Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can leave a real dent in your bank account. That's why many people turn to seasonal jobs, to earn a little income in the run up to the big day.
Traditionally, most seasonal jobs were found in retail – such as helping out on the shop floor, or delivering parcels. However, now remote jobs are becoming more and more common, and you can earn extra income without having to step outside.
We've collected eight seasonal roles that can be done fully remotely, so take a look and see if any of them are a good fit for you.
1. Customer Service Representative
When it comes to seasonal remote work roles, you'll find plenty in the customer service sector. Christmas is a busy time for a lot of companies, as such they'll be looking to hire additional staff to help field queries from customers.
Everyone from Amazon to Walmart, Apple to Nascar are currently looking for people to help provide support over the festive period.
While many of these roles will be phone based, many also involve speaking with customers via text chat, so don't be too put off if speaking over the phone isn't your thing.
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Skills you'll need as a customer service representative:Â
- It goes without saying that you'll need good communication skills!
- Problem solving skills are also a bonus in this field
- If you need to speak with customers over the phone, you'll need to make sure your remote environment is quiet and distraction free
2. Data Entry Clerk
Data entry roles lend themselves nicely to remote work, and providing you can work under your own steam and don't mind repetitive tasks, they can be a great way to make a little extra cash in the run up to Christmas.
In terms of the sort of information you'll be entering, it could be literally anything. If you've never done data entry before, you'll soon discover that the actual information doesn't really matter – it's just a case of getting it into the database as quickly as possible (and ensuring it's correct, of course).
Skills you'll need to be a data entry clerk:
- Fast typing
- Attention to detail
- Computer literate
- Ability to work in isolation
3. Virtual Receptionist
With the Christmas break approaching fast, many of us will be planning to take time off. This includes receptionists! As such you'll find that many companies are looking to hire virtual receptionists to cover the shortfall over Christmas.
The good news for you is that you don't need to sit behind a desk in an office to do the job – you can just as easily do it from home. Duties will include speaking to customers/clients, routing calls, arranging appointments and so on.
Skills you'll need to be a virtual receptionist:
- Excellent communication skills
- Great organization skills
- Time management
- Note taking
Find a permanent remote job, at these companies who let you work from home.
4. Tax Preparer
There are plenty of seasonal opportunities for Tax Preparer rolls, although unlike most of the roles on this list, this job has a slightly longer lifespan, usually running from around December to the end of April.
As the name suggests, the job involves helping companies prepare to file their taxes at the end of the season, with many firms taking on extra pairs of hands to get the task done.
You'll need a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) before you can apply for be a tax preparer, and some states also have additional requirements, including New York and California.
Ideal skills to be a tax preparer:Â
- Excellent math skills
- Knowledge of tax law
- Qualifications in the field usually preferred
- Good eye for detail
5. Tech Support Agent
Similar to customer service roles, some companies have to up their tech support staff over the Christmas break, anticipating a larger volume of people than usual engaging with their products and services.
If you've never done it before, don't feel too daunted by the idea of giving tech advice – most companies will provide you with extensive documentation that covers most potential issues, and tech support staff usually follow a simple flowchart system to diagnose issues.
Skills you'll need to be a tech support agent:
- Ability to give clear instructions
- Methodical approach to problem solving
- Patience!
6. Sales Assistant
Sales assistant roles exist all year round of course, but companies sometimes need extra help during the holidays, and some also offer Christmas-relevant products that require seasonal workers.
One of the nice things about sales jobs like this is that some offer bonuses based on performance, so you could see your seasonal job turn into a nice earner with the right approach.
Skills you'll need to be a sales assistant:
- Confidence talking to strangers
- Persuasion skills
- Friendly manner
- A thick skin when you get rejected (and it will happen!)
Want to make your day job remote? Read our guide to how to ask to work from home.
7. Audio Book Narrator
This one might seem a little out there, but if you've got a pleasant sounding voice, then you could be using it to generate extra income for yourself.
Amazon has a program through its Audible division that sees it pay narrators to turn books into spoken word. Anyone can create a profile on its ACX platform, and offer themselves to authors to be selected to read books.
Payments can either be a one-off sum, or a share of the revenue based on number of sales the audio book achieves.
Skills you'll need to be an audio book narrator:
- Crystal clear speaking voice
- Excellent enunciation
- Good home recording set up
8. Virtual Santa
As we all know, Christmas is a busy time of year for the jolly bearded guy, and as such he has employed swathes of helpers over the years to make appearances at shopping malls, schools and events.
Wanting to move with the times, he now needs help online, with job roles popping up for virtual Santas. These are essentially the same as the traditional mall Santa gig, but over Zoom instead.
Seeing a gap in the market, companies such as JingleRing popped up during the pandemic, when in-person events were much harder to arrange, and have persevered.
Ideal skills you'll need to be a virtual Santa:
- Being jolly is essential
- Likewise, excellent child communication skills
- Improvise and be quick witted when speaking
- You'll need to remember information, such as prepared details about the child
