The Job: Do administrative tasks, such as bookkeeping and word processing, for various businesses. Some firms desire advanced skills, such as designing Web sites or legal proofreading.

The Pay: $25 to $150 per hour

The Hours: At least 10 to 12 hours a week. Some jobs, like handling customer-service calls, require you to work during the day. But tasks such as making flyers or analyzing spreadsheets can often be done at night.

What You Need: A computer, Internet connection, fax, separate phone line and, depending on the work, proficiency with office software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

How to Get Started: Learn more about the industry by contacting the International Virtual Assistants Association (ivaa.org)and the Alliance for Virtual Businesses (allianceforvirtualbiz.com). Then check out guru.com and elance.com for freelance job listings. Also contact former employers.

Online Auctioneer

The Job: Sell products at online auction sites like eBay, Yahoo! or MSN auctions. Either buy items at a discount and resell at a higher price, or sell items for other people and take a cut of the profits. Do research on the auction sites first to see what the hot sellers are, says Barb Webb, co-author (with Maureen Heck) of The Mom’s Guide to Earning and Saving Thousands on the Internet. Offering new products? Watch sales at local stores so you can snap up stuff to sell.

The Pay: Varies widely. Webb, who buys clothing bargains at bricks-and-mortar stores and then resells them on eBay (often for double what she paid!), says online auctioneers can make $5,000 a year working 10 hours a week. A typical consignment commission is 25 percent of the price.

The Hours: Up to you

What You Need: A computer, Internet connection and a digital camera to take photos of items to sell.

How to Get Started:Test what sells by listing garage-sale goods you have. Branch out to reselling new products or used ones from family for a commission. Also find used stuff by placing ads in church bulletins and on local public-notice boards.

Direct Sales

The Job: Sell goods — from cosmetics to scrapbooks — on one-on-one client visits or phone calls, or at parties where you get potential clients together. Of the 13.6 million direct salespeople in the U.S., about 80 percent are women. “Many moms direct sell because of the flexible schedule,” says Amy Robinson, director of communications for the Direct Selling Association.

The Pay: $5,000 a year working 15 to 20 hours a week. Earn commission on products you sell and, with some companies, also get a two to five percent commission on the sales of anyone you bring to work for the company.

The Hours: Flexible, but there is time spent training, then filing, preparing and delivering orders, plus organizing the parties or sales calls.

What You Need: Good people skills and lots of motivation.

How to Get Started: Check the Direct Selling Association’s Web site (dsa.org). Some well-established firms to consider: Tastefully Simple (which sells easy meals), The Longaberger Company (housewares), Creative Memories (scrapbooking) and Mary Kay (cosmetics).

Tutor

The Job: Help students with homework, studying and organizing skills. Tutors with expertise in math, reading and foreign languages are in high demand.

The Pay: Varies widely, depending on the subjects you tutor, your experience and where you live. A calculus tutor in Chicago might charge $75 per hour, while a rural elementary-school math tutor might charge $20. Online services, such as tutor.com, where you assist kids over the Web, pay about $10 an hour.

The Hours:Your choice, influenced by your clients’ needs

What You Need: Prior teaching experience or an advanced degree may be required by some clients, and a knack for working with kids.

How to Get Started: Meet with guidance counselors and principals at local schools to ask for referrals. Post a flyer at your neighborhood library or online at craigslist.org.

Mystery Shopper

The Job: Pose as an ordinary customer at a store, retail Web site or other business, then fill out an evaluation to help the company assess how it’s doing. Typically, you start with simple assignments, such as fast-food eateries: You might be asked to order a meal and then answer questions about the service. As you gain experience, take on more complicated and higher-paying questionnaires. A bank visit might require you to ask about IRAs, then write an analysis of the service.

The Pay: $5 to $150 per report, depending on details requested

The Hours: Varies depending on the report and how many you do. In some cases, you buy one item and fill out a one-page survey. Other assignments might take an hour or longer.

What You Need: Strong observation and writing skills. Some shoppers record impressions in a mini tape recorder, says Judith Rappold, president of Business Resources, a mystery-shopping firm in Austin, Tex., and author of Get Paid to Shop.

How to Get Started: The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (mysteryshop.org) lists jobs; the International Association of Service Evaluators (iasemysteryshop.com) provides a list of member companies.