There are a lot of online job listings and side hustles that promise flexibility, quick income, and the chance to work from home. At first glance, many of these online jobs seem perfect—especially if you're trying to earn extra money or avoid a long commute. But once you get into them, the reality often doesn’t match the pitch.
In this blog, we’ll talk about online jobs that look attractive on the surface but usually pay far less than people expect. These jobs are not scams, but they’re often overhyped or misunderstood. If you’re thinking about making money online, this will help you avoid wasting time on tasks that don’t deliver much in return.
Microtask Websites (Clicking, Tagging, Watching)
Sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Clickworker, and Remotasks pay people to do very small jobs. These might include identifying objects in photos, tagging videos, transcribing short audio clips, or answering simple surveys.
It sounds easy—and it is. But the pay is extremely low. Many tasks pay only a few cents, and some take several minutes to complete. In the end, you could work for an hour and barely make $2 or $3. Some people try to power through by doing hundreds of tasks a day, but that’s mentally draining and still doesn’t add up to much.
Also, the highest-paying tasks often require passing difficult qualification tests, and even then, they may not be available all the time. This kind of work isn’t consistent or sustainable if you're looking for real income. It's fine if you want to earn pocket change, but don’t expect it to help with bills or savings.
Online Tutoring for Language Apps
Teaching your native language online sounds like a smart way to earn money from home. Platforms like Cambly, PalFish, or Preply allow people to sign up as tutors—even without teaching degrees. But what most people don’t know is that many of these platforms pay extremely low hourly rates.
On Cambly, for example, the rate is around $10–12 per hour—but you’re not guaranteed that full hour of work. You might spend a lot of time waiting between student calls, and you don’t get paid for that downtime. Some days you may only work for 30 minutes, even if you’ve blocked off two hours.
And while it’s flexible, the pay is rarely enough to live on. For people in countries with a high cost of living, it simply doesn’t stretch far. The job might feel rewarding, especially if you enjoy talking to people, but from a financial point of view, it’s closer to a side hobby than a serious job.
Selling Stock Photos or Designs Without an Audience
The idea of uploading your photos, illustrations, or designs to platforms like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Creative Market sounds amazing. You do the work once and get paid every time someone downloads your content. That’s the dream of passive income, right?
But the truth is much more complicated. The amount you earn per download is very small. On Shutterstock, some contributors earn as little as $0.10 per image. You’d need thousands of downloads each month just to make minimum wage.
Also, because so many people are now submitting to these platforms, it’s harder to get noticed. Many categories are already full—like nature photos, business stock images, or basic social media templates. If your work isn’t very high-quality or highly targeted, it’ll get buried among thousands of similar uploads.
Unless you already have professional-level skills or a unique visual style, this type of income will stay very low. It’s more of a long-term project that may slowly build over time—not a job that’ll pay you well from the start.
Virtual Assistant Jobs That Pay Per Task
Being a virtual assistant sounds like a decent online job. And in many cases, it is. But the type of VA work that gets advertised on freelancing platforms like Fiverr or online job boards is often underpaid, especially when you’re just starting.
Clients on low-budget platforms may pay as little as $3–5 per task—for example, replying to a few emails, updating spreadsheets, or scheduling posts. The tasks themselves might not be hard, but they can take longer than expected. And once you factor in time spent communicating with the client or waiting for feedback, the pay breaks down to a very low hourly rate.
In some cases, you’ll be asked to do extra work without extra pay. And unless you build up long-term clients or move into a specialized area like social media management or email marketing, it’s hard to raise your rates.
So while being a virtual assistant is a real job, the entry-level version of it that most people find online often pays very little for the amount of time and effort it requires.
Writing Articles on Content Mills
There are websites that pay people to write short articles, listicles, or blog posts—usually for content farms or low-quality sites trying to publish as much material as possible. Sites like Textbroker, iWriter, and others offer these types of gigs.
The rates are usually very low. Writers are often paid $0.01–$0.03 per word, which means a 1,000-word article might only earn $10–$30. And these articles often require research, formatting, and sometimes revisions. That could mean several hours of work for very little money.
On top of that, competition is tough, and new writers are often stuck in the lowest pay tiers. It can take a long time to move up—and even then, the pay rarely matches the effort unless you land private clients.
Some people start with these platforms just to build experience, but most burn out quickly once they realize the time-for-money tradeoff isn’t worth it. If you enjoy writing, it’s better to build a portfolio and look for higher-paying freelance jobs elsewhere.
Data Entry Work from Job Boards
Search “online job” and chances are, you’ll see lots of listings for data entry. It’s simple work—typing, transferring information, maybe organizing documents. Sounds perfect if you want a low-stress, stay-at-home job.
But here’s the reality: most of these jobs either pay extremely low rates or are flat-out scams. The few legit ones pay around $5 an hour, and those roles are usually offered to people in countries with lower living costs.
Because there’s no special skill involved, the demand far outweighs the supply. That drives prices down. You could spend hours applying for data entry gigs and never hear back, or get offered a one-time job that pays $15 for three hours of work.
And again—many of these listings are not real jobs. They’re often used to collect personal information or get people to pay “training fees.” So while data entry can be legit, it rarely leads to anything sustainable or well-paying for the average person looking online.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Taking Any Online Job
Before you commit your time to any online job, especially one that sounds too simple, ask yourself:
- What’s the hourly rate, really? Don’t just look at the job title or project fee—calculate how long it will actually take.
- Do I need special skills to grow in this role? If it stays low-paid no matter how long you do it, it might not be worth it long-term.
- Can I turn this into something more? Some jobs lead to better opportunities, others don’t.
- Who benefits more—me, or the platform? In many cases, platforms make the most money while giving workers the smallest slice.
There’s nothing wrong with starting small or doing side gigs. But be realistic. The internet is full of jobs that are easy to do but very hard to live on. If you want to earn well online, you’ll need to focus on building skills that are hard to replace—and learn how to stand out.
.jpg&description=ONLINE JOBS THAT ARE NOT REALLY WORTH YOUR TIME){kind=link}
0 Comments