People tell you never to pay for a job when you’re looking for work online. So, you’re probably wondering if you can trust the Flexjobs.com reviews you’ve been reading around the internet, and if you should really be paying for their service. I wasn’t sure either! So I actually joined as a paying member to dig inside and find out what it was all about, and if it was even worth the money to pay for job listings.
So, what exactly is Flexjobs.com?
This website is actually a comprehensive database that provides job seekers access to prescreened work at home and part time, flexible schedule job openings. You are not paying for them to land you a job. There are also additional benefits provided like job tips, skill testing and discounts at partner websites. It requires a monthly fee, which is why some people question the service.
It’s important to understand that Flexjobs.com is NOT related to myflexjob.com… the two are completely different websites and services. Myflexjob is a borderline scam company, Flexjobs is NOT! I know many people out there are getting them confused (including myself) so I thought I’d clear that up!
Who is using it this service – is it really popular?
According to the company, over 1 million people have used Flexjobs to look for employment (they’ve been around since 2007). However, they don’t publicly disclose the number of current members.
They have been featured on many news outlets, including NBC, WSJ, CNN and USA Today.
What type of work will you be able to find?
There is a pretty broad spectrum of jobs listed within the Flexjobs database. They have jobs that are 100% at home, some that are just partly at home, and others that require a lot of travel.
What I found searching through these job listing is that there is a pretty big emphasis on higher paying career type positions – many require advanced degrees and several years of experience. However, they do still have a few entry level positions so it isn’t exclusively for those with degrees.
It has a lot of benefits of a regular job board, but is entirely dedicated to those looking for a more flexible work schedule than the 9-5.
But are there actually 100% telecommuting jobs listed?
The biggest benefit of using a service like Flexjobs for most people is most likely the ease of access to true telecommuting job openings. And while they do have them, unfortunately, they aren’t in the majority.
At the time of my search, there were about 11,300 jobs listed overall, with no restricting factors.
After selecting the option to narrow down to 100% telecommuting positions, the job listings fell to about 3,000. (Out of those, less than 300 were entry level positions)
So, this means less than 30% of the jobs listed in their database are true work at home positions. If you’re looking for entry level, it’s going to be around 3%.
The good thing is, you can filter the results to show only the telecommuting jobs so you don’t have to try and sort through them yourself.
There still are a decent amount of job listings, and they update it extremely often.
Some at home positions listed on Flexjobs… (but they are constantly changing!)
How much does it cost?
There are 3 options when you choose to sign up with Flexjobs.com:
1 year – $49.95 (just over $4 per month)
3 months – $29.95 (about $10 per month)
1 month – $14.95 (can also usually grab the first month for a 50% discount and pay only $7.50)
Why bother paying for it?
- Keep updated listings of current work at home job openings
- Screen for scams/business opportunities
- Saves a lot of time because you don’t have to do all the work of finding these jobs
- Lists jobs that may not otherwise be listed as “telecommuting” positions
- Won’t sell your information (you won’t get spammed through your inbox or phone)
Keep in mind a lot of these jobs are hard to find or aren’t listed in a highly public space, so if you don’t know where to look or just want to save time, it may be worth it.
“Exclusive” member discounts???
They also advertise additional perks like member discounts for services like Grammarly, Lynda.com, and Quickbooks Self-Employed + Turbo Tax (plus a lot more).
The only thing is, these discounts are not exclusive to being a Flexjobs member. For example, they offer an “exclusive” discount for 50% off per month for Quickbooks Self Employed, but a Google search showed the discount was openly available for anyone to use with a coupon code.
For Lynda.com, they offered a 10 day free trial, but even going directly to Lynda’s website will show that they offer the 10 day free trial to everyone.
Now, you wouldn’t sign up for their service for these bonus offers anyway, but it should be pointed out these are not that great
The Good vs Bad of Flexjobs.com
The Good
- You get easy access to up to date, legit job listings for flexible/at home work
- You don’t have to weed through scams or dead job postings
- Easy options to narrow down your search – can screen by level of flexibility to only view the home positions
- Saves time
- Can take skills test in relevant areas for employers to see
- You can grab a month for only $7.50
- Canceling is easy and can be done directly from your online profile – you don’t have to deal with calling a customer service line (that’s the WORST!!!)
- They offer a 30 day money back guarantee
The Bad
- Most people don’t want to pay for a service to find a job
- It is only worth it to use the service for a month or two if you’re actively looking for flexible work, but it’s tempting to buy the year subscription since it’s such a discounted rate!
- Only 30%* of their listings are for fully at home jobs
- Only 3%* of their listings are 100% at home, ENTRY LEVEL positions
*stats apply to the time of my search – they may vary slightly throughout the year
Conclusion – Would I recommend Flexjobs?
Many think it’s silly to pay to find a job, but in the case of Flexjobs I would say it may be worth it for certain people. For those seriously trying to find an at home or flexible position, who don’t have a lot of extra time to try and weed through everything themselves, and who are experienced in a particular field may find it extremely helpful with their job search.
Even those looking for basic entry level customer service positions may find some good leads.
But at the end of the day, it’s important to understand what you are paying for with your Flexjobs membership and decide if it’d be worth it for you. You are not paying for them to find you a job, you are paying for them to provide you with up to date job postings that are guaranteed to be legitimate.
