More and more people are opting to work at home, either full- or part-time. These jobs can earn you a decent paycheck, offer a flexible work schedule and be a perfect fit for those balancing other priorities. Work-at-home jobs can also be perfect for those with mobility difficulties or for whom commuting may be difficult. Work-at-home jobs are flexible, convenient and adaptable, not to mention the fact that when you work at home you are insulated from the headaches of office politics.

If you have an up-to-date computer, Internet connection and basic computer skills, you can land a well-paying, interesting and fulfilling work-at-home job. At any given time, there are thousands of legitimate work-at-home jobs out there for the taking. But work-at-home opportunities arent all sunshine and roses. There are scams out there and its important to weed out the legitimate opportunities from the suspicious ones.

Work-at-home jobs typically range from customer service, transcription and translation to data entry, administrative services, writing and graphic design. To find them, its a good idea to get online and check out one or more of the available websites that match you with employers who need your services. The benefit of using sites like these is that they do some of the legwork for you. They vet the job postings and remove those that are suspicious, leaving you to sort through a list of legitimate postings. But be careful: although these sites will do some of the sorting for you, the system isnt flawless.

Use your own common sense and remember that if something seems to good to be true, you should probably steer clear of it. Further, there is nothing to say that the site itself is legitimate. Word-of-mouth is important here, so ask other freelancers if they have had any problems with a site you are considering using. Here are a few tips for finding a legitimate work-at-home job:

* Do your homework. People love to voice their opinions, both positive and negative, online. If you are considering a work-at-home job for a particular company, organization or website, chances are someone has done it before you. Do an online search for the name of the organization and see what comes up. If someone has been jilted, youll be able to read about it and learn from their experiences.

* Line your pocket with a guarantee. Most legitimate jobs will give you some kind of guarantee that you will be paid. If you dont get that or if they are elusive about payment, stay away. The real-deal jobs will be only too happy to prove to you that they will pay you what they say they will and when.

* Put them in your address book. If contact information isnt located easily, there is probably a reason for it. If they arent willing to give you the contact information you request, dont bother dealing with them.

* Go with your gut. Weve all had that feeling. Your gut tells you something isnt right. If you get that feeling when determining the legitimacy of a work-at-home job, listen to it. Your gut is rarely wrong.

* Consider the source. If a legitimate, well-known website is touting a work-at-home job they support, its fairly safe to say the job is a good one. High-quality companies wouldnt risk their reputation singing the praises of a scam.

* Remember that the best (and most legitimate) things in life rarely come for nothing. Although it may seem like a scam if a website is asking for money, its not always the case. Often, these job sites make their money by having users sign up for a membership. The important thing is to get a guarantee. You want to have a guarantee that you can get your money back if you dont get what you paid for.

There are lots of good work-at-home jobs out there. Finding the right one for you is just a matter of doing research and turning a critical eye toward what you find. If you do your homework, then you could be soon on your way to working in your pajamas.