“I want to work remotely, but I’m not sure which jobs I’d actually be able to do.” If that sounds like you, this guide lists the job types that are well suited to remote work (working from home), along with how easy each one is to start with no prior experience. Whether a job works remotely depends heavily on the role. The more a job can be completed with just a computer and an internet connection, the more it has shifted to remote work, and the number of openings you can take on without experience is growing. In this article, we split the roles into jobs that are easy to start even without experience and specialist jobs you can aim for by building up skills, and cover the work involved, the skills you need, and rough salary estimates.
For the bigger picture, including what remote work means and how to find openings, see “What Is Remote Work? A Complete Guide to Jobs, Roles, and How to Get Started.” Reading both together will give you a clear sense of the flow from choosing a role to applying.
3 Perspectives to Know Before Choosing a Remote Work Role
To pinpoint a remote role that suits you, the quickest approach is to narrow down your options using the following three perspectives.
- Can it be completed online: The more a role can be completed with just a computer and the internet, the more fully remote openings there tend to be.
- Are there openings open to beginners: Even within the same role, how easy it is to break in depends on whether there is an entry point that welcomes people without experience.
- Is demand growing: Fields that are short-handed and eager to hire tend to be easier to enter even without experience.
[Easy to Start Even Without Experience] Remote Work Roles
First, here are roles you can take on even without specialized hands-on experience. As long as you are comfortable with basic PC operations and online tools, you can get to the starting line for applying.
Data Entry
- What the work involves: Entering and organizing specified information according to a set format. The work is often well documented with manuals, and it centers on carrying out the tasks.
- Skills needed: Basic typing and the ability to use spreadsheet software such as Excel. Accuracy and concentration are highly valued.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★★ (very easy to start). There are many work-from-home openings open to beginners, making it a classic entry point into remote work.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 2.5 to 3.5 million yen (for hourly pay, roughly 1,000 to 1,300 yen is a guide).
Online Assistant / Online Secretary
- What the work involves: Handling a wide range of back-office tasks online, such as schedule management, email correspondence, document preparation, and research.
- Skills needed: Business email etiquette, basic office software, and the ability to use chat tools. Attentiveness and strong organizational skills are an asset.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★★ (easy to start). Administrative experience is an advantage, but openings open to beginners are also increasing.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 2.5 to 4 million yen (for hourly pay, roughly 1,200 to 1,800 yen is a guide).
Customer Support / Customer Success
- What the work involves: Responding to customer inquiries via chat, email, and phone. In recent years, the number of openings handled from home has been expanding.
- Skills needed: Polite communication and writing skills. Product knowledge can often be gained through training after you join.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (relatively easy to start). Experience in customer service or sales transfers well, and there are openings that welcome beginners.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3 to 4 million yen.
Web Writer / Editorial Assistant
- What the work involves: Writing and editing web articles and columns. As long as you have an internet connection, you can do it from anywhere.
- Skills needed: The ability to write easy-to-read Japanese and to research. Basic SEO knowledge tends to raise your rates.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (easy to start). Building up a small track record through crowdsourcing before applying makes you more likely to be hired.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3 to 5 million yen (this varies with your ability and the volume of work).
- What the work involves: Creating posts for company accounts, responding to comments, and doing simple analysis.
- Skills needed: Experience using each social platform, the basics of creating text and images, and a sense for following trends. Specialized tools can be learned after you join.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (easy to start). If you use social media day to day, you can put that instinct to work.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3 to 4.5 million yen.
[Aim for by Building Skills] Specialist Remote Roles
Next are specialist roles that require you to acquire a certain level of skill, but that have plenty of remote openings and make it easier to grow your salary. Even starting without experience, a growing number of people are changing careers into these fields after studying and building up a small track record.
Web Designer / UI Designer
- What the work involves: Designing the look and usability of websites and apps. Sharing your deliverables can be completed entirely online.
- Skills needed: The ability to use Figma and Adobe tools, design fundamentals, and an understanding of HTML/CSS are strengths.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (requires study, but many take it on). If you build a portfolio, you can aim to switch careers even without experience.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3.5 to 5.5 million yen.
Web Marketer / Ad Operations
- What the work involves: Designing and running strategies for attracting customers and promoting sales based on data analysis. It is a role where you can readily demonstrate results with numbers.
- Skills needed: Access analytics tools, knowledge of ad operations, and logical thinking. A cycle of analysis and hypothesis testing is required.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (requires study). It is also popular as a step up from administrative or writing roles.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 4 to 7 million yen.