Finding work is hard, and there’s no guarantee you’ll land a position by signing up. If you don’t have a degree or tons of experience, you are going to be hard pressed to find anything that isn’t customer service.
I appreciate this honest review. Seems like it may be worthwhile to at least give a month a try based off of your feedback.
I joined flex jobs for about two months. I finally gave up and requested my money back. It seems to me that flex jobs offer you the world but when you apply for a job you don’t stand a chance. I was really disappointed as I have been in the workforce for 25 years and have so many skills to offer but no one will give you a look in, even if you’ve updated your skills. What a shame.
I would never waste my money or time again on such a ludicrous scheme.
Thanks for sharing your experience with FlexJobs, Natalie. I think it may not be much different than trying to apply for any job, these days it’s pretty much a crap shoot. The service will search and find legitimate jobs for you, but actually getting hired by these companies may be a whole other story!
I had heard of this company before but wasn’t sure about it, glad to see such a comprehensive review on it.. I think even signing up for a month or two may be worth it to find a part time job you can do from home..Another avenue for me to explore to make extra income.
This is an interesting article. I never heard of flexjobs. I want to thank you because that may be something I would use in the future. Anyway, your article was thorough and entertaining. I like how you said that you are not paying for a job but paying for them to find you up to date postings and there is some scam protection and etc. along wit it. Great Article!
WendyJane,
Thank you for letting us know that FlexJobs and MyFlexJobs are not 1 and the same and that FlexJobs is legit while MyFlexJobs isn’t.
1,000,000 users since 2007 seems like such a high number, It would be nice to know how many of those upgraded and how many are current members.
I agree with you that the FlexJobs seems like such a bargain for a year except that how many will still be looking for a job for a year.
Then again in today’s economy you never know ….
Thank you also for mentioning the different discounts that we can enjoy if we were to become upgraded members at FlexJobs.
Your review is very informative and gives us helpful information to decide if we would like to use their services or not.
Thank You Wendy Jane,
Tony
You blog review of Flex jobs is fantastic. I am so glad you highlighted the fact they are not MyFlexJobs which I know are a scam.
You covered all the questions I would ask and more. And you review appears to very honest without pushing another offer. I am thinking seriously of joining Flex Jobs. Thank You.
Cheers Kev
Interesting review you have here on flexjobs. I have personally never heard about it, so it was an eye opening post for me. It certainly is comforting to know that a website with legitimate job offers exists. It is quite difficult these days to distinguish the scams that seem to be everywhere. Thanks for giving us a thorough review of something trustworthy.
Hi Wendy, and thanks for introducing me to Flexjobs. I’d never coma cross this site before, and that is possibly due to the fact that it is primarily USA based. You have been absolutely candid in your review of the services offered by this site, especially when you mention that at the end of the day there are only some 3%full time home based jobs regularly advertised there. And that brings me to my next question, one which many others will have asked you, I’m sure. Why should the job seeker pay them a membership fee? Surely shouldn’t it be the prospective employer to pay them for advertise their vacancies? I have come across many more sites, either online based recruitment agencies or database formatted ones, where again it is not the job seeker to pay, but the employer. Do you know how Flexjobs is structured?
Thank you. Giulia
Thank you for the valuable information. Wendy you are truly a blessing with these articles you’ve shed light on me plenty of times and stopped me from joining some really cruddy companies. Me being a college student i follow your site very much. I look forward to each article you write. Because i know it’s going to be some good stuff.
Do they really not guarantee jobs?
Hi Wendy! I like how informative and straight forth your website is, You seem like you really gave an honest review. Great job with all the percentages and statistics on that page too, overall very helpful review. I was wondering if all the jobs on flexjobs are temporary or just some of them?
Hi Wendy, my time is valuable and not having to sort through the vast amount of flexible jobs listed online is worth a small fee. Flexjobs would do the work for me and save me time. I have not joined but I think flexjobs would be worth the money when looking for work.
Becky
Wendy,
Thank you for bringing clarity to FlexJobs and making it simple to understand in a nutshell.
I often thought about joining because it sounds like a positive experience but I didn’t want to pay for it!
After reading your review, I think it sounds like a legit company and I have decided to try it out for at least a month and see how it goes! I will try to report back my experience. Thanks!
Rachel
Wendy you’re my hero – I appreciate that you signedup to this so you can give an honest and full ‘insider take’.
Before reading this review I felt exactly the same about Flexjobs – why pay for something that doesn’t guarantee a job?
But you’ve convinced me – I think I’ll just go for the first month for now with the discount – hopefully this is a long enough time to get me started. Thanks for the heads up!
This is a great review of Flexjobs. I have been going back and forth, debating whether or not I should sign up. I really want something flexible, ideally working from home full time.
I really don’t want to start my own business, at least not right now. I am fine getting paid to work for someone else.
I do have a university degree (2 actually) but that is not the area I want to work in.
I think I might give a one month membership a try. Especially if I can get it for $7.50.
One thing I am wondering about before paying is do I need to be a US resident for these jobs? I live in Canada so I would need something that is applicable for Canadians.
Thanks