When considering the diverse nature of family situations, numerous mothers who decide to pause their careers often seek opportunities to generate additional income while caring for their young children at home. This can lead to a plethora of queries, including where can I find employment as a stay-at-home mom? How can I efficiently complete work assignments in a noisy environment? And will this additional responsibility cause excessive stress while also providing child care?
To find answers to these questions and others, we interviewed two career experts on the topic of generating income while being a stay-at-home mom. This includes tips on managing part-time work alongside family responsibilities, identifying suitable jobs that align with full days of parenting, and starting your job search in the right direction.
Balancing Work with Stay-At-Home Motherhood
The truth is, the days of a stay-at-home parent are busy. From dropping off kids at school to changing diapers, preparing dinner, and putting the children to bed, full-time caregivers have a packed schedule and little free time.
How can you manage to find a way to earn income while also taking care of your children?
Look for flexible hours
When selecting a job that suits your family life, Nicole Wood, CEO and cofounder of Ama La Vida Coaching, suggests looking for work that allows flexibility in terms of timing and doesn’t involve lengthy meetings. By doing so, you can avoid having to wait until your child takes a nap to start working for the day.
Master your weekly routine
It is advised by Stephanie Chipman, who is a job search strategist and the founder of SAHM Coaching, that stay-at-home parents should have a clear understanding of their weekly routine. They should consider the amount of time required for work and how this will fit into their children’s schedule. It is also worth considering if there are any family members or friends who could look after the kids while they work for a few hours.
Carve out a dedicated work space
Additionally, Chipman stressed the significance of having an appropriate workspace and dressing appropriately, even if you do not have to go out. If you do not have sufficient room for a complete office, consider incorporating a desk into your living area or storing work items in a basket that can be easily accessed when necessary.
Wood says that having a designated space for work helps to indicate to your child when you are working and when you are available to them.
Set manageable goals
Chipman suggests beginning your motivation with attainable objectives. Within a 20-minute timeframe, you can achieve a great deal, while simultaneously allowing your children to watch TV for 20-30 minutes.
According to Chipman, consistent completion of small increments will lead to outcomes. You should not expect to accomplish a large amount, so it is important to be compassionate to yourself. Occasionally, it is necessary to decelerate in order to accomplish tasks more efficiently.
Protect yourself from burnout
To avoid burnout or excessive stress in a new job, Wood suggests beginning with minimal tasks and gradually increasing the workload when you feel prepared. Wood acknowledges the temptation of taking on additional tasks but emphasizes the importance of starting with fewer responsibilities and waiting until you feel confident in managing them. This approach will enable you to work comfortably and efficiently.
Choose enjoyable work
Wood advises stay-at-home parents to carefully consider the type of paid work they pursue, prioritizing personal enjoyment rather than solely focusing on financial gain. By doing so, the experience becomes more fulfilling and ensures ongoing motivation.
Best Jobs for Stay-At-Home Moms
Blogging
Do you know why this one is ranked number one? It’s because blogging is something I deeply care about, and it has given me the chance to be a stay-at-home parent while also earning enough money to support my family.
Although it required a great deal of effort, blogging has allowed us to fully eliminate our debt and enable my husband’s retirement at the age of 30. I initially began blogging with the sole intention of earning some additional income, and my first blog-related earnings came from affiliate marketing. From that point forward, the revenue generated by my blog continued to increase steadily.
As I thought about it step by step, the additional earnings from my blog started to cover our mortgage payment. Eventually, it even fully cleared the debt! At that point, I realized that I had transitioned from merely running a hobby blog to becoming a business owner.
Virtual Assisting
Working as a virtual assistant is an ideal job option for mothers during school hours due to its flexibility and ability to assist others with their business needs. The majority of work hours are during the day or late at night, when children are asleep, allowing for easy completion from the convenience of one’s home. Presently, there is no better opportunity to acquire the skills of working remotely as a virtual assistant.
The advantage of being a virtual assistant is that it covers a wide range of skills. You can provide assistance in email management, designing infographics, or capturing needed stock images. In essence, any task in a person’s business that is consuming too much time can be handled by you.
Virtual assisting is a highly recommended employment opportunity for stay at home moms due to its excellent flexibility and unlimited possibilities.
Virtual assisting services encompass a wide range of tasks, with the following being just a few examples.
- Social Media Management
- Freelance Writing
- Graphic Designer Skills
- Blog Post Creation and Editing
- Affiliate Marketing Optimizer
- And so much more!
With the increasing number of online businesses, there is a growing demand for virtual assistants, which means you could find a job within a week and earn a few hundred dollars monthly.
Freelancing
What does it mean to be free? Freelancing involves the act of finding job opportunities for clients. This could involve tasks such as writing blog posts for a prominent website, producing infographics for a lifestyle influencer, or editing videos specifically for Facebook advertisements.
Another great work at home opportunity is being a freelance writer. It provides the flexibility to choose which projects to work on, allowing you to say “yes” or “no” as desired. If you need to take time off to assist with your children at different times, you have the freedom to decide the extent of your work. With this remote job, you have control over how much additional income you want to earn each month.
If you have a passion for writing, freelance writing can be an ideal choice. I know people who earn as much as $2 for each word they write. Therefore, for a 1,000-word article, the total payment can reach $2,000.
To embark on a freelancing journey, first establish a website to display your portfolio and then utilize Facebook to approach prominent bloggers and influencers and offer your writing services for additional earnings.
Photography
Becoming a photographer is one of the most natural job choices for mothers with babies. Many new moms tend to take up photography as a hobby after their adorable little bundle of joy arrives.
If you practice photography on your own child for a few months, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by the new skills you have acquired.
Despite not being a professional photographer, my friends have employed me to capture their family Christmas pictures at a rate exceeding $80 per hour.
One reason why this is an excellent job choice for mothers is that you have the flexibility to take on photography assignments whenever you have availability and to take breaks as necessary.
Did you know that bloggers and other companies are willing to pay for high-quality photography and stock images to use on their blogs? If you have a keen attention to detail, you might be able to make money by selling your photographs for use on different websites!
Online Course Creation
If you have experience in teaching or enjoy researching and writing, there is a high demand for creating online courses. Businesses and other online educational platforms continuously seek simple and easily accessible courses to present to potential customers. With platforms like Teachable, it is effortless to develop online courses.
Instead of starting with a 100 lecture video lesson course, it is possible to begin with a profitable mini course to gain some experience. People are more willing to purchase a low-cost course that guarantees quick success rather than investing $997 and spending weeks to finish it. Begin with something small and expand gradually. Online courses offer a great opportunity to generate passive income and earn extra money, and it can rapidly transform you into a legitimate business owner.
I suggest starting your blog as the first step, gradually increasing your income by offering small digital products such as printables, and then delving further into creating online courses.
