Finding work that slots around your childcare needs is a challenge. You’d love to have thousands of pounds in the bank, just waiting there for your enjoyment. But, unfortunately, the realities of working life make that almost impossible.
The good news is this: there are actually jobs out there in the modern economy that fit working mum lifestyles. What’s more, many of them are actually a heck of a lot of fun. Check them out below.
Social Media Manager
Many mums imagine that they can’t return to work because it will take up too much of their time during the day. They won’t be able to meet their kids’ needs. But that’s not true if you take a role as a social media manager.
A social media manager is essentially somebody who manages businesses’ social media accounts. You write posts and content for their audiences, and then schedule it for release at a time and date of your choosing.
The great thing about this job is that you don’t actually have to be present for posts. Instead, you simply use software that posts for you, allowing you to block your time around your schedule.
Online Health Coach
Something similar applies to online health coaching – you don’t actually need to stick with a rigid timetable. In fact, mums who work this job typically find themselves busiest in the evenings, once their kids go to bed.
If you want to do work like this, you’ll need nutrition training and, perhaps some other qualifications. You’ll also benefit if you have a personal interest in healthy living. Online coaching jobs can pay well and be exceptionally rewarding.
Data Entry
Data entry isn’t the most interesting job in the world, but it’s in relatively high demand, even today. If you become a data entry professional, you’ll benefit from things like flexible hours and pay by the project, not the amount of time that you work. So, if you’re quick, it can actually be a relatively lucrative activity indeed.
All sorts of organisations need data entry professionals, and, usually there’s agency work available. So if you build good relationships with a number of agencies, you could see your monthly income soar.
At-Home Tutoring
There’s also a growing trend for mums providing in-home tutoring. This is where parents bring their children to you for lessons (instead of you having to leave the house or arrange childcare for your kids).
At-home tutoring is much more lucrative than you might think, particularly if you can get a group of learners together. Some mums earn more than £80 doing this type of work, more than setting them up financially during their time away from their regular career.
There’s just one caveat: you need educational skills. It helps to have a teaching degree and some existing experience as a tutor. However, even if you don’t have this level of experience, there are still opportunities to tutor foreign students who need to improve their English language skills.
Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistant jobs aren’t as flexible as some of the options that we’ve explored so far. However, they are still well worth considering, especially if the option to leave the house isn’t available yet.
Virtual assistants are essentially remote workers who support small businesses. Your job will be to provide a secretarial function, taking calls and generally assisting the company owner. For the most part, you’ll be working on behalf of single-person operators who don’t have time to take calls during the day, and you may need to represent multiple firms. You’ll get flexible hours, but you will need to be ready to take calls the whole time
Remote Customer Service Positions
Companies like Amazon recently realised that they no longer need to hire staff to their main offices. Instead, they can fulfill many roles at home, lowering costs.
There are, therefore, bountiful opportunities to get jobs with well-established companies, without having to commute every day. Mums, for instance, can work as customer service reps, answering customer concerns from the comfort of their own homes, instead of having to go out to the office. This way, you can be by your children’s side and keep an eye on them, while you talk to customers in text chat.
In summary, the opportunities for mums stuck at home during child care have never been better. There are so many options available out there that it can make your head spin. Companies are looking for people who can work flexibly yet still provide a high level of service.