Working the traditional nine-to-five may not be ideal for women who prefer to cook breakfast for their children every morning and greet them as they shuffle off the bus in the afternoon. If you find immeasurable happiness in the round-the-clock tender loving care that goes into being a stay-at-home family woman, or you’re just looking for income in between work, there are options for you to make an earning without ever leaving your home. Explore these avenues if you’re a family focused woman and you want to bring some extra dollars into the household.
Bilingual Senior Technical Adviser
The great thing about the customer service industry is that it will always be around. Customers and clients will forever need assistance with the goods or services they’ve purchased, so entering into this market is a smart move. What’s even more appealing, especially if you want to spend more time with your children, is you can do this job from home. According to WorkingMother.com, “Customer service is one of the most widely known work-from-home job categories, and big-name companies like JetBlue and Coca-Cola have hired telecommuting customer service reps.” If you have strong people skills and enjoy talking to and assisting others, becoming an over the phone tech advisor or customer service representative could very well be for you. Some companies will even up your pay if you are bilingual.
Event Planner
If you leave people in awe every time you host your child’s or spouse’s birthday party, then you may want to consider being an event planner. BankRate.com shares the story of Terri Reynolds who started her party hosting business after organizing her daughter’s fourth birthday. “Reynolds offers two-hour, hosted parties with fairy-tale and pirate themes, starting at $600. She works from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week and on weekends, when she hosts parties,” according to Bank Rate. She tells the company that most children’s party planners can make yearly incomes of $35,000. This income could increase significantly as clientele builds.
Seamstress
If you’re good with a needle and thread, try your hand at becoming a seamstress. It’s another job you can do within the comfort of your own home, and you can take on as many or as few clients as you would like. According to ERI Economic Research Institute, as Bank Rate reports, “Full-time dressmakers earn an average annual salary of $24,728.” You can decide if you want to offer alterations only or create full designs, and then determine what you will charge from there. You may even want to extend your services to your children’s friend’s parents for Halloween costumes, and to local schools’ theater departments as well.
Caretaker
Parents who work outside of the home are always on the search for affordable and quality childcare. Many parents in their middle age are also in need
of care for their elderly parents. Monitoring children or elderly adults could bring in some extra income. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The need for child day care services is projected to increase by 15 percent from 2008 to 2018…” The BLS averaged weekly earnings for care services to $345 in 2008. This kind of job, though, may require you to obtain special licensing and background checks before offering it as a public service.CEO/Executive Director
This may seem like a far stretch, but it’s actually very possible. “Whether searching for a CEO or executive director, many companies are now turning these positions virtual because it helps them widen their geographic search area, bring in a wider variety of highly qualified applicants, and keep overhead costs low by eliminating the need for office space,” according to WorkingMother.com. A prime example is the company Digital Toolbox, which is fully operated on a virtual platform. Everyone, including the CEO and her assistant, work from home, and 60% of the companies employees are work-from-home moms.
Task Rabbit
If you’re not looking to earn a significant amount of additional income, but just want to put a few extra dollars in your pocket whenever you want, give TaskRabbit.com a try. TaskRabbit.com users post various odd jobs like grocery shopping or running errands, and the “TaskRabbits” take on the jobs they want and are compensated upon completion. Whitney Moss from RookieMoms.com said, “My friend Lynn hired a tech-savvy Rabbit to create a themed playlist for a baby shower.” Jobs can be very simple and completed while your child is napping, or while you’re out and about running your own errands.
Read about this virtual company who is ran by 70 percent women and 60 percent mothers.