Before a chair, recliner or bed makes it to the showroom and eventually in someone’s house, it has to be tested for safety and comfort. Many companies such as Lazy Boy hire furniture testers to carry out such work.
You will be required to sit in, lay on and wiggle around in a piece of furniture and grade it according to comfort. Think about it for a moment. Your job is to find comfort in a piece of furniture. Of course you will have to do this many times over each day but such is the life of a furniture tester. Many companies hire out temporary or summer help for this type of work but it’s not a bad gig if you can get it. With all of the sitting, standing and moving around you may even burn a few calories.
There is no required training for such a position but some companies have height and weight guidelines so check them out before applying.
In addition to comfort testing there is safety testing. This is more of a laboratory research type of job and requires some laboratory experience. There are strict standards that the piece of furniture needs to meet in order for the furniture to be available for sale to the public. Some companies perform these test onsite while other businesses like Inertek are in business to do nothing but test furniture.
The next time you sit in your easy chair or recline on your sofa and think: “Boy is this comfy” - you can thank a furniture tester for doing the hard work of making sure that the comfy factor is in place before it hit the showroom.
Showing posts with label working independently. Show all posts
Showing posts with label working independently. Show all posts
Street Performer
Take it to the streets – literally! A very entertaining and interesting career choice. A street performer is someone who provides on the spot work or entertainment to paying customers. You might have seen them at fairs, festivals or amusement parks giving henna tattoos, face painting or caricatures to the delight of fair goers or passerby’s. If you have ever passed someone playing an instrument while onlookers toss coins and cash into their instrument case, you have witnessed a street performer.
If you have a talent that you can perform on the spot such as balloon animals, magic tricks or juggling that is entertaining to others then you too can be a street performer. You don’t need any special degrees or training to perform. All you need is a talent, an outgoing friendly personality and a permit. Yes a permit or license.
In order to be legal you will need to apply to the local government of the town you wish to do business in for a permit and or license. There you will find out what restrictions may be imposed on a street performer. Some types of performances or materials may be banned or require special approvals so be sure to do your homework and ask questions. You should also register with the state and federal governments to really keep things legit as a business owner so don’t skirt the issue – a street performer is a business owner in the field of entertainment.
Once you have your license/permit you are ready for action. Make sure comply with all town regulations in order to stay in business. Now find your talent and share it with the world!
If you have a talent that you can perform on the spot such as balloon animals, magic tricks or juggling that is entertaining to others then you too can be a street performer. You don’t need any special degrees or training to perform. All you need is a talent, an outgoing friendly personality and a permit. Yes a permit or license.
In order to be legal you will need to apply to the local government of the town you wish to do business in for a permit and or license. There you will find out what restrictions may be imposed on a street performer. Some types of performances or materials may be banned or require special approvals so be sure to do your homework and ask questions. You should also register with the state and federal governments to really keep things legit as a business owner so don’t skirt the issue – a street performer is a business owner in the field of entertainment.
Once you have your license/permit you are ready for action. Make sure comply with all town regulations in order to stay in business. Now find your talent and share it with the world!
Travel Agent
Who doesn’t love a vacation? Time off to see the world even if only for a few days. Experience different cultures, take in the sights and cuisine or simply relax and do nothing. When you arrive home do you tell everyone and anyone about your trip? After seeing your pictures and hearing all the wonderful things you did are you often asked for information on where you stayed on where the best places to visit are? Are you more than happy to supply them with all of this information and help them plan their trip? If so, then you could make a living as a home based travel agent.
A travel agent markets, plans and sells transportation and accommodations to people looking to go on vacation. This could be a trip to Disney, a cruise to alaska ora full european vacation. You would take care of everything from limousine services, car rental, hotel and air travel as well as entertainment and meal packages.
