So many people are interested in finding work at home chat jobs — mainly because they are non-phone — and Apple is one of the best options out there. Lots of people probably don't even realize that the company behind their iPads and iPhones regularly hire home-based workers.
Yesterday, one of my readers who is currently working for Apple as a chat agent was kind enough to answer some questions for me about what it's like. I thought this might be helpful for anyone who is considering applying to Apple for the chat agent positions.
How did you find out about Apple's work at home chat opportunity?
I found Apple’s WFH opportunity on www.columbusjobs.com, which works with www.monster.com. It was listed under customer service. At the time, I didn’t even think that companies hired for work from home, but I thought “hey, I’ll give it a shot”. A few days later, I received an email with several questions, mostly about why I wanted to work from home and why they should hire me. Then I had two FaceTime interviews. If you don’t have a Mac, that’s ok, they use Skype, too. From application to start date was 30 days. I’ve been told this was very fast, as some people I worked with said that it was two to three months for them.
Did you have any chat, phone, or tech support experience prior to getting hired by Apple?
Prior to Apple, I had about 13 years of customer service/tech support experience. I worked there with people who only had a little bit of experience, so apply even if you don’t think you have enough.
Have you been able to earn a steady income working for Apple?
Yes. My pay was $18.00 per hour, mostly due to the amount of experience I had. My best guess for average pay is $14.00. I also have management experience. The training is four weeks of full time, then you begin your shift. I know everyone says this, but moving up to full time and getting extra hours is really easy and usually very fast. This is a great place to work and is worth the struggle of part time to start out.
Since this is steady work (call center, except you are at home), your pay is steady and they offer overtime all the time.
What are your favorite things about working for Apple?
It’s easier to say what I didn’t like, which was there is no schedule flexibility. Your schedule is based 100% on your performance (mostly customer surveys), so the better you do, the higher you are in the ability to choose your schedule. If you are looking for Monday through Friday, this is not the job for you. Schedule bids are every few months, so you know what your schedule is way in advance. Getting time off is usually easy, except for the holidays, their busiest time.
Chat is 24 hours per day, so you can be scheduled anytime of day or night.
Phones closes around midnight, so that’s the latest you can work.
I loved the people. There is so much enthusiasm for helping employees grow and develop, and everyone I worked with, and I mean everyone, had a fantastic attitude. You can really make your own career there, it is amazing. They also trust their people and give them all the necessary tools and resources to help customers. Without a doubt, Apple is the #1 place I’ve worked in terms of management, self-directed career advancement, and just plain cheerfulness of the environment.
What tips would you give others who are interested in working from home for Apple?
#1 – They look for people who are enthusiastic above all else. If you are super-qualified, but don’t have a passion for the products and customers, they will pass you over for someone less qualified but with more enthusiasm.
#2 – For the pre-interview and email, the only things you really need to know are basic computer terminology and some things about Apple products. I was asked a) What is RAM b) How do you delete an app? c) How would you respond to someone who says their phone was stolen?
#3 – The last important bit of information is your home office. You must have a quiet room where you can shut the door and have zero background noise. During training, you must send them photos of your home office to make sure that it is set up ergonomically. A landline is required, but they pay for it. No VOIP allowed.
Many thanks to this reader for the helpful information!
If you'd like to apply as a chat agent for Apple, you can go here to check for the openings.
P.S. – Looking for more work at home chat jobs? If so, I recommend FlexJobs, a site I personally use and trust. They post hundreds of new remote and flexible jobs every week, and they are one of the only sites that can guarantee their leads to be scam-free. It's about $15 a month to gain access to the company names in their listings, and there is no obligation to keep your membership after one month if it doesn't prove helpful for you.
While Apple does pay good………they put too much mandatory (unnecessary at that) over time on you AND they are NOT flexible with their hours and schedules. They have NO work/life balance so if you have families, plans, etc, they don’t work around your availability at all. I’ve had to cancel so much and switch my life around because of Apple. I don’t think they should make you work all weekend every weekend either. If they offered where you have to work at least one day OR let you work half a day or something. I have kids and grandkids and I very rarely get to see them because of this job…….but it’s work. Senior advisors are snappy and sometimes not helpful nor want to really take over the call. From what I have learned the part time people get to pretty much choose their hours but I feel they should be the ones mainly on nights and weekends and let the full time people choose. If you need to request a day off they deny you on your first attempt and you have to fight to either get your supervisor to approve it or find someone that’s willing to switch days off. God forbid you have 3 days off a week!
Hey there! I used to be a tier 1 advisor and I had the greatest flexibility. I got time off whenever I needed. Whenever there was family emergencies I got the time off no problem. My co-workers were the best, no backstabbing, they were always helping me. Though I agree some senior advisors really have sticks up their butt lol. Maybe it depended on who your team manager was. I Had a few different team managers and it really made a difference.
