Helen Cole is a thirty-year-old mother of two and
lives in Surrey, UK, with her husband, Neil.
Q: Do you work from
home part-time, full-time, just for extra cash or do you freelance?
A: Just for extra cash.
Q: What type of work
do you do?
A: I'm a market research panelist and
participate in online
surveys.
Q: How did you get started?
A: Since
having my second child, I've become a stay-at-home mum. I wanted to
find a way to earn a bit of extra cash from home. I did an online search
for paid online surveys and came across this site. I signed up with
a couple of companies initially, just to see if I liked it and if I
could fit it into my schedule. I then came back and signed up with as
many as I could.
Q: Is this a difficult sector
to break into?
A: Absolutely not.
Q: Do you enjoy working
from home?
A: Yes, I love being with my children
and doing my online surveys.
Q: Why did you choose home
working?
A: Because I became a mum.
Q: How do you motivate yourself?
A: I just think of the lovely reward at
the end of the survey.
Q: What are the positive
aspects of home working?
A: I can work from my PC in my PJ's.
Q: What are the negative
aspects of home working?
A: Not mixing with other colleagues.
Q: Would you say that the
type of work you are doing pays you a good wage?
A: No, and I don't expect it to either.
It's just a way to get a bit of extra cash. I mostly get shopping vouchers
but a few of them pay cash. I've also signed up with some companies
that pay me when I refer people. Some of them pay me for each new member
and a couple pay me each time my referral earns from surveys - great,
isn't it? I get some fabulous freebies too because when I'm invited
to test products, I get to keep them!
Q: Do you find home distractions
a problem when you're trying to work?
A: Sometimes but I usually do the surveys
when the children are having a nap or when my husband is home to take
care of them.
Q: How many hours do you
work a day?
A: I wouldn't say I worked hours on end
each day. Surveys take about fifteen to twenty minutes to fill out and
I get between 5 - 20 per week.
Q: Would you recommend this
type of work to anyone?
A: Yes, if you like being online.
Q: Do you need any skills
to carry out this kind of work?
A: Patience and the ability to use the
Internet.
Q: Do you need any special
equipment or tools?
A: Internet access and a computer.
Q: What advice would you
give to a newcomer in your field?
A: Sign up with as many survey websites
as you can. Check your email a few times a day and try to complete the
surveys as soon as they come in. I've often left them or not been around
when they came through and then when I tried to access them I was told
the survey was full. So grab 'em fast.
Q: Have you been doing this
for long?
A: A few months.
Q: Would you return to the 9-5 grind in the
future:
A: I might
do when the kids are at school but I will still continue to do the surveys
because I enjoy them so much and I love the gift vouchers and freebies
that I get. On the other hand, there are a lot of jobs that I've found
on this site that sound quite tempting so I might try one or two of
them out and see how it goes.
Q:Would you recommend working
from home?
A: Yes, I think I would.
Q: Anything else that you’d like to
add?
A: There
are sites out there that I came across that wanted me to pay to access
top paid surveys - don't do it!!! They only want your money. You can
find paid survey agencies from sites like this one.
Are you an Online Panelist?
Would you be willing to share your experience by filling in a
questionnaire like this one? Email us at
with the title Case Studies and we will send you further details.
Back
to Case Studies
