Being a mom to small children at home and earning enough income to support your family at the same time seems far-fetched a generation ago, but thanks to the internet, there are now plenty of work-at-home jobs for moms you can apply to.
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You may worry about trying to get a few hours to yourself with a newborn or toddler to take care of in between the feedings, baths, nap times, playtimes, and all the other activities you need to do.
But plenty of these jobs for work-at-home moms are flexible enough to adjust to moms’ hectic schedules.
In today’s article, we run down some legitimate work at home jobs for moms who can put in the hours but still need to be there when their kids need them.
Before that, though, let’s explore the factors that you need to consider when looking for this type of work.
What to Consider When Picking a Work-at-Home Job
Before you start looking for work-at-home jobs, you need to have an honest self-assessment of your current situation, lifestyle, capabilities, and other factors you have to consider.
First, consider your equipment. You’ll need a computer, preferably a laptop, and a high-speed internet connection to be qualified for most work-at-home jobs.
Specific jobs also require particular software or accessories. For instance, writers usually need word processing and spellcheck software, while data entry specialists usually need spreadsheet software.
Next, list down your skills and qualifications, including those that you didn’t necessarily get from school. For instance, you may have a Liberal Arts degree, but you may have a knack for cooking.
You would also need to truthfully figure out how much time and how much mental and physical energy you have you have to work.
How much time you have is determined by many factors, such as your partner’s schedule (if you have a partner), availability of childcare, your children’s feeding times or mealtimes, doctor’s appointments, and many more.
Evaluating your energy level is a bit more subjective and is highly dependent on how much focus and brainpower you have left after you take care of your children and do household chores.
Lastly, it’s important to take a job that will add value to you as a person; that is, find meaningful and interesting work that will hone your existing skills or teach you new ones.
If you can, find a job that can act as an outlet for your creative energy, as you badly need it at this stage of parenting kids.
10 Legitimate Work at Home Jobs For Moms
1. Online Teacher
Becoming an online teacher is a great way to keep your passion for working with kids and teaching others alive while staying close to home.
Another perk of becoming an online teacher is that there are so many options available to you in terms of which subject, age group (even adults!), what times of the day, and how long a class you want to teach.
Make sure you have the right qualifications for the subject and state or country you want to teach in.
Online teaching regulations in the U.S., for example, are still the same as those for a traditional teacher, so you’ll still need a Teacher’s License.
However, if you decide to teach English to students in another country, you likely won’t need a Teacher’s License, but being certified as an instructor for English as a Foreign Language is definitely an advantage.
The TEFL website is a great source for anyone who wants to teach English as a Secondary Language online.
If teaching English online is something you’re interested in, here are some companies to check out.
2. Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant performs many of the duties a typical assistant would—answering phone calls, managing schedules, answering emails, updating spreadsheets, etc.—but isn’t actually in an office.
The only possible downside to this sort of work-at-home job is that you’ll usually need to have a specific few hours to set aside each day without too many interruptions, and this may be hard to manage if you have really small children.
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To find virtual assistant work, look for opportunities on company websites and on freelancing sites like Freelancer. I’ve also written about what you need to get ahead as a virtual assistant.
3. Virtual Bookkeeper
More and more companies, big and small, are turning to virtual bookkeepers to keep track of their financial records and taxes. Online personalities and remote organizations usually hire virtual bookkeepers as well.
If you have bookkeeping experience or are excellent with numbers, then this might be a great job position for you.
If you can get a foothold in this industry with a couple of clients then you can easily grow to make around $60,000 or more a year.
Virtual bookkeeping is a good option for moms who have a few hours a day open to devoting their attention to their clients.
I’ve found some companies currently offering virtual bookkeeper jobs here.
4. Transcriptionist
Plenty of industries have tons of video footage and audio files that need to be converted into written content.
The medical, legal, film, television, and many other industries have a constant need for transcriptionists. They either hire their own transcriptionists or dump their files on a transcription company, who will then hire transcriptionists to work on various files.
