15 Best Side Jobs From Home In Canada (2024): Wear Your Pajamas to Work

Recent estimates show that around 40% of jobs in Canada can realistically be done from home.

Even if you don’t see yourself working at home full-time, having a side job or hustle that you can do from home will allow you to easily earn extra income that you can put towards your savings.

Finding a side job from home and building an extra income stream doesn’t have to be difficult. Below, I’ll share some of the best side jobs from home in Canada that you can apply for today.

How To Make Extra Income While Working Full-Time

The income you earn from your full-time job may help you stay on top of the bills and pay for essentials, but is it allowing you to save? Stats Canada shows that the average Canadian household has less than $1,000 in net savings per year.

Whether you want to create a nest egg for retirement, save up to start your first business, or just want to create more financial security for yourself, earning extra income by working a side job from home is a great way to start saving.

Thankfully, there are more remote work opportunities today than ever before.

Some of the best places to apply for online side jobs in Canada include:

The Best Side Jobs From Home In Canada for 2024

Depending on your skills, there are plenty of great side jobs that you can do from home in Canada. Here are some of the best ones that I’ve found, as well as how much you can expect to earn from each.

1. Virtual Assistant

1. Virtual Assistant or Online Secretary
  • How Much You Can Earn: $17 – $25 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Communication, organization

Virtual assistants typically fill secretarial positions. Based on your personal interests, you can find work in just about any professional field. Medical offices, lawyers, accounting firms, and more often hire virtual assistants to take care of organizational tasks, such as:

  • Responding to emails
  • Answering and directing phone calls
  • Transcribing voicemails
  • Sending memos
  • Setting appointments
  • Organizing files

While some virtual assistant positions allow for flexible hours, others may require you to work set hours of the day, so this position may not be quite as flexible as a freelancing position. You’ll still get to work from home, though, which definitely has its perks.

Generally speaking, the work is simple. It may take a week or two to get into the groove, but once you figure out a system, everything should go smoothly.

If you’re looking for an almost guaranteed job, then I recommend checking out the 90-Day VA course, where you’ll learn all of the skills you need to apply for and succeed as an online virtual assistant.

2. Customer Service Representative

Customer Service Representative (CSR)
  • How Much You Can Earn: $18 – $27 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Communication, patience

Today, many large companies outsource customer service to remote workers and independent contractors. As a customer service representative, it’s your job to answer customer calls and help them resolve issues and complaints that they may have.

Sometimes, this may be as easy as telling somebody how to put the batteries in a remote; other times, you may have to remain calm while somebody is “blowing off steam.”

With a bit of patience and communication skills, though, you’ll be able to calm down angry customers and give them a positive experience with the brand in question.

These positions are a good choice for those looking for an online job with no experience needed. Once you sign up, you’ll be given a training manual with all of the answers that you need, which makes everything relatively simple and straightforward.

3. Writing

Started writing finance articles and coding apps
  • How Much You Can Earn: $25 – $40 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Writing, typing, grammar, organization

If you’re a fast typer, have a solid understanding of grammar, and don’t mind writing, then I recommend applying for a job as a freelance copywriter.

Writers work almost exclusively online these days, thanks to online workspaces that allow managers to easily assign work to team members and keep track of ongoing projects.

As a writer, you could work on a number of different projects, such as:

  • Writing blog posts
  • Editing
  • Writing social media captions
  • Writing e-books and how-to guides
  • Writing sales copy for products and services
  • Technical writing for product manuals and legal firms

Most writing jobs don’t require you to have set hours, making them a perfect choice for anybody who needs a flexible schedule. You can apply to copywriting jobs through freelance sites like Freelancer, Problogger, and Upwork.

4. Social Media Manager

Social Media Managers
  • How Much You Can Earn: $20 – $30 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Social media marketing, communication

If you’re already on your phone and have active social media accounts, then you may as well get paid for it.

Small business owners and influencers often don’t have time to manage their social media accounts in-house. So, they often hire tech-savvy individuals to take care of tasks like:

  • Scheduling daily posts
  • Responding to DMs
  • Running social media ads
  • Interacting with followers in the comments
  • Coming up with a list of content ideas
  • Creating new social media accounts on emerging platforms

This can be a rewarding side job because you’ll be working hand-in-hand with small business owners, helping them grow their businesses.

One of the easiest ways to get started is to network with local business owners, as they’re more likely to trust a neighbour. Alternatively, you can apply to many of these positions online through freelancing sites.

