There is no denying that looking for an online job is easier said than done. More often than not, you will end up frustrated in your search, or find yourself in the middle of a malicious deal that involves you losing your money to fraudsters or working as a money mule. Moreover, your friends that claim to be working online seem to be doing well, as their lifestyle is hard proof that online jobs are paying them. Despite this, they are reluctant to tell you what they do online.
The truth about online jobs is that they are just as hard to find as official offline jobs. You have to dig deeper than gold miners to find a good-paying job. For this reason, we have put together some of the highest-paying online jobs for you. These, according to Daily Hub, are the most realistic jobs, that can be accessed by anyone of any age. Note, however, that some may need mastery of language, hard work, commitment and any other virtue that is directed towards online economic growth.
The opportunities presented within this article are the best and have proven to pay their clients via M-Pesa and PayPal. Before diving into these jobs, let’s get a few facts straight about the online job world.
Online jobs are not get-rich-quick schemes
This point is as important as any other in this article. You cannot expect to become filthy rich with online jobs. If that were the case, everyone would have been doing these jobs. I don’t dispute the fact that there are people living lavish lives from online money. You have to understand that these individuals constitute approximately 20% of all online freelancers (could be less).
Being part of this 20% of high-earners is not an overnight task. It requires smart thinking, relentlessness and at times, some capital that will act as some sort of activation energy towards your goal of financial freedom. At this level, expect to earn six to seven figures in relation to the kind of online job you will be doing. Normally, everyone begins humbly and then progresses to the envied top 20%.
Beware of registration fees
Jobs are supposed to provide you with tasks and payment. Any site that asks you for a registration fee is a red flag. Some platforms provide naïve internet users with fraudulent opportunities to ‘invest’ their money for an unreasonable interest at the end of a specific period of time. More often than not, these interests are more than a normal bank would offer on your investment. This is a classic Ponzi scheme, that has been manipulating humans since the 1900s. Read more about how Ponzi schemes work here (Source – Investopedia).
There are very few, if any, sites that require a registration fee. Be wise and look for legitimate opportunities online.
You need data bundles
From the name, it is quite obvious that ‘Online Jobs’ will require data bundles. Some jobs may need more investment whereas others may require low investment. That’s as much as you need to know.
All facts exhausted, let’s dive into the top online jobs in Kenya.
1. Remotasks – freelance tasking
Tasking on Remotasks is probably the most easily accessible online job in Kenya. The platform has been offering freelance tasking jobs to Kenyans for several years now. Tasks are quite a lot and to get assigned a job, you have to train yourself through short courses and quizzes that aim to ascertain that you can do the tasks with high quality.
By signing up as a freelancer, you will be tasked with completing work for a third-party client, who will verify that your work is correctly done and release payment upon task verification. Remotasks pays its taskers on a weekly basis. In Kenya, freelancers normally receive their payment through PayPal on Wednesday mornings. Some cases of delay may result in payment being done a few hours later than the set time.
Follow here to create a PayPal account.
Note that there is no minimum balance required for withdrawal. If in one week you managed to make $0.01, you will still receive an email confirming that your payment has been sent to your account. Moreover, there is no upper limit. Several high-ranking taskers have withdrawn up to, but not limited to, $200 per week. This translates to about Ksh.23,000 as per the time of publication of this article.
An average tasker makes a minimum of Ksh.5,000 to Ksh.10,000 per month. Let’s just say that the amount you earn per week is directly proportional to how hard you work.
You need to also complete certification exams to unlock opportunities to work on projects that require special skills. (Note that completing the exams won’t directly grant you permission to specific projects.) The harder the task, the higher the pay.
Good taskers are occasionally promoted to be task reviewers. These reviewers verify that other taskers have done their work well and submit the final results to the superior reviewers and admins. Sign up as a Remotasks freelancer here.
2. ACTIYON – freelance tasking
This platform is similar to Remotasks. This is a crowd-testing platform that started its operations in 2022. At the time of launch, they released information that there were only 5000 freelance slots available. To sign up, you only need an email address and a supported device, which is simply a smartphone, or a laptop.
According to their ‘about page’, ACTIYON is to disrupt the market by providing an affordable and self-managed crowdsourced testing marketplace for freedom and flexibility at an affordable price to reduce the burden of developers and marketers of startups and medium size businesses.
Simply put, ACTIYON is a crowd-testing platform that brings developers and freelance testers together, these developers may create software and ask the freelancers to check for any errors or bugs. After that, the freelancers will be required to write a report of the problem facing the app.
The developers read through the report and after quality assessment, payment is made through PayPal.
To be accepted as a crowd-testing freelancer, you need to do a quiz and complete your profile. Follow this to create your freelance account.
