Appen is proud to offer remote and online opportunities for workers in countries all around the world. We spoke to one of our Appen freelancers in Thailand about the skills she learns and the ways she improves her work-life balance.
Projects at Appen are great because I know I will get paid to learn about something new. It is rewarding to improve my language skills in English, too.
–Cherapa W., Appen Evaluator from the Asia-Pacific Region
How did you learn about Appen?
A friend of mine worked on an Appen project in Canada. She told me about the online application and I found many opportunities available in the Asia-Pacific region. When I applied, I tried for more than one job opening. Because my friend already told me about her project with Appen, I knew it would be a great opportunity to practice my English!
What are some benefits of having a work-from-home job?
When I first applied for Appen, I was working in a big city. There was a lot of traffic. It was very noisy, and sometimes the streets would be difficult to cross, especially in the rainy season. I wanted to spend more time at my home in the rural part of the country. With an online job, I can stay at my home and avoid traffic. I can also learn more about the internet and technology since I am working on my computer.
How do you find your work/life balance?
I plan out my tasks for the whole week, and like to spread out my time equally each day. Because I am in a rural area, there isn’t any street noise to distract me. I have a place in my home where it is quiet. I can get my work done with focus.
What has surprised you the most about working for Appen?
There are many different tasks you can work on at Appen. At first, I was assigned a translation project. It was exciting because a big goal of mine was to learn better English. With an Appen job, you get to work with a project manager who makes sure your work is high-quality.
After the translation project, I had the opportunity to become a Web Search Evaluator. It is amazing because I learn so much. The tasks require me to read many types of stories on the internet in my home country’s language. Some stories are funny, and some stories are more serious. When I do my evaluations, I help determine which stories are genuine and which need to be researched further.
What are some important and rewarding things about your job?
Flexible-time for my project is important because I can complete my tasks and also plan for my life. I can also choose to work at other types of jobs at the same time. Projects at Appen are great because I know I will get paid to learn about something new. It is rewarding to improve my language skills in English, too. As long as I complete all my tasks on time, I continue to get offered jobs when they are available in my country.
What advice do you have for those who are thinking about applying for Appen?
I tell other people to think about the opportunities at Appen as projects. They have a start date and an end date. You need to have discipline to continue the project, and it is important to communicate with your project managers. Sometimes they are not able to respond right away, but if I send an email about a tool that is broken, I know it will get fixed.
When you work from home, you have to have your own place where you can focus on the job. My tasks involve a lot of reading, so it is helpful that my house is a quiet place where I can focus on my tasks. If you are able to plan your schedule well and stay focused on your tasks, you will find a lot of success at Appen!
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If you enjoyed reading what Cherapa had to say about freelancing with Appen, visit appen.com/careers to see our available opportunities.