5. Amazon Seller

Sell With Amazon FBA
  • How Much You Can Earn: $1,000+ per month
  • Skills Needed: Product research, marketing, distribution

Selling on Amazon is one of the easiest ways to get into eCommerce. Thanks to Amazon’s FBA program, you don’t have to handle merchandise storage or shipping yourself. Here’s how it works:

  • Research niche products that don’t have a lot of competition
  • Find a wholesale distributor selling in bulk
  • Purchase the bulk products and have them shipped to an Amazon warehouse
  • Create product listings on Amazon for the products
  • Amazon takes care of all orders, shipping, handling, and returns

Since they’re doing all of the work, Amazon takes a cut of your sales. However, it’s a small price to pay, considering that you can work from home and don’t have to deal with any of the difficult aspects of running an eCommerce business.

To ensure your success, you can use a low-cost tool like AMZ Scout for market research. This tool helps you identify market trends and find low-competition niches, so you can sell your products faster.

The only downside of being an Amazon seller is that you’ll need to pay for bulk products upfront, which can cost several thousand dollars.

6. Content Proofreading

Content Proofreader
  • How Much You Can Earn: $16 – $25 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Grammar, writing, editing

As a content proofreader, you’ll be reading through blog posts, articles, books, sales copy, and social media posts to check for any errors.

Even I make grammatical mistakes when writing Wealth Awesome articles, which is why I have a proofreader look through my articles and double-check them before they’re posted.

In addition to grammar and writing skills, you should have a good eye for detail. Thankfully, software programs like Grammarly make it easy to check for major errors.

Even the best software can’t catch everything, though, which is why human proofreaders are still needed.

If you’re interested in finding a side job from home as a proofreader, then I recommend the Proofread Anywhere course. This simple course will teach you all of the skills you need to become a proofreader and land a good-paying job.

7. Audiobook Narrator

Audiobook Narrator
  • How Much You Can Earn: $100 – $350 PFH (per finished hour)
  • Skills Needed: Voice control, accents, reading, stamina, audio recording and mastering

If you enjoy reading aloud and have a strong voice, then finding a job as an audiobook narrator could be one of the best side jobs you can do from home in Canada. It may sound easy, but trust me – there’s a lot more work that goes into audiobook narration than meets the eye.

You’ll need to have superior vocal control, a steady voice, and the ability to change your tone of voice instantly as you’re reading through the material. If you can master these skills, though, audiobook narration can be very lucrative.

Audiobooks are more popular than ever, and good narrators are hard to come by. As a successful narrator, you can earn up to $300 per finished hour (PFH) or more. Keep in mind that a finished hour of the book (includes all recording, re-recording, audio editing, etc.) may take you several hours to complete.

One of the best places to find audiobook narration jobs is on Voices. I suggest starting with smaller projects, building a portfolio for yourself, and then working up towards larger projects.

8. Video Editor

7. Freelance Video Editor
  • How Much You Can Earn: $20 – $35 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Video editing software, videography

As a video editor, you’ll work with long-form videos and collections of clips to create a final video that looks professional and grabs viewers’ attention. As a freelance video editor, you may find yourself working on video ads, vlogs, and social media content.

Small businesses and influencers often don’t have the time or desire to edit their videos. So, they send all of their content to a video editor and ask them to turn it into something marketable.

Video editors may also take long videos and break them down into small, 10-20 second videos designed for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

To get started as a video editor, you’ll want to have a solid understanding of how to use products such as Final Cut Pro (Apple), Adobe Premiere Pro, and social media video editing apps.

Jobs can usually be found on freelance websites and may develop into long-term positions.

9. T-Shirt Printing

T-Shirt Printing
  • How Much You Can Earn: $10+ per shirt printed
  • Skills Needed: Graphic design, t-shirt printing

If you’re looking for a relatively simple, hands-on job that doesn’t require a lot of technical knowledge, then starting a side hustle printing t-shirts can be lucrative and fun. More than likely, you’ll end up working with organizations in your local community, such as:

  • Small businesses
  • Schools
  • Charities
  • Churches

You can also find jobs making t-shirts for birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette groups, and more. You’ll help them create a simple design using a program like Adobe Photoshop (or download pre-made designs/logos), print out vinyls using a vinyl cutting device, and then press the decals onto a t-shirt.

Wholesale t-shirts can usually be purchased for $5-$10 each, and the finished shirts can be sold for around $20 each. Everything can be done from home with around $500 worth of tools that you can find online or at your local crafting store.

10. Stock Trader

Stock Market
  • How Much You Can Earn: 5%-10% monthly on your investment
  • Skills Needed: Financial analysis, math, patience

If you have good intuition and know how to read the numbers presented by businesses on the stock market, then trading stocks can be a profitable side job that you can do from home.

That being said, there is a lot of risk involved and isn’t something that you should jump into without educating yourself first.

An experienced trader should be able to earn around 10% back every month on their investment. It may not seem like a lot, but with consistency and time, it adds up.

One of the best platforms to get started trading stocks is WealthSimple Trade. They have an intuitive, easy-to-use trading platform and offer plenty of educational resources.