The conditions to become a tester in ACTIYON are:
- Do you like to improve the world?
- You like new web services and you appreciate different types of UI/UX.
- You have at least one device suitable for our tests.
- You are used to navigating the web and you know how to describe the ideal functionalities for the services.
- You are over 18 years old.
The minimum amount for requesting a payment is €20. That means that you will have to have at least €20 in your account to request a payment to Actiyon. It takes between 10 to 15 business days to perform the payment, and when we transfer the payment to your PayPal account, PayPal will automatically deduct the processing fee, and the amount that is available to you is your requested amount – PayPal processing fee. (Extracted from ACTIYON website).
3. News articles in opera news or scooper news
Content writing is the most common online job. Opera News and Scooper News are just the right avenues to implement your writing skills. Article demands are not as high as in academic writing. On this platform, you can survive without professional experience in writing. All you need to know is how to grasp a reader’s attention.
In Opera News, writers are required to write articles with not less than 150 words. Yes, that is really simple. On the other hand, Scooper News requires a minimum of 300 words for an article to be approved for publishing by editors.
In Opera News, each article pays according to the number of views. Averagely, 1000 post views will result in a payment of Ksh.20. This value may vary time-to-time.
Scooper news pays its authors relatively better. An article of 300 words will result in a payment of $0.8. in cases where the author rating drops, payment also drops to either $0.6 or $0.4.
In some instances, an author may choose to write in-depth articles, that contain 1000+ words. These articles receive a payment ranging between $1 to $1.8.
In both platforms, article quality is key, and plagiarism is emphasized. Furthermore, fake news and information can lead to the termination of an account. Obscene or dirty content is also penalized.
4. Online academic writing
What is the difference between freelance writing and online writing? Well, freelance writing has lower expectations as compared to academic writing. In academic writing, you will be tasked with doing essays on behalf of foreign students who would rather spend their money on you instead of doing their assignments themselves. The tasks, are usually more rigorous to handle as a lot of research is required.
For instance, one can get a task such as, ‘Describe the contraindications of organophosphate poisoning’. If you are not a medical student, you will have to spend almost an entire day studying online or perusing books in your local library.
Despite the hard work, I have to say that the pay is usually really good for someone in Kenya. Payment ranges between but is not limited to, $4-$150, depending on the complexity of the task. On average, a task will require you to write about 600+ words. Others may require you to have about 1500+ words for a task to be accepted.
The truth about online jobs is that they are just as hard to find as official offline jobs. You have to dig deeper than goldminers to find a good paying job.
Daily Hub
Low-quality submissions receive hefty penalties that range from suspension or termination of your job. This is why this may be the hardest of all online jobs.
A good place to start applying for a job is at Studypool. This platform offers many tasks and one of them is answering questions posted by students in form of essays.
Acceptance as a tutor will require you to pass their test. You should understand that the test is not simple. Some have tried and been rejected a dozen times before approval.
Other sites include:
- Course Hero
- Quizlet
- Kahoot!
Aside from being an academic writer, you can sell your notes and uncopyrighted revision materials in Studypool or Course Hero, etc. Note that plagiarized material will always be rejected.
5. Blogging
Blogging is simply having a website and updating it with new, unique and interesting content regularly. If you are looking for an investment that will grow into a career, then blogging is the way for you.
Blogging is not simple. It requires dedication and consistency. If you are not ready to write even when you don’t want to write, then quickly scroll down to the next online hustle in this list.
Key things you need to know before you start blogging are:
- Having a wealth of information on a certain topic so that you can specialize in a specific niche. This means that if a blog is about politics, write about politics alone, and if it is about sports, you focus on that niche only.
- You need to have capital. This is roughly Ksh.8,000+.
- You need to use wordpress.org, and NOT wordpress.com. Read here to understand why.
- You need resilience, as earning goods will start almost after 6 months or more.
- You need to write at least twelve 500-word articles before being approved by AdSense.
- You need to provide your readers with factual information. Content is key and you shouldn’t be a rumour-monger. Some mistakes in blogging, especially in politics, could lead to lawsuits that can be incredibly painful for you.
Attached is a video that all you need to know about blogging in Kenya. (COURTESY – Jean Wandimi)
6. Writing articles for other bloggers
Do you have a friend or relative that owns a blog? Call them and inquire if they are willing to hire you as an author. This is a detour from the long tedious process of being a blogger yourself, especially if you are not planning it to be your career. Enough said!
7. Forex/crypto trading
Trading stocks or crypto can make or break you. Only the hardy can survive in fast-liquidating markets.
What is the difference between forex and Crypto?
