Job with benefits
We’ll get to the hourly pay in a minute, but the real value in these
jobs is probably in the flexibility and those two little words: “with
benefits.” Because if you work more than 20 hours a week at Amazon, the
company says, you get:
“… life and disability insurance, dental and vision
insurance with premiums paid in full by Amazon, and funding toward
medical insurance,” along with the company’s Career Choice program,
which “prepays 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand
fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a future career
at Amazon.”
“There are lots of people who want or need a flexible job–whether
they’re a military spouse, a college student, or a parent–and we’re
happy to empower these talented people no matter where they happen to
live,” Tom Weiland, Amazon vice president for worldwide customer
service, said in a press release.
In addition to these positions, Amazon says it’s hiring another
25,000 part-timers to work onsite this year, and another 100,000
full-timers over the next 18 months.
The fine print
There’s no word on what the home-based jobs pay in the press release,
but a separate job listing says the “pay rate nationwide is $10.00 per
hour.”
And, at least for now, it looks like the part-time hours are limited
to nighttime and weekend work, which could make it tough for parents who
were hoping to work while their kids are at school, for example.
Also–again at least for now–Amazon is limiting hiring to people who
live in 26 of the 50 states. You can
find the details and the
application process here.
Nobody is going to get rich working from home for Amazon for $10 an
hour, of course, but even though we’re technically at full employment in
America, that’s an economic term–of course there are still people who
would like to be working but can’t find jobs.
Among them: lots of stay-at-home moms, military spouses, and others
who need income but might not have the flexibility to work outside their
homes. Here’s hoping other companies follow suit, and that these
unemployed and underemployed workers might now have a steady, new,
workable option.
