14 Best self employed jobs with high demand that pay well

Self-employed jobs are the ideal kind of job if you enjoy flexibility, autonomy, and have an entrepreneurial spirit!

It’s true.

Many of these jobs can even grow into a fulfilling business.  

So what exactly is a self-employed job?

Simply put, self-employed jobs involve completing a task(s) for an hourly wage or salary without directly reporting to a boss.

An example self-employed job would be driving for a ridesharing company like Lyft or Uber. Both are considered self-employed jobs because you don’t have a direct boss to report to.

Most independent contractors, freelancing, and 1099 employees are considered self-employed jobs. Be on the lookout for those kinds of terms on job posting websites like ZipRecruiter and Flexjobs.

On behalf of the Luster Lexicon, I will list the current best self-employed jobs that are online, offline, or in the form of gigs.

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Best online Self-Employed jobs

Proofread books, articles, and other digital documents

If you cringe at misspellings, or you’re just a plain old grammar nerd, then online proofreading will be the job of your dreams.

So, what does an online proofreader do?

An online proofreader checks the final copy of written material for grammar, punctuation, spelling, tense, and readability.

What’s also nice to note is that proofreading is in high-demand.

Think of all the e-books, articles, blog posts, brochures, and other print media published online. In 2022, there’s absolutely no shortage of this kind of content! In fact, there’s more of it being created now than at any other point in history. 

This is clearly an optimal time to officially get an online proofreading job from home or acquire the skills to do so.

The only thing is that it can be kind of confusing knowing where to start or how to find clients.

Allow me to make it easy for you.

How to become an online proofreader

Now before you go applying for online proofreading jobs, let me give you a piece of advice that will ultimately save you time and increase your income potential.

You must get training under your belt to get good-paying online proofreading jobs. Potential clients want someone who knows what they’re doing!

Don’t worry.

Training doesn’t take long to learn at all. Especially when you learn from the best.

Let me tell you about the go-to expert in the proofreading space, Caitlin Pyle. In one year, she earned $43,000 proofreading from home part-time. She ended up getting so good at it she decided to help others earn a part-time and even full-time income just through online proofreading alone.

Caitlin is a complete lifesaver for anyone new to online proofreading as a career. For a limited time, she is offering a free online workshop that will explain the ins and outs of proofreading and how it can be a great career choice for you.

Click here to watch her free workshop on proofreading from home.

I also want to recommend a little hack you can do to give yourself the ultimate edge in online proofreading. 

Take advantage of the free Grammarly addon. 

Grammarly is a free grammar checker that uses artificial intelligence to automatically look for spelling and grammatical mistakes. Adding it to your favorite web browser or word processor only takes seconds and is super simple. 

Click here to download Grammarly for free.

Online transcriber

Good listeners and fast typists read on!

You’re going to love this next online job. 

Online transcribers listen to audio or video and type them into a digital document for record-keeping or another purpose. Like proofreading, transcribing is a high-demand self-employed job that continues to withstand the test of time.

Think about the following for a moment.

Without transcribing, many of humanity’s most important historical documents, family trees, medical and scientific advancements, you name it, would’ve never been recorded and therefore known to us in the modern era.

To this day, transcribing continues to be an important method for keeping records for the foreseeable future. Talk about job security!

How to become an online transcriber

It may be tempting to immediately try and get a transcribing job online.

However, you could end up wasting a lot of time or not getting paid what you’re worth if you don’t do it the right way.

This is why I recommend learning from a profitable expert who already knows what it takes to succeed.

Without a doubt, that person is Janet Shaugnessy.

Why her?

Simply put, she has been a high-earning transcriber for over 10 years, parlaying her expertise towards helping others become high-earning transcribers online.

For a short period of time, she’s offering a free 7-day online course that will show you what you need to do to be a successful online transcriber, and how to find good-paying clients.

Click here to enroll in Janet’s free online course on general transcription.

Online English tutoring

If you’re proficient in English with a bachelor’s degree, and you love working with kids, look into working from home as an online English tutor.

The demand for English tutors also known as TEFL (Teaching English as a Second Language) teachers is massive.

There are more than 1.5 billion estimated English learners around the world. I’d say that’s a pretty big pool of potential students!

Ready to start teaching English online?

I recommend signing up for free on VIPKID.

VIPKID pays online tutors between $14-$22 an hour to teach English to children aged 4 to 12 through the computer. You also can work as many hours as you’d like at whichever times are convenient for you.

You are provided with an English curriculum, and you won’t have any homework to grade! All you have to do is focus on teaching kids with a smile on your face!

Click here to start making money tutoring English to children from home

Photography

Taking pictures is fun and allows us to retain the best moments and capture the experiences of life.

And, let’s face it.

Most of us are taking pictures all of the time with our smartphones, perhaps more often than we realize!

Have you considered monetizing and leveraging this passion as a photographer? If not, you should. Photography can be surprisingly lucrative and is a way to make passive income.

Here are the best ways to make money as a self-employed photographer:

• Licensing out your photos on platforms like Shutterstock and earning passive income.
• Working as a freelance photographer for weddings, businesses, and events.
• Selling customized photos to magazines, individuals, and businesses.