Be positive. my thoughts exactly. However, you’re forgetting (if you believe) who is setting on the throne. This lady has the right, as an employee, to work where she wants to! Maybe she qualified, to be-skyped. As minoritires we’re gonna experience prejudices, nevertheless we’re to hold our heads high, having confidence in our skills and talents; believing that on Jesus’s wings, we can safely land in a position that he has for us! Be encouraged-my sister and stay prayerfully strong. Jesus Christ-loves us all!
I am a black female and have worked for Apple for 2 years from home. I work with people of all colors, shapes, and sizes. All levels of management in AppleCare are diverse-several of the very high ups are minorities. I don’t know where you heard this, but AppleCare is very inclusive. I once had a trainer with blue hair and another with a nose ring. There was a 50+year old white man, a disabled Latina women, 2 gay men, and three other black people in my training class alone. Ive never felt limited by the color of my skin or my looks and the webcam is solely for interviews, meetings with your manager, trainings, and team meetings. No one cares what you look like or even what you’re wearing. Come with a positive attitude and an open mind!
I feel I am going through something similar, but not with work from home jobs but real brick mortar jobs , I am from north and moved south .. this was not my choice . and i have lived here almost 10 years , and I never get a call from any jobs I apply too locally .except these work from home phone jobs , which i don’t really like , and most times i leave them . I never get the non phone jobs , like chat or email or project steady work that you can depend on. I have vast PC knowledge and i never get a offer . sure i have done nickle and dime project non phone work , but I cant make a living making 30 dollars a week. I feel so stuck here because i don’t have the money to move .and I have over 30 years of work experience and most I was manager, so its not just skin color but the voice we speak and lets face it we never see tigers hanging with wolfs , the cool thing about these remote jobs these large company’s usually don’t care about this stuff , but for real going to a office job I think they do , and of course we cant prove it because they wont admit it . Boy you should of seen the friends I had when my family owned a business though ,ohh yeah they all come out of the woodwork then . sorry i know this isnt related to Apple really , but I had to say something into context of what penny said cause I have been holding this in for a long time .
I would just like to say that in your article you added an update saying that they do not offer chat 24/7. I work for Apple chat support and I can assure you, since I was on the overnight shift, that they do indeed run 24/7. They will do maintenance about once a month or so, shutting chat down for about 5 hours during one night, but other than that they run all day every day. The phone support shuts down at 11PM EST, and that may be where some of the confusion comes in. As for the person who asked about Apple experience, or lack thereof, would keep her from doing the job I will say this. Before I started for them I had never touched an Apple product in my life (outside of the IIe I used in junior high which I do not think counts here). The training is sufficient to get you started and you will quickly realize that MOST of your chats will end up being the same 3 or 4 issues over and over and over again, which you will quickly create canned responses for. You will also have the ability to transfer them to a senior advisor if you get stuck and need someone with more knowledge to take over. It seems overwhelming at first with no prior knowledge, but after about a week, most of it will seem routine and monotonous. Hope that information helps!
Thank you for this info! I added the update because I had another worker tell me it wasn’t 24/7, so there has been some conflicting info. I will change it again to reflect what you’ve stated.
I have a question, I’m from Guatemala, so can I apply for a position as a chat agent there? I’d would love work for Apple. I will appreciate your answers. 🙂
Hi! Unfortunately I don’t think they hire in Guatemala, but you can always keep tabs on their “Jobs” page just in case.
Wanted to let those reading as of August 2015 know that:
1) There are full time positions, not just part time for new hires
2) If you love helping people you can move up FAST (less than 6 months for me!)
3)No landline is needed for phone or chat. You use a USB headset connected to your Mac. Internet is reimbursed up to a certain amount
I just had my first telephone contact with Apple recruiter after applying for the Apple At-Home Advisor – Graveyard Chat. My next contact will be a video interview scheduled next week on 6/30. I was told there would be role playing and also questions regarding my customer service experience. A little nervous but doing research at the same time on what to expect. Thanks for this article. I also have been reviewing http://www.GlassDoor.com for interview questions and answers by Apple. Shane if you could add to this as to what your 2nd review was like, I would so appreciate it!
I just had my 2nd interview today and passed and have my 3rd interview on Monday June 22nd. What can I expect from the interview? is it hard? is it a good sign that I am on to the 3rd interview? Thanks for any input..
Shane
Enjoyed reading post and found results..Looking for work at home oppertunity. they are out there and need to learn thru their training. I found this page thru Pennyhoarder then a sub page …glad I looked!
Normally the 3rd interview is you meeting your direct boss. It is normally a new employee manager that will explain what is expected of you and your job role.
The article is a tad misleading about Apple hiring part time only. I was recently hired for At Home Chat Advisor directly from Apple and it starts off as full time. I would really encourage people to apply directly and when they get called for the first interview, ask about the hours at that time.
