Work-at-Home Job Profile: Apple At-Home Advisor

Call Center, Tech Support

Technology giant Apple may allow telecommuting among some of its nearly 50,000 employees, but it does not necessarily hire telecommuters across multiple divisions. (See major companies that do.) However, Apple does hire for work-at-home positions in at least one division, its AppleCare support team. These virtual call center positions are called Apple At-Home Advisors.

Apple At-Home Advisor jobs are full- or part-time employment positions in a call center, not as independent contractors as many home call center agents are. As the customer's first point of contact, At-Home Advisors assess issues and troubleshoot. Specifically, they provide support for iPhone, iPod, iPad, iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, AirPort, and Apple TV. Bilingual skills can be a plus in getting one of these positions. Among the languages desired are French, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese and German. (See more bilingual call center jobs.)

Recruiting for some of these jobs is focused on college campuses. However, some positions do hire non-students. The company also hires home-based call center managers to oversee the At-Home Advisors.

Hours:
Student positions are part-time during school sessions (minimum of 16 hours a week) and full-time during breaks and summer. Non-students must commit to 20 hours a week with the possibility of more or less depending on needs. Because of high demand on holidays, AppleCare call center agents must be available to work holidays. Advisors work varied shifts on a 7-day schedule (including nights and weekends).

Training:
Paid training is four weeks long and full time. Advisors train from home, accessing instructors via a virtual environment. They learn about Apple products, troubleshooting, customer support, and the job's tools and processes.

Qualifications:
Experience with the Mac OS or iOS is beneficial, but not essential if you have experience working on and troubleshooting other operating systems such as Windows. According to Apple, an At-Home Advisor should be "passionate about technology and experienced with computers," have good people skills and able to work independently. Student applicants must be currently enrolled on the campus at which Apple is recruiting and have a 2.7 cumulative GPA. Typing at 35 WPM and a satisfactory criminal background check are also required for At-Home Advisors.

Apple provides an iMac for use while working from home. Its website touts a "great benefits package, competitive pay, and an employee discount on Apple products." Posters on glassdoor.com report the hourly pay as about $10-16 per hour.

Apple's office requirements differ from the typical home call center office requirements because it provides not only a computer to its call center agents but a telephone as well. However, it does require a room with a door to keep out noise, a desk, an ergonomic adjustable chair, a dedicated telephone line, and an Internet connection meeting certain requirements.

While the main focus of the Apple At-Home program is the United States (hiring in more than 30 states), Apple also recruits for this program in Toronto, Canada; Cork, Ireland; and Sydney, Australia. Typically an Apple At-Home Advisor's home office must be within 100 miles of the city designated in the job description. Some of the cities from which Apple recruits advisors include:

• Birmingham, AL
• Hoover, AL
• Troy, AL
• Tempe, AZ
• Tuscon, AZ
• Benton, AR
• Little Rock, AR
• Sacramento, CA
• San Diego, CA
• Colorado Springs, CO
• Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Fort Myers, FL
• Miami, FL
• Gainesville, FL
• Orlando, FL
• Atlanta, GA
• Augusta, GA
• Kennesaw, GA
• Marietta, GA
• Honolulu, HI
• Chicago, IL
• Champaign, IL
• Fort Wayne, IN
• Lafayette, IN
• Des Moines, IA
• Wichita, KS
• Louisville, KY
• Baton Rouge, LA
• Springfield, MA
• Detroit, MI
• Grand Rapids, MI
• Kansas City, MO
• Omaha, NE
• Las Vegas, NV
• Albuquerque, NM
• Albany, NY
• Ashville, NC
• Grand Forks, ND
• Oklahoma City, OK
• Tulsa, OK
• Cleveland, OH
• Columbus, OH
• Toledo, OH
• Eugene, OR
• Portland, OR
• Allentown, PA
• Philadelphia, PA
• Providence, RI
• Charleston, SC
• Summerville SC
• Knoxville, TN
• Nashville, TN
• Memphis, TN
• Austin, TX
• Dallas, TX
• Houston, TX
• McAllen, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Salt Lake City, UT
• Seattle, WA
• Spokane, WA
• Milwaukee, WI
• Casper, WY

The above list includes locations for both student and non-student Apple At-Home Advisors. Specific college campuses where Apple recruits include:

• University of Arizona
• Arizona State
• California State
• San Diego State
• Louisiana State
• Texas State
• Texas A&M
• University of Florida, Gainesville
• University of Georgia, Athens
• University of Oregon, Eugene
• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• University of New Mexico
• University of Utah

Outside the United States

• Toronto, Canada (French-speaking)
• Cork Ireland (English-, French-, German-speaking)
• Sydney, Australia

To find Apple At-Home Advisor jobs, either go to the Apple At-Home Advisor web page or search Apple's corporate jobs database. The At-Home web page provides links to access to the non-student U.S. positions, while the corporate jobs site lists all. Use "home" as a keyword to search the database or sort the job categories as "Customer Service and Support."

To apply for a job at Apple you must have or create an AppleID. This is the same as a MobileMe ID or what you would use to access the iTunes Store, Apple Online Store or iChat.

Apple not hiring in your area? Find a call center job in your state or a call center job in Canada. For more profiles like this, see these work-at-home call center company profiles.

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