As you can see, there are multiple bossless jobs and ways to make money taking pictures.

If you’re looking to get started the right way, I recommend taking advantage of Skillshare online classes for photography and Photoshop.

Click here to be taken to the Skillshare portal.

Best self-employed gig jobs

Become a mystery shopper with Merchandiser

Mystery shopping is a legit gig job that’s here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Let me explain why.

Simply stated, mystery shoppers ensure quality standards for stores by confirming the proper display of items, interacting with customers and employees, and collecting other pertinent data.

Retail stores value customer satisfaction and their employees who provide that satisfaction. Secret shoppers help ensure that both of those values are met.

Since retail stores will be in business indefinitely, mystery shopping is a self-employed job that’s always hiring and in-demand, regardless of the economy.

Intrigued?

Alright. There are two recommended ways to quickly find a legit mystery shopping gig.

You can sign up for a paid service like Flexjobs and use them to find a company that’s hiring.

Or, you can download Merchandiser by MySurvey and get started right now for free.

I like Merchandiser, not only because it’s free and fast to start, but you can mystery shop on your own schedule without a boss!

Click here to become a mystery shopper with Merchandiser.

Complete fun retail gigs with the Field Agent app

Field Agent is a free app that provides shopping gigs like Merchandiser.

Most of these gigs are quite easy and can be fun too! 

An example would be going to a local store, taking a picture of item(s) on a shelf, and filling out a short questionnaire about them. 

Another example involves going to a food shop like a pizzeria, taking a picture of the pizza, and giving your feedback on its taste and quality.

Since Field Agent is a free app, I’ve found it worth trying.

Plus, it pairs great with Merchandiser. You can make more than $100 per week doing them part-time together.

Download the Field Agent app here.

One quick tip.

I recommend taking advantage of what are called “ticket jobs.” Doing ticket jobs lets Field Agent provide you with better jobs suited for you based on your given personal information.

Completing these jobs also gives you one ticket per job that can be entered into a raffle to win cash prizes!.

Click here to download the Field Agent app

Online survey taker

Being an online survey taker is one of the easiest self-employed jobs available.

All it takes is giving your opinion on the latest products, current events, travel locations, entertainment, and more from the comfort of your own home.

And, you can take these paid surveys from your smartphone or computer!

The main way I get paid for taking surveys is through SurveyJunkie.

SurveyJunkie pays higher than any survey site I’ve ever used. They pay up to $45 per survey, and you can cash out on the same day with PayPal.

Once you’re signed up with SurveyJunkie, which only takes a minute or so, you can literally start making money right away.

Click here to sign up as an online survey taker on SurveyJunkie

Deliver food with DoorDash

The demand for food delivery has never been higher. 

And you know, this has opened up all kinds of opportunities to make extra money or even a fulltime income without a boss.

DoorDash is the best delivery gig job in my experience (as well as in others that I’ve spoken to). Compared to other delivery apps, they pay the most money per delivery and have the most amount of deliveries available to service. 

Click here to download DoorDash and sign up as a delivery driver today.

How to get started as a delivery driver on DoorDash

Step 1. Download the DoorDash mobile app here.

Step 2. Fill out your details such as zip code, name, date of birth, e-mail, phone number, etc. You must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license to be a delivery driver.

Step 3. DoorDash will ask you for permission to perform a background check. After you give permission, you will be mailed a welcome package, including your red card. The red card will be used to pay for food if necessary.

Step 4. Once you get your welcome package in the mail, which includes your red card, you will need to complete an orientation. Orientation can be done online or in-person and takes about 30 minutes. After orientation, you are ready to start making money as a delivery driver!

Sign up for DoorDash and start making money on your own schedule

Tips for making more money on DoorDash (make $25 dollars an hour or more)

Accept more orders from fancier restaurants than fast-food restaurants. These customers will tip you way more cash on average.

Accept orders for Pizza. Most people have the mindset to tip for pizza delivery and will tip most of the time.

Deliver during peak hours. Peak hours are lunch between 11 a.m – 1:30 p.m. and dinner 4:30 p.m – 11 p.m.

Download GetUpside to save money on gas for free. GetUpside is a 100% free app that pays you every time you get gas. For each gallon of gas you put in your car, you can get paid up to 10 cents! All you have to do is take a quick picture of your gas station receipt and send it to the app so it knows how much to pay you. It’s really that easy Click here to download GetUpside.

Deliver food with Postmates

Postmates is a food delivery app that is very similar to DoorDash.

For most locations, I have found that Postmates pays slightly less than DoorDash. However, it’s still worth signing up for Postmates. This way, you can have access to more delivery jobs, and you can select the highest-paying job among the two in realtime.

Click here to download Postmates and sign up as a delivery driver.

Don’t forget to download GetUpside! It’s a completely free app that saves you money on every gallon of gas you put in your vehicle. Download GetUpside here.

Deliver groceries with Instacart

High-speed internet and smartphones have changed the way we shop for groceries.

No longer do you have to physically shop at the supermarket. You can have groceries delivered straight to your home or office!