This is merely a hunch… okay so I know several people who have applied for Apple. Some who are enthusiasts and love Apple and others who are (were Android) users. The 3 people that I know who were hired for Apple, did not have one single Apple product, not even an ipod. The other 2 pretty much have everything Apple, including Apple TV – but guess what? They weren’t hired. I’m not saying to pretend you hate Apple and this can be a coincidence, but I really have a strong theory that Apple prefer hiring people that #1 have the experience (per the job description) and #2 those they can convert over to Apple. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. I’ve read this same theory on a forum… but again… this is just a hunch. Best wishes!
Hmm you might be on to something. They definitely would want to convert as many people to Apple as possible.
Interesting, and you are right about the experience. I got the second interview, and the first interview I had, you can tell he decided to move me on to the next stage as I have work from home and chat experience.
good to know thank you , yeah outside of PCs i have none of those newer things .lol i don’t even use a cellphone many times .PCs im on top of it , but iPods and androids and smartphones etc , i don’t have a clue ..
Through this sub company, I was hired for full time. It’s Concentrix and I was told they have a TON of job openings.
Hello Lucy,
What type of calls do you normally deal with ?
Thanks Ray
I just applied to Concentrix today , they already emailed me back stepping everything forward ..I hope this isn’t ATT or D-tv type calls .lol I am hoping its computer type tech support .. Thanks lucy for sharing Concentrix with us today .
In looking at the shift hours and knowing your reader said that Apple starts everyone out at part time, I’m curious to know how that works. I mean, do you work 4, 5, 6 hours like 4 days a week or do they have you work three 8 hour days? I, also, am only interested in the online chat aspect but I do not want to commit to more than 5 hours in one day, even if it means working 5 or 6 days a week. Also, are the shifts in consecutive hours or can you split it up (for example, if you’re working mid-day: work 1-4pm and then pick up 9-11pm)? I’m asking ‘cuz I can’t sit for 5 hours straight like that and a small 10-15 minute break does not help.
Every where I search I read that Apple is a fantastic company to work for, but I need some flexibility to my schedule. The shift hours/times don’t matter to me so long as I don’t sit for more than 3 hours at a time w/o at least an hour or 2 break. (Not that I need to say, but it’s due to medical reasons.)
Hi Myrtle, I’m going to contact the lady who gave me the info for the post and try to find this info out for you. I’ll update when I hear back.
I asked about this for you, and here is the response I got:
“That’s a great question. For part time, one of the days is an 8 hour weekend day. The other three days are four hours each. You are not able to split the hours up in the way you are describing.”
I hope this helps!
Anna, Thanks so much for asking for me. I’m sad about the answer, but at least now I know not to waste their time or mine by applying. I appreciate the time you took to find out!! Have a Blessed (remainder of the) Day!! 🙂
They asked me full or part time. Mostly they want full time and they do require a LOT of mandatory over time and if you don’t choose the hours you are willing to work…….they will tack on hours whenever and wherever they want. I had to learn the hard way! I can’t sit for that long myself but I am full time and every day when I get off I hurt and stiff.
I am confused. Is this a chat job or a phone job? I applied to the At Home Advisor position recently because I thought it was chat, but why do you need a landline?
Unless I’m mistaken, the At Home Advisor is phone AND maybe also some chat, but Apple does have chat only. If you just type in “Chat” in the search box on the Apple site, the chat-only jobs should come up in the results.
Thanks! I found it and will apply
I literally had an interview today and this article popped up in my feed! Have my second interview/skype/roleplay on Friday – any tips? Also, if the job is chat based what is the purpose of the landline?
The positions that say AppleCare Chat Team don’t mention a land line that I can see unless I overlooked it. Is that what you applied to?
https://jobs.apple.com/us/search#&ss=At%20Home%20Advisor%20-%20AppleCare%20Chat%20Team&t=0&so=&lo=0*USA&pN=0&openJobId=39647007
The landline is more than likely for training purposes if any. But there is no need for one in the chat post. Anna, the individual interviewed said one is needed, but reimbursed for it.
I think it is best to review the job site for different opportunites. The department I work for start out full time. Great company and great place to work at. My third year here and love it
I work for Apple, but I came in through the back door. They sub out their customer service work to outside companies, and that’s how I landed the job as tech support. The pay is LOUSY–$9.25–and I have over 20 years worth of customer service experience! But they gave me an iMac and an Ipad touch. I pay for my own landline. I applied several times through the Apple website and never heard back.
I have applied close to 20 times and nothing. Just keep trying!
I was reluctant to apply ..I have held a few wah tech support jobs .But what kept me away from apple was they seem to do mac and ipad type tech support,, I only have a vast background in window os…the phone thing I am trying to shy away from also , but I would like to try something chat based . Does anyone know.. if not knowing mac pcs etc can make this job very difficult ? and do they hire still for chat support ?
Other then that Apple is a very good company to work for , its a job that if you do well you should have job security and good pay scales from the tons of research i have done about these company’s.
they are always advertising also..Thanks for the Article 🙂