Which remote jobs will give you the chance to work from home in South Africa? The ability to work remotely isn’t a novelty in today’s world, and there are some careers that offer great flexibility to work from anywhere you want.
The best remote jobs to work from home in South Africa are:
- Help desk technician
- IT service desk dispatcher
- Customer service representative
- Data entry clerk
- Editing and proofreading
- Social media manager
- Virtual assistant
- Copywriter
- Teaching English
So if you want to work from the comfort of your home, remote jobs are the best solution. The jobs mentioned in this article are mostly designed to do just that.
Getting a remote job in South Africa
In recent years, South Africa’s economic situation hasn’t been the best, which is why so many of its citizens are looking for online work.
Because most of these positions available to South Africans are serving foreign markets, citizens can earn stable income from a more stable economy.
What’s more, remote jobs frequently offer flexibility in how and when you complete your hours, making them a more manageable way to work. If you have family obligations or other commitments that require some of your time, remote jobs are a great alternative.
However, the demand and competition for a remote job in South Africa, and honestly all over the world, is rising. So be prepared to invest some time into your job search and prepare a good pitch for your potential employer.
As a native English speaker, you will have a good chance of landing remote interviews for some outsourcing companies, whether they’re operating in South Africa or abroad. In fact, more and more companies are choosing South Africa as an affordable outsourcing destination.
Customer service and IT support are by far the most in demand. For example, Amazon has already announced plans to hire 3,000 people in South Africa for customer support in North America and Europe.
Expats with some IT skills or experience also have a great chance of getting a job in a foreign company, as native English speakers are preferred by hiring organizations.
The top remote jobs to work from home in South Africa
We have compiled a list below of some in demand remote positions for South Africans.
1 – Help Desk Technician
Help desks are everywhere and they need employees to assist customers with technical problems. Working remotely as an IT technician in South Africa is becoming more and more common.
The most important element of working remotely at a help desk is to have a well-functioning computer and a stable internet connection.
You can read more tips about how to get a job as an IT technician here.
During your job search for this role, you can come across different variations of this position, including:
- Technical support representative
- Technical support
- IT support
- IT service desk support
- IT help desk support
- IT customer support specialist
- IT help desk technician
- IT support technician
An applicant should have, at the bare minimum, experience with networking and know their way around troubleshooting email and WiFi issues.
It’s also important that they have strong communication skills to diagnose problems remotely as they’ll need to put people at ease who are freaking out over the phone.
If you feel like you have the qualifications listed above, and you are looking for a job as an IT technician, we got you covered!
At Support Adventure, the remote outsourcing MSP staffing company we provide remote staff for IT companies. We have over 100 team members on 5 continents. You can apply for one of our available positions here.
Here are the main tasks of a remote technician:
- Provide support, diagnosis, and resolutions for desktop problems for end users
- Installing, troubleshooting, and configuring: hardware, software, systems, networks, printers, and scanners
- Troubleshoot technical issues and diagnose errors online and over the phone
- Troubleshoot and configure routers, switches, and firewalls
- Planning and undertaking scheduled maintenance upgrades
- Track issues until they are resolved and customer satisfaction is reached
- Install, troubleshoot and manage Microsoft products (Windows 7/10, and MS Office application suite)
- Understand the client/server applications architecture
- Administer LAN/WAN security, antivirus and spam control measures
Job requirements:
- Knowledge of hardware and software
- Certificates and qualifications are beneficial
- Client service experience is desirable
- Customer service orientation
- Strong communications skills
- Ability to maintain good ticket notes and documentation
2 – IT Service Desk Dispatcher
A help desk dispatcher is another IT job that you can work remotely from South Africa. Dispatchers are mostly responsible for the coordination and organization of the help desk.
