• This website is aimed at the ordinary person who is thinking about working at home. It provides information, ideas and support to help you find the right work for you. The most successful homeworkers are those who have found their own niche, but this takes time and perseverance to develop. There are no real get-rich-quick schemes and this site shows examples of the many homeworking scams that are around and to be avoided.

• We have over a thousand unique visitors each day who are looking for anything from a little part time work at home through to those wanting to be based full time at home. Often, visitors just do not know what is involved in working at home and through the Case Studies on the site can get a feel for the wide range of work that is done at home as well as the different strategies used to cope with the day to day challenges. The site looks at some of the practicalities involved, and shows the different types of work done at home from being self-employed to teleworking.

• The site is entirely free and also contains a unique comprehensive debt management section. Many people turn to homeworking, not because it is the best way to work for them but because they have money problems; instead of dealing with the debt issues they get involved in dubious homeworking schemes which end up taking more money off them. The debt section encourages people to deal with their financial situation first and has the benefit of a debt consultant (Colin Duguid MICM) who is providing step by step advice.

• The Forum has the benefit of experienced homeworkers from around the world offering their advice and feedback. There is a section for starting your own business, an area for employers, and vetted ads in the classifieds. For fun, there are also recipes for homeworking lunches!

• Working at home is on the increase with an estimated 1.7 million people in the UK working at least 1 whole day per week for their employer. These are what are known as teleworkers. Freelance workers working at home represent about 9% of the working population in the UK whilst figures for the self-employed at home are difficult to determine. It has been suggested that as many as one in 6 of the working population are working from home running their businesses or enterprises. [October 2001 - figures sourced from www.emergence.nu and Home Business Alliance]

• Homeworking.com is part of Knowledge Computing Ltd which is an established home-based web publishing company.

• "In February of 1999 I was commuting the 20 miles home from work and was knocked off my motorcycle into the path of oncoming traffic. I was so lucky to not have been killed that it made me re-evaluate my life and what was important to me (namely my two children and husband-to-be). I needed a different way to work - and didn't want to spend two hours a day commuting. During convalescence my partner and I did a search on the World Wide Web and found very little about becoming a homeworker. There were US sites that required payment before entry to the site, and there were many, many scams. I just wanted information, even though my partner had been a homeworking as a Web Publisher for over four years. Then my partner (now husband) said one of those throw away lines "Why doesn't someone put this information together on the web...", and I thought "I could do that!...", and just knew it was my 'niche'. So we checked for Web addresses and found that "homeworking.co.uk" was still available, so I purchased it there and then. Since then we also acquired www.homeworking.com and then homeworking.info in October 2001.

• "The purpose of the website is to provide free quality information. The revenue is raised from the on-site advertising. There is a lot of good information on the web, but it has been difficult finding it. I have been doing a lot of research and now have various specialists contributing. The site started life being put together in my spare time while working five days a week. By September 1999 I became a part time worker, and dedicated two full days at home running the Website. Just a year after the accident I gave up the job I commuted to and worked full time at home partly developing this website and partly as a web publisher designing and creating other people's websites. It his hard to believe that just a year before I knew nothing of HTML or how web sites really worked, now I can talk a geek under the table!"

  Caroline Tresman, Founder/Editor

• It depends on the job. If it is administration or service based then yes. However, attitudes are one of the major hurdles. It is quite hard for some people to overcome their "technophobia" and use technology in the workplace. It will still take some time to expect employers and employees to bridge the gulf of 'them and us' and to become partners. People who work at home really can work much more efficiently and there needs to be that element of trust and partnership from both sides. Not everyone will want to take the risk of working for themselves and being paid by an employer to work at home might be more reassuring.

• Someone who is comfortable working independently, is self-motivated, self-reliant and fairly organised. In general, a more mature or settled person would adapt to it well. Some people work from home out of choice or necessity, for example, if they are disabled, have complicated family commitments or live in isolated areas.

1. Becoming a homeworker is something to be planned rather than a knee-jerk reaction to problems such as debt.
2. You should never pay to do homeworking, eg craft assembly. It is usually a scam.
3. Get rich quick schemes do not work. You are kidding yourself if you send off your £5+ to join.
4. Homeworkers work very hard indeed and you should expect to as well.
5. If you are a new mother do not overload yourself with trying to find work at home. Small children and work do not mix very well ~ and you work hard enough as it is!
6. It takes time to secure a steady income as a homeworker, unless of course you have an employer and do your job via telecommuting.
7. Piece work and other such work can be found (from companies local to you) but they are usually badly paid.
8. Most successful homeworkers create their own work, based on their interest or skills.
9. Do your homework first before trying to become a homeworker! Check out what regulations there are concerning your chosen field of work and whether there is a market for your work.
10. When the going gets tough setting up as a homeworker, remember that it will eventually be an extremely convenient and satisfying way to work!