Forex, is the in full, Foreign Exchange. Trading is done in markets where the best traders benefit the most. The foreign exchange market, according to Wikipedia, is a global decentralized or over-the-counter market for the trading of currencies. You need to study more about this before you even start to think of trading.
In Forex, you have to understand that peanuts can never yield big money. You have to stake a good sum of money for you to get the profit that is worth your while. Otherwise, you will make so little that you may be demotivated in the long run. For more information on whether you should dive into forex or not, read this Investopedia resource.
Crypto on the other hand is short for Cryptocurrency. Here is everything that entails crypto trading. Note, however, that the crypto universe is filled with fraudsters, waiting to rip you off any income you make from trading these decentralized assets.
To start trading cryptocurrency, you must get acquainted with exchanges such as Binance, By bit, Paxful and so many more. Further, in forex, brokers include FX Pesa in Kenya and various international brokers such as FX Pro, FBS etc.
Several well-established traders have YouTube channels that may aid you in learning about forex and cryptocurrency trading. For forex enthusiasts watch this video:
For Crypto enthusiasts watch this video:
8. Graphics design
Graphics design involves the use of software such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe XD, Adobe Photoshop or Adobe InDesign, to mention but a few. In such software, you are able to design posters, logos, infographics, pamphlets, banners etc., for individuals or organizations.
Learning how to use this software can take an average of 1-3 months, with the right resources. All information is stored on the internet and nowadays, the best methods of learning involve YouTube videos.
After learning how to design, look for one client via social media or through referrals. Doing your best will influence if your client will refer you to another.
As the world of forex is growing, many forex traders are looking forward to making their own trading companies and they require 3D logos and several posters for publicity. Jumping into any opportunity like this will make you earn above Ksh.2,000 per design.
Note that normal poster design prices are usually lower but these established Forex traders don’t mind spending more if you provide quality services.
Further from that, you should go ahead and create graphic design accounts on Fiverr or Upwork that pay via PayPal or M-Pesa. Traffic may be low at the beginning, but after providing consistently high-quality services, your clients will increase to a point you will need to raise your charges.
This is some sort of self-employment as no one controls how much you earn. This job can work both online and offline.
9. Web/ UI/UX design
Web designers usually work and get paid not less than Ksh.10,000. This job is especially directed to tech gurus and programmers. Organizations or individuals may occasionally need websites and that’s where you come in. Programmers with Knowledge of Python may use web-design frameworks such as Django, Bitnami, flask, etc. Other programming languages have their techniques.
For non-programmers, all you need to know is how to build a website with WordPress. Once you learn this, you can build as many websites as your clients require without necessarily knowing how to code.
In the process of learning, you will need to learn about hosting, domain names and plugins your site could use.
UI design is in full, User Interface design and UX design is User Experience design. Here, designers create software user interfaces etc. This requires skill that is taught in school.
10. Selling websites
Flipping websites is quite profitable too however, you must have traffic so as to make conversions. This involves building a blog/site from scratch and selling it at a higher price than it cost you to put it up. Think of it like being a realtor in real estate.
Secondly, you could opt to buy low-ranking websites, and publish high-quality articles on the site to raise its rankings in google and consequently its worth. After that, sell the site to a client.
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In a nutshell, here are the 5 basic steps:
- Step 1 – Find a good website to flip/sell.
- Step 2 – Buy the site.
- Step 3 – Transfer ownership of the site. Make sure you are not scammed by fraudsters.
- Step 4 – Improve the website.
- Step 5 – Sell the website.
11. Social media manager
Understand that social media management is not just about posting cute images and interesting videos. According to blog.edx.com, it is about “translating marketing fundamentals and core skills across all platforms.
Social media handlers in this century. To do this job, you need to understand how social media. You need to study the algorithm of almost all social media sites.
To be successful in being chosen as a social media manager, you need to have handled a social media account that has grown big. This could be your account. No one wants an inexperienced employee.
Having proof that you can handle a social media account will go a long way toward securing you a job. Social media manager jobs are always being posted. You need to take the opportunity and write an application letter. Attach your social media account links in the emails and if the individual or organization is impressed, you will receive an appointment letter.
From there, you will need to use social media managing tools such as Planable etc. these tools will help you customize and schedule online posts for different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more.
These tools are particularly helpful if you are handling accounts of more than one client. Read more about how to become a social media manager here.
12. Affiliate marketing
This is the simplest affiliate marketing guide:
- Navigate to Partnerstack in your web browser.
- Create an affiliate marketing account.
- Navigate to the ‘Market Place’.
- Discover new opportunities that will enable you to partner with companies that need traffic and sales.
- Search the marketplace for a suitable company you would like to campaign for.
