around the world. Top tutors can earn over R15,000 a month! Rates start at about R300 per hour, and you can teach very specific classes from Astrophysics to the Anti-Trust Law.
If you are a native English speaker, you can apply to Cambly. This site caters to students who want to perfect their English skills, are preparing for IELTS or TOEFL, or need to learn Business English.
Become a translator
If you are fluent in several languages, this can be a lucrative form of income. Jobs involve translating text, or adding subtitles to videos and movies.
While there are full-time translator jobs, you can also accept short-term projects. This lets you pick the type of translation you want to do, and the amount of work you can accept.
Try Upwork, Glassdoor and PeoplePerHour. You can also try World Translation Jobs and Folio Online.
Create a digital course
You can publish teaching videos on online universities like Udemy and Skillshare. The great thing about these digital courses is that you spend time making one video, and can continue to earn from it for years.
And even better, you don’t need to apply to these websites—you create and publish your class at your own pace.
Income comes from royalties every time anyone takes your course. You can also get bonuses for referring other teachers, and in some cases, the class can promote your other businesses.
Take an online transcription job
Transcription is fairly simple: you listen to an audio or video recording and type out what you hear. Websites like WayWithWords is even actively looking for transcribers from South Africa.
You can work part time or full time, and accept jobs according to your availability. WayWithWords pays about R6.73 – R26 per audio minute.
But that’s not the only place you can find online transcription jobs. Check out Rev, Accutran Global, GMR Transcription, and more. The fee is pretty much the same, but some will pay you per word, or provide extra fees for harder medical or legal transcription jobs.
Become a virtual assistant
If you’re very organized by nature, then a Virtual Assistant (VA) job is right up your alley. Tasks include planning schedules, coordinating with different teams, simple transcribing or reporting, or organizing files.
You can find virtual assistant jobs on job sites like Upwork, Glassdoor and PeoplePerHour. The rates depend on the company, the number of hours you work, and the scope of your work.
But the best thing about this job is that it can be a steady source of income, as most companies prefer to work with their VAs for longer periods.
Manage social media accounts
Today, all companies and even small businesses need a social media account to promote their goods or services. And every business social media account needs a social media manager.
Tasks include scheduling posts and boosting engagement by replying to comments or queries. You may also be tasked with building followers, or creating the posts with simple design tools like Canva.
If you’re familiar with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and enjoy interacting with people, this is the perfect way to earn money online.
You can find job postings for this on Upwork, Glassdoor, Wordnetic, PeoplePerHour, or any jobhunting site.
Answer surveys
We’ll be realistic: while this is a simple task, you won’t earn as much as the ads claim. Average income is 5 to 45 rand per survey. Even if you want to do dozens a day, each job will have specific requirements/demographics. So, while you can earn a little extra. It’s not likely to be a steady source of income.
However, answering surveys is a very simple task, and it won’t hurt to get money just for a few minutes of work.
Some of the legitimate survey sites in Africa are Paid ViewPoint, LifePoint, and Toluna. There are also international sites like E-Research Global and Brand Institute.
Take on writing jobs
If you’re good at writing, then we have great news—there are many online writing jobs! This includes writing for online magazines, taking jobs on Upwork and Wordnetic.
Advance Africa also offers a steady gig where you submit 5 articles a month (knowledge in SEO writing is a must). You can also find even more job postings for freelance writers or remote writers on practically every jobhunting site.
This is a popular way to earn money online, so competition for jobs can be fierce. To increase your chances of getting assignments, create a portfolio of writing samples.
Become an online seller
You can set up a small shop for free on Facebook Shop, which integrates with Instagram. Even if you’re not a tech person the interface is very intuitive: just upload pictures and set the prices. You can even set up simple ad campaigns that can help you promote your products.
Another option is to sell goods through African e-commerce sites like Sellsa, KIllimall and Jumia. There are also specialty sites where you can sell beauty products, handcrafted items, and more.
Earn money doing Micro Tasks
Micro tasks are small tasks that can be completed from where you are – usually with the use of your smartphone. An example could be going to your nearest shop and checking the brands of milk they are selling, possibly accompanied by pictures taken on your phone.
M4Jam (Money for Jam) is a micro task platform that has thousands of micro tasks that you can do right now! If you have some free time this is a very easy way to earn money without any skill.
Website Testing
Did you know you can make money testing websites/apps from home? Earning R150 for 20 mins of work, up to a maximum of R900 per test.
To get started sign up with UserTesting.com and complete a practice test (just to ensure that your device you’re using to test is working properly). Once you’re approved you can go ahead and start to make money doing testing!
UserTesting.com pays via Paypal – so be sure to create an account there and set up a link with FNB in order to withdraw your funds to your bank account.
There we go, these are just a few ways to make money online in South Africa in 2020.