11. Remote Bookkeeper

14. Remote Bookkeeper
  • How Much You Can Earn: $35-$50 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Bookkeeping, organization, communication, math

As an online bookkeeper, it will be your job to help small businesses keep track of their finances. Your clients will typically start by sending you weekly receipts, logged employee hours, and sales reports.

You’ll take all of these numbers and convert them into charts, graphs, and spreadsheets that are easy for your client to understand and digest.

If you’re a certified accountant in Canada, you can earn a lot more by helping your clients file their taxes at the end of the year as well.

12. Illustrator

Illustrator
  • How Much You Can Earn: $18 – $28 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Graphic design, art, drawing

As a freelance illustrator, you’ll work to create drawings for children’s books, social media posts, album art, posters, logos, and more. Most illustrators work exclusively with computer-based drawing programs. However, some projects may also require you to do a few physical drawings as well.

Illustrators can typically find work on freelancing websites or by working with book publishing companies. Depending on your skill level and how complex the job is, you could earn up to $25 per hour or more.

You’ll also be able to create your own schedule and work your own hours, as long as you complete work on time by the deadline.

13. Online English Tutor

Teach English online
  • How Much You Can Earn: $17 – $26 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Teaching, English, second language

If you’re multilingual, then a career as an online English tutor can be both rewarding and profitable. You may find yourself working with young children or college-age adults who are trying to learn English as a second language (ESL).

If you’re patient, enjoy teaching others, and don’t mind communicating through daily video chats, this is a great side job that you can do from home in Canada (or anywhere else in the world).

To get started and learn all of the basics, check out Ninja Teacher’s Teach English Online course.

14. Clothing Alteration & Tailoring

Clothing Alteration & Tailoring
  • How Much You Can Earn: $26 – $30 per hour
  • Skills Needed: Sewing, fashion design

If you know how to sew and perform alterations on clothing, then clothing alteration and tailoring is a great side job that you can do from home. Unlike many of the other online work-from-home jobs I’ve mentioned so far, you’ll mostly be working for people in your local community as a tailor.

You can advertise your services locally using social media, and have people drop off articles of clothing at your home. Then, you’ll repair them and charge for the work.

15. Online Trainer & Dietician

Online Trainer & Dietician
  • How Much You Can Earn: $50 – $100 per workout/diet plan
  • Skills Needed: Fitness training, diet and nutrition

I have a friend who’s a bodybuilder and fitness enthusiast. Recently, I paid him $150 for a fully customized diet and workout plan.

He asked me some simple questions about my goals, body type, and foods I enjoyed. Two days later, he sent me a full package detailing a three-month exercise and diet plan.

As a professional, it probably didn’t take him more than an hour or two to create. He does this for multiple clients every month! He told me that he finds some of his clients in person at the gym.

However, he told me that most of his clients come from social media, where he regularly posts fitness content and advertises his services.

If you’re a fitness or nutrition enthusiast, then this could be a great side hustle that you can do from home. It may take some time to build a social media profile that you can use to market your services, though.

The Best Side Jobs From Home: Finding The Perfect Fit

The global pandemic created a shift in the way we do business, and once-large offices have started to adopt a remote work business model to give their teams more freedom and cut down on overhead.

There are also tons of opportunities for freelancers who want to create their own hours doing something that they love.

Here are some things to consider when looking for the perfect side job from home in Canada.

Skills Required

While some of these positions require some basic skills, you can usually learn everything you need to know with a few weeks of training. Most online side jobs don’t require you to have the specialized skills that full-time jobs require.

Still, it’s a good idea to assess your strengths and figure out opportunities that you’ll enjoy the most.

Job Flexibility

If you already have a full-time job or you’re a stay-at-home parent, then you’ll want to find a side job from home that fits into your already busy schedule. Freelance positions or online jobs that give you several days to complete your workload are a good fit for those who are already busy.

Salary

First, create a budget and figure out how much extra money you’re trying to earn. Then, figure out the highest-paying side jobs that fit your skills and available time. Applying for higher-paying side jobs may take a bit more time, but the reward is often worth the wait.

Conclusion

Best Side Jobs From Home In Canada

The best side job from home is one that you enjoy. I hope I was able to inspire you to look for new opportunities or find existing skills that you can capitalize on.

How would you like to earn money without working, though?

One of the secrets of the rich is that they make their money work for them. Passive income is money that you don’t have to work for, and comes naturally in the form of monthly profits, dividends, or residual income.

To learn more, read my guide on the best passive income ideas in Canada!

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Author Bio - Christopher Liew is a CFA Charterholder with 11 years of finance experience and the creator of Wealthawesome.com. Read about how he quit his 6-figure salary career to travel the world here.

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