- Apply to be their affiliate agent. You will get a response within 7 days.
- Copy their affiliate link and share it across social media. Some companies pay commission from sales while others pay in reference to how many accounts have been created under your affiliate link.
- Wait for payment via PayPal or Stripe on the 13th of the next month. You need to have earned above $5 for a successful withdrawal.
Other affiliate marketing schemes may look enticing but end up being scams. Be careful about what you sign up for. You don’t want to refer people to scammers. When they lose their money, they will come for you. Do proper research and work with legitimate platforms only.
13. Being a YouTuber
Are you an entertainer? Do you know how to make captivating videos? If so, create your YouTube channel and share your amazing content with the rest of Kenya. If people like your videos, you will grow. I not, you will not make any monetary conversions. That’s it.
Examples of great YouTubers in Kenya are:
- Andrew Kibe
- Tales of the Crazy Kennar
- Otis
- Kabugi
- Mungai Eve
- Thee Pluto etc.
Earning from YouTube is mainly through ads that are set up in AdSense. The higher the viewing, the more the chances of you making higher conversions.
To get approved for monetization, you need:
- At least 1000 channel subscribers
- At least 4000 watch hours
- 18+ years of age
- To follow YouTube’s terms & conditions, and their privacy policies.
Note that lengthy content is key. You should also focus on a specific topic, just like in blogging.
14. Selling social media accounts
Social media influencers have a tendency of using their fame to build social media accounts with a high following and then sell the accounts to third parties at a price that is determined by the popularity of the account.
A 20,000-follower Instagram account may range from Ksh,20,000 to Ksh.70,000. This may be hard for anyone who does not have an online presence.
15. Answering survey questions
Companies frequently need data from people and the best way to gather data is through filling out online questionnaires. These surveys usually take 20 minutes to complete and average pay $1.5 per task. Below is a guideline on how to sign up for surveys and online questionnaires
- Download the Opinion app from the play store or apple store.
- Create accounts in Survimo, Triaba, Mobiworkx and Surveyeah using the same email address.
- Login to your already downloaded opinion app with the email used to create the accounts above.
- Complete your profile in every survey platform in the app.
- Answer survey questions anytime they pop up.
- Withdraw via PayPal to M-Pesa any time you reach the withdrawable threshold, of $5.
16. Transcription Jobs
Transcription simply involves converting audio into text. Platforms such as Remotasks offer this job to a lesser extent. Transcription services are offered for business, legal or medical purposes.
The main platforms that offer this job include:
- Transcribe Me
- Scribie
- Go Transcript
- Rev
- CastingWords
- Speechpad
- Verbal Ink etc.
To know more about Transcription, read this resource.
Getting employed in the above companies is relatively difficult, and you may opt to buy accounts which will require you to provide high-quality work like the previous user. You risk losing your account if you do not comply with company policies or quality guidelines.
Payment is usually done via PayPal or wire transfer.
17. Online Music Producer
If you have music production skills, selling beats could be very lucrative for you. With new artists popping up every day, you are sure they need beats for their sounds.
For beginners enthusiastic about music production, all you need is YouTube, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and a pair of headsets. Examples of DAWs include FL Studio, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Cubase Pro, Presonus Studio One, Garageband (free but online), etc. you may need a good microphone if you decide to record vocals.
To learn music production quickly, you have to teach yourself how to remake and remix tracks by other artists. Post these remakes on your YouTube channel and attach your contacts in the video description. Clients that view your content will contact you for your services.
A beat can range from Ksh.2,000 onwards. The better the beat, the more expensive it gets.
You should further create music production profiles on Fiverr and Upwork so as to broaden your client reach.
To retain your customers, you will have to produce quality beats for them.
Taking part in remix contests may also turn out good for you as you stand a chance to win and get rewarded. Gifts may range from money to studio equipment that will go a long way in nurturing your skill as a music producer.
Offering free beats may at times be beneficial as this increases your popularity among artists. Don’t overdo this though. You don’t want to give everything you have created for free.
Other jobs you may consider doing include:
- Reviewing books online
- Twitter space advertising
- Software developing
Conclusion On Online Jobs in Kenya
Online jobs have solved many economic problems that are faced by the unemployed in Kenya. Nothing is easy and from this article, you may have noticed that you need to be persistent and resilient for you to be successful online.
These online jobs can be done from home without the need to commute long distances. If you feel that you need to use a working space, feel free to contact a coworking space provider. With this, you should have a good Return on Investment (ROI). From here, you can now start your business from home.
Being part of this 20% of high-earners is not an overnight task. It requires smart thinking, relentlessness and at times, some capital that will act as some sort of activation energy towards your goal to financial freedom.
Daily Hub