Training and certification is not necessary depending on where you choose to work. There are many travel agencies where you could take a position as an agent in their office but the truth is that you don’t have to. You could be a home based travel agent. In order to collect commissions for the trips you book you will need to work with merchants and set up an account. Typically they require an ARC (airline reporting corporation) or CLIA (cruise line international association) or IATA (international air transportation association) number; they may also require you to have previous sales of travel packages, travel agent certifications and sufficient funding in your business account. Not all merchants require the same criteria. In order to obtain an ARC or IATA number you can apply directly to the organizations. Some key requirements for membership include:
Proof of legal form of business
Proof of commitment to travel business through sales & financial standing
Errors and Omissions insurance
Ethical responsibilities
State and local licensing
For a quick peek at detailed requirements for IATA membership click here.
If you choose not to apply for such numbers or to set up merchant accounts but still want to be on your own you could work as an independent contractor and team up with a host agency in order to collect commissions on your bookings. The host agency would act as a liaison between you and the merchant in order to collect a commission. The host company will split the commission with you.
No matter which way you go, independent home based contractor or agent in an already established agency, if you truly enjoy planning vacations this is one career that will take you places.
A travel agent markets, plans and sells transportation and accommodations to people looking to go on vacation. This could be a trip to Disney, a cruise to alaska ora full european vacation. You would take care of everything from limousine services, car rental, hotel and air travel as well as entertainment and meal packages.
Training and certification is not necessary depending on where you choose to work. There are many travel agencies where you could take a position as an agent in their office but the truth is that you don’t have to. You could be a home based travel agent. In order to collect commissions for the trips you book you will need to work with merchants and set up an account. Typically they require an ARC (airline reporting corporation) or CLIA (cruise line international association) or IATA (international air transportation association) number; they may also require you to have previous sales of travel packages, travel agent certifications and sufficient funding in your business account. Not all merchants require the same criteria. In order to obtain an ARC or IATA number you can apply directly to the organizations. Some key requirements for membership include:
Proof of legal form of business
Proof of commitment to travel business through sales & financial standing
Errors and Omissions insurance
Ethical responsibilities
State and local licensing
For a quick peek at detailed requirements for IATA membership click here.
If you choose not to apply for such numbers or to set up merchant accounts but still want to be on your own you could work as an independent contractor and team up with a host agency in order to collect commissions on your bookings. The host agency would act as a liaison between you and the merchant in order to collect a commission. The host company will split the commission with you.
No matter which way you go, independent home based contractor or agent in an already established agency, if you truly enjoy planning vacations this is one career that will take you places.
Inventory Counter
If you’ve ever been to the grocery store and spied little tickets hanging from the shelves then you have been a witness to the diligence of inventory counters. You may have even seen them in grocery or department stores, they are the people with hand held machines counting items and leaving little tickets on shelves in their wake. If you enjoy working on your own and traveling from job site to job site to conduct your business then being an Inventory Counter could prove to be an enjoyable career for you.
Hours vary as the work that is performed is usually done in the evening or in the middle of the day to avoid high congestion hours. It all depends on the client. Duties will include traveling to customer job sites and recording inventory information using any on of the many audit machines that various companies use to collect data. The audit company you work for will provide training in the use of these machines. Preparing customer reports based on the data collected is also part of the job. This valuable information helps the company in many was including future product purchase.
You could very well work in a variety of locations in one day. You may find yourself on sales floors, in stockrooms or warehouses counting various things from machine parts to clothing or groceries. Dependability, reliable transportation and attention to detail are a must.
Many auditing firms require little to no experience as training is often provided. If you can work independently and don’t mind daily travel then you should look into this interesting career choice.
Hours vary as the work that is performed is usually done in the evening or in the middle of the day to avoid high congestion hours. It all depends on the client. Duties will include traveling to customer job sites and recording inventory information using any on of the many audit machines that various companies use to collect data. The audit company you work for will provide training in the use of these machines. Preparing customer reports based on the data collected is also part of the job. This valuable information helps the company in many was including future product purchase.
You could very well work in a variety of locations in one day. You may find yourself on sales floors, in stockrooms or warehouses counting various things from machine parts to clothing or groceries. Dependability, reliable transportation and attention to detail are a must.
Many auditing firms require little to no experience as training is often provided. If you can work independently and don’t mind daily travel then you should look into this interesting career choice.
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