LionBridge – Jobs for Work at Home Seekers?

Lionbridge: Roaring into the At-home Job Market

Have you ever visited a website and found navigating through it was confusing and complicated? Don’t you wish you could tell the company that they need to correct the problem? Well, there is a way you can do that—and get paid for it. Lionbridge is an international company that gives companies a helping hand in improving a person’s experience in conducting searches or simply browsing on their site. A better navigating experience means more traffic to a company’s website which could also mean more revenue. Lionbridge offers everyday people the opportunity to become Internet Assessors.

What is an Internet Assessor?

An Internet Assessor conducts a search on the web and then evaluates the results. These results are based on what the search comes up with based on what you were initially searching for. Sometimes a search will lead to something that is completely unrelated to what you were trying to find. In that case, you would flag these wrong or inappropriate results as no good based on guidelines that Lionbridge gives you.

How to become an Internet Assessor for LionBridge

First, you must be completely comfortable and familiar with conducting online searches since this job is based solely on doing just that. You will also need a high-speed Internet connection. Another requirement is that you must have lived in the country you will be working from for a minimum of five years.

You must also have fluency in reading and writing in English. When it comes to time, expect to put in ten to twenty hours a week conducting these searches. People are hired by Lionbridge from all over the world. You need to check their on their Internet Assessors job page to see if anything is available where you live.

After you are hired, you will be required to read the Lionbridge manual in order to understand the nature of their business. They allow you a few weeks to familiarize yourself with this information.

However, even as you begin working for them, there will be an endless stream of new information to read that pertains to different jobs you will be required to do as websites are all set up differently and may require specific instructions. In other words, if you do not like reading instructions and think you can “wing it”, this is not the right job for you.

How to sign up with LionBridge

Becoming an Internet Assessor is not as quick and easy as submitting your personal information. There is a two-part exam that must be taken and passed. The exam has twenty-four theory questions and one-hundred and fifty practical questions. Once you are done taking the exam, you will be notified via e-mail on whether or not you have successfully met all the requirements and passed the test.

How much work is available?

The work varies so it is important to check (and double check) every day to see if anything is available. Sometimes jobs in the United States are not listed so keep returning to their job page to check.

How much money can you make and how will you get paid?

Working for Lionbridge as an Internet Assessor means your status is that of an independent contractor which means you are responsible for the taxes. In terms of pay, their website does not offer much information. Some people posting on forums claim to make $14.50 an hour, but that could be for someone who has been with Lionbridge long term.

You do need to keep tabs on the jobs you do and submit a monthly invoice. Just be sure your invoices are up to date since they do not seem to have a system to track your work on their site. So if you want to get paid, make sure to keep track of everything you do. (I've got a post that lists more companies and job likes this one. Check out, List of Companies Offering Search Engine Evaluator Jobs to see more options.)

It is no quite clear how they pay their assessors—check, direct deposit, Paypal or something else. There is mention through one of their threads that residents of the United States will be charged a bank fee when receiving payment. Because the payment information is a bit vague, you may want to do some more research to find out how this important part of the work-at-home process works. After all, you do not want to work for free.

The Cons

Like any work-at-home opportunity, Lionbridge also has some drawbacks, including:

1.    Invoicing System

Their invoicing system seems to be either loved or loathed. Some assessors claim to never have a problem while others complain they have to always lower their time numbers on their invoices until it is accepted by the system. Apparently, this is part of their so-called minimum productivity numbers where Lionbridge does not everything you do as paid time which means you end up making a lot less than you thought.

So you may have to work double time just to make what you should have earned in the first place. There were enough of these complaints that it is something that should be investigated before you sign up. Keep in mind, however, that it could simply be a case of people not understanding the system as there were many assessors who were pleased with the payment system.

2.    Too Many Updates

With all the materials that Lionbridge consistently sends to its assessors in order to be up to date on the latest information, a considerable amount of time is spent reviewing these updates. This is considered ongoing training, but it is unpaid training. Because these e-mail updates come on a very regular basis, many assessors believe that some sort of payment should be provided.

3.    Website Issues

The irony with Lionbridge is that they are supposed to help companies make their websites more user-friendly, but theirs is far from that. If getting simple information like payment methods is difficult to ascertain from their site, you may wonder how effective they are in helping other companies with the same problem. Just a thought…

Is Lionbridge a scam or not?

So far Lionbridge seems to be on the up and up despite some confusing business methods. To get a good idea on whether this is the right opportunity for you, compare it with similar work-at-home opportunities. Perhaps Lionbridge’s methods are no different than other companies that do the same thing—or maybe they are. Thorough research is the best way to answer some of the questions you may have. FYI: Lionbridge also has opportunities to be Social Media evaluators for those with active Twitter accounts. Look at their website for more information if this sounds like something that may suit you.

You can see all of Lionbridge's current openings here.