According to Q3 2021 data from Statista.com, 98.8% of internet users in the Philippines use a smartphone to access the internet. However, not as many Filipinos have a laptop or desktop computer available for them to start a career doing online jobs.
But did you know? It’s very possible to find jobs that allow you to work from home without a laptop or desktop computer if you have a smartphone.
If you are one of the Filipinos interested in making a livelihood online but can only use a smartphone, then this guide is for you. Here, you’ll learn how to find legit online jobs for phones where you can grow as a Remote Filipino Worker.
Unlike other guides, the recommendations here will focus on jobs for smartphones where you can earn P1000 a day at the minimum. These are the jobs that you can turn into an actual online career so you’ll have a reliable source of income for the long term.
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Why You Should Choose Jobs You Can Turn into an Actual Career
With the popularity of smartphones, it’s no surprise that it became a way for people to earn money online. However, many kinds of legit online jobs for phones are “dead-end” careers where you are not able to grow your skills or portfolio.
These jobs include answering surveys, watching videos, and other similar task-based work. While they are okay for the short-term, once they are gone, you are back to zero with no career advancement to show for it.
Instead, you should look for jobs you can do on your phone that will also boost your resume and portfolio. So, you’ll have a promising online career to look forward to.
Here’s a list of jobs for phones that have the opportunity for career advancement:
- Article & SEO Writing
- Data Entry, Transcription & Typing
- Graphic Design
- Video Editing
- Audio Editing
- Social Media Management
- Photography
- Tech Support
- Tutoring
- App Testing
- Consulting & Coaching
There may be other jobs you can do on a smartphone not covered on this list, but it should give you an idea of the possibilities. For details on what each of these jobs, you can check the guide “Best Online Jobs Without a Laptop or Desktop (Just Mobile).”
Of course, not all phones are created equal. More powerful phones can do every job on this list, but when using budget phones for working online your choices become limited. If you don’t have a phone yet and don’t want to overspend, check out the guide “Best Budget Phones for Working Online“.
Work from Home Without a Laptop: The Limitations of Doing Online Jobs on a Mobile Phone
Not all kinds of online jobs are possible to do on a mobile phone. While a smartphone is a powerful device, it does have its limitations.
- It’s difficult to type on phones because there’s no physical keyboard. This can be remedied by buying an external keyboard for your phone.
- It has a small screen so it’s hard to see everything that you may need to see for your work. For example, viewing and managing large amounts of data in MS Excel will be very laborious.
- But the number 1 problem in using a phone to do online jobs is that it’s very hard to multitask. Popular online jobs, such as being a virtual assistant, require you to do multiple things at once to perform the job well. So, those kinds of jobs may be out of reach for the time being.
Even with these limitations, there are still legit online jobs for phones that you can do to earn P1000 a day. These opportunities will be what we’ll focus on in the following section.
6 Step Guide to Finding Legit Online Jobs for Phones
Step 1: Test Your Smartphone’s Capabilities
Your online job opportunities will be limited by what your smartphone can do. Some phones are not built for editing videos but might be good for writing work.
That said, when choosing a service you’ll be providing to clients through your phone, it’s important to still keep an open mind. Don’t shut down any idea you have until you’ve tested it for yourself. Otherwise, you might be missing out on opportunities.
For example, before the COVID pandemic, most people believed that there were few jobs that you can do completely work from home. However, the mindset began to shift after the pandemic when people experienced for themselves exactly what can be accomplished by working remotely.
In the same way, make sure to test out any online job you are interested in if it’s possible or not to do it on your phone. You can do this by making a professional quality sample of the work required.
Step 2: Improve Your Work Output with Equipment & Software
After testing out your phone to do a variety of tasks, you should have a better idea of what kind of output you can deliver working on your phone. The next step would be to improve your work experience and output by looking for additional equipment or software.
For example, if you tested out typing on your phone, you probably found it cumbersome to type long, grammatically accurate sentences. A keyboard for phones would go a long way to increasing your typing speed. Software, such as Grammarly for mobile, would also help you spot any spelling and grammar errors much easier.
Another example would be graphic design. Apps, such as Canva or the Abobe Creative Suite, or equipment, such as a stylus pen, will make your designs reach a higher level of quality.
