Customer service is one of the most widely known work-from-home job categories, and big-name companies like JetBlue and Coca-Cola have hired telecommuting customer service reps. But did you know that even the most high-level technical support folks are working from home? These professionals provide technical advice and direction over the phone to important clients to help keep businesses running smoothly all day, every day. Depending on the needs of the client, work at home technical advisor positions are available for day, evening, and overnight shifts, making them super-flexible for folks with strong technical savvy and excellent customer service skills.

Can you run a whole organization from your home office? In a word – Yes! Whether searching for a CEO or Executive Director, many companies are now turning these positions virtual because it helps them widen their geographic search area, bring in a wider variety of highly qualified applicants, and keep overhead costs low by eliminating the need for office space.

Nonprofit organizations have long possessed a penchant for staying nimble because each year they balance an increasing need for their services with an unpredictable budget that could face cuts at every turn. One of the ways nonprofits, large and small, stay flexible is by hiring telecommuters. This dramatically lowers the costs of office space and overhead. Nonprofit directors who enjoy working from home will find their days spent working with the board of directors, managing budgets, creating strategic plans, and maintaining records, all from their home offices. And if you’re the Community Gardens Director, you can spend more time in your own home garden while you manage the community’s as well.

Professionals in the culinary world experience their fair share of restaurant work. The odd hours and grueling pace make lots of chefs want to head for the hills but there are options. Small companies are starting to seek out chefs who can prepare lunch and dinner for their staff members during the week. These company chefs are able to cook the entire meals in their homes where they are surrounded by their favorite kitchen gadgets and a familiar layout. These jobs usually also include delivery of the meals, so it’s important for chefs to live near the company, but be willing and able to work at home.

If you’re interested in public service, local, state, and national governments are increasingly hiring for work-from-home jobs. In fact, the federal government has committed itself to telecommuting with the 2010 Telework Enhancement Act which requires federal agencies to make as many of their jobs as possible work-from-home positions. Even at the county level, professionals can find telecommuting positions in transportation engineering, city planning, land development, zoning, and other areas. Imagine sitting in your office, analyzing transportation usage, preparing reports, interacting with county officials and citizens, and serving the public from the comfort of your home. Telecommuting county planners and other government pros can do just that.

Advertising jobs are increasingly being turned into telecommuting positions where professionals at all levels, even directors, work from their home offices. Because an advertising director’s main tasks are collaborating with partner agencies, internal stakeholders, and their team, communication is an essential component of this job so even though they’re working alone at home, these professionals will be frequently in touch with a variety of people from around the world. High energy and task-juggling skills are a must!

Companies in every industry are realizing the value of having employees working from home in the markets they serve, and that’s why the sales occupation is at the forefront of the telecommuting movement. As you can see from this job title, telecommuting jobs exist for all levels of sales people, from entry level through the director of sales for vital accounts and clients. While strategic account directors work primarily from home, they spend a good amount of time visiting clients and maintaining relationships.

For such a traditional job, grant writers are certainly at the cutting edge of employment because a number of grant writer positions are now work-from-home jobs. Whether working as a freelancer for multiple clients, or as the grant writer for one organization, these professionals are able to work with clients to prepare proposals and grant applications from their home offices.

It makes sense that if telecommuting jobs are popping up in a number of surprising industries, then the people responsible for hiring those telecommuters would also work from home! Depending on the company, recruiters can be home-based in locations across the country, allowing them to most cost-effectively attend recruiting events, increase candidate pools and find well-qualified applicants.

You’re not seeing things: K-12 teaching positions have gone virtual! A number of charter schools, academies, and educational organizations have begun recruiting top-notch teachers for all sorts of teaching positions like math, science, geography, foreign languages, music, art, technology, and even physical education. Licensed and certified teachers are responsible for running online instructions and tutorials, monitoring and evaluating student progress, and collaborating with other teachers and learning coaches to ensure student success. Many of the employers are nationwide organizations that contract with local schools, so there is opportunity everywhere!