It’s 3 AM. You’re wide awake, staring at the ceiling, mentally calculating bills. Again. So you reach for your phone and type: “how can I make money from home with no experience” or “I need an extra income.”
If that’s you, you’re not alone. I’ve been there – lying awake in the dark, wondering how we were going to make it work on one income with five kids to feed.
I’m a stay-at-home mum. My husband used to be our sole earner. Used to be. Because somewhere between the sleepless nights and the mounting worry, I decided enough was enough. I started researching, testing, failing, and eventually succeeding at ways to earn money online.
Now? I’ve built genuine expertise in this space, and I’m sharing everything I’ve learned with you in this post.
This list is based on my experience here in the UK, with platforms and opportunities that actually work for us.
A quick note before we start: I specialise in using Pinterest as a marketing tool, and you’ll see why that matters in a minute. Unlike traditional social media where you’re expected to post daily, show your face, and build a following, Pinterest works differently. It’s a search engine that keeps working for you long after you’ve posted. Pins I created years ago still drive traffic today. No face required. No daily grind. Just strategic, evergreen content doing its job.
Right. Let’s dive into five legitimate ways you can start earning from home, even if you’re starting with little to no formal qualifications.
1. Virtual Assistant Services
Here’s something that surprised me: being a virtual assistant is honestly one of the best sales jobs with no experience in terms of formal qualifications, because many business owners are happy to train you on their specific systems. They’re not looking for perfection – they’re looking for someone reliable who can take tasks off their plate.
Think about the skills you already have. Can you manage an email inbox? Schedule appointments? Reply to customer queries? Organize a spreadsheet? That’s your starting point.
The VA market has absolutely exploded. Businesses everywhere need help with admin tasks, social media scheduling, data entry, customer support – you name it. While some clients expect you to hit the ground running, plenty are willing to train you on their systems if you’re dependable and eager to learn.
You can find these positions on PeoplePerHour (which brands itself as UK-first with a majority UK user base), Upwork (which has strong UK presence), or LinkedIn where loads of UK small businesses post roles. Facebook groups like “The VA Handbookers” are also goldmines for finding work and connecting with other VAs.
Many beginners start around minimum wage level – around £10-£12 per hour – and work their way up to £20-£25+ as they gain experience, build testimonials, and niche down into specialized services. You can start small too – maybe just 5-10 hours a week with one client – and build from there.
The reality check: You’re trading hours for pounds. No work means no income. But if you need money coming in relatively quickly while you figure out your next move, this is a solid starting point.
2. Freelance Writing or Content Creation
If you can write a coherent email, you can get paid to write. Full stop.
Businesses are desperate for content – blog posts, website copy, product descriptions, newsletters. They don’t need Hemingway. They need someone who can research a topic and explain it clearly.
No degree required. No portfolio needed to start (you’ll build one as you go). Just the ability to communicate and a willingness to learn what different clients need.
Start on platforms like PeoplePerHour, Upwork, or Fiverr (which all have plenty of UK clients). Job boards like FlexJobs and Remote.co list UK remote jobs with no experience required all the time – writing positions included. You can also pitch directly to small businesses on LinkedIn.
The pay varies wildly when you’re starting out – there are plenty of low-paying offers on freelance platforms – but you can set your own rates and many writers work up from very low starting pay to £20-£50+ per article as they gain experience, build a portfolio, and learn to position themselves properly.
The catch: Building a client base takes time, and you’re still in the time-for-money exchange. But if you enjoy writing, it’s one of the more pleasant ways to earn while giving yourself breathing room to explore other options.
3. Online Tutoring or Teaching English
Got knowledge in a subject? You can teach it. Doesn’t matter if it’s maths, English, coding, guitar, or how to knit – someone somewhere wants to learn it, and they’ll pay you to teach them.
Parents are constantly searching for tutors. While formal teaching qualifications aren’t always required, you’ll need solid subject knowledge and platforms may ask for proof of grades or experience. Tutorful and MyTutor are both UK-based platforms connecting tutors with students, though they do vet their tutors and look for UK curriculum knowledge. Many mainstream tutoring sites start around £20-£30+ per hour for academic subjects.
For teaching English to international students, Cambly and iTalki work well from the UK. Some platforms require a TEFL certificate (which you can get online through providers like The TEFL Academy), but others just want native speakers with patience and clear communication skills.
This fits perfectly into side hustles for women who need flexibility. Set your hours around school runs, nap times, or after bedtime. Rates typically range from £15 to £40+ per hour depending on your subject, platform, and experience level.
The limitation: You’re still swapping time for money, and you need to show up for scheduled sessions. But it’s decent income with manageable barriers to entry if you have subject expertise.
4. Selling Digital Products
Now we’re getting into the interesting territory – the shift from trading time for money to creating once and earning repeatedly.