For a detailed guide on what you can do to improve your work from phone experience, please see the article “How to Work from Home Using Mobile Phones Philippines”.
Penguin Working on a Phone | Original Photo by The Remote Filipino Worker
Step 3: Focus on One Online Job Niche & Make Samples
At this point, you should have a better idea of what you are good at and what kind of work you enjoy doing on your smartphone. This could be anything from making social media posts, taking down notes, or editing videos.
For now, focus on where you excel. This could be the niche you start with in your online career. However, you must remember that for your niche to become an online job, there must actually be people willing to pay for it.
The next step is to look for job postings where there is an expected level of output required. Your objective is to wow potential clients with samples so you can land a job.
By doing your research on the output required, you can create samples on your phone that will become your portfolio when you apply to these jobs.
Step 4: Apply to Legit Online Jobs for Phones to Earn P1000 a Day
In this step, you need to actually start applying to online jobs that you can do on a mobile phone. Remember, the limitation of working on a smartphone is that you probably work slower than people working on a computer. This is because of a smaller screen and the inability to multitask well.
So, apply only to jobs that:
- Don’t require you to turn your camera on while working.
- Don’t have a fast-paced work environment or strict deadlines.
- Don’t check the specs of your device.
You can find these jobs in the same places you would normally find online jobs. These include job platforms like Onlinejobs.ph or social media channels like Reddit and Facebook.
Just make sure to read each post carefully. There could be valuable details in the job post that may disqualify you from being a candidate.
Here are some guides that will help you find online jobs on those platforms:
- Find Part-Time Jobs on Onlinejobs.ph: Easy 6-Step Guide
- How To Find Remote Jobs on Reddit: 8 Step Guide
- Best Facebook Groups for Online Job Seekers Philippines
- How to Get Clients Directly: 4 Tips for Filipino Freelancers
The samples you created in the previous step will be what get you hired. You should also ensure you update your resume to showcase the value you can provide your clients.
Also, for you to earn at least P1000 a day, you need to apply only to online job posts that have a salary of at least 2.5 USD per hour. That’s a low rate even for a beginner and you shouldn’t take anything less.
Step 5: Do the Job Well, Build Your Skills & Portfolio
After you get hired, you should work hard and do well on your online job. By producing quality results like it was done on a computer, you can keep your employer or client happy. As long as you perform well, there’s no need to tell your them that you are only working on your phone.
Anything you make you can save as part of your growing portfolio and pool of skills. Later, you can use them to find higher-paying jobs as you advance your career.
Compared to people working on a computer though, you can expect a bit of a learning curve as you navigate how you can work on a phone more efficiently. But it’s a temporary situation.
Once you get a few months of your salary, you can think about switching to a laptop or desktop computer.
Step 6: Upgrade & Upskill
After you have saved up enough, you might want to invest in a work-from-home laptop that’s more apt for your chosen profession. This should increase your work efficiency as well as the quality of your output.
You don’t have to buy an expensive laptop for your online job. You can check out our work-from-home laptop guide for the best devices available in the Philippines for each budget.
Think of it as an investment in yourself. By upgrading your tools, you’ll be able to command higher salaries in the future.
Of course, don’t forget to upskill as well. You can find out what skills you need next by looking at job posts that pay higher wages for more qualified professionals. Target that skill as your next milestone so you know how to advance your career step by step.
Frequently Asked Questions
i) Can you work as a virtual assistant without a laptop or desktop?
It depends on the tasks that you are expected to perform. There are two kinds of virtual assistants: 1) general VAs and 2) specialist VAs.
For general VAs, it’s difficult to work from home without a laptop or desktop computer since you may be asked to do one task today and a different task the next day. Due to the wider variety of tasks, it might be difficult for your phone to be compatible with all of them.
However, it might be possible to become a specialist VA. If you are tasked with one kind of job daily, such as only doing typing work, then you can get away with just using your smartphone.
One particular task that a phone-only specialist VA might excel in is social media management. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other popular social media are optimized to be used on a phone. So, doing the work there on your phone is not just an alternative, but may actually be the norm.
Still, once you are able to earn enough, it’s not a bad idea to invest in a work-from-home laptop that’s specifically suited for your virtual assistant job.