Their main tasks include:
- Coordination of the technicians and the entire help desk
- Management of the technical staff’s workload
- Assignment and escalation of support tickets
- Updating ticket statuses
- Following up with clients, staff and vendors as necessary
- Enforcement of help desk procedures and workflow efficiency
- Checking that ticket notes are satisfactorily written
- Following up with clients until a ticket reaches resolution
Job requirements:
- Prior coordinator or supervisor experience
- Detail-oriented work style
- Good customer service skills
- Previous dispatch experience is desirable
- Ability to work in a team
- Conflict resolution abilities
3 – Customer Service Representative
Customer service is always in demand, especially when it’s provided by native English speakers at affordable rates. Naturally this is a job that you can get at almost any company in South Africa or abroad.
Many companies, large and small, outsource their customer service to agents working from home. Most of these types of jobs include responding to inbound calls and helping people with orders or account information. But some also require outbound calling.
Since you are a native English speaker, your resume will be more attractive to employers, hence the chances of getting a job are very high. This role is suitable for someone with great communication skills who possesses the patience to talk to frustrated clients.
Main tasks:
- Resolve customer complaints via phone, email, or social media
- Use a phone to reach out to customers or verify account information
- Assist with orders, refunds or exchanges
- Act as the company gatekeeper
- Suggest solutions when a product malfunctions or a service isn’t fulfilled
- Handle product recalls
- Sell products and services
- Respond to customer reviews
Exact tasks will depend on the particular company and one’s customer support position.
Job requirements:
- Good written and verbal communication in English
- Experience in customer service is desirable
- Customer service orientated personality
4 – Data Entry Clerk
A data entry job is one of the easiest to perform from home, and almost anyone can be a data entry clerk. This position entails the gathering of data and entering it into databases, software programs or spreadsheets.
This may include gathering documents from various sources, extracting information from them and storing hard copies.
A data entry clerk is also called a data entry specialist, or a data entry operator. The data they enter can range from bills, reports, medical records, canceled checks and a bevy of other documents. This job is easily done from home since it is mostly performed independently.
Main tasks:
- Collecting data and inputting information into databases
- Updating databases
- Creating accurate spreadsheets
- Ensuring data is backed up
Job requirements:
- High school diploma
- Good level of English
- Excellent knowledge of MS Office Word and Excel
- Ability to concentrate for lengthy periods
- Proficient touch typing skills
- Attention to detail
5 – Editing and Proofreading
Since you are native English speakers, you might want to get a job in editing and proofreading. This can be done for a company in South Africa, abroad or for private clients around the world.
The main tasks of this role are checking written text for misspellings and inaccuracies prior to publishing and correcting mistakes.
You can work on a range of publications as an editor and proofreader, including:
- Blog posts
- Books
- Journals
- Newspapers
- Websites
- Technical writings
- Other online resources
Main tasks:
- Ensuring correct, clear, consistent, complete and credible written text
- Correcting spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
- Being able to correctly assemble words and sentences
Job requirements:
- A bachelor’s degree, preferably in English, journalism, mass communication or another related field will be beneficial
- Excellent writing skills
- Command of the English language
- Attention to details
- Competence in spelling and grammar
6 – Social Media Manager
Social media is a huge industry and growing day by day. You can manage social media channels of companies, entrepreneurs, small businesses and influencers.
This job can be done solely online by communicating with your employer and team via chat or email. You can also schedule your posts using online tools.
Being a native English speaker again gives you a great advantage because it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to have a presence on social media. Companies are constantly looking for hands-on people to manage their online platforms.
If you constantly use and enjoy social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you could work from home by helping businesses manage their profiles.
You would be responsible for managing, planning and implementing different strategies. Your goal will be to increase brand awareness, improve marketing efforts and increase sales.
It’s recommended to start out by helping some private clients first, then eventually join a small company to gain more experience.
Main tasks:
- Managing and monitoring social media channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube
- Developing and launching creative and engaging social media strategies
- Running company social media advertising campaigns
- Formulating high-quality content
- Monitoring the company’s brand on social media
- Managing online communities
- Responding to comments and messages
Job requirements:
- No official university degree is required
- Experience growing a social media account
- Experience developing social media strategies
- Knowledge of social media best practices is desirable
- Good understanding of social media KPIs
- Multitasking skills
- Creative skills
7 – Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant, or VA, is essentially an online secretary. They can work for small businesses or entrepreneurs. This position is often offered as a part-time job.