For Immediate Release - 3 October 2001

The UK web site Homeworking.info is one of the first worldwide to be allocated a new .info domain ending. Most people are familiar with the .com .co.uk suffixes, but now the web is expanding and .info is here.

For more than two years the homeworking site has helped visitors from the UK and around the world to work at home. The information provided is free and covers all aspects of working at home: from considering whether it is right for you, through to some of the practicalities. There are many myths and scams surrounding the world of work at home which Homeworking.info is clear to point out to visitors.

Caroline Tresman, the Founder and Editor of Homeworking.info, added:

"This is an excellent example of the correct use of the .info domain ending. The site provides good solid information about Homeworking which is free for visitors to use."

"I was worried that the homeworking.info name might be acquired by yet another dubious scam masquerading as an homeworking opportunity. At least the domain name is now in safe hands and being used how it was intended!"

www.homeworking.info offers over 1,000 pages of quality information and resources for anyone wanting to work at home or already working at home. And it's free.

# # #

For the time being, this site can be accessed through either www.homeworking.info or www.homeworking.com

For Immediate Release - 2 February 2001 2.30pm

The Outworking Bill had its second reading in Parliament today on Friday 2 February 2001 from 9.30am to 1.30pm. It was a close call with the Bill being scuppered at the voting stage. Sadly, the Bill will not go to committee stage where the details could have been ironed out and could have become law in just 12 weeks, after royal assent.

It was a tense debate with arguments from both sides of the House for the Bill and many opposition arguments against the Bill. Some of the opposing arguments were valid others were laughable and confused outworking (which is in effect piecework) with teleworking and other forms of employment at home such as freelance working.

Many examples of Homeworking Scams were given. The scam merchants were described as "thieves" and "unscrupulous, uncaring and underhand" with the scams reported being "the tip of the scam iceberg". A couple of concerns about the Bill involved whether innocent homeworking schemes would be caught up in any new legislation, and whether powers of entry should be given to Trading Standards officials. Legitimate employers of homeworkers do not demand upfront fees and will not be affected by this legislation.

Homeworking.com are greatly disappointed that this Bill has been stopped. Caroline Tresman, the Editor of Homeworking.com, is strongly opposed to Homeworking Scams and is available for further comment about Homeworking Scams, the Outworking Bill and how people can really get into legitimate homeworking.

# # #

More information about the Outworking Bill can be found on www.homeworking.com/bill.htm

For Immediate Release - 1 February 2001

The Outworking Bill will have its second reading in Parliament on Friday 2 February 2001 from 9.30 to 2.30pm

This Private Member's Bill aims to outlaw homeworking or outworking scams in the UK. Legitimate employers do not expect you to pay a fee to work for them and yet Homeworking Schemes regularly want an upfront fee. In reality the only scheme is to line the pockets of the scam merchants.

You've seen the ads in your newsagents or handed out at stations or in the small ads such as "Make money at home stuffing envelopes" or "Earn £££s working from home". The people most in need fall for these promises and pay up in search of some work at home. In effect, the 'work' involves perpetrating the same scam Up till now, there was very little legal sanction against these scams.

In brief the Outworking Bill will:

• Make it a criminal offence to seek payment in advance for the provision of homework or directories containing so called homeworking opportunities
• Outlaw the advertisement of such schemes and directories
• Give Trading Standards Officers the powers to crack down on these schemes quickly and effectively
• Introduce criminal penalties and fines of up to £5000 for each separate offence.

The Bill appears to be straightforward and does not get in the way of legitimate employers or other ways of working such as Network Marketing which involves a fee.

Caroline Tresman the Editor of Homeworking.com is strongly opposed to Homeworking Scams and is available for further comment about Homeworking Scams and the proposed Bill.

# # #

More information about the Outworking Bill can be found on www.homeworking.com/bill.htm

Homeworking.com has launched a free information packed site for people thinking about, or wanting to work at home. Homeworking is becoming a media buzz word as more people are looking for better ways of working, and Homeworking.com is the place to help you build a life working at home.

Here you will find a wide range of information from homeworking insurance to teleworking, to finding the right work for you. The Case Studies of Homeworkers has original interviews with real-life homeworkers doing all kinds of work such as Internet Librarian to Market Research, to the Mail Order of condoms and adult fashion.

Homeworking.com resources include job search, classifieds, reviewed books for sale and a Forum that provides an exchange of information and support between experienced homeworkers and new ones. The Classifieds Section provides low-cost advertising of jobs and services for and by homeworkers. The Job Search Section looks for home-based jobs. The site does not promote any homeworking scams and shows examples of them and how they work. It also has a step by step Debt Advice Section for people who turn to homeworking because they have money problems.

Homeworking is an umbrella word referring to anyone working at home from part time craft work to full time teleworkers to the self employed.

# # #