Telecommuting jobs are no longer just a way for con artists to bilk stay at home moms out of their money. Though there are still plenty of envelope stuffer and MLM scams out there, there has been an increase in legitimate telecommuting opportunities over the last several years. In fact, the International Telework Association & Council and Dieringer Research group estimated that there were 42 million U.S. teleworkers in 2003. This figure included workers who worked from home at least one day a week.

How do many newcomers to the telecommuting field find legitimate work? Many network with other teleworkers on the internet. Work at home moms are some of the most active and organized telecommuters on the web. On telecommuting boards, they warn hopeful newcomers not to pay for jobs, tell each other of the newest scams and pass on telecommuting jobs that aren’t right for them.

However, life is still not simple for telecommuters. One common problem most work at home moms (or WAHMs) have is finding a job that allows them to work while caring for noisy children, since many telecommuting positions require phone time. Other moms are working 3 or more jobs at a time to provide a paycheck as big as the one they left behind to work from home. Also, most telecommuting positions require high speed internet and/or separate phone lines. With some effort, these obstacles can be overcome. Coders, freelance writers, and transcriptionists do not need to spend large amounts of time on the phone like customer service representatives, human resource employees, or telemarketers do. As more positions continue to become telecommuter friendly, some of the WAHMs who have several jobs are able to find a better paying job or can take training in a better paying field. There are very few jobs that do not need high speed internet, but they are out there.