Skyes Home Powered by Alpine Access

Thanks to the success of my post on Convergys, I decided to focus on another phone job.  Welcome to my post on Skyes Home Powered by Alpine Access.  Again, this is not something that I have had a chance to apply for or work as my home is not set up for any phone work with two kids and two dogs that do not provide a quiet work environment.  They are currently hiring, so I figured I would pass it on.  Please feel to comment if you have worked or work for this company or message me in private if you prefer.  Unlike many of the WAH jobs I post, this company will actually treat you as an employee rather than a freelancer.  Breaking this down, it means that you will be a W-2 employee where taxes are taken out of your check, and you can be eligible for benefits.  This company only hires in certain states in the U.S. and 8 providences in Canada (sorry to all my other international readers).  Now, as with most other WAH jobs this does require you to provide your own equipment, and they have requirements to ensure that you will have the right equipment to get the job done.  This should be checked before you apply.  The company also does not reimburse you for your internet service or your phone bill.  Again, this is why it is important to have a tax professional to speak with as these expenses may be able to be written off of your taxes as business expenses.  Make sure to keep your equipment receipts and service bills just in case they are able to be written off of your taxes.

If you receive a job offer, there is one fee required as they run a background and credit check which will be $45.00.  They do not count many things as negatives on your credit check (like medical bills), so this may not be as dire as it sounds if you have been out of work for a while.  They have both full-time and part-time positions available.  Benefits, such as insurance coverage, are available through the company, as well as other benefits like a 401(k) after a person meets the eligibility.  Payment is direct deposit (so make sure you have an account that offers direct deposit), and occurs every two weeks.  The average base pay is $9.00 an hour.  The nice thing is that you get paid for the hours worked rather than just the times you are on the phone.  It is only for inbound calls, and they have a variety of clients they provide services to, so you may have a variety of types of calls to take. 

Pros –

• Employee rather than freelancer
• Direct Deposit
• Get paid every two weeks
• Benefits available
• Full and part time positions available
• Inbound calling only

Cons –

• Fee for background check
• Schedule
• Requires certain technology and service requirements
• Lengthy application process

Overall, if you are in a position where a phone job would work out well, then check out this company.  The pros certainly seem to outweigh the cons in this one.  I’d love to hear from anyone with some experience with them.