Digital products are anything downloadable: printables, templates, ebooks, planners, courses, checklists, budget trackers, meal plans. Create it once using free tools like Canva, then sell it on Etsy (which is popular and well-used in the UK), your own Shopify store, or platforms like Gumroad or Payhip.
The beautiful part? That product can sell while you’re asleep, making dinner, or dealing with a toddler meltdown. It doesn’t need you present to generate income.
This is perfect for side hustles for women who can’t commit to being “on” all the time. Create when you can, market strategically, and let the product do its thing. There’s no interview, no CV to perfect, no one to answer to except yourself.
The challenge: Success is highly variable and not guaranteed. You need consistent traffic and marketing to make sales happen. Creating something amazing means nothing if nobody knows it exists – which is exactly why understanding traffic and marketing matters, and where our next option comes in.
5. Affiliate Marketing (Especially Using Pinterest)
This is the one that changed everything for me. And I’m going to be completely transparent about why.
Here’s the thing – when most people think about making money online, they picture influencers on Instagram showing their face every day, filming TikToks, or going live on Facebook. And if that sounds exhausting or just not your thing, I completely get it. It’s not mine either.
That’s what makes affiliate marketing so brilliant. Affiliate marketing without showing your face isn’t just possible – it’s thriving.
The concept is simple: you promote other people’s products, and when someone buys through your unique link, you earn a commission. No inventory to manage. No customer service to handle. No creating products from scratch. And crucially, no need to put yourself on camera if that makes you uncomfortable.
And here’s what makes how to start affiliate marketing UK so accessible: you don’t need thousands of followers. You don’t need to be on camera. You don’t need to post Instagram Stories or dance on TikTok or build a personal brand around your face.
You can build this entirely through Pinterest paired with your own content.
Here’s why that matters: Pinterest isn’t social media. It’s a search engine. People aren’t scrolling mindlessly – they’re actively searching for solutions. “Budget meal plans.” “Work from home ideas.” “How to save money.” When your pins show up in those searches, you’re reaching people with intent.
And unlike social media where your post disappears in 24 hours, Pinterest pins keep working. I have pins from two years ago still driving traffic to my affiliate content today. That’s evergreen marketing at its finest.
You create simple graphic pins with text (nothing fancy needed), link them to your own blog posts or landing pages containing your affiliate links (most affiliate programs and Pinterest policies expect links to go to your own compliant content rather than straight to affiliate URLs), and Pinterest shows your content to people actively looking for it.
Completely faceless if you want. No voice recordings. No showing up online daily. Just strategic content that keeps working long after you’ve created it.
The income potential isn’t capped by hourly rates. Some people earn a few hundred pounds monthly as side income. Others build six-figure businesses. It scales with your effort and strategy, not your available hours.
The honest truth: There’s a learning curve. You need to understand how Pinterest works as a search engine, how to create pins that get clicked and saved, how to write content that converts visitors into buyers, and which affiliate programs actually pay decent commissions. You’ll also need to comply with UK regulations around affiliate marketing – clearly disclosing your affiliate relationships as required by ASA and CMA guidance. But once you’ve got the system down, it’s one of the most scalable online income models I’ve personally experienced.
So What Should You Actually Do?
It depends what you need right this minute.
Need income this month? Start with VA work or freelancing. You can potentially land your first client within weeks and start getting paid relatively quickly.
Want to build something that earns while you’re not actively working? Focus on digital products or affiliate marketing. The upfront work is heavier, but the long-term payoff is income that doesn’t require you to clock in.
Want flexibility, no face time, and something that can grow without consuming every spare minute? Affiliate marketing using Pinterest has been my answer, and it might be yours too.
Look, when I first started searching for remote jobs with no experience, I felt completely overwhelmed. There’s so much conflicting advice out there. But what I’ve learned is that the right path depends entirely on your situation – how quickly you need income, how much time you can dedicate, and what kind of work actually appeals to you.
If affiliate marketing—or any kind of online business—is something you’d love to start or grow, then my Skool community is the perfect place to begin. Inside, you’ll learn how to get your products, services, or links seen by the right audience while connecting with supportive entrepreneurs on the same journey. We share proven strategies, resources, and real-world insights to help you build momentum fast. Check it out here! Quiet Path To 20K Months
There’s limited availability for a 7-day, no-pressure trial—the perfect way to jump in and get started on growing your online business today.
If you’re serious about building income without being chained to your desk or forced in front of a camera every day, this is the most beginner-friendly found to start.
Because here’s what I know for certain: making money online with little formal experience is possible. I’m living proof, and so are thousands of others, doing the same. But you need the right information and a clear path forward, not just motivation and hustle.
Whatever you choose from this list, the hardest part is taking that first step. After that, it’s just consistency and learning as you go.
You’ve got this. I promise.
Victoria x
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