Transcriptionists are often assigned to transcribe video or audio content, reviewing reports and transcripts created by other transcriptionists, and proofreading and correcting errors. Most companies will require you to type 75 WPM or more.
The challenge in this type of job is that you’ll have to be able to find ways so you can hear your audio clearly. From noise-canceling headphones to audio editing software, there are various tools you can use to do this and transcribe your assigned audio files.
I’ve compiled a list of transcription jobs you can do from home.
5. Social Media Manager
The great thing about being a social media manager is that it is one of the most flexible jobs out there.
You can truly pick your own hours as scheduling software has made it easy to schedule posts to be published in advance.
Almost every company these days needs a social media manager and many opt to go for a freelancer because it’s much easier than hiring someone for the office. There are plenty of opportunities for this type of work-at-home job for moms.
The easiest way to find work as a social media manager is to look for opportunities on sites like Upwork and Flexjobs as well as apply on company websites.
6. Baker (and Blogger!)
Having a baker for a mom will probably result in some big smiles from the little ones as they get to lick off spoons and act as taste testers.
The big key here is to find clients to bake for.
It’s a good option to find a bakery to sell your goods to, as well as a few regular clients. You may have to hit a few farmer’s markets, holiday fairs, and bake sales.
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The income you can earn as a baker might be small in the beginning, but you can steadily increase it by taking on more orders and regular clients.
Another idea would be to set up a blog and track and photograph the recipes you create. Grow a big enough following and you can turn your baking into a business worth seven figures!
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If you’re really interested in going this route, we did write about how to sell baked goods from home.
7. Start a Homemade Crafts Business
There are plenty of major success stories out there from moms who started their own businesses by creating handmade gifts, products, and art.
Many people, including most parents, are increasingly becoming conscious of how the products they consume are impacting their families as well as the environment.
Online businesses that sell custom jewelry, natural cosmetic products, and homemade toys are seeing the big bucks rolling in.
The kicker: many of these online businesses are run by stay-at-home moms.
Any mom with a knack for creating crafty or gifts or products can definitely consider this as a legitimate work from home job. The beauty of it is you can create whenever you want during the day and leave the business side of it for when things have quieted down in the evenings.
Here are some examples of crafts to make and sell.
8. Life Coach
If you have a knack for helping people with their problems then perhaps you should consider becoming a life coach.
You can run the business from your home and book appointments with clients during the hours you know you have open.
Right now, it’s not necessary to become certified as a life coach – though you certainly can get certified if you want. There are some training opportunities out there as well that can help you get started.
Learn to Become is a great source for everything you might want to know about this potential career.
9. Writer
As content rises in popularity, companies and brands are constantly looking for content writers to help boost their brand awareness and marketing efforts.
If you have a knack for storytelling and have near-perfect grammar, freelance writing can be just the thing for you. Those who hire writers normally set deadlines for your work, and you can schedule your writing around your day so you can submit your articles on time.
Here’s how to find freelance writing jobs as a beginner.
Note that freelance writing is also a great stepping stone toward blogging, which is a great tool for earning passive income.
When you start your blog, you can write about pretty much anything that has an audience. You can write about your interests, your passion, your hobbies, heck, even your parenting journey.
10. Proofreader/Editor
Do you like reading more than writing?
And do you find yourself catching spelling and grammar errors quite easily in the text you’re reading?
If so, you might make a great proofreader or copy editor.
As companies and brands increase the amount of written content that they publish, the demand for proofreaders and editors to double-check that content and correct any errors is also increasing.
A giant list of proofreading jobs can be found here.
The Bottom Line: You CAN Be A Work-At-Home Mom!
Remember: You can chase your own dreams and work toward your financial goals while being a great parent.
Hopefully, this list of jobs for stay-at-home moms convinces you that this is possible and inspires you to get started today.
Looking for even more online work from home opportunities?
I’ve covered EVEN MORE stay-at-home mom jobs here!
Are you an expecting or stay-at-home mom looking for work? Which of these work-at-home jobs for moms on this list interests you? Let us know in the comments!
