In the UK, the right to request flexible working hours around family commitments has been granted from day one of employment. This means that anyone starting a new job or currently in employment can request a flexible working schedule if the company can offer this. Of course, this isn’t always possible, nor is every employer open to adjusting how they work to accommodate such requests. Still, it is a significant step forward that this is now a legal option employees have.
Despite this, the bulk of the childcare still mainly falls on the shoulders of mums and increasing childcare costs and long commutes often make it difficult for parents to pursue a career without forfeiting something. It’s no wonder then that the introduction of working from home at the onset of the covid pandemic was welcomed by many and is something many people, not just parents, are keen to keep in place. One in four firms in the UK will continue to allow staff to work from home. More are considering a more blended way of working to better enhance the employee working week and allow for more flexibility in people’s schedules.
Sometimes, however, it isn’t possible, and this right is denied for any reason. In this case, finding a more flexible working solution leads to people looking for job roles they can fill from home or fit in around their families. Without falling into the somewhat dubious MLM sector, what industries allow people to be more flexible with their work and offer the best chance of finding that elusive home-work-life balance?
Blogging
Although this isn’t a guaranteed money maker and legitimate career, it can be lucrative for those who have a passion for words and a likeability that shines through online and resonates with people. Many successful bloggers started their blogs as hobbies before becoming a natural income source, often as sidelines alongside full or part-time employment.
As a creative career, the sole requirement is that you share intriguing and engaging information. But, nothing compares to the freedom of being your own boss and setting your own hours – and being a blogger will provide you with just that. Your interests, combined with a few techniques and skills that you can pick up along the way, will offer you a terrific opportunity to make money. Plus, you can connect your blog to Google Adsense or share affiliate links from Amazon to make money online. Blogger and WordPress are two platforms that you can use to launch a blog.
It takes dedication and commitment and a lot of hours online building your audience, but the payoff can be an exciting career where you can earn money at home whenever you want to!
Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant does many of the jobs a personal assistant does but is tailored to your particular skill set. Many people benefit from working with remote assistants as they are often more reliable and offer a more niche set of skills than a traditional personal assistant.
The best part is, you can use your current skills or train in new ones to enhance your CV and create a promising career. Find clients via sites such as Fiverr, People Per Hour or Upwork to begin and reach out to those online via social media, especially LinkedIn. As long as you have an email address and an active internet subscription, you can get started.
Beauty Therapist
More specifically, a mobile beauty therapist. The Uk beauty industry is thriving right now, and if you are looking for a career, you can be genuinely flexible around your schedule. There is nothing like fitting in beauty treatments around your home life. Whether you want to become a hairdresser, nail technician, permanent makeup artist, or learn how to undertake beauty treatments on the skin, the choice is yours. You can even train to become a tattoo artist if you wish.
This may take time to learn and study before you are qualified and many hours of practice to get to where you need to be, but if you are serious about working for yourself and working when suits you, this is a highly viable option.
Copywriter
Copywriting can be an extremely lucrative career if you have a background in writing and a flair for the written word. We’re not talking about writing complete novels, but if you are able to, ghostwriting is also a thriving sector too. But more writing articles for websites, online publications, SEO agencies for blogger outreach and more. The pay isn’t always great and depending on how you come across your work, slightly unpredictable, but the flexibility it can offer you can be worth the career change if you are adept in this area.
Find work online by registering with sites such as Copify, Fiverr, Flexjobs and Freelancer.com.
Tutoring
Tutoring is both enjoyable and rewarding in a variety of ways. Working with platforms such as Academized, for example, allows those with specialised abilities in areas currently in high demand to put their expertise to use. The good news is that you don’t need any unique talents to become a tutor because English teaching is constantly in high demand, and many platforms favour tutors who are fluent in English. You can work at your own pace and earn a substantial amount of money in this way.
Website Builder
Many people pay a lot of money for excellent coding skills and designing websites and apps. If you have background and expertise in this area, you can freelance your skills to help companies and website owners improve their online visibility.
With more people shopping online than ever before, websites need to be user-friendly, mobile reactive and accessible for all users. Creating efficient websites and understanding the language and practises involved is something many people know nothing about at all. So rebrand as a website builder and create a new income stream utilising your skillset.
Creating a career that works for you can be the ultimate goal and allow you to live the life you want to in a way that works best for you and your family.