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5. PLATFORMS WHERE ONE CAN FIND
JOBS ONLINE
There are pro-freelancer
sites coming up each day; sites that help people give and receive jobs.
In this section, we shall
sample a few of those sites, analyzing what they focus on and the general
characteristics of the sites.
I shall list only six
among the many sites available.
There are many more sites; so it is
upon you to decide which is the most suitable.
6.
THE HASSLES OF WORKING FROM KENYA
There is no big trouble working from
Kenya provided you have the right materials for your job. With the improved
telecommunication networks and as mobile providers compete to give the most
cutting-edge data services, the working part isn’t troublesome.
The real trouble comes when you are
receiving payments. Most employers pay via PayPal, which is arguably the best
payment platform online. Withdrawing PayPal in Kenya is no walk in the park
because, as far as I am concerned, no bank supports the withdrawal, or has a
consistent withdrawal mode through a credit card. PayPal mostly supports
American banks.
In my initial days of online working,
I was almost giving up. I had some dollars in my PayPal which were mere figures
because I couldn’t get the money into my wallet. Before I hanged my boots, I
did post a desperate question on Google Baraza asking for anyone who could
help. I was glad to be connected to www.paympesa.com,
a site that converts PayPal money to M-Pesa. So, I was able to process the
payment to my M-Pesa. You should have seen how happy I was upon receiving the
money.
There are other withdrawal avenues too,
but I have realised that there is a lot of fraud going on through PayPal, so
some sites do not like Kenyan PayPal account holders to work with them. I could
have mentioned names but I am not too sure if that will be wise. PayMpesa.com
says that is the reason why it takes 5 days for them to process PayPal money
into one’s M-Pesa.
There is another site, www.kenyabuy.com,
which allows you to shop with the PayPal money. You link the purchase to your
nearest supermarket then you shop for goods. The Kenyabuy guys do the shopping
for you then send the receipt electronically to the supermarket you choose. It
takes no more than four days. I tried it and my shopping was ready for picking
in less than 24 hours.
Another withdrawal option, much
similar to PayMpesa.com because they also send PayPal money to your M-Pesa, is The
Kenyan Store. They promise to
deliver the money within the day. I tried them and they, too, did not
disappoint.
If your employer pays through Moneybookers,
there is epay
Kenya for that. It offers an
exclusive Moneybookers-Mpesa withdrawal option; and they promise to pay within an
hour.
Another challenge for a Kenyan worker
is getting the first assignment. Most employers prefer native English speakers
(especially in writing jobs), or at least people with experience. But with
resilience, you will not miss something to do.
Kenyapesa.com also offers withdrawals from PayPal and Moneybookers to your Mpesa account.
ReplyDeleteTheir rates are very reasonable and the cash is delivered within 24 hours.