Incredible news for anyone whose dream it is to have their morning community become nonexistent: Amazon is currently in the process of hiring 3,000 remote workers. It’s one of the biggest remote hiring sprees the nation has ever witnessed and it’s set to impact a whole lot of lives!

The mass call for remote workers was recently posted to the Amazon Jobs website, under its ‘Virtual Locations’ section. The official job title for these some 3,000 workers is ‘Work from Home Seasonal Customer Service Associate’ and–you guessed it!–it basically requires people to spend a lot of time on the phone and in front of the computer, helping Amazon customers with their various issues.

Here’s how Amazon describes the job:

As an Amazon Customer Service Associate (CSA) it is a critical part of our mission to listen to the customer’s needs, deliver timely results, accurate information, personalized resolutions, and maintain our professional environment of supporting all Amazon customers. As a CSA, majority of your time will be spent helping a variety of Amazon customers and drivers by phone, and sometimes via email and chat. You will use tools and programs to navigate the site, research accounts, review options and solutions for customers, and communicate them effectively. CSA’s will learn other areas of the business and support specialty departments as needed. 

According to Amazon, the job starts at $15/hour, with overtime starting at 1.5x base rate. After 90 days of employment, a CSA can apply for company health insurance. In terms of perks, CSAs are entitled to an employee discount, as well as the Employee Assistance Program.

Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Especially for a job that you can do in your PJs!

Requirements for becoming an Amazon Customer Service Representative (CSA)

Now, before you start preparing your “I quit!” speech for your current job, let’s first make sure that you meet all of the qualifications. At this time, Amazon is only hiring remote CSAs who live in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Additionally, candidates residing in those states must not live in a zip code that is within 50 miles of a physical Amazon Customer Service Site.

In terms of resumes, Amazon is demanding that applicants meet the following qualifications and technical requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Have installed in their homes a minimum of 10 mbps download and 5 mbps upload speed from a reliable internet provider (Cable, DSL or Fiber Optic/FiOS providers only). Satellite internet providers cannot be used. Wireless also can’t be used and devices must have the capability to be hooked up to Ethernet.
• Mailing address must be current and include relevant numbers (apartment, suite, etc.) P.O. Boxes are not supported.

Amazon also asks that CSAs work in a space free of distractions (i.e. no kiddos, and probably no pets, too!). These remote workers will work an average of 20-29 hours per week but may be asked to work up to 60 during peak seasons and extra busy times. This could mean more cash for holiday spending, but it might not be suitable for all schedules.

Very interesting stuff. While this job certainly isn’t for everyone, it sounds like it is going to change the lives of 3,000 for the better!

We’d love to hear your take on these job openings. Do you plan on applying? Have you ever worked for Amazon before? If so, what was your experience like?