Virtual assistants exclusively work from home and often have clients in countries that are wealthier than their own. VAs communicate with their boss or supervisor via chat, Zoom, FaceTime, Slack or some other real-time application.
Being a VA is a traditional administrative assistant job where one would perform the age-old tasks of responding to emails, calling clients, scheduling appointments, posting on social media, bookkeeping and data entry.
Main tasks:
- Respond to emails and phone calls
- Manage email accounts
- Schedule meetings and appointments
- Book travel and accommodations
- Organize your superior’s calendar
- Create presentations as assigned
Job requirements:
- Strong communication skills
- Excellent English proficiency
- Good organizational skills
- Being responsible
- Familiarity with current technologies, like desktop sharing and cloud services
- Experience with MS Office and spreadsheets
- Excellent time management skills
8 – Copywriter
Copywriting is another solid remote job with a good paycheck. In a nutshell, copywriters craft textual content mostly for advertisements and marketing materials. But copy is also relevant for blogging, website sales pages and social media marketing content.
Copywriters learn about the needs of their employer or clients and generate text that helps convert site visitors into customers. They translate a brand’s core identity into the right call to action to earn more sales.
Main tasks:
- Creating and editing original written copy
- Speaking with internal and external parties to learn about their content needs
- Conducting research to formulate ideas or support writing
- Learning about the target audience of the client
Job requirements:
- Experience with a successful copywriting campaign is powerful
- Demonstrates good writing and typing skills
- Knowledge of sales and marketing techniques
- Strong research skills
- Creativity skills
9 – Teaching English
As a South African, teaching English might be one of the first remote positions that comes to mind for you. And rightly so! It’s a common way to earn money as a native English speaker.
With the help of a stable internet connection and a headset, you can easily start online teaching and help students from around the world. There is a big demand for this, especially in China.
As an online English teacher, you will be conducting classes online via tools like Zoom or Skype. To be a great teacher, you need to have good communication skills, be organized enough to put together lesson plans and have a genuine interest in your students’ development.
Main tasks:
- Preparing and delivering lessons to improve students’ reading, writing and conversational skills
- Developing educational content such as notes and quizzes
- Adjusting your teaching style in accordance with students’ needs
- Tracking and reporting on students’ progress
Job requirements:
- Excellent command of the English language
- Possessing a reliable computer/laptop and headset
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Organizational skills
- Desire to work with people
Finding a recruitment agency in South Africa
A recruitment or staffing agency, which can be found in most major cities, can often accelerate your efforts to find a remote job in South Africa. There are also recruiting professionals who are hiring only in a particular industry.
As we previously stated, we specialize in hiring help desk technicians and dispatchers based in South Africa. We match them with a company based in the USA, UK or Australia. You can see testimonials from our candidates and clients on our homepage.
As for fees, South African staffing agencies and foreign recruiters usually don’t charge candidates. If you want to get a job through us and work remotely from South Africa, or even relocate and work remotely from somewhere else, check out our IT Jobs page for available positions.
More info about remote IT support with Support Adventure
Currently, we have open positions for remote help desk technicians and dispatchers. Here’s some basic information about the roles.
The specific tasks largely depend on the client you’re matched with. During the onboarding process, we will equip you with everything you need to get started.
Tasks might include:
- Install, troubleshoot and manage Microsoft products
- Troubleshoot and fix issues with Office 365 and cloud solutions
- Troubleshoot email related issues
- Deploy images through imaging tools
- Understand the client/server applications architecture
- Coordinate and implement network software and hardware upgrades
- Troubleshoot and configure routers, switches and firewalls
- Troubleshoot and resolve LAN/WAN performance, connectivity and related network problems
- Administer LAN/WAN security, antivirus and spam control measures
- Conduct daily network backup operations
We hope you are now aware of possible remote jobs that you can do from home in South Africa. Don’t wait to apply for one!
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