5 Jobs New Mothers Can Do At Home

Who hasn’t dreamed of working from home? A crosshouse commute sounds infinitely more appealing than a crosstown commute, not to mention the allure of working in your pajamas on occasion. For a family to get by on one income is a difficult task these days, but so too is being a mother who works outside the home. Luckily, more and more people are taking the freelancing plunge and working remotely.

Jobs new mothers can do at home are plentiful, and five work-from-home opportunities are detailed below. You will likely find work as a contractor rather than as a full-time employee. Take the time to learn about self-employment taxes and what bookkeeping system will work best for you. Often, you’ll find yourself learning as you go, which is perfectly okay. Just do your best to do that scrambling behind the scenes. Don’t let a client see you sweat.

The need for transcriptionists continues to grow. While many companies exist, a good number of them pay far below a living wage. In order to gain experience, it may be necessary to start at a less-than-ideal company. In time, you’ll want to invest in a foot pedal to free up your hands and increase transcription speed. Specialized software can be downloaded for free or for a price. Paid software often includes training, which will ensure better transcription opportunities down the road.

If you are certified to teach in a certain subject, employment at various online schools is a possibility. Even without teaching certification, a degree can often be enough to land work as an online tutor. Better yet, being a fluent English speaker can be enough to qualify you to provide speaking lessons to children or corporate clients overseas. Training is typically provided and some sort of curriculum provided when working for another company. In time, you may decide to branch out on your own.

Starting a home-based daycare can be relatively cost-effective and be a great way to spend more time with your kids as they can be woven into the daily fray of busy daycare activity. It’s obviously a boon to hold an early childhood education degree, but not essential. Anything that sets you apart from competitors will be a plus. Do the necessary homework and look into licensing, inspection, and zoning. Put a business plan in place in anticipation of what you want to go right as well as for what will inevitably go wrong. 

To pursue this job, a person needs to be able to multitask and complete a wide variety of jobs for an employer like replying to emails, managing a calendar, scheduling social media posts, adding content to a website, etc. Excellent organization and time-management skills are a must as well considering you’re likely to be juggling an involved to-do list for multiple clients. Consider too if you have specialized knowledge or interests that you could develop an assistant niche in such as working for authors or veterinarians.

Websites like Upwork.com, FlexJobs.com, and PeoplePerHour.com are decent places to get started when starting out as a freelancer. No matter the route you decide to take when it comes to jobs new mothers can do at home, you’ll want to take the time to set up a website, starting with purchasing and registering a domain name. A website will function as your online calling card, so take the time to do it right. If setting up hosting and customizing a theme isn’t your cup of tea, consider hiring a professional. It will be money well spent.

You will also find that rates vary drastically. Take the time to research what clients are willing to pay given your background and experience. Once business picks up, don’t hesitate to increase your rates to match demand. With strategic efforts that are consistently applied, your work-from-home opportunities will continue to grow, and you’ll be able to thank yourself for making the decision to take the plunge in order to be able to spend more time with your kids.    

Have you tried any of these jobs? What other work-from-home jobs would you add to the list?