Trying to balance everyday life with the responsibilities of parenthood is one seriously tough task. Being a parent is a full-time job – and feeding, bathing, and playing with your kids can leave you with little free time. Yet parents also need to make an income, hold a job, and work daily in addition to caring for their children. And it’s tough to find a job that allows you to be both a parent and a professional.
Fortunately, today’s technology is making it easier than ever before to work from home. That means moms and dads have new opportunities. As increasingly more jobs go remote, more parents can find flexible, work-from-home positions. And parents are able to find jobs that allow them to work convenient hours, without needing childcare for their kids.
Evgeny Atamanenko / ShutterstockIf you’re interested in finding a work-from-home job that suits both your interests and your desire to stay at home with your children, check out these 9 options.
1. Customer Service Representative
Average Pay: $17 per hour, or approximately $35,934 per year¹.
What You’ll Do: Customer service representatives typically work for a company, answering customer questions via phone calls or over email. The role involves responding to questions, hunting down customer information, and providing solutions to problems. You can work full- or part-time, jumping in to help customers whenever you have free time.
2. Data Entry Specialist
Average Pay: $35,833 per year².
What You’ll Do: A data entry specialist deals with data – and you can work with data of any kind. This role typically involves strong keyboard skills, as you’ll be working with many spreadsheets. You’ll carefully enter data wherever it’s needed, ensuring that the data is correct and properly reported.
3. Virtual Assistant
Average Pay: $38,478 per year³.
What You’ll Do: Virtual assistants are just like traditional administrative assistants. However, instead of sitting at a desk in an office, you’ll do all of your tasks from home. On an average day, you’ll answer emails, manage social media accounts, oversee calendars and scheduling, book travel, and even conduct research.
4. Translator
Average Pay: $32 per hour, or approximately $67,343 per year⁴.
What You’ll Do: Translators can work with either written documents, audio files, or films. You’ll translate the content from one language to another. You can either work for a company who needs consistent translation, or you can pick up projects and assignments as needed as a freelancer.
5. Social Media Specialist
Average Pay: $41,945 per year⁵.
What You’ll Do: Social media specialists are in charge of managing different social media accounts. You’ll create and schedule posts designed to boost engagement, ensure companies’ social media presences are strong, and even handle content or ads. You can also help brainstorm new content for future social media ventures.
6. Bookkeeper
Average Pay: $18 per hour, or approximately $38,187 per year⁶.
What You’ll Do: Bookkeeping can be a specialized skill, as it requires careful organization, close attention to detail, and financial knowledge. On an average day, a bookkeeper will record a company’s financial transactions, update statements and documents, and review financial records. You may also handle payments and invoicing, as well as bills and other expenses.
7. Computer Troubleshooting Technician
Average Pay: $22 per hour, or approximately $45,738 per year⁷.
What You’ll Do: Work to solve IT problems and answer questions about computer software and hardware. Like any company’s in-house IT department, a remote computer troubleshooting technician can diagnose technical issues, walk individuals through solutions, and even fix problems remotely with online access.
8. Transcriber
Average Pay: $15 per hour, or approximately $31,110 per year⁸.
What You’ll Do: With quick typing abilities and a good ear, transcribers turn audio into written documents. You’ll listen to an audio file, then transcribe what you hear into an online document. Accuracy, detail, and correctness are key skills you’ll need in this role.
9. Proofreader
Average Pay: $43,126 per year⁹.
What You’ll Do: Proofreaders are responsible for catching and correcting errors in different written works. You’ll look for errors both big and small, like logical flaws, whether or not written material makes sense, and any grammatical mistakes. Proofreaders can pick up individual assignments to build a portfolio, and work can become more regular over time.
How to Find These Work-From-Home Jobs
Wondering how you can start applying for work-from-home jobs like these? It’s as easy as getting online. Companies tend to offer remote positions right on their websites and on internet job boards. That means you can only find these openings if you search online.
You can search for remote jobs, part-time remote jobs, and work-from-home positions. Make sure to check different job boards. Some, like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed, offer both remote and traditional in-office jobs. Others, like FlexJobs, post only work-from-home job openings. You can browse all available openings for remote work.
Balancing a job and your children isn’t easy. But that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your career, your interests, or important time with your kids. With a work-from-home job, you can achieve the right fit for your needs.
