There are many people working from home these days because of the advances in technology. It is possible to keep in touch with employers and customers from the comfort of your own home. Even if you never considered yourself to be particularly entrepreneurial, perhaps you will find it easy and enjoyable to be an independent contractor and work from home. A lot of people choose this way of life because it means an end to rush hour traffic, office politics and the rat race but you still need to be disciplined and serious about it because working at home is still work.

Many people who have their own businesses and work in this way know their way around a corporate structure but do not know much about bookkeeping or accountancy. They need someone else to handle this for them

balancing their books, preparing their taxes and keeping a record of their business expenses. Because of this, there are many jobs available for bookkeepers who want to work from home, either on a full time or part time basis.

A bookkeeper's functions vary with different employers but you will need to know how to perform basic accountancy procedures, accounts receivable and payable, payroll, data entry, keeping the inventory records up to date and tax assistance. Bookkeepers need to be good at math because an eye for detail and accuracy is vital. You need to be good at data entry and there will be plenty of typing (although a high word per minute count is not necessary). You should be good at solving problems.

A computer is vital these days for a bookkeeper and high speed internet access is also important. A lot of your clients might be happy using email as a means of communication but they might sometimes want to be able to phone you. You might be given specialized software from some employers to use for their accounting but a lot of them will want you to use Quickbooks. Microsoft Office is useful so you can use Excel, Word or Access when necessary.

To find such a job, you can search online job agencies, online job boards, freelance websites such as elance.com, forums and you can contact potential employers directly too. You should exercise caution when reading a listing on a job board because unfortunately there are scammers about. Scammers usually ask for money up front. If in doubt, do not respond to a dubious advert.

The pay for a bookkeeper varies. It depends on the employer and your job functions. Bookkeeping is specialized so the rate of pay will be higher than, for example, someone who only performs basic office tasks.

If your data entry skills are up to scratch and you have a love of numbers, a home business as a bookkeeper might be the prefect job for you. There are plenty of business owners who either do not have the time to do their own accounting or would prefer someone else to take care of this side of the business for them.