By Natalya Koshnitsky, Marketing Manager, Resource Partnership
If you have an injury, illness or a disability that limits your ability to sustain a 9 to 5 office job, consider working from home. It may be an ideal scenario for you and your family, as it eliminates your commute, gives your schedule flexibility and lets you design your own office space. Interested? Let’s get you started. The non-profit organization National Telecommuting Institute (NTI) finds work-at-home e-jobs for people with disabilities and thereby, “enables individuals with disabilities to train for and work online in environments that are easily accessible to them.”
Jobs offered at NTI
NTI trains qualified individuals with disabilities to work primarily as customer service representatives. Depending on the employer, the tasks may include taking orders, resolving billing issues, providing product or service information, providing technical support or making reservations. Other employment opportunities include medical transcription, quality control and assurance, government survey work, or business-to-business telemarketing. NTI’s typical employer clients include: Ticket Master, Home Shopping Network, Alamo, AAA Emergency Roadside Assistance, Lens Express, Staples, 800 Flowers, the IRS, the 800 Medicare Hotline and the Department of Labor.
Requirements
To be considered eligible for one of NTI positions, you have to meet NTI’s basic requirements, which include having a disability, speaking with a clear voice, being comfortable using a computer and being able to work at least 20 hours per week. If you meet these basic requirements, your chance to be matched with a telework position is estimated to be greater than 50%.
Worried you don’t have enough or too much education? Don’t! Applicants are not required to have a specific level of education. According to NTI Program Manager John Bertram: “ Some candidates are highly educated (Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degrees), some are still in the process of getting their GED, and many are in between. Since most of our positions are in the customer service arena, most candidates will gear their application and resumes to reflect related or actual experience in this field.”
NTI primarily works with current consumers of state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies or those willing to become VR consumers. Dr. M.J. Willard, the Executive Director of NTI prefers to work with consumers of the state VRs because “VR agencies pay training fees to NTI on behalf of their clients, so that the individuals do not have to pay. Additionally, VR agencies will usually pay for the equipment and services their clients will require to work from home, such as replacing or upgrading a personal computer or installing high-speed Internet access. Each VR agency decides what they will pay for on a case-by-case basis. Lastly, employers who hire NTI's clients can receive a Work Opportunity Tax Credit if they hire individuals the VR agency certifies as having a disability.”
Career and growth opportunities
There are a lot of opportunities to grow professionally while working from home. As Dr. Willard states: “Individuals who perform well can move up to more demanding and higher-paying call center work. Some of our government jobs pay as much as $17 per hour. Some employees have become call center supervisors or quality control specialists.” She continues, “NTI facilitates these job transitions as a part of our basic service. And, of course, some people will use call center wages to pay bills as they build their own home-based business. We're committed to offering choices to home-based people with disabilities. These choices will increase as the number of virtual work options increases.”
Your Social Security benefits
Depending on your disability and your work objectives, NTI’s clients can choose to work full time, and earn enough so that they go off benefits, or they can apply for part-time positions, also available through NTI, in which case they usually retain their benefits. As Dr. Willard explains: “Many of the applicants referred to us by VR agencies have very severe disabilities and don't have the stamina for full-time work. Fortunately, most of our participating call center employers allow part-time work as a reasonable accommodation.”
Equipment needed to perform the job
NTI does not require its clients to purchase any equipment to interview for employment, but “If a candidate is selected to work and will be hired, the candidate must meet the home office requirements of the job before beginning to train,” states Mr. Bertram. He continues, “It is the candidate that is responsible to have all the necessary equipment for training.” This being said, NTI does not expect clients to purchase the equipment with their own money. They can borrow it from a friend or a family member or obtain it through their VR counselor. “NTI has worked with individuals from the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) system and in many (not all) cases, their VR Counselor has assisted them in obtaining equipment, including a personal computer with high speed Internet, a business telephone and office furniture, to work from home,” notes Mr. Bertram.
Still interested in working from home?
The first step in obtaining a telecommuting job through NTI is to fill out an online application, which will demonstrate your level of computer and Internet knowledge. You’ll be asked to attach your resume. Once you have successfully filled out an application, NTI will get back to you in about 10 business days and will schedule a pre-screening interview, which may last from 15 to 60 minutes. If both you and your interviewer feel confident that you are a good match for the types of jobs NTI has to offer, your interviewer will email you several online tests to verify your basic computer and Internet skills. When you successfully complete the tests, NTI will discuss positions currently open or you may look into future jobs if you are not interested in any of the positions available right now.
For more information on the NTI, please visit their website at www.nticentral.org.
February 2008
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