Instacart is one of the companies making this possible. They are rapidly hiring delivery drivers and in-store shoppers to keep up with the growing demand for grocery delivery.

And guess what?

You can get started today by downloading the Instacart app for free.

How to get started on Instacart

Step 1. Download the free Instacart app by clicking here.

Step 2. Fill out your details such as your name, zip code, e-mail, phone number, etc. You must be at least 18 years or older to sign up.

Step 3. Choose whether you want to work as a full-service shopper (shop for groceries and deliver them) or in-store shopping (shopping for groceries only).

Step 4. You will be asked interview questions and undergo a quick background check online.

Step 5. Once approved, you are ready to start working on your own schedule and get paid weekly!

Take care of Dogs through the Rover App

Do you love being around dogs?

You absolutely must check out this awesome app called Rover. If you’ve never heard of Rover, it’s about to become one of your favorite self-employed gig jobs!

Rover gives you the opportunity to make income by walking dogs, pet sitting with a dog at their home or yours, or just checking in with an owner’s dog a few times while the owner is away. 

Now get this.

According to Kristen Forecki, Rover’s director of operations, the amount you can make depends on the number of pets you care for each month. Those who treat Rover like a part-time job can make up to $1000 a month, and those who treat Rover like a full-time job can make up to $3,300 a month or more. She also mentions that there are sitters who treat Rover like a business that make six figures yearly!

Ready to get paid to hang out with cool doggies on your own schedule?

Click here to download Rover for free.

How to get started on Rover

Getting started on Rover is easy.

Before we begin, I want to mention the requirements to be a pet sitter or walker on Rover. You must be 18 years old or over and pass a background check. The background check is carried out by Checkr and will cost $25 dollars.

How to create your free account on Rover.

1. Download the free Rover app by clicking or tapping here.
2. Upon opening the app, tap “More” on the bottom of your screen (iOS) or tap the menu bar in the upper left corner of your screen (Android).
3. Tap “Become a Rover sitter or walker.”
4. Lastly, tap “Get Started,” fill out your profile and submit.

You should hear back from Rover in an e-mail within five business days with an account approval or rejection. Once your profile has been approved and you pass the background check given by Checkr, you are ready to offer your pet services on the Rover marketplace!

Click here to create a free account on Rover.

Best offline self-employed jobs

Manage a food service franchise

People need food, and they like getting it fast. This has never been more evident than in 2022.

Managing a food service franchise puts you in charge of it similar to a business owner.

In a way, this makes running a food service franchise more of an entrepreneur job. Like business ownership, running a food service franchise can be hard work, it’s an industry with high demand in customers.

Roughly 38% of food service managers are self-employed, most of them owning a franchise outright. Franchise owners can make six figures. For example, McDonald’s franchise owners net around $150,000 per year.

Personal trainer

Everybody has fitness goals.

Whether those goals involving lose that holiday weight or putting on 15 pounds of muscle, personal trainers can be a big help.

If you’re big into fitness, becoming a personal trainer is a great choice for a self-employed job.

You can choose to be apart of a gym, rent your own space, or do it online. Personal trainers usually make between five to six figures, but celebrity famous trainers can earn into the millions!

Sales

If you’re a “go-getter” kind of person that is persuasive and knows how to provide value, then sales is the kind of self-employed job you will thrive at.

So, what does someone in sales do?

Salespeople connect a product(s) or service(s) with customers who will benefit in some way from using them. 

Many sales jobs are independent contractor jobs that are commission only. This means you only get paid if you make a sale.

You will find that other sales jobs offer base pay but the commissions are much lower. Experienced salespeople that get results tend to opt for commission only as they can make more money this way.

Examples of high-paying sales jobs:

• Pharmaceutical sales.
• Software sales.
• Medical device sales.

The best entry-level sales jobs:

• Commission-only sales.
• Retail sales.
• Insurance sales.

ZipRecruiter is an excellent place to find a sales job for any level of experience.

One more thing.

If you’re looking for sales jobs that you can do from home, I highly recommend an affordable service called Flexjobs.

Why?

Simply put, this is because Flexjobs is a service that will vet companies to make sure the jobs they provide and the company itself are legitimate.

Flexjobs comes with a ton of free benefits as well such as resume review and exclusive savings on work-related products related TurboTax. 

When I first looked into Flexjobs, I was surprised to know that Flexjobs costs less than a large pizza and offered a money-back guarantee! This made it a no-brainer for me when I was on the job hunt!

Click here to sign up on Flexjobs and find your next online sales job fast. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a boss when you work a self-employed job?

In most cases, no.

Self-employed jobs by definition give you the work environment to be your own boss. You will be working for a company or franchise but your work environment at the very least will be independent.

Contrast this with traditional jobs which require you to report directly to a boss or manager, and you may be micromanaged.

Are independent contractor jobs the same as self-employed jobs?

Independent contractor jobs are a form of self-employed jobs but aren’t the only kind.

As an independent contractor, you will still work for a company, just not as an employee or under the direct management of someone else. Other examples of self-employed jobs can include franchise owners and freelance workers.

What are some good-paying bossless jobs?

The best bossless jobs are freelance writing, proofreading, graphic design, personal training, and consulting.