Engineer / Programmer
- What the work involves: Developing and operating systems and apps. It is one of the roles with the most fully remote openings.
- Skills needed: The ability to implement in programming languages (for example, Python or JavaScript) and a problem-solving mindset.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★☆☆ (learning takes time, but demand is huge). Many people study, build a portfolio of work, and then switch careers into this field.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 4 to 8 million yen or more (this varies widely with your skills and experience).
Video Editing
- What the work involves: Finishing videos by cutting footage and adding captions and background music. It is completed through the exchange of data.
- Skills needed: The ability to use editing software (such as Premiere Pro) and a sense for structure. You can improve through the projects you take on.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★★☆ (requires study, but easy to self-teach). Many people start as a side job and build a track record.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3 to 5 million yen.
Administrative Departments Such as Accounting and HR
- What the work involves: Back-office tasks such as accounting, payroll, and labor management. With the spread of cloud tools, handling them from home is advancing.
- Skills needed: Knowledge of bookkeeping and labor affairs, and the ability to use the relevant tools. Hands-on experience makes it easier to find remote openings.
- How easy it is to start without experience: ★☆☆ (hands-on experience is an advantage). Those with experience find it easy to move into fully remote openings.
- Rough salary estimate: Around 3.5 to 5.5 million yen.
* Salary estimates are general guides only. Actual figures vary greatly depending on experience, skills, company size, and employment type (full-time employee, contract work, and so on).
What Roles Suited to Remote Work Have in Common
Looking at the roles introduced above, jobs that lend themselves to remote work share several common traits. Use them as a reference when choosing a role.
- The work is completed through deliverables or data: It does not require physical goods or in-person handling, and can be handed over online.
- Much of the work can be done independently: It does not require constant on-the-spot coordination, so it is easy to progress at your own pace.
- Results are easy to make visible: Because they can be evaluated by deliverables or numbers, where you work is rarely an issue.
Conversely, roles that cannot do without on-site handling—such as customer service, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and construction—tend to be difficult to make remote.
Tips for Landing a Remote Role Without Experience
To land a remote work role without experience, your preparation before applying makes all the difference. Proceeding in the following order is effective.
- Consider roles with wide entry points first: Start with roles that have many openings open to beginners, such as data entry, online assistant, and writer.
- Get comfortable with online tools: Learn the basics of chat, online meetings, and cloud tools in advance.
- Build a small track record: Building a track record through crowdsourcing or side jobs proves you can work from home and gives you an edge in hiring.
- Show your suitability in your application: Highlight your self-management skills and experience working online with concrete anecdotes.
Roles That Are Difficult to Do Remotely
It is also important to know in advance whether the role you want is suited to remote work. Roles that center on on-site handling, like the following, tend to be difficult to do fully remotely.
- Customer service and sales (center on in-person handling at stores)
- Manufacturing and skilled trades (require equipment and on-site work)
- Healthcare and caregiving (center on in-person care)
- Logistics and delivery (involve on-site work and travel)
- Construction and site supervision (require on-site work and inspection)
If you want to work remotely in one of these roles, switching to a related back-office role or an adjacent role that can be completed online is also an option.
Frequently Asked Questions About Remote Work Roles
Q. Which remote roles are easy to start without experience?
Data entry, online assistant/online secretary, customer support, web writer, and social media management are roles you can take on even without specialized hands-on experience. Start by getting comfortable with basic PC operations and online tools.
Q. Which remote roles make it easy to raise your salary?
Web marketers and engineers are roles where you can grow your salary the more skills and track record you build. Even starting without experience, a growing number of people change careers after studying and building up a small track record.
Q. Can I land a remote role without qualifications?
Many remote roles do not require qualifications. If you can demonstrate practical, usable skills and your suitability for working online, being hired without qualifications is entirely possible. That said, in some roles such as accounting, having knowledge like bookkeeping is an advantage.
Summary | Choosing a Role Is the First Step to Remote Work Success
Whether you can work remotely is largely determined by the role you choose. If you have no experience, start with roles that have wide entry points, such as data entry, online assistant, customer support, writer, and social media management. If you want to grow your salary down the road, we recommend aiming for specialist roles such as designer, marketer, or engineer through study and building a track record.
Once you have a rough idea of a role, the next key step is how to find and evaluate openings. The overall picture of remote work and the flow up to applying are covered in “What Is Remote Work? A Complete Guide to Jobs, Roles, and How to Get Started,” so please make use of it as well.
