How to apply to be a contact tracer and make up to $22 an hour with benefits

• Contact tracers are wanted across the US to identify individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19.
• The fully remote job pays between $17 and $22 an hour, according to a job posting.
• Employees will have to call all contacts of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 and interview them.
• Bipartisan health experts recommended Congress spend $12 billion to hire an additional 180,000 contract-tracing workers over the next 18 months.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Contact tracer jobs that identify people who have been exposed to COVID-19 across the country are in high demand.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls contract tracing "part of a multipronged approach" to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

A contract tracer in NYC can make a $57,000 salary with benefits, and work remotely.

The organization CONTRACE Public Health Corps is helping connect states, health departments, and companies with Americans who want to become contact tracers.

The fully remote job pays between $17 and $22 an hour and offers benefits to full-time employees. Qualifications for the position include a high school diploma or equivalent and "excellent" organizational and communication skills. Preference is given to nurses and others with experience in public health, according to the job posting.

Tracers will be expected to call everyone who had recently come in contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19, conduct a "symptom check" by phone, and then refer them for testing according to established protocols.

The staff will tell the people they call that they have been exposed to COVID-19, but not who was diagnosed with the disease.

They also provide the individuals with instructions on how to quarantine and are expected to "show empathy to distressed individuals," and maintain confidentiality, according to the post.

The position is Monday through Friday and could include 8-, 10-, and 12-hour shifts, according to the job positing.

NPR reached out to every state (41 replied), and only three will meet the estimated need for contact tracers per capita: North Dakota, Michigan, and Nebraska.

In a letter to Congress, bipartisan health experts recommended spending $12 billion — as part of a $46.5 billion package — to expand the contract-tracing workforce nationwide. They said the number of contract-tracing workers in the US needed to expand by 180,000 until a vaccine is available — which some predict might not be until 2022.

Those interested in applying for a job as a contact tracer anywhere in the country can do so here »

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